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Professor Kleinschmidt amassed countless photocopies, copies of microfilm and Sanborn maps, copies of newspaper articles, correspondence, and black and white photographs of local buildings (residences, commercial, college).  In the 1990s, Professor Kleinschmidt expressed his interest in having his collection deposited with the Grinnell College Archives.  Members of the Grinnell Historic Preservation Commission (Lisa Adkins, Don Irving, Cheryl Neubert), conducted interviews with him to access much of his accumulated knowledge about this history of the town, the occupants and the buildings.

The collection is arranged in three series: Personal papers; Published work, course outlines, lectures; and Unpublished manuscripts and research notes. It reflects Margaret’s work as a writer, but except for her writing on women, does not reflect her active role in such women’s organizations as NOW and the League of Women Voters nor her work with activist’s groups such as Grinnell Peace Links.

Personal papers contains correspondence with family members, close friends, and letters that relate to her writing. There are many tributes written to her family on her death. Of significance is a poem, “The misbehaving feet,” written by James Norman Hall that Margaret had found in her mother’s papers. It is an unpublished poem written in 1936 for Margaret’s father. Also included is correspondence between Margaret and an editor at The Atlantic Monthly about possible publication of the poem.

Published work contains the research materials, notes, related correspondence, and drafts of her published articles. Although she wrote on a variety of issues, the most significant items are those relating to Grinnell College and published in The Grinnell Magazine, The Annals of Iowa, and Iowa Woman. She wrote fine articles about Herrick Chapel and Mears Cottage and a series of articles about Hallie Flanagan. Her work on Ruth Suckow was quite extensive and led to her participation in the Ruth Suckow Memorial Association; papers from that group are included in this collection.

Unpublished manuscripts includes stories and articles from early in her career and the drafts and research materials from her book on Grinnell women on which she was working when she died. Her extensive writing, her interest in Grinnell, and her strong feminist leanings may have made this last work the pinnacle of her career.

Items in the Treasurer's Office record group span the years 1847-1980.  Records from the 19th Century (Series 1 and 4) consist chiefly of ledgers, journals, and donor lists.

Prior to 1887 the college had no office force, and a Trustee served as Treasurer (without salary). Several local bankers serves as treasurers and auditors during the Gates' administration, The first salaried Treasurer was H. H. Robbins.

H. H. Robbins, 1869, was Secretary and Treasurer of Iowa College 1887-1906, and was a Trustee 1890-1906. Prior to 1887 he was a Congregational minister and a railroad engineer. He was the son of Iowa Band Member A. B. Robbins, who was the first president of the Board.

H. W. Somers, 1882, became Business Manager and Secretary in 1907. His duties were to direct the financial and accounting system of the college and to direct fund raising. In 1916 his title changed to Secretary and Treasurer, and Louis Pyelps became Business Manager. Somers served until 1919.
Louis Phelps came as Business Manager in 1916, was college Treasurer 1919-1949. He was Secretary of the Grinnell College Foundation 1917-ca. 1954. Prior to coming to Grinnell he was a construction engineer, and was involved in construction of the women’s quadrangle 1914-1916.

Rupert Hawk, Treasurer, 1949-1956
Charles Kaufman served as Accountant 1942-1956 and as Treasurer 1956-1966
Donald Lambie, Treasurer, 1966-1972
Robert Anderson, Treasurer, 1972-1988
Waldo Walker, Treasurer, 1988-1990
David Clay, Treasurer, 1990-

From about 1913 to 1940 the college expanded its facilities dramatically.  Louis Phelps, College Treasurer 1919-1949, and Grinnell College Foundation Secretary 1917-ca.1954, preserved most of the papers which expedited the financing and construction of the dormitories and a few other buildings during this period.  Series 3-5 are from his files.

Providing on-campus dormitores for students was a new phenomenon in the early part of the twentieth century, and financing their construction called for considerable ingenuity.  Grinnell was a pioneer in this, and other colleges and universities studied the example.  One officer of the General Education Board, a Rockefeller philanthropy which contributed significantly to the College, praised President Main for pioneering in the social and educational experiment; another officer feared that war or pestilence might create serious problems in dormitories (RG-T, Ser. 3.4, folder 2, Phelps to Arnett, 6/22/30),.  The College Trustees created Grinnell College Foundation to raise the funds.  Details of their activities are in Series 6 and Series 3.4 of this record group.  Dormitory construction records are in Series 4.

Part of the financing involved owning, managing, and selling farms and other real estate.  Correspondence between Mr. Phelps and the farmers and farm managers (in series 5) records on a day-to-day basis the myriad problems farmers faced during the 1920s and 30s in the midwest.  Text books describe the agricultural situation, but this correspondence brings home what it was like to live and cope with falling market prices, crop diseases, pernicious weather patterns, and personal tragedies.  The correspondence includes such details as building and equipment repairs; livestock sales; plant and animal diseases; when to castrate the pigs; planting windbreaks; inability to get crops to market because of muddy roads; government farm assistance programs; trial planiting of the new hybrid corn seed.  Phelps was involved in all of these details.

The collection includes writings of Herron from the 1890s, correspondence from and to college officials regarding Herron and his work at the college, published articles and unpublished papers about Herron, and extensive set of clippings regarding Herron, his philosophy and teaching, and his relationship with Carrie Rand.

Materials related to Judith Helfrich Hassed's time as student at Grinnell College.

The Development Office is responsible for the fund-raising operations of the college.  These records document its activities.

History & Background of the Office:

Perhaps the first donation to Grinnell College was in 1846 when J.J. Hill, one of the Iowa Band, made the gift of a silver dollar to challenge his colleagues to endow the College. Since that time, the College has been almost continually involved with fund-raising campaigns. In 1897 a Semi-Centennial Fund was established for enlarging the campus and for adding to the endowment. Four groups were targeted: alumni, trustees, faculty; citizens of Grinnell; Congregationalists of Iowa; and friends of education everywhere. Solicitations were sent out from the Semi-Centennial Committee.

In 1913 the Grinnell College Foundation was established to work with the Trustees of the College to manage and sell real estate, principally farm lands, given to the college under annuity plans. The Foundation financed men's and women's dormitories built in the second decade of the twentieth century. The College also had a number of endowment campaigns after the turn of the century. During the first half of the century, the College Treasurer and Business Officers were involved with development efforts, especially Louis V. Phelps (1915-49) and Charles Kaufman (1948-66). The fund-raising activities of the College were run by the administration, especially the President, and the Trustees for many years. In the late 1950s President Bowen hired the fund-raising counselling firm of Marts & Lundy to study the feasibility of raising substantial funds to meet the ongoing needs of the College. Then early in the 1960s, with the assistance of a matching grant from the Ford Foundation, the College hired its first, senior, fund-raising officer, John McFarland. From that time until 2005, development activities have been run from the Development Office. In 2005, the Development Office, the Alumni Office, and the Office of Communications and Events were combined under one Vice-President for College and Alumni Relations.

Development Officers:

1963-65 John R. McFarland, Jr. Vice President for Development 1966-66 Russell W. Fridely Vice President for Planning and Development 1966-71 James O. Avison Director of Development 1971-73 James O. Avison Vice President for Resources Planning 1973-76 James O. Avison Vice President for Institutional Development 1976-80 David L. Murphy Vice President for Development 1980-82 Richard T. Jenkins Vice President for Development 1982-92 Thomas K. Marshall Vice President for Development 1992-93 Michael S. Bever Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 1994-96 E. Kevin Cornell Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 1996-2001 Angela Voos Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations 2001 - 2005 Todd A. Reding Vice President for Alumnit Relations and Development, 2005 - 2010 Mickey Munley, Vice President for College and Alumni Relations

The Summer Programs Office was organized in 1982 by James C. Work. The office coordinated special academic and athletic summer programs and outside groups using campus facilities for conferences. In 1989-1990 the name of the office was changed to Special Services and Summer Activities as additional responsibilities were added. During the college's sesquicentannial celebration, the office coordinated many on-campus and off-campus events. In July, 2001, the office merged with the Office of Public Relations to become the Office of Communications and Events.

Consists of Jim Work's office files.  Included are files concerning the celebration of the college's sesquicentennial in 1996.

The Summer Programs Office was organized in 1982 by James C. Work. The office coordinated special academic and athletic summer programs and outside groups using campus facilities for conferences. In 1989-1990 the name of the office was changed to Special Services and Summer Activities as additional responsibilities were added. During the college's sesquicentennial celebration, the office coordinated many on-campus and off-campus events. In July, 2001, the office merged with the Office of Public Relations to become the Office of Communications and Events.

Series 1 Summer Program Files: Have not been arranged; they include brochures and schedules from summer activities from 1983-1989.

Series 2 Sesquicentennial Celebration Files: Include memoranda, programs, planning and materials, and budgets for many events on campus and around the country. Also included are audio and video tapes of SQC events. The files are arranged by Grinnell activities and off-campus activities (generally arranged alphabetically by city).

Series 3 Scholars' Convocations: Includes 129 audiotapes of convocations from 1991-1997 and 23 videotapes of convocations, 1996-1997.

The bulk of the collection consists of letters to Mrs. Mamie Tibbs and four of her children from family and friends, the majority written from 1939-1945.  Letters from one family member to another are filed in the folder of the recipient; letters in each folder are arranged chronologically.  There are no letters to or from James or Shirley.  There are a number of letters from Albert to various family members filed in the recipients’ folders.  Other papers include a variety of personal and family cards, announcements, invitations, etc.

The papers were left in the family’s house at 712 Elm Street when they moved and were retrieved by Grinnell College students when some letters blew out of the abandoned house into the neighborhood.  This is not a complete family record and does not give a complete accounting of the family history.  The letters do give some insight into the everyday life and concerns of a black family living in a white community during the 1940s and 1950s and of blacks in the armed forces during and after World War II.

Consists of minutes of the Executive Committee of the Trustees, the Board of Trustees, the Finance Committee, and materials on the Fund for Excellence.

The cyclone of June 1882 destroyed the minutes of meetings of the Trustees of Iowa College. S. L. Herrick, Secretary of the Board, copied his records of meetings prior to that date.

Papers and administrative materials documenting the work of the Office of the Dean.  Some materials may be confidential and not available for research.

There has been a person serving in the capacity of Dean of the Faculty/College since 1944. The exact titles changed over the years and the duties varied, but essentially these persons served similar functions.

In the 1958 North Central Association report to the College, the Dean of the College was responsible for being the academic assistant to the President and the person to assume leadership in the absence of the President.

In 1968 the Dean was described as the person who cooperates with the President in the administration of the academic affairs of the College; who advises the President on academic and other matters; and who represents the President in his/her absence unless an Acting President had been appointed by the Trustees. The Dean also served as Chair of the Faculty Committee on Academic Standing, Chair of the Faculty committee on Admissions and Student Aid, and as a member of the Faculty Executive Council. (From the 1968 NCA report).

When the College was seeking a new Dean of the Faculty in 1980, the principal responsibilities of the Dean were to provide leadership in working with the President and the Faculty in areas of curriculum, faculty development, and maintenance of the quality of the academic profram. (From job description located in RG-F Series 3).

Following is a list of persons in this position with their exact titles, dates, and in parentheses, the name(s) of the president(s) under whom they served.

Earl D. Strong, Dean, 1944-1951 (Stevens)

Max Fuller, Dean of the College, 1951-1954 (Stevens)

R. Homer Norton, Acting Dean of the College, 1954-1956; Dean of the College, 1956-1960 (Hawk, Bowen)

James H. Stauss, Dean of the College, 1960-1966; Provost and Dean of the College, 1966-1969 (Bowen, Leggett)

Joseph F. Wall, Dean of the college, 1969-1973 (Leggett)

Waldo S. Walker, Executive Vice President and Dean of the College, 1973-1977; Provost and Dean of the College, 1977-1980 (Leggett, Turner)

Catherine Frazer, Dean of the Faculty, 1980-1987 (Turner, Drake)

Charles L. Duke, Dean of the Faculty, 1987-1988; Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty, 1988-1992; Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, 1992-1997 (Drake, Ferguson)

James Swartz, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, 1998-2008 (Ferguson, Osgood)

Paula V. Smith, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, 2008-2013 (Osgood, Kington)

David Lopatto, Interim Dean of the College, 2013-2014 (Kington)

Michael E. Latham, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, 2014-2019 (Kington)

Anne F. Harris, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, 2019-2020 (Kington)

Elaine M. Marzluff, Interim Dean of the College, 2020- (Harris)

Files from Faulconer Gallery regarding exhibits from the opening of Faulconer gallery in 1999 to 2006. The files contain materials such as correspondence with artists, articles and research on the artists, advertising material for the exhibits, and handwritten notes.

The personal correspondence, notes and photographs of former Grinnell professor of physics Grant O. Gale. Gale was educated at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and got his masters in physics at the University of Michigan in 1933. He taught at Grinnell from 1929 to 1972. The college's observatory is named for Gale, and he was active in several Grinnell community organizations before his passing in 1998.
Gale is remembered for his dedication to his students and to his role as a mentor on the Grinnell campus.