Collections : [Western Connecticut State University Archives and Special Collections]

In 1935 Ralph Jenkins became Principal of the Danbury Normal School, and, in 1937 became the first President of Danbury State Teacher's College. Through his doctoral research he became an outstanding authority on the life and works of Henry Barnard. This is a collection of his papers and some titles from his collection of books.

Collection of biographical sketches derived from primary sources by WCSU undergraduates for Dr. Herbert Janick's Historical Research course.

This collection is comprised of black-and-white, 8 x 10" photoprints most presumably ordered from the Library of Congress in 1972. Most of the images are part of the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Collection and show African Americans in urban and rural settings during the Great Depression and World War II. Many of the images are available digitally from the American Memory collection at the Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html. The collection also includes some presumably original photography and pre-Civil War and reconstruction images.

The University Publications and Design Department is responsible for the production of academic publications and promotional materials for the university. The bulk of this collection consists of the working files for Diane Golden, Director of UP&D, from 1988 to 2000.

The role of the the Division of Academic Affairs has evolved in name and purpose over the history of the WCSU. Currently the division is headed by the V.P. of Academic Affairs & Provost. The Division of Academic Affairs collection includes: administrative records, accreditation records, admissions data, institutional research and assessment records, and strategic planning information.

This is a collection of photographs and realia spanning the history of Western Connecticut State University. The collection includes images and objects that document the growth, evolution and public profile of the institution.

Howard Dunham Barlow was a radio pioneer, musician, composer, arranger and conductor. The Howard Dunham Barlow Collection consists of correspondence, newspaper and magazine clippings, recordings, original compositions, published choral arrangements, CBS program logs, scrapbooks, oral history, orchestral arrangements and works, prospective scripts, reviews of concerts, phonograph records, photographs, and writings.

Geddes was appointed Dean of Men at Danbury State Teacher's College in 1947 and served in that role until he retired in 1974. In 1939, he earned a Masters in education from Yale, and in 1955 received his Doctorate in Student Personnel from New York University. He joined the Army in the 1930s and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. Geddes was a military history enthusiast and amassed a number of books on the subject. His papers contain personal materials from his career as an educator, soldier and military history collector.

The June Goodman Collection documents her local activism in the 1960s. She received a master's degree in education from WestConn in 1970. The collection focuses on Goodman's commitment to education, specifically her work with the Committee of 1,000 and its fight to improve and expand the Danbury school system in the 1960s. Much of the collection chronicles the bitter nature of the debate.

The collection contains the World War I letters, photographs and miscellanea of George Hawley, a Danbury native who was in Company B of the 307th Infantry of the American Expeditionary Force. Hawley died of disease just before the end of the War in October of 1918.

Hamilton Orgelman was born in Danbury, Connecticut, on October 17, 1889. Orgelman was best known for his work with the Boy Scouts of America. The collection documents Orgelman's career and contains periodicals, correspondence, bulletins, booklets, scrapbook, photographs and memorabilia. Included also are materials relating to his son, George Orgelman who worked in the aviation industry.

The collection includes material published by the Committee on Public Information (CPI) and a variety of propagandistic and commemorative materials published during and around the time of the First World War.

Lewis Zurlo spent 32 years designing buildings in and around the western Connecticut area and was a member of the Danbury Preservation Trust. The collection includes personal and architectural materials Zurlo collected over his professional career and significant architectural information on a number of buildings in and around Danbury for which Zurlo and his firm's services were retained.

Ruth Alice Haas (1903-1986) arrived the Danbury Normal School in 1931 to serve as Dean of Women. For fifteen years, she lived in Fairfield Hall as the primary mentor and supervisor for boarding students. Over the years, she assumed more responsibility. In 1946, after President Jenkins' death, she was the unanimous choice for president. She served as president for twenty-eight years, through times of significant growth and change for the school. These papers contain a cross section of her administrative records and her personal papers.

The collection includes works of art collected by Marjorie Echols '81. The art is in various mediums and was created by artists from the Danbury area.

Comprised of maps, photographs and miscellanea collected by the University Archives since the 1980s.

The Danbury Preservation Trust had its beginnings in 1978 during a faculty developed summer course entitled Living History, Reading the Connecticut Landscape, taught by Dr. Herbert F. Janick, Professor of History at Western Connecticut State College. After formal incorporation in January 1979, he became the Trust's first president. The records of the Danbury Preservation Trust span the years 1978-1997. The collection includes surveys to identify structures that might be included on the National Register. The bulk of this collection consists of Architectural and Historic Resources Inventories that were conducted by the Trust between 1979 and 1986. The majority of the surveys contain a small black and white photograph of the structure.

Edward Eliscu, actor, lyricist, playwright, screen and songwriter, producer, and director was born in New York City on April 26, 1902. The collection consists of correspondence, clippings, scripts, lyrics, music, and other writings.

A small collection of art books presumably collected when Ms. Parkhurst travelled in Asia.

The Danbury Industrial Corporation was established between 1916-1918 to promote the City of Danbury as an attractive location for business and industry initially through the purchase of land for industrial development. The collection includes the D.I.C. records, clippings, correspondence, legal documents and most notably a three volume Danbury Industrial Survey which contains comprehensive descriptions and statistical analyses of Danbury's business and industrial community from 1918.

James Edmund Dyer, graduate of Western Connecticut State College and politician, was born in Danbury, Connecticut, on September 20, 1946. His papers span the years 1900 to 2008, with the bulk of the collection dating from 1970 to 1990, primarily documenting his work as Mayor of Danbury, Connecticut. Information regarding his activities at Western Connecticut State College, his two terms as Trustee of the Connecticut State Colleges, and State Representative for the 110th District is also included.The collection consists of biographical materials, legislative and trustee files, citations, correspondence, fliers, greeting cards, membership cards, newsletters, news clippings, scrapbooks, petitions, photographs, posters, postcards, press releases, printed materials, proclamations, resolutions, writings and campaign materials such as bumper stickers, campaign pins, sample ballots, and mailing lists.

The collection is comprised of mostly of sheetmusic which span the years 1800 to the 1960s. Also included are publicity photographs and other images of Steinkraus in her career as a pianist, radio host and activist for world peace.

Davida Blakeslee was born in Thomaston, Connecticut in 1910, and was a 1929 graduate of Danbury Normal School. She received her B.S. from Teachers College of Connecticut at New Britain in 1958, and her Master of Education from the University of Hartford in 1961. She taught in public schools for more than 30 years. This collection is comprised of a scrapbook she made as a keepsake for her time at the Danbury Normal School.

A collection of materials from the A.C. Gilbert Company documenting their activity during World War II compiled by H. L. Trisch.

The Student Government Association (SGA) is the governing body for the students at Western Connecticut State University. The SGA sponsors numerous academic, recreational, and other student-run clubs and organizations at WCSU. The records include the accumulation of records by successive SGA presidents.

Warner spent 37 years as a teacher and administrator and was also a board member and former president of the Scott-Fanton Museum, now known as the Danbury Museum and Historical Society. During his tenure, he supervised and contributed to numerous museum exhibits. The Warner Collection consists of writings, photographs, miscellanea, research notes and papers documenting Warner's life as a World War II medic, author, historian and historical researcher. The bulk of the collection contains an extensive series of newspaper clippings and printed materials relating to local and state history, several boxes of personal papers, and several boxes that contain information on Western's faculty, administration, and events concerning the school's history beginning in the 1940s and continuing through to the late 1990s.