New Collections and Additions at Manuscripts and Archives, October-December 2019

The following information on recently acquired and processed collections was assembled by Alison Clemens, assistant head of arrangement and description.

Manuscripts and Archives has recently acquired and made available the following collections and additions to existing collections:

New collections

Lee Goebel Papers (MS 2103)

The Lee Goebel Papers, totaling 3 linear feet, include correspondence and other materials documenting Lee Goebel’s studies as a student at the Yale School of Music. The bulk of the collection comprises letters from Goebel to her mother while Goebel attended the Yale School of Music from 1941 to 1946. Her letters describe her social life and studies, which included English, dictation, voice, and the history of music. The collection also includes twenty-eight photographs of Goebel and her associates, concert programs, and biographical material about Goebel compiled by Joel Helander.

Michael Antisdale and Mark R. Melanson Papers (MS 2105)

Michael Antisdale and Mark Melanson, a gay couple, sued the town of West Hartford in 1998 because the town pool only gave discounted “family” rates to heterosexual couples. Five other cohabitating, non-married couples later joined them in the suit. The suit continued until 2002, and the council revised the definition of “family” in West Hartford’s recreational facilities policy to include couples of any sexual identity who lived together. The collection, totaling 1 linear foot, contains legal filings, correspondence, news clippings, and council meeting materials related to the couple’s appeal to the West Hartford town council and subsequent civil suit.

Drury A. McMillen Papers (MS 2107)

The Drury A. McMillen Papers, totaling .75 linear feet, consist of photographs, albums, reports, and a magazine from McMillen’s career as an explorer and pilot in Brazil. The papers document his exploration of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso and include photographs of the Xingu tribe, as well as photographs of the Brazilian state of Amazonas and the city of Manaus. There are also reports written by McMillen to the Brazilian government regarding defense strategy for the Brazilian Air Force.

Early Yale Documents Collection (RU 1154)

The Early Yale Documents Collection consists of 12.67 linear feet of correspondence, minutes, financial records, charters and official acts, inventories, and other papers documenting the founding and early history of Yale College from its early eighteenth century origins as the Collegiate School until the mid-eighteenth century, as well as some miscellaneous Yale-related material from the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The collection spans the dates 1701-1889, with the bulk of the material dating from between 1701 and 1751. The collection was formerly stewarded by the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library and was transferred to Manuscripts and Archives in 2018.

Colossal Keepsake Motion Picture Film by Peter Hentschel and William Richardson (RU 1161)

16mm motion picture film “Colossal Keepsake,” which documents the creation and gifting to Yale University of the “Lipstick (Ascending) on Caterpillar Tracks” sculpture by Claes Oldenburg. The film was shot in 1969 by Peter Hentschel and William Richardson, graduate students at the Yale School of Architecture.

Herbert E. Pickett, Jr. Class of 1913, Yale College, Scrapbook (RU 1164)

The collection contains a scrapbook of ephemera collected from athletic events and other activities by Herbert E. Pickett, Jr., Yale College, Class of 1913.

Yale China Group, Yale University, Records (RU 1169)

1974 joint report of the Yale China Group’s visit to China.

Additions to existing collections

Accession 2018-M-0032 of the Bert Hansen Papers (MS 2042)

This accession, totaling 2.75 linear feet, contains Bert Hansen’s subject files on various topics related to his research on the LGBT community. The bulk of the materials date from 1970 to 1996. They include magazines, news clippings, annotated research papers, conference schedules, and informational pamphlets. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organizations represented include the Lesbian Herstory Archives, the Committee on Lesbian and Gay History of the American Historical Association (CLGH-AHA), the National Gay Task Force (NGTF), and Senior Action in a Gay Environment (SAGE). Many of the subject files also contain materials related to various medical and academic organizations, including The Journal of Psychology, as well as the Sex Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). Others focus on the intersection between both communities; examples of these organizations include the Gay Academic Union and the Center for Homosexual Education, Evaluation, and Research (CHEER).

Accession 2018-M-0036 of the William Sloane Coffin, Jr. Papers (MS 1665)

This accession, totaling 2.33 linear feet, primarily contains notebooks and notes by William Sloane Coffin on religion, philosophy, and current events, 1940s-circa 2006, apparently used for his sermons and other writings. It also contains two address books kept by Coffin, undated; a card with a quotation by him, 2006; and notes on religious schedules and events, undated.

Accession 2018-M-0059 of the Eli Whitney Papers (MS 554)

This accession contains a promissory note to buy a parcel of land in New Haven, 1806 February 20.

Accession 2019-M-0018 of the Jules David Prown Papers (MS 1749)

The accession, totaling 2.92 linear feet, consists of correspondence and subject files pertaining to Jules David Prown, his work, his colleagues, former students, and teachings at Yale University. The accession also contains graduate and doctoral student correspondence and grades. The bulk of the accession is open for research. Student records are restricted until 2093 as established by Yale Corporation regulations.

Accession 2019-M-0041 of the Sylvanus Dyer Locke Papers (MS 327)

This accession, totaling 3 linear feet, comprises correspondence and financial records of Sylvanus Dyer Locke related to his patents and use of machinery, 1855-1896.

Accession 2019-M-0057 of the Charles Hill Papers (MS 2070)

The accession, totaling 1.08 linear feet, consists of the personal papers of Charles Hill. Materials include Hill’s correspondence with academic colleagues and with former United States secretary of state Henry Kissinger. The accession also consists of Yale University course materials and writings, including book reviews and commentary articles on United States foreign policy. The bulk of the materials are open for research; correspondence with Henry Kissinger is closed until 25 years after the date of Kissinger’s death.

Accession 2020-M-0014 of the David Benjamin Mixner Papers (MS 1862)

David Benjamin Mixner is an activist, consultant, and author. This accession, totaling .83 linear feet, includes printed email messages between March and September 2019. Also includes an undated thank-you card and two copies of a program for a 2018 production of David Mixner’s “Who Fell in the Outhouse?,” a fundraiser for the Ali Forney Center. The papers are closed until January 1, 2031, unless researchers receive permission in writing to access them from the donor, the person holding power of attorney for the donor, or the executor of the estate of the donor. Researchers wishing to request access should email mssa.assist@yale.edu requesting specific box numbers in order to initiate the permission process, which may take several weeks.

Accession 2020-A-0028 of To Be A Man motion picture film, Yale University (RU 845)

The accession, totaling 2.25 linear feet, includes production files and reviews for the film and transcripts, 1963-1980 and undated.

New Collections and Additions at Manuscripts and Archives, July-September 2019

The following information on recently acquired and processed collections was assembled by Alison Clemens, assistant head of arrangement and description.

Manuscripts and Archives has recently acquired and made available the following collections and additions to existing collections:

New collections

James Gustave Speth Papers (MS 2068)

James Gustave Speth (1942-) is a lawyer, activist, author, and advocate for the environment. His papers, totaling 40.25 linear feet, consists of his professional papers from 1977 to 2013, with the bulk falling between 1977 and 2000, and cover much of his career in environmental law. This material also documents his career in global development, particularly in facilitating the development of third world countries and creating international policies both on the behalf of the environment and the elimination of poverty.

Christopher and Kathleen Murray Diary Documenting Life at Yale University (RU 1155)

Christopher Murray was a graduate student in the Department of Theatre History, and Kathleen Murray was an employee of Yale University Press, circa 1965-1970. They moved to New Haven from Cobh, Ireland in 1965 and returned to Ireland in 1970. The diary documents their life in New Haven with observations on events and changes at Yale University during the late 1960s, including topics such as acting companies and theaters, American writers, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam War. The collection also includes an epilogue written by the Murrays in 2016, personal correspondence with family and a former professor after their time in New Haven, and newspaper clippings documenting events at Yale University.

Additions to existing collections

Accession 2019-M-0015 of the Harold C. Conklin Papers (MS 1956)

This accession, totaling 2.83 linear feet, comprises Harold Conklin’s files from Yale University while he was a professor in the Department of Anthropology and the Department of Linguistics, and a curator for the Peabody Natural History Museum. The files document Conklin’s administrative activities, events related to Southeast Asia studies, museum collections, and Conklin’s correspondence with professional colleagues. The accession also includes student gradebooks and notes from courses Conklin taught at Columbia University and Yale University. The bulk of the materials is open for research, but Yale University student, personnel, and administrative records are restricted as established by Yale Corporation regulations.

Accession 2019-A-0029 of the Department of Athletics, Yale University, Records Documenting Baseball (RU 61)

This accession includes two books containing scores for Yale baseball games, 1921-1926, scores for Phillips Andover baseball games, 1919-1920, and scores for east coast semi-professional and professional teams, 1919-1926.

Accession 2019-M-0053 of the David Benjamin Mixner Papers (MS 1862)

David Benjamin Mixner is an activist, consultant, and author. This accession, totaling 1 linear foot, includes printed email messages between August 2018 and February 2019. Also includes correspondence and material documenting the initial transfer of the Mixner papers to Yale University in 2005, event memorabilia, a to do list, and computer files. The papers are closed until January 1, 2031, unless researchers receive permission in writing to access them from the donor, the person holding power of attorney for the donor, or the executor of the estate of the donor. Researchers wishing to request access should email mssa.assist@yale.edu requesting specific box numbers in order to initiate the permission process, which may take several weeks.

Accession 2019-M-0039 of the Coalition to Stop Trident Records (MS 1696)

News clippings, newsletters, brochures from peace organizations, and protest posters, 1983-2004 and totaling 2.75 linear feet, from the Coalition to Stop Trident, a group established to resist the construction of the Trident submarines in Connecticut.

Accession 2018-A-0083 of the May Day Rally and Yale collection (RU 86)

This accession, totaling .25 linear feet, includes a typescript of “Nature and history of the Black Panther Party,” additional copies of “Strike Newspaper,” and a copy of “The Yale Graduate Professional.”