Hope May to Speak March 31: "Peace, Patriotism, and Public Education"

On Thursday, March 31, The Clarke welcomes Central Michigan University professor of philosophy and religion, Hope Elizabeth May. Drawing on select items held by the Clarke Historical Library, including the work of former CMU President E.C. Warriner (1866-1945) and U.S. Suffragist May Wright Sewall (1844-1920), Professor May will discuss how both individuals - and the organizations which they represented - conceptualized peace, patriotism, and public education.

Sewall was an educator, co-founder of the Girls' Classical School of Indiana, writer, lecturer, reformer, and pacifist. She was president of the National Council of Women of the United States, 1897-1899, president of the International Council of Women, 1899-1904, Chair of the Committee for Peace and Arbitration, 1904, Chair of the Executive Committee of the Women's Suffrage Association, 1882-1890, and co-founder of the Indianapolis Equal Suffrage Society, 1878.



In 1892, Warriner became the principal of Battle Creek High School. In 1895, he moved to Saginaw as the principal of East Saginaw High School. Just four years later, Warriner became the superintendent of the Saginaw school system, a position he held for 18 years, while also playing an important role in the state’s Peace Movement and efforts to integrate peace education into the K-12 curriculum. In 1918, he became CMU's president. During his tenure, CMU grew from fewer than five hundred to nearly a thousand students. The school offered its first bachelor of arts degree and graduate courses during his tenure, and built the first women's dormitory on a normal school campus in Michigan. President Warriner retired in 1939.

This presentation begins at 7:00 pm in the Park Library Auditorium. A reception will be held in the Clarke following the lecture. If you would like more information about this event or need accommodations, please contact the Clarke via e-mail or by calling 989-774-3352.

Paul Johnson Presentation Cancelled - Exhibit Opening Event Now at 7:00 pm

Tonight's (Thursday, March 17) presentation by Paul Johnson about the Michigan Native American Tuition Waiver Program has been cancelled.

Despite the cancellation of the presentation, the Clarke will still host an opening reception for latest exhibit, Native Treaties - Shared Rights. The reception, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:00 pm in the Clarke Historical Library. Light refreshments will be served.

Paul Johnson to Speak about Michigan's Native American Tuition Waiver Program

Tomorrow, Thursday, March 17, the Clarke welcomes Paul Johnson to officially open our newest exhibit, Native Treaties - Shared Rights.

The treaties signed between Tribal Governments and the United States Government are fundamental to understanding the relationship between Native Americans and the many groups who immigrated to North America after 1492. The treaties are often complex and interpretation sometimes challenging. Paul Johnson is one of those individuals who has helped define the meaning of treaties in Michigan.

Trial brief related to Johnson Case
Click to enlarge image

In 1972, he filed a lawsuit claiming that members of the several Tribes were entitled, by treaty, to free education​ at the University of Michigan. Ultimately, he lost the legal case, but the moral argument brought forward from the litigation led to the passage of the Michigan Native American Tuition Waiver program in 1976. One person can change society. Mr. Johnson’s story is one example of such change.

This event is free and open to the public. The presentation begins at 7:00 pm in the Park Library Auditorium with a reception in the Clarke to follow. If you would like more information about this and other exhibits, please see our "Exhibits" webpage or contact us (clarke@cmich.edu; 989-774-3352) for more information.

The Clarke has prepared a web exhibit related to Native Treaties - Shared Rights with a wealth of information. To view it, visit the Clarke webpage. This exhibit, which will be available to view in the Clarke through September, is made possible thanks to a grant from the Michigan Humanities Council.

U.Comm photos moved to the Clarke - Part 2

By: Marian Matyn

Last week, we introduced the recent acquisition of historic photographs and other materials from CMU's office of University Communications. This week, we talk about what it takes to turn that acquisition into accessible archives.

U.Comm photos arrived last week and we've been re-boxing them to move them into the archives stacks since then. There are all formats and sizes of photographs, negatives, slides, printed materials, videos, and prints of digital photos, some cross reference cards, and some indexes. Also, parts of the beta station are still in the processing room. Not pictured is my son, Zach, who also helped. Now, all that remains in the Clarke hallway are empty storage tubs and empty cabinets waiting to go to the CMU surplus sale. We have lots of collections we are in the middle of processing, so the U.Comm materials will have to wait until later in the spring. First, we'll do an inventory and then, it will go in line to be processed. It is going to take hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to process this collection because it is almost 200 cubic feet and there are multiple negatives and photographs in each sleeve. To accommodate all of the new photographs I will much more in the way of supplies. Here are some photos of the re-boxing event.

 Cassie and Jen with the shelves they filled in one morning

Kipp and Cassie packing up the last 5 negative cabinets - which took all morning

Suli and I boxing up slides- these were of CMU football teams

Except for 2 boxes of a separate collection, we felled 1 entire stacks section (159 cubic ft.)

2 more sections plus 4 boxes = 40 cu. ft.= total for the collection of 100 cubic ft

U.Comm photos move to Clarke

by Marian Matyn

Before: Empty Clarke hallway

On February 18, the Clarke received a literal truckload of historic photographic materials and videos in various formats delivered by the CMU moving crew from U.Comm (CMU University Communications) to the Clarke back hallway. Everything arrived safely. This move occurred suddenly due to an immediate need to empty the space to allow renovations in West Hall.

Over the decades we've received several collections of photographic materials from the CMU photographers and what was then called Information Services. Digital photography has been used for some of their work since the 1990s and today, all photographic images are digital. They also have some databases which should also be coming my way soon.

Materials ready for the Clarke

Last week, I met with the photographer, Steve, and videographer, Adam, and helped identify cabinets and other materials I wanted in the archives. I left empty boxes in which the two of them could transfer some of the materials. We also received a Betamax video station. Part of it came with the movers and part of it Adam and I will move in the near future. The estimated total cubic feet of all of the material -- Betamax video, VHS raw footage and master videos, CDs of some of these videos, negatives, photographs, contact sheets, slides, some old newsletters, and a small pile of matted, oversized CMU photographs --- is approximately 230 cubic feet. Most of it is organized by format and topic and there is an inventory of videos.

Next week, my goal is to have a re-boxing event and move the entirety of this acquisition into the stacks as quickly as possible. These 230 feet worth of documentation of thousands of historic moments at Central is a continuation of the transfer of CMU photographic materials, of which we have received several deposits over the decades.

Some of the materials ready to come to the Clarke

Small storage cabinets

Examples of negative cabinets

Part of the Betamax Station

Part of the fab CMU Movers

After: Full Clarke Hallway