Through papers, photographs, scrapbooks, yearbooks, letters, and more, the Bentley is continually adding to its vast holdings. New items are added quarterly.
Some recent accessions from the past six months are listed below, with the exception of University of Michigan record groups.
To search for specific materials in the Bentley, please use the U-M Library Search catalog.
For more information on donating your materials to the Bentley Historical Library, please see our Donate Your Archives page.
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Jimmie Howard Reynolds diary, 1970-1971
1 GB (online)
Jimmie Howard Reynolds (1925-2013) was a band director from Louisiana who taught and directed music programs at the high school and collegiate levels. During the 1970/1971 academic year, Reynolds took a sabbatical leave from his position as Director of Bands at Louisiana Polytechnic University to serve as a graduate assistant under Dr. William D. Revelli during his final year as Director of Bands at the University of Michigan. Reynolds kept a journal of rehearsals and performances from that time and wrote extensively about the pedagogical practices Revelli employed as Director. This diary is a digital transcription of the entire diary as written, prepared by Reynolds’ son, Dr. Patrick Allen Reynolds, in 2021.
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Lawrence Brilliant papers, 1882-2022 (with gaps), undated (majority within 1972-1979)
8 linear feet (in 9 boxes), 1 oversize folder, 1 film reel, 470.64 MB (online), 1 archived website
University of Michigan alumnus (M.P.H., 1977) and associate professor of epidemiology (1977-1988) who, as a medical officer for the World Health Organization (WHO), helped eradicate smallpox, primarily from India. Includes WHO Global Smallpox Eradication Programme correspondence, reports, photographic material, publications, and posters; and collected publications.
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National Council of Negro Women, University of Michigan Ann Arbor Collegiate Section records, 2013-2017
25 MB (online)
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor chapter of the National Council for Negro Women (NCNW). Includes a digital copy of the organization’s 2017 constitution as well as digital outreach materials captured from their Twitter account.
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Ecology Center of Ann Arbor and Teach-In on the Environment oral histories, 2017-2020
83.1 GB (online)
The Ecology Center of Ann Arbor and Teach-In on the Environment oral histories is a collection of recordings conducted by the University of Michigan students and faculty. The interviews primarily focus on Environmental Action (ENACT) and the Teach- In on the Environment in 1970, and the history of the first Earth Day that same year. In addition, past and present staff and collaborators of the Ecology Center of Ann Arbor discuss environmental activism in Michigan, with topics ranging from toxics disposal, recycling, waste disposal, and affordable energy. The oral history interviews were featured in-part and in-whole in digital exhibits hosted by the University of Michigan College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Faculty member Matthew Lassiter was the advisor for these projects and was responsible for collecting all the related oral histories into a single collection for archival preservation.
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James L. Curtis papers, 1927-2017
5 linear feet, 1 oversize photograph, 2.03 GB (online)
African American Psychiatrist, University of Michigan Medical School graduate (1946). Dr. Curtis was an advocate for affirmative action in medical schools and worked to improve the medical field for both Black patients and Black physicians. Record types include correspondence, research, reports, student counseling files, patient records, speeches, manuscripts, oral history, and photographs.
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Amos A. Moore papers, 1862-1865 (with gaps)
0.2 linear feet
Served in Company K of the 21st Michigan Infantry Volunteers during the Civil War. Diaries, military papers, and biographical information.
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Beyster Land Company records, 1881-2010 (majority within 1881-1954)
3 linear feet (in four boxes)
This collection primarily includes the Beyster Land Company records and the John Beyster & Sons Company records. Both companies were primarily active in the late 1800s to the mid-1900s. The Beyster Land Company was responsible for developing manufacturing and industry properties in the Detroit, Michigan area. The John Beyster & Sons Company was a business for lumber, lath, shingles, and box manufacturing. Record types include correspondence, tax documents, architectural plans, and business ledgers. The collection also includes a small number of materials related to the Beyster family, such as a family tree, photographs, and estate papers.
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Charles G. Palmer papers, 1897, 1929-1930
0.3 linear feet
A civil engineer for the Austin Company in Cleveland, Ohio, who worked in the Soviet Union in 1929. Photographs and a journal documenting Palmer’s work on an auto plant construction site near Nizhnii Novgorod. Also, an Alaska travel journal dated 1897.
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Ramon S. Regan papers, 1953-2014 (with gaps)
3 linear feet
Ramon S. Regan was a Detroit, Mich. lawyer. He was an active member of the Barton-McFarlane Neighborhood Association, which is a historically Black neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. The majority of the materials are related to the Barton-McFarlane Neighborhood Association, of which Regan was a member of the Executive Board. The collection also includes a photograph of the Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.). Company 661 (Luzerne, Mich.); the connection between Ramon S. Regan and the Civilian Conservation Corps is unknown.
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Wayne County Library System (Mich.) records, 1920-2015 (majority within 1920-1996)
8 linear feet and 1 oversize box
The Wayne County Library System records consist of the records of the library board, an extensive collection of community records, and materials related to the establishment and operations of the Braille and Talking Book library (formerly the Wayne County Regional Library for the Blind).
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Richard Ross collection, 1969-2021 (majority within 1969-1974)
0.4 linear feet
The Richard Ross collection brings together correspondence, research, reports, and proposals for the Junior Year in Africa/Africa Exchange Program and Master’s programs in Black History, originated by Dr. Richard H. Ross, Sr. during his time as a student at the University of Michigan, and as Director of Research for the Center of Afroamerican and African Studies (CAAS), recognized as the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies (DAAS) in 2011. These materials document some of the early history of CAAS, including efforts to keep the center running when faced with termination in 1973.
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Lesbian Moms’ Network records, 2000-2011 (with gaps)
0.6 linear feet
Network of lesbian parents and their children in the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti, Mich. area. The collection includes organizational bylaws, Board meeting minutes, newsletters, and photographs. Some materials relate to the Coalition for Adoption Rights Equality, Inc. and the 2004 Conference on Rainbow Families.
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Richard E. Smith papers, 1969-2022
0.75 linear feet, 1 oversize box
Dr. Richard E. Smith is a Black University of Michigan alum, a member of the Epsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, a historically Black fraternity, and an obstetrician-gynecologist (OB-GYN) who worked to enhance prenatal care for teenage and young mothers. He was also involved in efforts to commemorate the role that Detroit and its institutions played in the Underground Railroad. Includes award information, biographical and genealogical material, correspondence, publications, a scrapbook, and topical files.
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Robert A. Martin papers, 1963-2007 and undated
0.5 linear feet (in 2 boxes)
University of Michigan Professor Emeritus of English whose area of expertise included Arthur Miller. Topical files containing correspondence, clippings, notes, and publications associated with various American figures. Also included are 14 sound recordings consisting of lectures delivered by and about, as well as interviews with, Miller.
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David Brophy papers, 1982-2019 and undated
4.5 linear feet (in 5 boxes)
David J. Brophy was a University of Michigan professor of finance at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business. He was also director of the university’s Center for Venture Capital and Private Equity Finance as well as founder and director of the Growth Capital Symposium, later known as the Michigan Growth Capital Symposium and the Midwest Growth Capital Symposium (both MGCS). This collection documents the various Growth Capital symposia and primarily consists of brochures, conference information books, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, and promotional materials. Also included are audiovisual materials that document the Growth Capital symposia, lectures, National Association of Small Business Investment Companies (NASBIC) events, and the University of Texas at Austin’s Moot Corp Competition.
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John D. Dingell, Jr. papers, 1922-2017, (majority of material found within 1955-2014)
511 linear feet (in 511 boxes), 136.4 GB (online), 2 oversize items (framed)
John Dingell, Jr. was a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan and longest-serving member in congressional history, 1955-2015. Dingell was the son of John Dingell, Sr. (Democratic congressman from Michigan’s 15th district, 1933-1955), and husband of Debbie Dingell, who succeeded him as Representative of Michigan’s 12th district in 2015. The collection documents John Dingell, Jr.’s election campaigns and his 59-year tenure in Congress. Records include legislative files, correspondence, speeches, scrapbooks, press clippings, photographs, and audiovisual materials.
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Avery Hopwood and Jule Hopwood Prizes (University of Michigan) winning manuscripts, 1898, 1931-2019
119 linear feet (in 120 boxes containing approximately 1,338 bound volumes and a card index)
Winning manuscripts of the University of Michigan’s Avery Hopwood and Jule Hopwood Prizes, a creative writing scholarship program at the University of Michigan. The manuscripts, dated 1931-2019, are bound in volumes according to the corresponding competition category, and accompanied by an author index.
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Robert A. Martin papers, 1963-2007, undated
0.5 linear feet (in 2 boxes)
The University of Michigan Professor Emeritus of English whose area of expertise included Arthur Miller. Topical files containing correspondence, clippings, notes, and publications associated with various American figures. Also included are 14 sound recordings consisting of lectures delivered by and about, as well as interviews with, Miller.
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Harold R. Johnson papers, 1957-2011 (majority of material found within 1969-1995)
0.9 linear feet, 1 volume
Dean Emeritus of the School of Social Work, Professor Emeritus of Social Work, and Professor Emeritus of Health Behavior and Health Education. Dr. Harold R. Johnson was also one of the first Black Deans at the University of Michigan. Includes correspondence, reports, and topical files related to Johnson’s academic and professional career.
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Stanley G. Fontanna scrapbook, 1913-1919
1 volume
Scrapbook, 1913-1919, of Stanley G. Fontanna, documenting his time as University of Michigan student and track and field athlete, 1913-1917; and his service in the U.S. Army, 1918-1919.
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