December

CLYDE MALONE COMMUNITY CENTER COLLECTION

A brief history in photographs and an introduction to the

African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska The McWilliams family is important to the history of African Americans in Lincoln, Nebraska. Trago McWilliams was a founding member of the Urban League of Lincoln. HISTORY The Clyde Malone Community Center originated under the auspices of the National Urban League, and was originally named the Urban League-Lincoln. The branch formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1932, but first received its articles of incorporation from the State of Nebraska as a private non-profit social service and social work agency and community center in 1937. A number of the city’s middle class African American families were instrumental in founding the center. The organizers included the Reverend Trago McWilliams, O.J. Burckhardt, William Woods and son Millard T. Woods, Clyde Malone, and Arthur Weatherly. First Site The League’s first home was in a house at 1946 S Street, and it became a center of recreation, self-improvement clubs, and politics, as well as a venue for weddings, recitals and many of events that were significant in the lives of neighborhood families. Culture and Tradition Luther and Ida Allen belonged to Lebanon Lodge #3 in 1929. A Mutual Aid Community Center The M.C. C. archives contain information about the day to day achievements and challenges faced by the center’s staff, successful community events, mutual aid initiatives, and a wealth of information on local families, as well news of race relations between community members and the white majority population. MALONE YOUTH PLAY AT THE CENTER’S INDOOR AND OUTDOOR BASKETBALL COURTS SUMMER DAYCAMP

A New Home
Philanthropy of the city’s upper income business owners and community labor provided funds for the construction of a new Urban League building at 2030 T Street in 1941.
Community Life
The Center has always provided activities for all ages and genders.
YOUTH
Community Youth have benefited from the Center’s clubs, classes, and mentoring. Sometimes, however, neighborhood youth have felt the need to express themselves about the conditions of life in Lincoln for African American teenagers.
Photo by LJc. 1960’s.
Civil Rights
Reverend Everett Reynolds and Leola Bullock lead a protest down the streets of Lincoln, Nebraska in solidarity with activists around the nation in protest of the killing of NAACP leader Medgar Evers. (LJ, 1963).
Board of Trustees
Gerald Henderson (top, standing) served at one time as an employee of the Malone Center. He later became a Member of the Board of Trustees, and later still as President of the Board. Henderson is pictured here in the Nebraska State Capitol Rotunda.
(Below) Board Members at work.
Politics
Top
Matthew Stelley (L)
Essie Burden (M)
Sen. Kerry .
Bottom
John Reed (M)
(Above ) Rev. Jesse Jackson
(Below) Rally On The Steps Of The State Capitol
Children’s Choir and heritage cake.
Lincoln Children Outside Of Sunday School, By Renowned Photographer John Johnson
Leadership
Former Executive Director Clyde Malone.
Malone Center
(top) Then.
(Bottom) Now.
Advocacy
Some Malone Center executive directors have emphasized advocacy, encouraging staff to help community members further their interests with respect to the larger city. Others have highlighted the recreational or social service functions of the center.
The Malone Center continues many of its traditions in the new millennium.
Tyre J. McDowell, Jr., is the center’s Executive Director today.
Malone Center 2009
Here is the Clyde Malone Community Center as it looks today in 2009.
Many former residents have relocated to other parts of the city due to "urban renewal." For them the Center’s Archives are of vital importance and support the Malone Neighborhood alumni.

Finding Aid

CLYDE MALONE COMMUNITY CENTER COLLECTION RECORD

Clyde Malone Community Center (Lincoln, Neb. 1932-)

Papers: 1937-2004
Lincoln, Lancaster County, Neb.: Community Center and Social Work Agency
Size: 25 cu. ft.

BACKGROUND NOTE

The Clyde Malone Community Center originated under the auspices of the National Urban League, and was originally named the Urban League-Lincoln. The branch formed in Lincoln, Nebraska in 1932, but first received its articles of incorporation from the State of Nebraska as a private non-profit social service and social work agency and community center in 1937. A number of the city’s middle class African American families were instrumental in founding the center. The organizers included the Reverend Trago McWilliams, O.J. Burckhardt, William Woods and son Millard T. Woods, Clyde Malone, and Arthur Weatherly.

The League’s first home was in a house at 1946 S Street, and it became a center of recreation, self-improvement clubs, and politics, as well as a venue for weddings, recitals and many of events that were signifigant in the lives of neighborhood families. While organized within the only predominately African American section of Lincoln (after WWII), membership in the center was open to everyone. Native American families, and the children of immigrants of diverse backgrounds attended functions at the agency, as did low income white children. Philanthropy of the city’s business owners and Community labor provided funds for the construction of a new Urban League building at 2030 T Street in 1941. Millard T. Woods, the Leagues Executive Director during World War II was effective both at fundraising and guiding his staff as they worked to provide social service support, cultural events, and recreation for area residents. Clyde Malone, another beloved Executive Director, served the center for seven years, during which time he quietly battled discriminatory practices in employment and worked to place community residents in jobs across the city. Malone passed un-expectantly, and the agency was renamed in his honor on February 8, 1955.

With the help of area residents, and dignitaries from the city, the Malone Community Center dedicated their new building at 3032 U Street in Lincoln, Nebraska, on September of 1982, where it remains today.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS NOTE
This Collection is divided into five subgroups: I) Malone Center History and Organizational Records; II) Family Collections; III) Malone Foundation; IV) Malone Manor; and V) Malone Neighborhood Associations. Subgroups one and two are also divided into series. Subgroup One, Malone center History and Organizational Records is comprised of nine series: 1) Board of Directors Records; 2) Malone Center Management and Program Records, 3) Membership Records; 4) Annual Reports; 5) Budgets and Facility; 6) Financial Records; 7)Malone Center Property: Neighborhood Records and Demography; 8) Topical Files and 9) Scrapbook. Subgroup Two is divided into two series, 1) the Doris Collins Papers and 2) the Jean Stevenson Papers.



Series 1 Board of Directors’ Records:
Contains Urban League, Malone Community Center, and Clyde Malone Community Center Board Records and Administrative Materials from 1932-2003. The Board of Directors Records are elusive (on paper) as the files contain all of the important documents emanating from the center for the years indicated. The records include: Board Minutes, correspondence, programs, budgets, programming goals and assessments. The records also relay information on the day to day achievements and challenges faced by the center’s staff, successful community events, mutual aid initiatives, and a wealth of information on local families, as well as race relations between community members and the white majority population.
Box 1 Board of Directors’ Records, 1949-1959
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records, from Jan., 5 1949-Dec., 24, 1959.
Box 2 Board of Directors’ Records, 1960-1964
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records from Dec.,31 1960-Mar. 16, 1964.
Box 3 Board of Directors’ Records, 1969-1966
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records Jan. 14, 1965-Dec., 1965.
Box 4 Board of Directors’ Records, 1967-1969
Folder 1 includes Board of Directors Records from Jan., 3, 1967-Nov., 27, 1969.
Box 5 Board of Directors’ Records, 1970-1972
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records from Feb. 9, 1970-Nov.15, 1972.
Box 6 Board of Directors’ Records, 1973-1974
Folder 1 is comprised of Board of Directors Records Jan., 18 1973-Dec. 18, 1974.
Box 7 Board of Directors’ Records, 1975-1977
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records Jan., 29, 1975-Dec., 13, 1977.
Box 8 Board of Directors’ Records, 1978-1980
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records from Jan., 25-1978-Dec. 18, 1974.
Box 9 Board of Directors’ Records, 1981
Folder 1 includes Board of Directors Records Jan., 21, 1981-Dec. 3, 1980.
Box 10 Board of Directors’ Records, 1982
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records
Box 11 Board of Directors’ Records, 1983
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records from Jan., 26, 1983-Dec., 21, 1983.
Box 12 Board of Directors’ Records, 1984
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records contains Feb., 17, 1983- Jan., 25-1984.
Box 13 Board of Directors’ Records, 1985
Folder 1 holds Board of Directors Records from Jan., 30, 1985-Nov., 26, 1988.
Box 14 Board of Directors’ Records, 1986
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records Nov., 26-195-Dec., 30, 1986.
Box 15 Board of Directors’ Records, 1987
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records Jan., 28, 197-Nov., 18, 1987.
Box 16 Board of Directors’ Records, 1988
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records includes Jan., 22, 1988-Dec., 31, 1988.
Box 17 Board of Directors’ Records, 1989
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records is comprised of Jan. 4, 1989-Nov.21, 1989.
Box 18 Board of Directors’ Records, 1990 contains
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records Jan., 24, 1990-Nov., 26, 1990.
Box 19 Board of Directors’ Records, 1991
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records contains Jan., 4 1991-Oct. 22, 1991.
Box 20 Board of Directors’ Records, 1992
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records holds Dec. 31, 1999-Oct., 6, 1992.
Box 21 Board of Directors’ Records, 1993
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records is comprised of Dec., 31, 1992-Dec., 2, 1993.
Box 22 Board of Directors’ Records, 1994-1995
Folder 1 Board of Directors Records holds Jan., 20 1994-Oct., 23, 1995.
Box 23 Board of Directors’ Records, 1996
Folder 1 includes Board of Directors Records Jan., 29, 1996-June, 27, 1996.
Box 24 Board of Directors’ Records, 2003
Folder 1 contains Board of Directors Records Mar. 27, 2002-Oct., 21 2002.
Box 25 Board of Directors Records, 2003-2004
Folder 1 holds items pertaining to Board of Directors’ activities from 2003-2004. Includes personnel records, event planning, meeting minutes, and correspondence.
Box 26 Board of Directors Cumulative Records, 1929-2002.
Folder 1 contains items from July 5, 1929-Aug. 6, 2002. Holds correspondence of board members, election materials, articles of incorporation, and news clippings.


Series 2 Malone Center Management and Program Records
Box 1 Malone Center Standards, Practices, Policies and Educational Procedures, Aug., 1975-Aug. 2001 The contents of Malone Center Standards, Practices, Policies and Educational Procedures are chronologically arranged. This box holds personnel records, program goals, staff meeting minutes, and assessments.

Box 2 Malone Center Staff Meeting Minutes, Feb., 4, 1989-July 18, 2000. This box contains thematically arranged records of annual or semi-annual events, organized by the Malone Center. It includes materials from African American History month programs, Dr. MLK Holiday Programs, and other special programs.

Series 3 Malone Center Membership Records
Box 1 Contains Membership Records from1983-Mar 27, 1996. Included here are membership lists, forms, correspondence, and monthly reports.
Series 4 Malone Center Annual Reports
Box 1 Holds Annual Reports from Dec. 31, 1960-Dec. 31, 1990. This box also contains some annual banquet materials.
Series 5 Malone Center Budgets
Box 1 Budgets and Facility Records, contains the center’s annual operating budget from April 14, 195-Dec. 6, 2001. Also here are records of costs for maintenance of the center’s building and grounds; items are arranged chronologically.


Series 6 Malone Center Financial Records
Box 1 Malone Center Financial Records holds chronologically arranged annual audits, and tax records.
Series 7 Malone Center Property Holdings and Neighborhood Records
Box 1 Contains records relating to Malone’s geographic and demographic area from July 30, 1980-June 2007. This series includes a Malone Center Area Study from 1982; Lincoln Community Council Reports of the Malone Center and other social work and social action agencies, and Antelope Valley Project records.
Box 2 Includes National Association of Social Settlement Records relative to the Malone Center, July 1957-Jan. 1982.
Series 8 Topical Files
Series 9 Scrap Book
Box 1 Oversized Scrap book materials 1937-2001
Box 2 Scrap book Album
Box 1 This series is alphabetically arranged and contains topical files from Dec., 10, 1968-Dec. 9, 2000. Topics range from human rights, to the Salvation Army, to Madd Dadds, to Operation Santa Clause, relations with the local police, social service reports, and publications by various Lincoln agencies.
Description
Subgroup 1 The Malone Center (16 cu. ft).
Series 1 Board of Directors Records, 1949 Jan.,5- 2002, Oct., 21

Box 1 Board of Directors’ Records, 1949-1959
Box 2 Board of Directors’ Records, 1960-1964
Box 3 Board of Directors’ Records, 1969-1966
Box 4 Board of Directors’ Records, 1967-1969
Box 5 Board of Directors’ Records, 1970-1972
Box 6 Board of Directors’ Records, 1973-1974
Box 7 Board of Directors’ Records, 1975-1977
Box 8 Board of Directors’ Records, 1978-1980
Box 9 Board of Directors’ Records, 1981
Box 10 Board of Directors’ Records, 1982
Box 11 Board of Directors’ Records, 1983
Box 12 Board of Directors’ Records, 1984
Box 13 Board of Directors’ Records, 1985
Box 14 Board of Directors’ Records, 1986
Box 15 Board of Directors’ Records, 1987
Box 16 Board of Directors’ Records, 1988
Box 17 Board of Directors’ Records, 1989
Box 18 Board of Directors’ Records, 1990
Box 19 Board of Directors’ Records, 1991
Box 20 Board of Directors’ Records, 1992
Box 21 Board of Directors’ Records, 1993
Box 22 Board of Directors’ Records, 1994-1995
Box 23 Board of Directors’ Records, 1996
Box 24 Board of Directors’ Records, 2003
Box 25 Board of Directors Records, 2003-2004
Box 26 Board of Directors Cumulative Records, 1929-2002.

Series 2 Management and Program Records, 1975, Aug.-2004, Aug. 24
Series 3 Membership Records, 1983-1996 Mar., 27
Series 4 Annual Reports, 1960 Dec., 31-1990 Dec., 31
Series 5 Budgets & Facility Records, 1958 Apr. 14-2001 Dec.,6
Series 6 Financial Reports, 1982 Dec., 31-2001 Dec., 3
Series 7 Property : Neighborhood Lands & Demographic Records, 1957 July-2007 June
Series 8 Topical Files, 1968 Dec., 10-2000 Dec. 9

Subgroup II Malone Family Collections (1 cu. ft)
Series 1 Doris Collins Papers
Series 2 Jean Stevenson Papers

Subgroup III Malone Foundation Papers (1 cu. ft.)
Subgroup IV Malone Manor Papers (.05 cu. ft.)
Subgroup V Malone Neighborhood Association (.05 cu. ft.)

Auxilary/Associated Collections:

I. Malone Photograph Collection (4 cu. ft.) (Note: Florine Joseph and Moses Gaskins helped to process the Malone Center Photograph Collection).

Series I Photograph Albums

Box 1 Photo albums, 1941-1986, and 1965-1984.
Box 2 Photo albums, 1971-1990; and 1979-1984.
Box 3 Photo albums, 1980-90’s.
Box 4 Photo albums
Box 5 Photo albums

Series II Photographs
Box 1-8

Series III Framed Photographs

Box 1 Includes photos of former Presidents of the Malone Center Board of Directors: John Reed, Wright Robinson, Lenora Letcher, Gladys McField, Gerald Henderson, Dorothea Stahn Lemon and Lenora Letcher. Also includes a photo of Lebanon Lodge No. 3 and prints of famous African Americans.


II. Malone Artifact Collection (1 cu. ft.)

Box 1 Plaques

1. Youth that Excelled, 1990.
2. Black Activities, 1984-1985.
3. Employee of the Month, 1985.
4. Drill Team, 1985-1986.
5. Fred Nevels Book Award Plaque, 1986.


ADDED ENTRIES

Urban League of Lincoln
African Americans—Nebraska—Lincoln
Race Relations—Nebraska—Lincoln

(Note: Subgroups II-IV need further description and arrangement as do the Auxilary Collections).

Tekla's Blog Wks. of Oct. 21-Nov. 10

Tekla's Blog

October 22nd

NSHS was closed yesterday. The electricity was turned off to accommodate the construction crews' plans. I went in today instead (Thursday). Karen was at a conference in Atlanta. Tom was organizing his presentation for another conference here in Nebraska. It is interesting to see the means by which the staff keeps up with current trends in the field(s). Moreover, this was my first opportunity to confront a collection of photographs (other than those at the MC) on my own.
I quickly set aside the labeling of photo-sleeves for U.S. Senator's photo negatives, and worked on organizing the Grunwald family photos. I began by studying the small pile of archival material that was donated along with the rest of the collection. I read a letter, looked at a family tree and created an extended version of it using funeral and memorial programs. I also studied a few news clippings about the family. After a short period (an hour at most) I felt confident enough to identify the Grunwald family members in the photographs. The collection contains 11 groups. The first is of group shots comprised of two or more members of the family, followed by a folder for each family member, and finally a photograph album created by one of the women. I enjoyed the work and it is giving me insight into how to manage the Malone Center photograph collection.

October 27
I worked at the NSHS today. Karen returned and liked my collection description for the Grunwald photos. I added numbers on the back of each photograph. The Collection is now complete.

October 28

I spent the entire day moving files from the Topical Boxes into the Eight main Series. The shift is complete but I still need to re box and re-envelope materials not yet in acid free folders.

Nov. 2
Started a new collection at the NSHS (A.M. material) for Tom. The collection is that of W.F. Crossley, a contractor/builder who lived in Kearney, Nebr. at the turn of the 20th century. Thus far, the most interesting aspect of the scores of ledgers that Crossley kept are the notes he wrote about money that he gave to women and girls. One of the women, Wilma, became Crossley's wife. I cannot yet tell whether the others are also family members or just friends. The interesting part is that Crossely sometimes provides commentary about what the gifts are earmarked for such as "car fare," or "trip to the park," or "dress." Crossley also keeps track of his spending on himself. His notes includes remarks like "candy," "book," and "went for a shave."

Nov. 9
Continued last week with Malone Collection, sandwiched between oral history interviews. Today, I worked on the Crossley Collection again. Crossley's books run from the 1880's until about 1920. His entries reflect changes in the material world. For example, in the late 1880's he begins to pay for electric lights. Later he begins to pay for a telephone and for automobile tires. He and a colleague purchase a machine for motion pictures about 1918.

Nov. 10
Back at the Malone Center. The UNL student (Brianna) is here using the collections. She says she is finding a great deal on the Malone Community's participation in the YWCA. Good. . . I am still arranging. I hope to begin writing the collection description next week. Also, I intend for this to serve as my last "regular" blog. I will upload my power point (or at least power point text) describing my experiences in LIS 638 next time.

Tekla's Blog October 1-20

October 1-7, 2009

Continued working with Photograph Curator Karen Keehr. We worked together, creating the preliminary arrangement for a small a family collection. The items hailed from Omaha, Nebraska and were the belongings of an immigrant family named Grunwald. The box contained a lifetime of photographs and were very interesting. . .

I also worked on labeling photo sleeves this week. The materials came from the United States Senate and were negatives of U.S. Senators from Nebraska. . .

At the Malone Center, I continued processing the container lists for the topical files (the bulk of the collection). The executive director offered to purchase any items that I might need in order to complete the processing of the collection. I asked for spacers to go inside of the archival boxes. Another development is that a masters student in history at UNL wanted to use the collection for research on her thesis on the YWCA of Lincoln. She is especially interested in the local reaction to the National Y's anti-segregation resolutions. She will come by on October 20th to look at the papers, and I will have a container list and collection outline ready for her.

October 13, 2009

The spacers were waiting for me when I arrived at the center today! I put some into the boxes with the older board records and elsewhere as needed. I will work diligently on the container lists and should finish by tomorrow night--with topical files anyway.

Oct. 14, 2009

Finished the Container lists for the nine (9) cubic feet of topical files. There are four additional feet of administrative files to create container lists for. . . Series 1, Board Records, was simple to arrange since most of the items are already organized chronologically, with the same structure repeated for more than two decades. I will describe the contents when I write the Collection Description in December. . . I had an extra helper today. Mr. Moses Gaskins, who attends the senior center diner (held at the Malone a couple days per week) spent a few hours identifying people in unmarked photographs. A sort of humorous encounter occurred because, at one point, Mr. Gaskins, and Ms. (Florine) Joseph disagreed about who one of the people in the photos were. In the end, Mr. Gaskins deferred to Ms. Florine's memory, but this outcome was not inevitable.

Next session, I will type up the container lists. I am a bit rushed as I attended the WHA last week and missed a day at the Center. On Tuesday, the masters student in history is coming to look at the collection.

Oct. 19, 2009

There is heavy construction at the NSHS this week. There was actually little heat in the building as the workers need it turned off.

I have completed a preliminary draft of the Malone Center Archival Collection Container Lists (and a suggested collection outline). I am pleased, but will need to ask Tom a couple of questions before going on to the next stage--arrangement. . . Physically, the collection looks great. Approximately one-half of the materials are in grey-acid free boxes. Nine additional feet of topical files are in the tan 1 sq. cu. ft. boxes. . . The photograph collection is also contained within archival boxes. Karen Keehr told me of a technique for separating damaged photos (the Malone collection has a ft. of them). The method is to separate photos stuck together (from exposure to moisture) using dental floss. I tried the dental floss today, and it really worked.

Oct. 20th

Today Brianna, a UNL study came by and spent a few hours with the first box in the first series of the collection. She seems like a serious intellectual and I would not be surprised if she wrote her dissertation on the subject that she is interested in.

Tekla's Blog September 16-30th

September 16









I spent today boxing more of the Malone Center's administrative records. Some of the more interesting items included a Malone Neighborhood Areas Study (1982), and a Malone Expansion Report from 1999. The area's study really explained the changing demographics of the neighborhood overtime. The latter was of interest to me because the author of the report envisioned an archives for African Americans within the facility of the Malone Center. Other items included Standards and Practices for the center, Staff Meeting Minutes, and a very cool Masonic edition of the Bible. A number of masons have served on the Malone Center Board over the years. Although there are a few years for which no records have been kept or which have been removed, the collection holds Malone Board Minutes from 1946-2003.


September 21


I kept busy today at the Nebraska State Historical Society processing the Seymour Smith Collection. I thought that I was nearly done with the collection last week; after an arrangement of the materials occurred to me all at once. This week I had to actually write the finding aid to match the arrangement of the materials. Tom returned from his trip abroad and checked over my arrangement of the papers (which I will try to post here). I was encouraged by his response to my work, which he said was a logical arrangement. I did notice, however, that in his sample, he listed the folders chronologically in spite of changes in series. I asked him about this and he said that the practice was a break from the way things were done at NSHS in the past. I liked the new way better as it seems less confusing.

The final product looked like this:

NEBRASKA STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY COLLECTION RECORD
RG5659 .AM: Smith, Seymour (Omaha, Neb.), 1893-1978
Papers: 1892-1978
Omaha, Douglas County, Neb.: Attorney
Size: .05 cu. ft.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Seymour Smith came of age listening to the speeches of William Jennings Bryan, who, like Smith was an active democrat. Smith held Bryan in high esteem, both because of Bryan’s politics and because of Bryan’s gift at oration. An ardent fan, Smith collected Memorabilia about Bryan for more than two generations and would eventually be recognized as an expert on the statesman. Born on April 21, 1893, Smith grew up a Nebraska farm boy. He became an Omaha attorney and dedicated member of the Democratic Party as an adult. After matriculating from Bellevue Academy and attending the University Of Nebraska School Of Law, he worked as an attorney in Lincoln briefly, only to move to Omaha, Nebraska in 1926 where he remained for the rest of his life. Smith served as Omaha’s City Attorney from 1933-1939; after which he opened a law practice in the Keeline Building.
William Jennings Bryan’s legacy as a great orator developed over the course of his long career in national politics, but was sealed with his closing remarks in the Scopes “Monkey Trial” proceedings in July of 1925. A candidate for United States President in 1896, 1900, and 1908, Bryan held strong opinions about public policy issues. Bryan’s platforms included Free Silver and Anti-trust. He opposed the teaching of evolution in public schools and was a both a prohibitionist and a progressive. Bryan was also pro-agrarian and supported political reform among farmers. He served as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson, from 1913-1915, and spent two terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. Bryan was a delegate from Nebraska to the Democratic National Convention in 1920. Born to Mariah and Silas Bryan in “Little Egypt” Salem, Illinois, (b. March 19, 1860); Bryan married a former student, Mary Elizabeth Baird in 1884. Baird eventually studied law and helped her husband with many of his political speeches. The Bryan’s moved to Lincoln by 1888, and Bryan was elected to Congress from Nebraska’s First District in 1890; Bryan died on July 26, 1925 in Dayton, Tennessee.
A few face-to-face meetings with Bryan, increased Smith’s respect for the down-to-earth politician. Meeting Bryan for the first time at a banquet held in Bryan’s honor, in March of 1913, Smith began journaling about his encounters with the politician. He recalled having seen Bryan during one of the statesman’s trips to Omaha, Nebraska. Bryan’s stop-over was intended to stymie a movement against progressivism that had taken root within the conservative wing of the Democratic Party. A small cadre of local democrats expressed their opposition to Bryan’s representation of the party at the Democratic National Convention. Meanwhile, Smith, along with other Bryan supporters, developed a counter-measure. Smith helped to organize a speaking engagement for Bryan at Blair, Nebraska, and later drove Bryan to Tekamah. Smith also organized clubs to support Bryan’s brother, Charles W. Bryan, who served for a term as Nebraska’s Governor, and who was a vice presidential candidate in 1924 (4-5). During this period, Smith spent many hours at the office where W. J. Bryan’s publication, The Commoner, was printed (5). From 1913-1925, Smith grew close to the Bryan family. William Jennings Bryan, Jr. eventually gave smith a pair of his father’s eyeglasses, and Smith held as one of his prize possession’s a letter written by the great orator at the time of the Scopes Trial of 1925. Late in life, Smith began giving public lectures about William Jennings Bryan, and was considered a local expert on the statesman. Smith’s contributions to the state as a lay historian coupled with his public service to the city of Omaha, was noted in the late 1960’s, when the City of Omaha Parks and Recreation Department named a public park after Seymour Smith. Located at 68th and Harrison Street in Omaha Nebraska the park is a well known venue to baseball enthusiasts. Seymour Smith died in September of 1978.
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
This collection is arranged in two series: 1) Seymour Smith Papers; and 2) William Jennings Bryan Papers and Memorabilia.
Series 1 contains Smith’s correspondence about William Jennings Bryan, articles about Bryan that Smith authored, Newspaper clippings on Bryan which Smith collected and Miscellany.
Series 1 – Seymour Smith Papers
Box 1
Folder
Folder 1 holds the correspondence of Seymour Smith, including a letter from Governor Ralph Brooks appointing Smith to the Bryan Centennial Memorial Committee (1960, Jan. 29). There are also multiple letters from William Jennings Bryan, Jr. to Mr. and Mrs. Seymour Smith, from Pecos, New Mexico. One letter contains William Jennings Bryan, Jr.’s, religious tract “This I Believe,” 1976 [unpublished]. The folder also holds Betty (Bryan) Adams’ note relaying news of her father’s death and contains the funeral program of William Jennings Bryan, Jr. (March 1978).
Folder 2 is comprised of manuscripts authored by Seymour Smith about William Jennings Bryan. In his essays, Smith recalls Bryan’s humorous and philosophical sides.
Folder 3, newspaper clippings, includes news articles on the controversial treatment of W.J. Bryan’s statue in Washington D.C. and efforts by Nebraskans to ensure that the statue be preserved.. A similar controversy arose in Nebraska when a group proposed moving the Bryan statue from its place on the West side of the Nebraska Statehouse to another location. In part due to the activism of Smith, a bill was written requiring that the Unicameral approve relocation of any statue on state capitol grounds (Lincoln Journal, 1953, Feb. 12)
Folder 4, miscellany, [n.d.] holds clippings and sketching of early buildings in Nebraska.
Series Two holds a letter written by Williams Jennings Bryan, speeches delivered by Congressman Bryan in the U.S. House of Representatives, a eulogy by Congress which was published as a memorial to the late congressman, military records, scholarly articles on Bryan, programs, pamphlets and newsletters in regard to the statesman, political advertisements, newspaper clippings, and prints of photographs.
Series 2 -William Jennings Bryan Papers and Memorabilia
Folder 5 holds a letter from William Jennings Bryan to his [un-named] sister regarding the progress of the Scopes Trial.
Folder 6, Speeches/ Floor Debate U.S. Congress, includes the Speeches of Congressman Bryan in the House of Representatives during the 52 and 53rd Congresses, (1891-1895).
Folder 7 holds a “Eulogy,” of William J. Bryan, formally called the “Proceedings of the U.S. House of Representatives On the Life, Character and Public Services of William Jennings Bryan in Memorial,” (Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1926).
Folder 8, military records, holds discharge papers of a soldier in the U.S. Army and signed by William J. Bryan in 1898.
Folder 9 contains scholarly articles on William J. Bryan, including Paul Y. Anderson’s the “Sad Death of a Hero,” The American Mercury (1936 March); Paola E. Coletta’s “The Morning Star of the Reformation: William Jennings Bryan’s First Congressional Campaign,” Nebraska History (June 1956); and James Creelman’s “Mr. Bryan Explained,” Pearson’s, New York, (April 1908).
Folder 10 Programs, Pamphlets, & Newsletters, hold the dedication ceremony program announcing the opening of the William Jennings Bryan School in Omaha Nebraska (1965, Nov. 14). Also in this folder is a William Jennings Bryan College Founders’ Day Banquet program from March 9, 1963 with Seymour Smith listed as a presenter.
Folder 11, political advertisements, include calling cards featuring Bryan likeness.
Folder 12 contains numerous newspaper clippings, including: “William Jennings Bryan: Democratic Nominee for President,” (World Herald, July 12, 1896); an original copy of The Commoner, (1923, April); and reports on Woodrow Wilson and William Jennings Bryan’s association during Wilson’s campaign stop in Nebraska in October of 1912. The folder also holds clippings describing the Bryan’s donation of their Fairview home (4848 Sumner in Lincoln, Neb.) to Bryan Memorial Hospital (World Herald, 1962, July 1). Other clippings note William Jennings Bryan’s addition to the Nebraska Hall of Fame (Omaha World Herald, March 20, 1999).
Folder 13 Contains photographs Prints of William Jennings Bryan from 1906-1912.
DESCRIPTION
Series 1 – Seymour Smith Papers
Box 1
Folder
1. Correspondence, Seymour Smith, 1960, Feb. 7-1978, Apr. 7
2. Manuscripts, 1976, Aug. 6
3. Newspaper Clippings, 1963, Feb. 21-1978, Mar. 20
4. Miscellany, [n.d.]
Series 2- William Jennings Bryan Papers and Memorabilia
5. Correspondence 1909, Jan. 2-1925 [July ?]
6. Speeches/ Floor Debate U.S. Congress, 1982, March. 16-1893, Feb. 9
7. “Eulogy,” U.S. Government Documents on William J. Bryan, 1926, Mar. 19
8. Military Records, U.S. Government Documents on William J. Bryan, 1898, Oct. 28
9. Scholarly articles on William J. Bryan, 1908, Apr. -1956, June
10. Programs, Pamphlets, & Newsletters, 1915, May-1965-Nov.
11. Political advertisements, 1908, Oct. 29-1960
12. Newspaper clippings, 1896, July 10-1975, July 17
13. Photographs Prints, 1906, Aug. 30-1934, Apr. 15

ADDED ENTRIES
Democratic Party—Nebraska
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan, Jr.
Scopes Trial
Agrarian Reform
The Commoner
Evolution
Creationism
Progressives


September 22

Today was great as I finally made some headway on the container lists for the Topical Files at the Malone Center. I also made some preliminary plans for the series that will serve as the organizational schematic for processing the remainder of the collection. I will list the series here although they may change a little: Series 1 Board Minutes; Series 2 Programming and Center Management Records; Series 3 Membership Records; Series 4 Annual Reports; Series 5 Accountant Reports; Series 6 Budgets; Series 7 Audits; Series 7 Correspondence; Series 8 topical files. I will make separate finding aids for the Malone Center Photograph Collection and the Artifact Collection. Ms. Florine Joseph (corrected version of her name) continues to identify photographs. At the suggestion of Karen Keehr, Photograph Curator at the NSHS, I purchased a graphite pencil for Ms. Flo to write on the back of the photos with. She has already identified hundreds of individuals. I am very appreciative of her work.

There are a couple of added collections which intersect with the center's materials but are separate. They are the Malone Foundation Papers; and Educational Papers (from the Malone Preschool and After school programs, etc.) I will address these later. Also, apparently donated to the Malone Center is the Jean Stevenson Family Collection (1941-1974) which includes some WWII photographs.

September 28

I was pretty pleased today when Tom said that I could spend a few sessions with Karen Keehr in order to learn more about photograph collections. I learned a great deal during our four hour session. Here are some of the basics that I picked up today.

Photos store better in vertical position. Still, over sized photos are better stored flat. Photo sleeves are only necessary when photographs are frayed at the edges or show other signs of deterioration. Otherwise, they can be placed in the same acid free file folders used for AM materials. Interestingly, magnetic photo albums are not good for the photographs. After albums are photocopied (since they do comprise an artifact in their own right) they should be removed from plastic. The processer has to decide which road will damage the photos less. Karen says that she sometimes removes photographs from plastic using dental floss. A great idea. We also talked some about preservation issues from a theoretical standpoint. Karen noted that museums view the frame and the photo as wed together. However, archivists focus on the information in the photo and might choose to discard the frame.

Karen had me assist her as she processed a small collection of photographs from the Grunwald Family of Omaha, Nebraska. It took her about an hour to divide the photographs into six or seven piles according to the primary subject, and to decipher family relationships (genealogy) of the people in the photographs. I was fairly impressed.

I also learned about women's fashion and its utility in interpreting photographs; that memorial photos have a long history, and about some of the early history of photography and especially popular photography. Karen talked about the Brownie camera, and then I saw a likeness of one in the collection that we were processing. All of this information will be useful to me in working with the Malone Center photographs.

September 29

I went to the NSHS today to spend another hour and a half with the photographs. Karen had previously explained to me the process of labeling a photo envelope, but today I got to practice it. In general, the information which must be included on the envelope are the collection and donor number, the type of photo, a brief description, and the date. (If the photographer is known, that information can also be included). I processed photographs of U.S. Senator's from Nebraska, and am looking forward to completing this assignment.

Site Journals/Blog Sept. 1-15, 2009

September 1 2009

I spent the day at the Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS). Tom Mooney gave me a document box (05. cu. ft.) and an oversized box to process. Inside were the papers of the Pi Tau Delta Fraternity of Lincoln, Nebraska. This fraternity no longer exits, however, during its lifespan it marked an interesting period in working-class Nebraska history and seems important to our knowledge of the historical landscape of voluntary associations in the Middle West. The fraternity was unique in that it was not associated with any college or university, but instead was designed as independent organization for young men who were not necessarily going to attend college. Designed in a fashion similar to the Masons, the Pi Tau Delta's enjoyed a brotherhood and had to do, as a part of their mission, service for the public and explored ways of expending what they saw as their civic duties. The young male membership ranged in age from 18-24, all of whom were engaged in the club's many recreational activities. Interestingly, the fraternity did not discriminate by race or religion, and it was non-partisan. Tom went on vacation and left me to organizing and processing the small collection. I did so and created a finding aid. I would post it here, but need to ask him first, as he plans to post it on the NSHS website. (He also needs to look it over first).

September 2nd

Today I created a rough timeline for completion of the Malone Center Papers Project. I also ordered the archival supplies that I would need to complete the processing. Here is the rough outline that I have created for the Malone Project:
Week 1 Determine materials needed to complete processing of papers.
Week 2-3 Create Container lists for all box's contents.
Week 4 Describe original organization of collection (if possible) and create or recreate an organizational schematic. (If practical obtain feedback from Tom)
Week 5 -8 Adjust schematic and PHYSICALLY MOVE items in collection to their new locations.
Week 9 Write a formal description of the collection and its series, etc.
Week 10 Write a Description, Background, and Scope and Contents Note for the Collection.
Week 11-12 Create a PowerPoint on the Malone Center Collection and share copies with the USM and the Malone Center.
Week 13 Process the Photographic Collection (for preservation only).
Week 14 Physically arrange photographs and write a description of the photo collection.
Week 15 Process the artifact collection (plaques, wall hangings, etc.) for preservation only, and write a description to add to the finding aid.

September 3rd

Alina of Preservation Products and I went to the company warehouse. I hand selected items that I needed. Alina submitted the invoice to T.J. McDowell, Executive Director of the Malone Center. The total cost for supplies came to $273. dollars. The only items that Preservation Products does not have that I still need are SPACERS to help items fit more securely within boxes. I need to find spacers before leaving the collection as finished.

September 7th

I picked up the archival supplies today. Over the weekend, I purchased a shelf that will hold most of the grey (.05 cu. ft.) document boxes. I had previously used similar boxes to file the collection's board minutes, and so placed the remaining board minute files in document boxes of a similar kind. I arranged the boxes by year and created labels which I also affixed to the side panels. I shelved the board meeting minutes in chronological order beginning with 1946.
A positive development has emerged. Ms. Florine [Jackson], fondly referred to by Malone Center staff as Ms. "Flo" is very interested in Malone Center and community history. As a longtime member of the Malone Community of Lincoln, Nebraska and given her status as an elder, she can contribute a great deal to the present project of preserving the Malone Center Papers. For example, on my first day at the Center this fall, Ms. Flo was busy hanging plaques and awards that the center, its teams, and staff members had won over the years. When I noticed that Ms. Flo had also cleaned up the trophy case, I decided to show her the many boxes of photographs that had been taken at the center over the years. She was interested and began naming people in the photos. Thus, a side project has emerged, in which Ms. Flo--armed with white cotton gloves is going through hundreds, if not thousands of center photos and lightly writing the names of individuals on the back of the photographs.


September 8 2009

Bought another shelf today. Took it to the center. I will accommodate the photograph collection well.

September 9 2009

I worked at the NSHS again today. The name of this collection is Seymour Smith. I surveyed the Smith Collection (.05 cu. ft). The papers are primarily memorabilia, articles, speeches, and some correspondence regarding William Jennings Bryan, politician and noted creationist and a staunch defender of Prohibition (of liquor). Bryan moved to Lincoln, Nebraska around 1887 and by the turn of the 20th century Smith had become acquainted with him through the state Democratic Party's political machinery. By day's end, I created a container list (hand written) for about 2/3rds of the collection.

September 14 2009

Went to North Carolina over the weekend to pick up some of my research and personal items from storage. On Monday, I spent the day at the NSHS. I enjoyed working on the Smith Collection and accomplished a lot. I finished the hand written container list. I then went through the loose correspondence (a pile of letters) and ordered them chronologically and listed who they were from and to. Immediately, an organizational schema appeared to me. The collection had two major components. There were the papers, memorabilia, and articles about William Jennings Bryan (this became series two). Then there were the correspondence, articles, and papers of Seymour Smith as he defended, lectured, and corresponded about W. J. Bryan (this became series one--Smith is first because it was his collection). I started arranging the papers into folders and was all but done in about an hour. I now need to type a finding aid describing the logic behind the arrangement (which I also believe reflects to a large degree original order).

September 15 2009

I am at the Malone Center today, and will get started on my container lists for the 25 ft. or so of manuscript material. (This will not be as difficult as it sounds because in 2007, I placed most related materials into folders within the boxes and labeled them).

Archvial Practicum Blog August 26 2009

Week: Aug. 24, 2009
I started my practicum on Monday. Whew, what a whirlwind of a week.

I spent Monday at the Nebraska State Historical Society (NSHS), and after a brief review of basic procedures for processing papers, I and Tom Mooney (Curator of Manuscripts) had an impromptu meeting. Tom explained that since my internship at NSHS in 2001, things had changed in the world of archives. The changes that would effect my practicum were described, he said, in an article by Mark A. Greene and Dennis Meissner entitled "More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Archival Processing," (2005). In essence finding aids and collection description have become more streamlined and contain less formal arrangement of information (more use folder names in place of series).
I thought that the changes made sence because they will allow institutions to get more items ready for use by researchers both in manuscript collections and online.
After my talk with Tom, I started processing a small collection (RG5666 AM/Pi Tau Delta Fraternity/ Lincoln, Neb.). I found a number of interesting items in the collection. One of the most interesting items were letters from the fraternity's alumni who were serving in WWII.

About 5:00 pm, I left the NSHS and went to the Malone Community Center to look over the collection that I would be processing there. I found the materials stored in a utility closet (the safest place during the center's roof renovation project). The director and his staff agreed to move the items to a small conference room where I could work on them for the duration of the semester.

On Wednesday, I returned to the Malone Center. I had hoped Tom would be able to come for a site visit but he had to reschedule. I looked over the center's collection and created a list of supplies that I would need to complete the processing. I came up with an itemized list and sent it to all persons connected with the project including the NSHS and the Malone Center Director. I did this because I am hoping that both entities will share the costs for the supplies that I need (30 document boxes, 100-200 acid free file folders, 4 scrap boxes, photograph sleeves, 20 photograph boxes, 5 artifact boxes). I then contacted Preservation Products, gave them the list, and requested an estimate.
I returned to the collection and moved the boxes of photographs together, and the boxes of manuscript (AM) materials together.

Soon, I received a guest from the NSHS. John Carter came to look over the collection and surveyed the space. We discussed the idea idea of creating an archive that would focus on African American collections. We also talked about the Great Plains Black Museum in Omaha, and how the Malone Center Collection might conceivably be merged with that collection some day.