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Records, Reports, Official Documents, and Handbooks of the Grinnell branch of the Young Women's Christian Organization.

This collection is organized into four series: Biographical, Correspondence, Military, and Photographs.

Series 1: Biographical (1924-1981)

The Biographical series includes personal items including Ley’s birth certificate, framed high school basketball letter, and Catechism bible, as well as a handwritten copy of a poem composed by his mother for his funeral service. The series also includes an extensive scrapbook including photos, personal and educational documents, and newspaper clippings from early childhood until after his death.

Series 2: Correspondence (1939-1946)

The Correspondence series consists of three sub-series: letters written by Jimmy Ley, letters written to Ley and returned to his parents, and letters written to his parents after his disappearance. Ley’s letters are almost exclusively addressed to his parents and date from between just before he first attended Grinnell College in the fall of 1939 until his disappearance in February 1944. Ley’s letters are organized chronologically and divided into folders by location, mostly military camps where Ley was stationed. Mostly written by the families of other missing men in Ley’s flight crew, the letters to Jimmy’s parents after his death date from between November 1944 and August 1945 and are arranged alphabetically by sender’s last name.

Series 3: Military (unkown-1948)

The Military series consists of Ley’s official certificates and awards, bomb squadron yearbook, air force patch, and framed medals (Distinguished Flying Cross, 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, and Purple Heart).

Series 4: Photographs (unknown-1945)

The Photographs series includes fifteen unframed photographs, a portrait in a display folder, a framed photo collage documenting the medals Ley earned, a large framed portrait displayed at Ley’s funeral, and a large framed artistic collage of Ley’s plane and flight crew.

The collection consists of twenty-six letters, one land deed, and three loose envelopes.

Letters are written between George Washigton Cook and Electa C. Cook to family and friends, particularly Sarah E. Cook, Collins Cook, and Henry W. Cook. The letters detail life in Grinnell, IA, during the 1857-1860 time period.

The land deed is dated January 1, 1859 and is signed by J.B. Grinnell.

The majority of materials are articles and clippings about Cech's career and work that were saved by his parents. Other materials are programs from speeches given, and notices about awards received.

Jim Cunningham donated a series of postcards with images of the Grinnell College campus that were for sale in Cunningham's Drug Store. Also included are two newspaper clippings regarding local Grinnell events.

Papers of Lorraine Smith Harris during her time as a student at Grinnell College.

Photographs taken by Grinnell College employee Jack Robertson during the 1986 school year. The majority of the photographs are of teaching faculty members, but many photos are also of students.

One freshmen beanie.

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

Consists of notebooks containing records of the books Ryan read. His daughter, Jean, noted: “It shows his thoroughness, organization, and wide range of interest.” Only a few Lesson Plans are included in Ryan’s papers, including some for Fundamentals of Speech, Parliamentary Law, and one of his adult education classes in Des Moines. Correspondence includes two letters from Ryan to his daughter and son-in-law. The letter dated October 22, 1947 was “Ryan’s last letter written from Grinnell after retirement, and just before leaving to live on the West Coast.” [Jean Squires’ note] The typed letter was received after Ryan’s death by his wife from a Des Moines businessman who was a former member of Ryan’s classes there.

The bulk of the collection consists of Mrs. Orr's recollections about her life and the lives of three of her brothers, and of family photographs.