Bentley Historical Library

Magazine

  • Panther by the Tail
    Fall 2018

    When three members of the White Panther Party were accused of setting off bombs across Southeast Michigan, their case hinged on a crucial detail: Evidence was acquired through wiretapping without a warrant. The case made it all the way to the Supreme Court and, today, collections at the Bentley document the details of this historic ruling.

    … Complete Story

  • Interpreted Witness
    Fall 2018

    George Forsyth traveled the world documenting sacred sites and undertaking ambitious archaeological surveys, including that of St. Catherine’s Monastery in Egypt. His collection at the Bentley is full of priceless details about holy structures, many of which have already been lost to the ravages of war and time.

    … Complete Story

  • Beyond the Bicentennial
    Fall 2018

    Gary D. Krenz, formerly the Executive Director of the University of Michigan Bicentennial Office, has been appointed Director for Post-Bicentennial Planning at the Bentley Historical Library. Here, he talks about what he hopes to achieve in this new role.

    … Complete Story

  • Defending Sirhan Sirhan

    Abdeen Jabara helped defend the man who assassinated Bobby Kennedy in 1968. Here, he discusses his newly opened papers at the Bentley and more about the context of the case.

    … Complete Story

  • On the (Treasure) Hunt
    Fall 2018

    Ross J. Wilhelm was an esteemed professor of business economics at the University of Michigan. So why, then, does his collection at the Bentley Historical Library contain folders full of strange symbols and ciphers, complex drawings and codes, and references to an obscure 16th century text?

    … Complete Story

  • Soldiers and Warriors
    Fall 2018

    Among the 20,000 American Indians who fought for the Union and the Confederacy during the Civil War, a single company from Michigan was made up almost entirely of indigenous men. A researcher used Bentley archives to trace their history and share the story of the Anishinaabeg of Company K.

    … Complete Story

  • Haber’s Labor: Saving the World
    Fall 2018

    In 1936, William Haber joined the faculty of the University of Michigan, where he would become a world-famous economist, author of scores of academic publications, chairman of the Economics Department (1962), and Dean of LSA (1963–1968). He would also be a champion for refugees and immigrants.

    … Complete Story