Tag Archives: Faculty/Staff Papers

Behind the Scenes

WKU Archives LogoWKU Archives is staffed by a full time archivist (Suellyn Lathrop) a full time archives assistant (April McCauley) and a 10-hour per week student worker (Jack).  We work Monday through Friday 8 to 4:30 and a couple Saturdays each semester.

Suellyn and April spend most of their time processing collections and doing reference work for patrons who come in or contact us by telephone or email.  Jack spends his ten hours a week digitizing the stuff that Suellyn and April pile up for him to do.

Processing refers to the act of arranging and describing records so researchers can find what they want and need quickly.  Processing can be very time consuming. Continue reading

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What We Did Over Summer Vacation

Summer is quickly drawing to a close and thanks to our student worker Jack, we have quite a lot to show for our summer.  He has been diligently scanning scrapbooks, photographs, negatives and original documents.  Here’s a taste of some of the new old items now available on TopScholar.

1980 WKU Football Scrapbook

Bowling Green Business University Scrapbook

College Heights Herald, Vol. 54, Nos. 1-21 [the remaining numbers will be available soon]

College High Basketball Scrapbook 1946-47

Concerns Presented by Faculty Senate

Cook Twins Scrapbook

The Fourth Estate, Sigma Delta Chi publication

Gary Ransdell Installation negatives

Kelly Thompson Chapter, Public Relations Student Society of America records

Lady Toppers Basketball Press Releases, 1992-93

Phi Alpha Theta Petition

Progress Report of the Faculty Participation Committee

ROTC 1942 Notes

Stickles History Club Minute Books, 1924-1957

University Senate – Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

Vietnam Moratorium Correspondence

Voices, publication of the Western Writers group

Western Players Scrapbooks 1934-1960

WKU Advertising Club newsletters

Thank you, Jack!

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Henry Cherry’s Interest Wide Ranging

President Henry Cherry was a man of many and varied interests and we know this by the scrapbooks he had created during his administration 1906-1937.  These are held in WKU Archives and we are about half way through processing them.  Most of the scrapbooks are in good condition.  While education and Western Kentucky University head the list of topics covered, religion, the Temperance Movement and World War I are well represented.  There are several scrapbooks dedicated to Cherry’s own personal political aspirations, his candidacy for Kentucky governor and his promotion of rural life through chautaquas held in Warren and the surrounding counties.

The collection inventory has been posted on TopScholar and gives more detail regarding these materials.  These and many other records are available for researchers through our online catalog, KenCat and in the Harrison-Baird Reading Room of the Kentucky Library & Museum Monday – Saturday, 9 – 4.

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Filed under Events, University Archives

E.A. Diddle

E.A. Diddle w/ SIAA trophy

E.A. Diddle w/ SIAA trophy

E.A. Diddle came to WKU in 1922 as athletic director.  He coached the football team through 1929 and the baseball team until 1957.  But as most people know, he came to fame waving a red towel while coaching the Hilltopper basketball team to a 759-302 career record.

A collection of records regarding Diddle has been created from a variety of sources including the Diddle family.  These records, housed in University Archives, include early athletic department correspondence, photographs, scrapbooks and interviews.

The finding aid for this collection is now available at http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_fin_aid/7/. Images are available at KenCat.  Allied collections are also described in KenCat.

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Carlton Jackson & the Hilltoppers

The Hilltoppers, 1952

The Hilltoppers, 1952

Jimmy Sacca, Billy Vaughn, Don McGuire and Seymour Spiegelman were students at Western Kentucky State College (now WKU).  In 1952 they hit the  big time as the Hilltoppers quartet with their song “Trying.”   The group had several more hits including “P.S. I Love You” and performed together through 1963.  Billy Vaughn went on to have a successful musical career with his orchestra.   The group was honored at WKU’s homecoming in 1972.  Check out the University Archives website: http://www.wku.edu/library/archive/ex1.php for more information regarding the group.

Carlton Jackson came to the WKU History department in 1960 where he served with distinction through 2001.  He is the author of nearly 20 books and innumerable articles which earned him the title Distinguished Professor of History. 

In 2003, he began researching the Hilltoppers.  Dr. Jackson met and corresponded with surviving members of the group and fans, including fan club president Bobbie Ann Mason.  The result was his book P.S. I Love You: The Story of the Singing Hilltoppers.  The research notes and correspondence he compiled along with the drafts of the book are now a part of the University Archives Faculty/Staff Personal Papers Collection.  Just processed, these papers are now available for researchers and fans interested in the back story of the Hilltoppers.  The finding aid is now available through TopScholar at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/dlsc_ua_fin_aid/79/

If you have Hilltopper records, photographs or memorabilia that don’t appear in the finding aids, please contact the University Archives at 270-745-4793 or via email at archives@wku.edu

Check out KenCat to get information on other University Archives collections:  http://wku.pastperfect-online.com/35749cgi/mweb.exe?request=ks

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