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Richard E. Geis Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000243
  • Collection
  • 1951-1953

This collection contains over 100 letters and postcards, most written by science fiction fan writers and editors regarding amateur writing and publishing, largely related to Psychotic (later Science Fiction Review), a fanzine published by Richard E. Geis from July 1953 to October/November 1955.

The correspondence includes letters from influential science fiction fans and fanzine editors of the period: Terry Carr (6 letters, 1 postcard), Harlan Ellison (2 letters, 1 postcard), Marion Zimmer Bradley (1 letter), Robert Silverberg (2 letters, 1 postcard), Ron Smith (editor of Inside, one of the more important fanzines of the 1950s) and others, as well as a letter from pro editor Samuel Mines (accompanied by drafts and carbon copies of fan letters from Geis to Mines critiquing material published in Startling Stories), and a typed letter on FBI letterhead from J. Edgar Hoover.

Crawford Family Letters

  • TxAM-CRS MSS00164
  • Collection
  • 1852-1900

This collection comprises twenty-seven autograph letters from various family members, three autograph documents written by Joel Crawford, additional unsigned correspondence, fout vintage photographs, five black and white photograph reprints, thirteen mailing envelopes, and a number of other address panels on the letters, some with quite scarce postal stamps from small towns in Georgia and Florida. Short excerpts of some letters are included in the description listing.

The collection also includes biographical information on the Crawford family, a photocopy of a marriage certificate for Charles P. Crawford's marriage to Anna Ripley Orme, and a page from the estate of Joel P. Crawford, signed by his executors James Buchanan and Charles P. Crawford admitting it into the record.

Postal history envelopes contained throughout the correspondence: cancellation stamps from La Grange, Fort Gaines (1855), Bainbridge (1855), Blakely (1855), and Macon (1858), Georgia, Orange Mills (1858), Florida, and Richmond (1862), Virginia. There are also five additional undated envelopes from members of the Crawford family.

Crawford, Charles P.

Kevin M. Bailey Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000068
  • Collection
  • 1976-1990

This collection covers A&M Gay Student Services (GSS), Gayline, GSS Roommate Locator Service, and campus attitudes toward homosexuality and the LGBT community at the university before and after A&M officially recognized GSS as a campus organization.

Some material dates back to 1976, while other documents go as late as 1990. The bulk of the contents are from 1983-1986, being the period when the GSS lawsuit for recognition was ongoing to when litigation ended in July 1985, giving GSS official recognition. Media coverage over the issue of gay and lesbian students at A&M heated up in the fall of 1984 as GSS awaited a new court ruling. Most of the collection is local, given its subject, but also included are regional LGBT news and national entertainment news regarding LGBT persons.

Bailey, Kevin

Dr. Gwendoline Y. Fortune Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 2515959
  • Collection
  • 1983-2014

This collection consists of volumes of correspondence (bulk 2005-2014), video and audiotapes of Dr. Fortune's classical music performances, writings, business ventures, and research material for her published books.

Fortune, Gwendoline Y.

Dolores Richter Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 181
  • Collection

This collection was part of a gift given to the library by the Anthropology Department.  The collection documents the work and writings of Professor Dolores Richter. The collection includes photographs, negatives, writings, and news clippings related to Prof. Richter’s research in the Ivory Coast, West Africa, and Oceania and the publication of her book “Arts, Economics and Change: the Kulebele of Northern Ivory Coast” published in 1980.

Richter, Dolores

Mercurio Martinez Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 29
  • Collection
  • 1767-1963

The Mercurio Martinez Papers (1797-1963 (bulk: 1910-1963)) include correspondence, copies of legal documents such as wills, deeds, affidavits and courtroom briefs, maps, a few photographs, field notes for land surveys, genealogical charts, accounts of family and regional history by Mercurio Martinez, and historical accounts from other sources, principally newspapers. There are also financial records of various kinds including tax records, bills and receipts, books of check stubs and account sheets.

The vast majority of the papers relate to families, places and events in Zapata County. Webb County is also well represented, as is the region surrounding the town of Guerrero, Tamaulipas located on the south bank of the Rio Grande opposite Zapata County, Texas. A few papers deal with families, places and events in Starr County and further south in the Rio Grande Valley and a few files deal with Mexican, United States and world affairs. Unless otherwise noted in the inventory, files deal with Zapata or Webb County matters.

The oldest original papers date from the latter part of the nineteenth century and include such documents as Mercurio Martinez's Texas Teachers Certificate, 1898 (Series 1-3/4); a General Land Office map of Zapata County, 1885, (Series 3-14/25); and a certificate appointing Proceso Martinez, Sr., Mercurio's father, to the Zapata County Board of Appeals, 1870, (Series 3-25/23). There are also copies and translations of nineteenth-century documents including partition deeds, deeds of sale, birth records, and maps. Accounts of family and local history written by Martinez in the 1950s and early 1960s deal with events dating back to the Spanish settlements along the lower Rio Grande in the 1750s. Genealogies are generally traced back to the first colonists to arrive in the region. Family records, therefore, cover a time span of more than 200 years, from the settlers who arrived on the banks of the Rio Grande in about 1750 to their descendants in the early 1960s. Each decade from 1900 onward is represented in the papers. There are more files from the 1950s than any other single decade.

Among the most important files in the collection are those on the relocation of the town of Zapata due to the construction of Falcon Dam on the Rio Grande in the early 1950s, the salvation of the community of San Ygnacio from destruction during this period, the accounts of family history and genealogy from Zapata County, and the papers related to the division of lands between descendants of original holders of Spanish grants and sales of family lands. Maps, genealogies, and legal documents provide a clear picture of the rapidity with which even extensive landholdings can be reduced to tracts hardly adequate to support the families of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the original owners. Reconsolidation of holdings through the purchase of interest from siblings and through cousin marriage are also documented. It is also possible to trace shifts in settlement and land-use patterns. For example, the original grantees of porciones along the Rio Grande held land in long narrow blocks extending inland from the river. Over the generations, these blocks were subdivided among heirs and parts of them were sold outside the families. Through separate inheritance from parents, through marriage, and through purchase, individuals came to own small pieces of land located in widely separated tracts. This pattern of dispersed holdings, each of economically inefficient size and too far apart to be worked as units, has been noted for many peasant societies. These papers clearly reveal the processes whereby such a land-holding pattern developed out of the more economically efficient block holdings within a few generations. The most completely documented tract of land is the vast Jose Vasquez Borrego Grant made in 1750. It was later divided into the Dolores, Corralitos, and San Ygnacio Subdivisions. The first settlement was made at the Hacienda de Dolores on August 22, 1750. This settlement was abandoned, apparently during Indian troubles in the early 19th century. A settlement or Rancho of Dolores was founded nearby in the Dolores subdivision of the Borrego Grant by Cosme Martinez in 1859. Meanwhile, the town of San Ygnacio had been founded in the San Ygnacio subdivision in 1830. Until the early 20th century, an hacienda in the Corralitos subdivision was occupied by members of the Vidaurri family, who were descendants of the original grantee's daughter, Alejandra Vasquez Borrego de Vidaurri.

Also of interest are the Corridos, or ballads, composed by Mercurio Martinez and dealing with dramatic events in Zapata County history such as an escape from prison, a contested election and the destruction of Zapata by the rising waters of Falcon Reservoir.

Martinez, Mercurio, 1876-1965

Office of the President Records, Gibb Gilchrist through Jack K. Williams

  • TxAM-CRS C000049
  • Collection
  • 1948-1972

This collection contains official documents from the Office of the President at Texas A&M University. A PDF finding aid is available upon request.

Presidents included are:

Gibb Gilchrist, C. E.

  • President May 27, 1944 - September 1, 1948
  • Chancellor of the Texas A&M System September 1, 1948 - August 31, 1953
  • Born: Wills Point, Texas; December 23, 1887
  • Died: College Station, Texas; May 12, 1972; buried in College Station
  • Appointed dean of the School of Engineering in 1937; elected president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas May 27, 1944; served until September 1, 1948, when the Texas A&M System was created and he became the first chancellor of the System, serving until his retirement on August 31, 1953.

Marion Thomas Harrington, Ph.D.

  • President June 3, 1950 - September 1, 1953, and September 1, 1957 - July 1, 1959
  • Chancellor September 1, 1953 - August 31, 1965
  • Born: Plano, Texas; September 8, 1901
  • Dean of the College when elected president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas on September 22, 1949, effective "at the end of the present school year." This was interpreted to be June 3, 1950, and on that date, he officially took over the reins of the presidency. He served until September 1, 1953; when he became the second chancellor of the System, succeeding Mr. Gilchrist. Dr. Harrington was elected president a second time on August 23, 1957, and in addition to his duties as chancellor served as president from September 1, 1957, until July 1, 1959. He retired as chancellor on August 31, 1965. He was the first graduate of Texas A&M University to serve as president and also as chancellor.

David Hitchens Morgan, Ph.D.

  • President September 1, 1953 - December 21, 1956
  • Born: Portsmouth, Virginia; January 2, 1909
  • Died: St. Petersburg, FL; April 21, 1974
  • Dean of the College when elected president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas on June 17, 1953, effective September 1, 1953; resigned December 21, 1956.

David Willard Williams, M.S.

  • Acting President December 22, 1956 - September 1, 1957
  • Born: Venedocia, Ohio; August 20, 1892
  • Died: Bryan, TX; October 30, 1985; buried in Bryan.
  • Vice President for agriculture when appointed acting President on December 22, 1956; served until September 1, 1957.

James Earl Rudder, LL.D.

  • President of Texas A&M University July 1, 1959 - March 23, 1970
  • President of the Texas A&M University system September 1, 1965 - March 23, 1970
  • Born: Eden, Texas; May 6, 1910
  • Died: Houston, Texas; March 23, 1970; buried at College Station.
  • Vice President when elected president of the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas June 27, 1959, effective July 1, 1959. On September 1, 1965, when Dr. Harrington retired as chancellor of the Texas A&M University System, the title was changed to president, and Mr. Rudder, in addition to his duties as president of Texas A&M University, became president of the Texas A&M University System, which dual position he held until his death on March 23, 1970.

Alvin Roubal Luedecke, LL.D.

  • Acting President March 30, 1970 - November 1, 1970
  • Born: Eldorado, Texas; October 1, 1910
  • Died: San Antonio, Texas; August 9, 1998; buried at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.
  • Associate dean of the College of Engineering when appointed acting president on March 30, 1970; served until November 1, 1970.

Jack Kenny Williams, Ph.D.

  • President of Texas A&M University November 1, 1970 - July 31, 1977
  • President of the Texas A&M University System November 1, 1970 - July 31, 1977
  • Chancellor of the Texas A&M University System August 1, 1977 - January 24, 1979
  • Born: Galax, Virginia; April 5, 1920
  • Died: Houston, Texas; September 28, 1981; buried in Clemson, South Carolina, on the campus of Clemson University.
  • Vice-President for academic affairs, University of Tennessee System, when elected President of Texas A&M University and president of the Texas A&M University System on September 11, 1970, effective November 1, 1970; Elevated to Chancellor of the System on May 24, 1977; Resigned as Chancellor on January 24, 1979, to return to teaching.

Las Moras Ranch Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000046
  • Collection
  • 1869-1913

This collection consists chiefly of correspondence regarding the Runge family of Galveston, Tex. and Menard, Tex., including Henry Runge, his sons Henry J. Runge and Louis Hermann Runge, their cousin Julius F. Runge, as well as family members in Hannover, Germany, including heirs Hans Eyl and his wife Meta Eyl; German immigrant and Texas businessman Walter Tips (1841-1911) who, after the death of Henry Runge, had formed the Las Moras Ranch Company (December 21, 1879) with his wife's aunt Julia Runge, wife of Henry Runge, and Runge's sons Henry J. Runge, and Louis H. Runge; German Emigration Company lands, lawyers and law firms in Austin, Tex. and San Antonio, Tex., including C. A. Goeth, the firm of Webb & Goeth, Adolph Goeth, the business partner of Walter Tips and brother of C. A. Goeth.

Also present are: legal documents, including deeds, wills, powers of attorney, some ranch operations records, including ranch inventories, accounting ledgers, and handwritten notes. These papers record the operations and transfers of ownership of over 130,000 acres of property, principally in the Texas counties of Comal, San Saba, Tom Green, Concho, and Menard, collectively known as the Las Moras Ranch.

Beyond the acquisition, operation, and ultimate liquidation of this ranch property, however, an interesting part of Texas history, that of the Adelsverien or German Emigration Company, and early German immigrant settlement are illuminated through the documents in the collection.

The collection series reflect the history of the ranch from its foundation until its sale in 1913.

  • Series 1 begins with an 1867 legal document showing a transfer of ownership of many thousands of acres of land from Hermann Arnold Henry (Heinrich) Runge (1821-1861) of Funchal, Madiera, Portugal to his brother and business partner, Henry Runge (1816-1873). Henry Runge paid for the land in American Gold. Other documents in the papers include a very large judgment against the Adelsverien or German Emigration Company, a copy of the lengthy handwritten "Last Will of Henry Runge," probated April 2, 1873, and that of his wife, Julia, dated March 23, 1896.
  • Subsequent documents in Series 2-Series 4 of the papers highlight the operation and eventual liquidation in 1913 of the Las Moras Ranch, including transcontinental communications between Germany and Texas among heirs to the Runge fortune. Several of these family letters scattered through the papers may be particularly difficult to translate since they are written in Kurrentschrift, a Gothic handwriting style.
  • Playing important roles in the later transactions concerning the ranch properties were the sons of Henry Runge (1816-1873): Henry J. Runge (1859-1922), Louis Hermann Runge (1861-1936), and his nephew Julius F. Runge (1851-1906). Henry J. Runge and Julius F. Runge were financial advisors, while Louis Runge served as the ranch manager and lived on the Las Moras Ranch property. Walter E. Tips (1841-1911), another German immigrant, Texas Senator, and successful hardware merchandiser, who married into the Runge family, along with C. A. Goeth (b. 1869), a San Antonio attorney, were involved in the ranch operations and legal issues concerning the eventual dispersal of Las Moras Ranch property.

Las Moras Ranch, 1869-1913

Paul C. Aebersold Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 219
  • Collection
  • 1924-1970

This collection contains biographical materials, correspondence, programs of conferences attended and/or participated in, notes, photographs, memos, reports, proposals, itineraries, lists of contacts, minutes of committee meetings, news releases, newspaper clippings, articles and other writings by Dr. Aebersold, and notes, outlines, slide lists, abstracts, and texts of speeches given by Dr. Aebersold. The materials document Dr. Aebersold's career well from graduate student days to Atomic Energy Commission officials. A considerable amount of additional information should be available in the files of the Manhattan Project and the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

Among the most important items in the papers are the 294 speeches and 100 articles and other writings by Dr. Aebersold, the 37 speeches and 180 articles he collected, and the 1,200 newspaper clippings. The speeches and articles reflect the latest thinking and reveal the broadest picture of developments even though they represent only a minute historical significance of the early activities of the Isotopes Branch and the use of isotopes in the immediate post-war period, Dr. Aebersold began to collect clippings about isotopes in earnest in 1946. Unfortunately, this extensive collection lasted only until 1949. During these three years, however, there certainly are very few aspects of isotope production, distribution, and use that are not mentioned in the clippings.

Although most of the correspondence deals with commitments to speak before various groups or with attendance at numerous conferences, some of the early letters prior to 1940 do record some of the thoughts and activities of Dr. Aebersold’s early associates at the Radiation Laboratory at Berkeley. Many congratulatory letters in 1957, when Dr. Aebersold moved from Oak Ridge to Washing, serve as a measure of his stature in the atomic energy field throughout the United States as well as South America and parts of Europe.

From time-to-time aspects of Dr. Aebersold’s character and philosophy are revealed in rather unexpected areas. That he enjoyed a good story is shown in numerous handwritten notes and a few typed introductory remarks to speeches. Unfortunately, only in a few cases did he write out the whole story. Usually, he only jotted a brief note to remind himself of a particular story. In speaking before the Knife and Fork Clubs of McAllen and Dallas, Texas on March 23 and November 16, 1948, Dr. Aebersold recalled his experiences in and reactions to the first atomic bomb test in New Mexico. These are about the only personal references to his wartime activities.

Aebersold, Paul C. (Paul Clarence), 1910-1967

E. M. "Buck" Schiwetz Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 312
  • Collection

This collection contains letters, magazine and newspaper articles, magazines, prints, and other materials documenting the work of artist Edward Muegge "Buck" Schiwetz, as both a commercial and fine artist.

His sketches and watercolors are featured in a vast majority of the print material in the collection, from Christmas cards to sketchbooks to fine prints.

Rather than focusing on Schiwetz's life and his time at Texas A&M, the collection pays most attention to his art career and people's opinion of Schiwetz as an artist in the traditional sense of the definition.

George R.R. Martin Collection

  • US TxAM-C C000004
  • Collection

This collection consists of the personal papers, manuscripts, memorabilia, and other associational material of science fiction and fantasy author George R.R. Martin.

Martin, George R.R.

Edward Everett Papers

  • US TxAM-C C000024
  • Collection
  • 1846-1906

This collection dating from 1846 to 1906 (bulk: 1846-1847) consists chiefly of handwritten letters, journal entries, a memoir, a proof copy of a report from the U. S. Secretary of War on Army operations in Texas and on the Rio Grande during the Mexican War (1846-1848), as well as plans, maps and nine hand-colored copies of lithographic engravings drawn by Everett, which vividly chronicle southwest Texas cultural as well as military history during the late1840s.

Series 1, Letters (1847-1863), mainly handwritten in ink by Edward Everett to his brother, Samuel W. Everett, from 1846-1847, while Everett was serving in San Antonio de Bexar with the U. S. Army during the Mexican War. A few letters from other correspondents pertain to Everett's disability and eventual official discharge from the Army. Three letters written in the period 1852-1863 are about business or from family members.

Series 2, Journal and Memoir (1846-1899) contains three sets of journal entries for Sept. 1846-Jan. 1847. All are handwritten in ink on loose sheets of paper. The memoir, also handwritten in ink, on machine-ruled paper measuring about 8 x 5 inches, covers the years 1846-1848, with additional material added and dated, on at least one page, with 1899. This memoir is edited in pencil by Everett, evidently for publication, since one note suggests that the memoir was donated in 1899 to the Quincy Historical Society, later known as The Illinois Historical Society. The memoir was actually published, at least part, or possibly all of it, under the title "Military Experience," in Transactions of the Illinois Historical Society for 1905.

Series 3, Engravings, Maps, and Plans (ca. 1846-1849) includes nine copies of lithographed illustrations drawn by Edward Everett and engraved by C. B Graham Lithographers in Washington, D.C. The engravings were to be published in a report on U.S. Army operations in Texas during the Mexican War. A proof copy of this 67-page report, titled Report of the Secretary of War, communicating ... the Operations of the Army of the United States in Texas and the Adjacent Mexican states on the Rio Grande (31st Congress, 1st Session, Senate. Executive Document 32), published in 1850, is annotated throughout by Everett in pencil. For this publication Everett was at least responsible for eight illustrations: seven engravings of the San Antonio de Bexar area, including the Alamo church, as well as locations in Mexico; a plan of the ruined Alamo as it was in 1846, before being renovated according to Everett's direction, as a U. S. Army supply depot and workshops.

Engravings include nine copies of the lithographed prints. Notations made in ink on the separate prints, and on p. [4] of the proof copy of the published government report, indicate that: illustrations numbered for publication 2, 3-6 were engraved from original drawings made by Everett; those numbered 1, 7-8 were engraved from drawings made by Everett based on pencil sketches by other individuals, particularly no. 1 titled "Watch Tower Near Monclova," which was drawn by Everett from a sketch by Lieutenant McDowell of the U.S. Army.

Everett's proofs of the lithographic prints have all been exquisitely hand-tinted, in contrast to the severe black-and-white reproductions in the printed report. Of the nine hand-colored prints, two are duplicates of two illustrations, one titled "Church Near Monclova," and the other "Watch Tower Near Monclova." These identical prints are each hand-colored in two versions, apparently to represent the depicted buildings' appearances during the daytime, as well as at dusk or sunset.

Maps include one copy of a published map, possibly also by Everett, though it has been attributed to Josiah Gregg, which also appeared in the 1850 Army Operations report, titled "Map Showing the Route of the Arkansas Regiment from Shreveport La. to San Antonio de Bexar Texas," which is annotated with a penciled in route drawn from San Antonio to Austin, and a town location labeled "New Braunsfels." Also included are two manuscript versions of a map by Edward Everett, one copy titled "Plan of the Vicinity of Austin and San Antonio, Texas."

Plans are represented by two copies of an illustration drawn by Everett for the 1849 Army operations report showing plans of the Alamo before the renovation, titled "Plans of the Ruins of the Alamo near San Antonio De Bexar, 1846." Also present is one manuscript plan, titled "Plan of San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, 1848," which is labeled as "Drawn from recollection by E. E." The legend states that locations number 1-5 on the plan show, for instance, the spot near the Plaza in town where Everett received his disabling gunshot wound in the leg, the Hospital where he convalesced, and the Quartermaster's Office, to which he was assigned to work after being declared disabled from active service in the field.

A handwritten loose-leaf page kept with the proof copy of the report is titled "Index to Col. Hughes Report," and lists subject divisions and page numbers, though these divisions are not present in the published report by Hughes.

Thus Everett's accounts of frontline actions in the Mexican War mainly rely on reports from occasional volunteer soldiers or scouts, or Mexican nationals, returning back to Texas from the front lines of battle in Mexico. As much as he is able, however, Everett produces very detailed accounts of the various battles and skirmishes in and around the Texas-Mexico border, including battles at Monterrey, Saltillo, San Luis, Camargo, Buena Vista, Vera Cruz, and Tampico, recording a large number of casualties on both sides.

Of particular interest is Everett's extensive first-hand description of the ruins of the Alamo, and how it was converted for U.S. Army use as a military headquarters, according to plans drawn up by Everett. He deplores the vandalism already wreaked by relic seekers and stressed the respect shown to the mission church by the U. S. Army restorers, who refused to plunder it for building stone but instead merely cleaned away the debris. In the process, skeletons were uncovered, which Everett assumes to be from the time of the siege and Battle of the Alamo in 1836. Everett's accounts of frontier life in the rather rambunctious confines of San Antonio, complete with ambushes, shootouts, rough and ready court trials, and various local characters are often riveting.

Everett also pictures the moods and attitudes of the soldiers toward a variety of issues. Everett describes their arduous marches, unsavory living conditions, often dire medical care, and the cruel climate tormenting them. Having been left behind in San Antonio with all the stores rejected by the army, which had proceeded on into Mexico, Everett's men were faced with nursing broken down mules and horses back to usefulness, salvaging wagon parts from several damaged ones to make a serviceable one, and generally, trying to make do with what could be had in the vicinity, or easily transported from the Quartermaster at New Orleans.

According to Everett, communications on the Texas frontier often proceeded through "solitary express riders." He describes Mexican culture co-existing with "the Indians" and their horse-stealing. He also gives an excellent but pejorative account of the Texas Rangers and their activities, calling them desperados. Everett describes Mexican Generals Santa Anna, Torrejón, and Woll, the exceedingly unpopular U. S. Army Colonel Churchill, officers George W. Hughes, 1st Lieutenant W. B. Franklin, 2nd Lieutenant F. T. Bryan, General Zachary Taylor ("Old Rough and Ready"), General Winfield Scott, and General James Morgan, Captain J. H. Prentiss, Brigadier General John E. Wool, Major General Worth, Captain James Harvey Ralston, Captain L. Sitgreaves, as well as Edward Everett's own two brothers Charles Everett and Samuel W. Everett (Sam).

Full of absorbing narrative and elusive details often lost in larger historical works, the content of Everett's narratives and letters may be summed up in his own words from the handwritten memoir: "Mine is not a tale of battles, or of the movements of great armies, but the details will show some of the hardships and vicissitudes of a soldier's life, the exposure to which causes a greater sacrifice of life than that ensuing from wounds of death received from the enemy."

Everett, Edward

Joseph Sayers Mogford Papers

  • US TxAM-C 1146
  • Collection
  • 1916-1980

This collection contains the personal letters of Dr. Joseph Sayers Mogford's (TAMU 1916) during his years as the Former Student Association's Class Agent in 1971-1980. Other documents in this collection include; a Bryan/College Station Eagle's special edition newspaper exploring the history of College Station, June 24, 1979, and Mogford's original 1916 graduation announcement.

Mogford, J. S. (Joseph Sayers), 1893-1989

E. M. Arnold, MD Travel Diaries

  • US TxAM-C 1160
  • Collection
  • 1936-1939

This collection includes a travel diary of E.M. Arnold, MD, documenting his journey through Mexico, Canada, and the United States during 1936-1939.

James G. Gibson '27 Scrapbook

  • US TxAM-C 2529876
  • Collection
  • circa 1924-1927

This scrapbook contains materials from Gibson's time as a student at A&M College.

Gibson, James G.

Hernan Contreras Papers

  • US TxAM-C 25
  • Collection
  • 1852-1993

This collection contains correspondence throughout the life of Hernan H. Contreras, both personal and professional, descriptions of his family home, a warranty deed on property owned by the Contreras family in Starr County, a map of these lots, photographs of family and coworkers in the U.S. Department of Immigration office in Starr County, an autograph book from his public school career, utility bills, receipts, junk mail, and oil and gas leases.

The collection also contains a multitude of papers from Mr. Contreras' wife's family, particularly those of her father, Casamiro Perez Alvares. The contents of these papers include oil and gas leases, utility bills, newspaper articles, correspondence with the U.S. Marshal's office in Galveston, subpoenas, arrest warrants, witness testimonies, receipts, government bulletins, poll tax receipts, land and city tax receipts, family photographs, marriage licenses, wedding invitations, funeral notices, personal letters, business letters, bank statements, checks, deposits, Christmas cards, a pamphlet on communism, a report card, ration sheets from World War I, Letters to the Editor of Newsweek magazine, articles on Estela Contreras' run for political office, and a picture of Estela Contreras from 1993. There is also a collection of reels accompanying all the paper items.

Contreras, Hernan, 1902-197?

US Passport of John Livezey and Wife

  • US TxAM-C 296
  • Collection
  • 1846

The US Passport of John Livezey and wife, signed by Secretary of State James Buchanan.

Livezey, John

Robert G. Cherry Collection

  • US TxAM-C 3
  • Collection
  • 1975-1983

This collection contains letters of correspondence from Cherry's years of working in the TAMU Chancellor's office, from 1975 to 1981, receipts, payroll information, copies of checks written out to various people, newspaper articles, letterhead samples, personal notes and lists, photographs, memorandums, thank you cards, gift cards, upcoming campus events and conferences, proof copies of articles, invitations, bank statements, state employee benefits paperwork, and job recommendations.

Cherry, Robert G., 1914 - 2005

Alex Haley Collection

  • US TxAM-C C000012
  • Collection
  • 1949-1965, 1967, 1991

This collection consists of one box of material that includes heavily edited and complete manuscript pages from the Autobiography of Malcolm X, his writings on Mahalia Jackson, Wilma Rudolph, the story Queenie, a follow-up to Roots, and other writings. Also included are his notes regarding the re-run of the mini-series Roots. He mentions a meeting he had with Warren Beatty where they discussed Roots. The notes are titled "Re: Roots Re-Run for TV Guide. Between the Covers acquired the collection from a bookseller who bought it directly from the estate of Virginia Hannon. A group of early letters from Alex Haley it's seven letters sent between 1949-1954 (one from 1967) to close family friend, Virginia Hannon. The letters present Haley, then a journalist in the Coast Guard, trying to get his writing career started and relating thoughts about his working habits, carious siblings, and plans for the future. All letters are written light, optimistic, and sometimes flirtatious style. Accompanying them are several related photographs, including one of Hannon in uniform, and a copy of Haley's posthumous novel Queen inscribed to her by his brother, George.

The July 2015 addendum includes an archive of seven Typed Letters Signed from Alex Haley sent between 1949-1954 (with one from 1967) to a close family friend, along with related photographs and the first edition of Queen Inscribed by his brother George Haley. The letters are overall near fine with typical folds from being mailing and light toning, with their original mailing envelopes that show wear including are nick, tears, and chip, but all are present; the photos are fine. The book is fine in a fine dustwrapper.

The letters, which are signed both as "Alex" and "Palmer," his middle name, were written to Virginia Hannon, a woman who taught Alex Haley French at Alcorn College before he left to join the Coast Guard. The letters begin after he's become a journalist writing for Coast Guard Magazine, and it seems, after an absence from Hannon. The letters are very familiar and playful with references to her French class, updates on his brothers George and Julius, and although married, some flirtatious comments about her breasts, "they were not as you say, spinsterly," and his faraway demeanor in class, "believe me, love, I was not, when you observed me, thinking about any damned touchdowns." There is also lots of talk about Haley's writing career. The early letters from 1949 included his thoughts on his drive to be a writer: "I'm trying pretty hard and have thus far had some minor successes," as well as his bad habits: "I'm essentially lazy, but I love to write once I get started." It's during an extended hospital stay for the treatment of a pilonidal cyst in 1953 that he seems to really make headway: "I never had so much time on end to write in my life. I have to stand up to type, to be sure, but - boy, am I turning out the words! Things I've wanted to work on for ages." In a letter the next year he excitedly describes what was his first big career break: "The prime accomplishment to date, a milestone in my life, I guess, was the sale two weeks ago, of 'The Harlem that Nobody Knows,' a 4,000-word piece, to Reader's Digest ... As a result, I, last week, got taken in the stable of Ruth Aley, probably one of the top 5 literary agents in the country. I am working like a bastard, to put it bluntly." The job led to a series of articles in the magazine and an assignment with Playboy interviewing many of the most important African-Americans of the day. The final letter from 1967 takes the form of two short but sweet holograph notes to Hannon written on the margins of a form letter and a photocopied travel article. They show a busy, successful writer still trying to keep in touch with an old friend.

The letters are accompanied by a black and white photograph of a young Hannon in a military uniform (possibly Red Cross), along with two later color photos of George with Wynelle [Hannon's sister] and George with President Bill Clinton. Plus, there is a copy of Haley's book Queen, published posthumously, and warmly Inscribed by George: "To my dear sister, Virginia Rose Hannon With love, respect and appreciation Your brother George Haley - and all the rest of the Haley Family 12 June 1993." An interesting and intimate collection of early correspondence from one of the most influential African-American writers of the 20th Century.

Haley, Alex

W. J. Estelle Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 10
  • Collection
  • 1927-1984; Undated

This collection contains mostly correspondence dating from 1927to 1984; personal office calendars; speeches; criminal justice materials; Huntsville First National Bank materials; and clippings, especially concerning the escape attempt of Fred Carrasco, Alcoholics Anonymous, and the Ruiz v. Estelle court case.

Also present are reports, publications, reprints, and photographs relating to the several prison systems with which W. J. Estelle was associated during his career in corrections, some video cassettes, audiotapes, and souvenirs, including buttons, pins, and badges.

Estelle, W.J., 1931

Robert W. Smith Martial Arts Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000026
  • Collection
  • 1930-2012

This collection includes the major focus of RWS's research in the 1950s and early 1960s, while Mr. Smith's publication projects span the early 1970s to 2000. His writings as John F. Gibley are thought to be a composite of his friends Jon Bluming and Donn F. Draeger. There are several boxes of papers, notes, manuscripts, books, photographs, historic 16 mm movie film, videotapes, and personal correspondence (covering six decades). Some of the prominent correspondence, writings, and photographs include noted science fiction author Ray Bradbury, martial artist Jon Bluming, Donn F. Draeger, writer Kay Boyle, British novelist and literary critic Sir Victor Sawdon Pritchett (VS Pritchett), writer and critic John Sanford (aka Julian Shapiro) and many more. He also offered a critical eye on American culture that is reflected in his reviews, articles, and papers he wrote and collected. Researchers will find substantial scientific articles on how the brain, mind and body work.

Smith, Robert W., 1926-

Santa Rosa Ranch Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 27
  • Collection
  • 1890-1910

This collection consists mainly of correspondence, legal documents, a corporate minute book, and handwritten notes recording the litigation connected with ownership of a large tract of land (89,000 acres) in Hidalgo country known as the "Big Santa Rosa Pasture". Actual litigation took place from 1903-1910.

Individuals involved in the case were: Dillard Rucker Fant and his wife, Lucy Fant; Daniel J. Sullivan; J. C. Sullivan; James V. Upson; Wiliam R. Elliott; Conrad A. Goeth; James Webb; J. M. Chittim; Archie Parr; Kate V. Elliott; G. G. Clifford; A. E. Chavez; J. A. Galligher; W. M. Sanford; Fred Kelly; F. A. McGown; F. W. Church; H. R. Wood; F. Groos and his wife, Hulda Groos. Legal counsel involved in the proceedings were: James E. Webb and Conrad A. Goeth of Webb and Goeth, F. A. McGown of Denman, Franklin & McGown, and R. L. Ball, all based in San Antonio, Texas.

At the onset of the difficulties, D. R. Fant had leased the Big Santa Rosa Pasture to the cattle-raising partnership of Chittim and Parr. J. M. Chittim was a large rancher in South Texas and Archie Parr, was a State Senator popularly known as the Duke of Duval. Based on the large annual rent monies Fant had expected to collect from Chittim and Parr, he then also borrowed money from D. Sullivan of D. Sullivan and Company Bankers (founders and owners of the large South Texas Mariposa Ranch) and, using the same collateral, borrowed more money from the competing F. Groos and Company Bankers (later a founder of Wells Fargo Bank).

When it appears, that Chittim and Parr defaulted on their rent payment for the Big Santa Rosa Pasture to Fant, Fant was then forced to default on his own payments to both banking organizations from whom he had borrowed funds. The bankers, in return, sued and foreclosed on the Big Santa Rosa Pasture.

Through the Santa Rosa Ranch Papers extensive set of legal documents, attorneys' memoranda, telegrams, letters, and financial disclosures, the most absorbing story of Texas land politics unfolds.

Notable among the papers is the Santa Rosa Ranch Minute Book, a ledger volume with handwritten entries detailing the Articles of Incorporation, By-laws and minutes of the first stockholders' meeting of the Santa Rosa Ranch Company. Also present is a manuscript plat map in black and red ink on light blue linen, of the 1905 Maria Rodriguez survey, which has been encapsulated and is housed separately in a Map Case Drawer.

Santa Rosa Ranch

Berenice Napper Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 172
  • Collection
  • 1949-1958

This collection includes an exchange of letters between Berenice Napper and an official of Connecticut's Commission on Civil Rights, six items concerning Napper's membership in the National Council of Negro Women, eight printed ephemeral items including a photograph of Berenice Napper with three other individuals looking over a copy of Walter White's book How Far the Promised Land?, and a small group of newspaper clippings concerning her work as a field secretary for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Napper, Berenice

JeFF Stumpo - Javashock Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 188
  • Collection
  • 1998-2008; Undated

The collection covers the personal, academic, and professional life of Jeff Stumpo and his founding of the Java Shock slam poetry event held initially in College Station, but now based in Bryan, TX.

Stumpo, Jeff

Yolanda Broyles-González and Francisco González Archive

  • TxAM-CRS C000105
  • Collection
  • 1930-2015

The Dr. Yolanda Broyles- González & Francisco González Archive is a rich borderland Mexican-American collection with a focus on performance arts, theater, and music.  Dr. Broyles-González studied and lived in Germany for twelve years, in Berlin, Freiburg, and Hamburg. She published the first translations of Chicano literature into German and she was instrumental in bringing Chicano/a literature and history to European readerships and consciousness. 

Broyles-Gonzalez, Yolanda

Howard Waldrop Collection

  • TxAM-CRS C000271
  • Collection
  • 1965-1994; Undated

This collection contains manuscripts, printed material, correspondence, legal documents, financial documents, idea books, photographic material, and books created and/or maintained by Howard Waldrop which give a glimpse of his personal life as well as document his professional life as one of the prolific and best-known science fiction writers from Texas.

The first category consists of Howard Waldrop's works both published and unpublished arranged alphabetically by title. Some manuscript files in this category may contain correspondence, notes, research material, contracts, royalty statements, proofs, etc. Thus, information about a specific story can be found in the collection by title.

The second category consists of materials related to Waldrop personally and/or professionally. This category is arranged alphabetically by general topical heading. His idea for some of his stories can be found in his Idea Books file from 1968 to 1988. Information about him personally or professionally can be found in the newspaper clippings, correspondence, and his work diaries files. His movements for any given year from the 1970s to 1994 could be reconstructed from his science fiction convention, conferences, programs, etc. file. But the most important file in this category is his story logs file 1970-1989. The file shows: when and where a story was written, how long it is; who bought it or did not; when and where it was published (or supposed to be published); and any subsequent reprints or foreign editions, royalties, etc.

The last category of the collection is works by or materials related to other science fiction writers. It includes manuscripts of other writers' works that happened to be in his possession or other writers' manuscripts in which he is a collaborator. Some biographical sketches of other writers can be found in the Con Bios-writers file. Information about Waldrop written by other writers can also be found in this category of the collection.

Waldrop, Howard

Matthew Arnold Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 186
  • Collection
  • 1848-1887; Undated

This collection contains 54 original handwritten letters by Arnold, one page of poetry, one page of prose, and two pieces of paper with his signature. Each letter includes a typed transcription within its folder.

Gustav Wehrs Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 7
  • Collection
  • 1943-2003

This collection contains correspondence from Gustav Wehrs to David Chapman and Dr. Robert H. Carpenter, regarding the donation of his life's memories as part of the Military collection to Cushing Memorial Library at Texas A&M. Included is a translated account of his experiences during the Battle of the Aegean in 1943, and an account of the early years of his life he had typed in his native German language.

Wehrs, Gustav, 1915

Guadalupe Baptist Association Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 187
  • Collection

The collection documents the life of Reverend William M. Taylor and his pursuit of education in various cities in Texas. A biography provides details about his education, religious vocation, and family life in Texas that provide a glimpse into the trials and tribulations Blacks faced in attaining any type of progress. This small collection is also rich in the history of the Guadalupe Baptist Association, Guadalupe College, and the community life for African Americans in Texas.

Taylor, William

John Q. Anderson Papers

  • TxAM-CRS 19
  • Collection
  • 1953-1966

This collection consists of term papers, course handouts, folklore fieldnotes, news clippings, a report, a document, maps, photographs, materials about folksingers, pamphlets on wildlife, materials about vaudeville and North Carolina, the information given to Dr. Anderson on Texas, correspondence, and information on The Texas Folklore Society and The John A. Lomax Folklore Society.

The majority of the material is from Dr. John Q. Anderson's students at Texas A&M. Dr. Anderson assigned his students to write term papers on folklore from many locales, including Texas. Because Dr. Anderson felt that some of these student papers were so exceptional, he collected, edited, and had them published in a book he titled, Texas Lore: A Collection of Student Papers on Texas Folklore. As additional information on some of the term papers, some of the students gave Dr. Anderson information on North Carolina, and Billy Arlington and Co. Dr. Anderson also requested that his students collect information on folklore by interviewing people and recording this information in fieldnotes. The information was gathered and is represented in the collection on topics including folk medicine, games, children's lore, folk beliefs, folk sayings, proverbs, rhymes, riddles, tree and plant lore, and Aggie lore.

Along with interviews and fieldnotes contributed by the students, many news clippings were collected, mostly relating to Texas and pertaining to people, places, folk medicine, folk singers, folk games, folklore book reviews, anthropology, superstitions, magic, and etymology. Also present is one document on folk medicine, an article on folksinger Joan Baez, a few articles on certain Texas counties, and special editions of some Texas newspapers.

Other materials include correspondence between Dr. John Q. Anderson and the Texas Folklore Society or the John A. Lomax Society, and with people interested in folklore. There is also information about meetings and conferences to be held by the Texas Folklore Society, including a program that Dr. Anderson sponsored at Texas A&M for the John A. Lomax Society.

Anderson, John Q.

Charles Goodnight Collection

  • TxAM-CRS 32
  • Collection
  • 1898-1938

This collection contains over 125 original handwritten letters by Charles Goodnight to M. S. Garretson and others discussing buffalo, Indians, animal husbandry, the origin of and extinction of certain cattle breeds, the Goodnight Ranch, and many other topics.

Goodnight, Charles, 1836-1929

Harriette Andreadis Women's Studies Research Collection and Personal Archive

  • US TxAM-C 1528
  • Collection

This collection includes Dr. Andreadis' research files, library, journals, writings, correspondence, and manuscript materials which were collected during her 40 years as a member of the faculty of Texas A&M. Dr. Harriette Andreadis retired in the Spring of 2014 donating her materials well as several personal items to Cushing Memorial Library & Archives.

Andreadis, Harriette

Thomas Franklin Mayo Papers

  • US TxAM-C 159
  • Collection
  • 1914-1915; 1945-1953

This collection consists of a few letters, notes, drafts, and final copies of book reviews, articles, and chapters of books.

Book chapter topics include Gothic Culture, Medieval Architecture, Romanesque Art and Architecture, Baroque Art, and Renaissance Painting, particularly the paintings of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The bulk of the latter material probably pertains to a book on which Mayo was working at the time of his death in 1954. The book was to have been titled The Great Pendulum and would have recorded the cycles between romanticism and rationalism in art and literature.

Mayo, Thomas F., 1893-1954

E. J. Kyle Papers

  • US TxAM-C 15
  • Collection
  • 1902-1957

The E. J. Kyle (1894-1957) Papers contains reports, correspondence, speeches, articles, applications, pamphlets, newspaper clippings, programs, pictures, memorandums, lists, and resolutions. Materials include correspondence, reports, speeches, and articles on E. J. Kyle's attempts to acquire more land and construct new buildings for the School of Agriculture at Texas A & M College. Other speeches and articles written by E. J. Kyle are concerned with subjects as cotton, soil conservation, and the cultivation of vegetables, fruits and nuts, particularly pecans.

Also present are reports Kyle wrote pertaining to Texas A & M College's enrollment plans and teaching techniques in Agricultural classes. Since Kyle was the head of many different programs at Texas A & M College, his papers contain applications and other information regarding the Land Prize, Anderson-Clayton Company Scholarship, and programs on Short Courses taught from 1913 to 1936. In addition to his academic duties, Kyle was also deeply involved with various types of research and the papers contain a few of the booklets, articles, and resolutions pertaining to the Soil Erosion Project, Frozen Food Research, and Texas Wildlife Research.

Correspondence in the papers deals with not only E. J. Kyle's work, but also contains letters from former students, commendations sent to Kyle, and letters concerning the naming of Kyle Field sports arena on the Texas A & M College campus.

Photographs contained in the collection are pertain to agricultural topics, such as cattle and pecan trees, the NYA program, Texas A & M College buildings, Texas A & M College football teams and sports events, and Kyle Field.Several football team rosters, programs from football games, newspaper clippings about sports events, and correspondence dealing with Kyle's position on the Athletic Council represent Kyle's close connection with many of the Texas A & M College athletics program.

Also present is a certificate of Kyle's appointment to the Farm Credit Association.

Kyle, E.J., 1876-1963

John W. Anderson Diary

  • US TxAM-C 16
  • Collection
  • 1861-1866

This collection contains the original diary handwritten as a fair copy by John W. Anderson in 1867, in a notebook made by A. Drury, measuring approximately 24 x 19 cm. The notebook is bound in cardboard, covered in paper, with quarter leather corners and backstrap. Pages are machine ruled in blue, almost all filled with entries handwritten in ink. An albumen photographic print of Richmond before the Civil War is included as a full-page size frontispiece.

An extremely ornate calligraphic title page drawn by Anderson dedicates the diary "To His Beloved Sister, Minnie (Mrs. M. L. Hopkins) ... By John W. Anderson, M.D. 1867." The entries, dated 1861-1866, were copied over in 1867 after the end of the Civil War (1861-1865), from various other journals Anderson kept during the war, as a commemorative record of historical events, including his personal experiences and observations. Sections are enhanced with decorative initial letters and given titles such as "First Year of the War. 1861," with the last section, dated 1866, entitled "Reconstruction."

In the manner of a scrapbook, the journal is profusely illustrated with: pasted in photographs of military and political figures, as well as Anderson family members; pasted in Confederate money and stamps; pen and ink, mostly humorous sketches by John W. Anderson, some hand-colored; hand drawn and colored rebuses, with pasted on, or pen and ink drawn sections; as well as two hand-drawn maps, one showing the First Battle of Bull Run, annotated in red ink with the location of Alabama companies, and of the deathsites for those soldiers well known to Anderson, the other a map in a circular format, showing, at the center, Richmond, Virginia, with roads, railroads and fortifications radiating from or surrounding it. The photographs of family members are particularly interesting as they are included to accompany sketches of the "dramatis personae" of Anderson's narrative.

The original diary pages were numbered 2-300 in pencil on the upper outer corners of each page by Mrs. Robert W. Barnett, whose husband's great-great-grandfather, John W. Anderson had written the diary in 1967, as a fair copy compilation of journals he kept throughout the war and its immediate aftermath.

The original diary is very fragile and housed in a phase box under Restricted access. Permission must be requested from the Cushing Memorial Library Director and an appointment made to view the original diary.

Anderson's reporting skill is evident in the pithy, often vivid diary entries, evidently written by a quite well-educated and informed individual. As a member of the more privileged Southern classes, he is adamantly opposed to what he views as Northern tyranny and does not criticize the institution of slavery. While under siege in Richmond, Va., Anderson and his family, and particularly his fellow soldiers, face hardship in obtaining adequate shelter and food. Although often lighthearted, the entries betray an increasing awareness of the grimness of a drawn-out war and siege on Richmond.

Comments on battles include disparagement of Beauregard's failure to pursue the Federal forces at the battle of Shiloh, as well as mixed evaluations of General John Bell Hood and his Texas Brigade. On a more personal note, during one of Anderson's trips outside of Richmond on business to Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, or Maryland, Anderson's beloved daughter dies. In contrast, there is a charming account of his little boy's birthday party, complete with a pen and ink sketch of the child tearing into a rare treat of a meat pie. The death of a friend, wounded and without the comfort of family, is told without the usual light touch, but full of sympathy.

Events described expressing public opinion on the part of the Southern citizens under besiegement in Richmond include a "bread riot," illustrated with a sketch of women stealing bacon, with one shooting a policeman. Currency values are often mentioned. The flogging of Missouri Representative George Graham Vest by Mrs. Dowell in the House of Representatives is recorded, as is the 1865 New Year's feast prepared by Richmond citizens for the soldiers. After the war, the decision to institute cleaning of the Confederate graves and place flowers on them every 31 May foreshadows the official designation of Memorial Day to commemorate all U. S. soldiers killed in battle.

Also included with the original diary as Item 2. is a black and white photographic copy of the diary pages made by the repository in 1988. This photographic copy includes a few colored enlargements of illustrations in the diary.

Each 8 by 10-inch photograph of a page in the original diary is numbered on the back in pencil. The photographs are inserted in photograph sleeves, two photographs inserted back to back in each sleeve, and bound in three three-ring clamshell box albums holding approximately 50 photograph sleeves each. The black and white photographs of the diary pages are thus divided between the three clamshell box albums, with the colored photographs of selected illustrations added as a group in the back of the third clamshell album box (Item 2. Box 4/album 3). All photograph sleeves clearly bear in print marking pen the Collection ID number and the appropriate page number from the back of the print on the margin of the sleeve.

Negatives for the photographic copy of the diary are included in Box 5, folder 1. As with the photographic prints of the pages, the negatives are also inserted in sleeves and labeled with the Collection ID number and page numbers. The pages were obviously photographed in groups of all "Even" and "Odd," corresponding to recto and verso pages; therefore, the sleeves are labeled with the page numbers and either "Even" or "Odd." It is preferred that this copy of the diary be used as a surrogate copy.

Item 3. of the Diary is a photocopy made on archival quality paper in 2002 of the photographic prints of the original diary. This copy is also suitable for a surrogate copy.

Anderson, John W.

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