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This collection contains records and items related to Isabel Lawrence, faculty member and first female president of St. Cloud State University, acting or permanent. Items in this collection date from approximately 1879 to 1950, the majority of which were created between 1890 and 1920. The first two series contain documents that belonged to Lawrence and were kept by former faculty member and friend of Lawrence, Albertina C. Anderson. The papers contain drafts of articles and addresses by Lawrence, some of her personal notes on several topics including developmental psychology and literature, and writings by students and other faculty members that may have come into her possession. The third series contains articles of clothing that belonged to Lawrence and were kept by Mrs. Blanche Anderson.

These records are arranged in four series:

Series 1: Records Created by Isabel Lawrence

This series contains a variety of typed and handwritten records. Much of it is drafts of essays, articles, and addresses by Lawrence discussing child and adolescent development and teaching methods, including a handwritten draft of a commencement address. Other records include personal notes on developmental psychology, literature, teaching methods, and lesson plans.

Series 2: Records Created by Other Writers

This series contains records that were not created by Lawrence but likely came into her possession and were found in the same donation. Records include, but are not limited to, writings by 1897 graduates Benhof E. Benhardus and Vernon E. McCombs, criticisms by faculty of practice teachers in St. Cloud State's model school, and records from other normal schools and teachers colleges in New York and Chicago.

Series 3: Clothing Belonging to Isabel Lawrence

This series contains clothing belonging to Isabel Lawrence that had been kept by Mrs. Blanche Anderson and were transferred to the University Archives by Mrs. Alice Wick, wife of former SCSU president Robert Wick. Included here are two dresses, a mesh top-coat, a fur handwarmer, five pieces of lace, and a 1987 letter from then University Archivist Marie Elsen to Blanche Anderson.

Series 4: Tribute and Other Material

This series contains mostly material related to Lawrence's retirement from St. Cloud State in May 1921. Letters were solicited from alumni and most letters received were bound into two volumes.  Other letters were left loose.  The bound letters are organized by graduating class and give tribute to Lawrence.  The letters congratulate Lawrence upon her retirement, share memories of her when the alum had attended St. Cloud State, and updates on their own lives.  There is a folder with Lawrence's 1936 obituary and other tribute material related to her death.

The Ida Compton papers contain mostly letters written to Ida Kay Compton by Sinclair Lewis and others, dating from 1947 to 1985. Also included are clippings about Sinclair Lewis, including some written by and about Ida Kay Compton. In addition, the papers contain audio recordings of Lewis in the 1940s.

Sinclair Lewis wrote 18 letters and one telegram to Ida Kay Compton from 1947 to 1950. In these letters, Lewis mostly lived or was traveling in Europe. He described the people he was met and his home in Florence. Lewis also wrote about his new secretary, Alex Manson. The remainder of his letters discussed Ida's upcoming visit to Europe in the summer of 1950.

Other correspondence includes letters from Claude and Helen Lewis. Dated mostly around the death of Sinclair Lewis in 1951, these letters chronicle Ida's trip to Minnesota for the memorial service, as well as the disposition of Sinclair's personal property.

Letters written by Mark Schorer, who was writing a biography of Lewis, asked Ida for her memories of Lewis, while letters from Bennett Cerf and Harry Maule discussed an incident involving a confrontation with Sinclair Lewis over World So Wide, a book published in 1951.

Especially noteworthy are letters written by and to Barnaby Conrad, detailing Ida's friendship with Sinclair Lewis. Conrad briefly served as Lewis' secretary in 1947.

Other significant material are the newspaper clippings collected by Ida Kay Compton. Many dealt with the death of Sinclair Lewis, book reviews about publications of Lewis' life, as well as a few about Ida Compton herself, which dated in 1985.

The papers include audio recordings of Lewis from the 1940s and may be the only recordings Lewis' voice that survive. The large vinyl records have been reformatted onto a reel-to-reel tape and an audio cassette.

In 1933, Lewis collaborated with Lloyd Lewis to write a play revolving around the Civil War called The Jayhawker. Lloyd Lewis was a noted Civil War historian, writing biographies of General William Tecumseh Sherman and Ulysses S. Grant. In the fall of 1934, the play, which in early drafts collected by Hubert Gibson was called “The Skedaddler” and “The Glory Hole,” was performed in Philadelphia, Washington, and New York.

The Hubert Irey Collection of Sinclair Lewis consists of many drafts of the Sinclair Lewis and Lloyd Lewis collaboration The Jayhawker, as well as correspondence and news clippings, almost all dated in 1933. Most notable are the drafts of The Jayhawker, showing the evolution of the play from an idea to a finished script.

There is a small but significant collection of material from Hubert Gibson himself, including letters, photographs, and news clippings, dating from the 1930s to the 1990s. Highlights of the material include Gibson’s remarks about his time working on The Jayhawker, as well as his letter of recommendation from Sinclair Lewis.

Series 1: The Jayhawker

Subseries 1: Drafts

Arranged in chronological order, the drafts tell the story about how The Jayhawker evolved from an idea to a play. Most of the material is typewritten with varying degrees of handwritten revisions in pencil or ink. These revisions were in English and in shorthand, either written by Sinclair or Lloyd Lewis, as well as Hubert Gibson.

Especially significant is the final draft of The Jayhawker, then titled “The Glory Hole,” hand inscribed to Hubert:

“For Gib, Who not only typed this, but acted all the parts during his obstetrical ministrations to us in our confinement. Lloyd Lewis Sept. 29, 1933 Sinclair Lewis”

Subseries 2: Miscellaneous

Included here are correspondence, news clippings, and artifacts. Most significant are the letters between Sinclair and Lloyd Lewis, April 1933 to September 1933. Written mostly to Sinclair, Lloyd Lewis discussed the details of the plot of the play, which he was calling “The Skedaddler.” Other details include possible producers of the play, as well as arrangements for a room at Chicago’s Sherry Hotel.

Also included in this subseries is an empty box of paper, paper which was used to write the drafts of The Jayhawker.

Series 2: Hubert Irey Gibson

Correspondence, photographs, and news clippings are included here. Most significant are the letters between Gibson and his daughter, Barbara. These letters, as well as a 1960 news clipping, provides insight into Gibson’s experience as Lewis’ temporary secretary.

Also included in this subseries is a color photocopy of a 1935 letter of recommendation written by Sinclair Lewis for Hubert Gibson.

This collection consist of personal correspondence, newspaper articles, campaign materials, one microfilm, and miscellaneous items, all arranged chronologically. The majority of the personal correspondence are letters between Petersen and his wife Medora. Within these letters, the couple discuss various political events and Petersen’s thoughts on political issues. There is also two folders containing correspondence between Petersen and his brother-in-law, Georg Strandvold, discussing political issues.

The collection also contains various political materials, including: correspondences, campaign materials, business cards, speeches, biographical sketches, and other miscellaneous materials. There are a number of newspaper clippings concerning Petersen’s involvement in political issues as well as social events. There are also five, intact copies of the Askov American which Petersen owned and published.

The Harren Papers contain mainly correspondence, government reports and pamphlets, news releases, clippings, minutes of various committees and subcommittees, legislative acts and bills, and special study reports that relate to the Senator’s legislative work. The majority of the items date between 1963 and 1966. The collection consists of three series: legislative subject files, Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Resource Commission (MORRC) subject files, and Miscellaneous Booklets and Pamphlets.

The legislative subject files relate to Harren’s work as a Minnesota state senator. They consist mainly of materials pertaining to the committees and subcommittees on which he served, and to special interests topics from his home district, such as the Home School for Girls in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, and the Stearns County Planning Commission. Other major topics covered are conversation and natural resources, air and water pollution, unemployment, state aid, the State Planning Commission, the State Commission Against Discrimination (SCAD), and the Governor’s Commission on Human Rights, land ownership and exchange, the 1965 Home Remedies Bill, the State Electricity Board, and education in Minnesota.

The Minnesota Outdoor Recreation Resource Commission (MORRC) is a bi-partisan legislative commission designed to give active legislative leadership in guiding the state’s program to preserve and accelerate the development of its natural recreational resources. The MORRC files consist mainly of subject folders concerned with conservation in Minnesota, particularly parks and recreational areas. They include the 1963 legislative act creating MORRC, the 1965 amended version of the act, several folders containing the correspondence of various commission members and consultants, folders dealing with the administrational workings of the commission. There are files relating to major topics, such as state parks, historic sites, water resources, the Boundary Water Canoe Area, Voyageurs’ National Park, and the Board of Outdoor Recreation. The minutes of the commission’s meetings for the years 1963-1966 are also included.

The third series contains miscellaneous booklets and pamphlets from the years of 1954 to 1966. It includes geological surveys, MORRC Reports, air and water pollution materials, Minnesota Agricultural Experiment reports, and other miscellaneous pamphlets and booklets.

The collection contains two of Goehring’s field books that date from 1951 to the early 1970s. The first book contains notes regarding his banding efforts over 20 years of brown bats and winter bat banding. The other book documents efforts to band chimney swift birds near campus including the downtown Paramount Theatre. These books include records of banding both species of bats, the bat's sex, and bat's band number. The field books also includes include yearly summaries of bat banding efforts and grand totals. The books also contains correspondence from various institutions in which banded bats or swift bats had been caught, injured, or found deceased.

The Sherwood Papers contain mainly correspondence, legislation materials, government pamphlets and reports, and newspaper clippings. The majority of the items date between 1972 and 1980. This collection is organized into two series, Constituent Correspondence and Legislative Subject Files. The constituent correspondence are the letters between Sherwood and the voting members within his district. The second series, Legislative subject files consists the topics of alcohol, drinking and driving, raising the drinking age, and fish sounder and finder legislation.

This small collection contains the manuscript and drawings for her book War Drums at Eden Prairie, which was published in 1977. Also here are clippings and press releases, as well as a separate author's notations.

The George Alderink Papers contain mainly correspondences of the Representative, government and legislative reports, and miscellaneous materials relating to Alderink. The majority of the items date between 1955 and 1958, during his time in elected office.

These general oral histories were conducted from 1973 to 1993 predominantly in the late 1970s.  25 of the interviews are centered on the three cities of St. Cloud, Waite Park, and Sauk Rapids, while the remaining interviews are from communities north and east of that region.  Three interviews are from communities west of Duluth.

The people interviewed represent a wide spectrum of occupations including business owners in a variety of fields and farmers.  Journalists, teachers, musicians, peace officers, and medical care givers are also interviewed.  Each interviewee shares experiences from the early 1900s to the time of their interview and all discuss the changes to their community that they have seen in that time.  Many discuss how their parents or grandparents migrated to the United States and then to St. Cloud area, as well as giving family experiences in the area.  Experiences during the world wars, both at home and in the services, are provided, particularly economic effects on agriculture and manufacturing.  In some, experiences with the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression are also referenced.

Brief biographical and interview notes are given for all participants.  Date of birth and death were given when known using the oral histories, St. Cloud Times obituaries, Google search, or Findagrave.com.

Some interviews were actually transcribed. The typewritten transcripts were keyed into a Word document but have not been checked against the audio. Past experiences has suggested that the transcripts may not be complete. In the meantime, the transcripts are available here as PDFs.