Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search results

Purdue University

 Organization

Dates

  • Existence: May 6, 1869-

Historical Information

Purdue University was created as part of the Morrill Act and is the land-grant institution of higher learning in the state of Indiana.

Found in 26 Collections and/or Records:

Purdue University African American Students, Alumni and Faculty collection

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSP 154
Scope and Contents The Purdue University African American Students, Alumni and Faculty collection donated by Alexandria Cornelius, was likely gathered during her research on African American students, alumni and faculty at Purdue University. Historical information was gathered from numerous newspapers, Debris yearbooks, directories, statistics, and questionnaires sent to black alumni. Also included are Black Cultural Center newsletters, along with programs and flyers from the Black Cultural Center and The African...
Dates: 1961 - 2023; Majority of material found within 1993 - 1994

Neil A. Armstrong papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 5
Scope and Contents The Neil A. Armstrong papers document the military, aeronautics, astronautics, teaching and corporate business career of Neil A. Armstrong. The papers also feature items from Armstrong's youth and education. The collection includes but is not limited to documents, coursework, working papers, subject files, correspondence, writings, speeches, recordings, photographs and newspaper clippings. The papers are divided into eighteen series, and further information on the scope and content of the...
Dates: 1671 - 2012; Majority of material found within 1960 - 2012

Purdue University Astronauts collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 168
Scope and Contents The Purdue University Astronauts collection consists of items relating to Purdue's alumni astronauts that had been collected by various donors before the advent of the Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives. Included are newspaper clippings, Purdue University News Service press releases that had been written in regards to Neil A. Armstrong and Apollo 11, and various newspapers with Apollo 11 headlines and related clippings. Also included are Purdue University related publications...
Dates: 1965 - 2003

James Blakesley Collection on the Class of 1950

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 28
Scope and Contents The James Blakesley Collection on the Class of 1950 contains memorabilia from the Class of 1950's days at Purdue. Types of material include dance cards, newspaper clippings, event programs and playbills, along with photographs, record albums, and artifacts.
Dates: 1946 - 2007; Majority of material found within 1946 - 1950

James Blakesley papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 1, Placement: 04
Identifier: MSA 358
Abstract Materials documenting James Blakesley's tenure as VP and president of the University Club.
Dates: 1965 - 1971

Roy D. Bridges Jr. papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 6
Scope and Contents The Roy D. Bridges Jr. papers document the extensive Air Force and NASA career of Roy D. Bridges Jr.The papers include but are not limited to, artifacts, audio visual material, awards, books, briefs and records, certificates, clippings, clothing, correspondence, diaries, documents, flight logs, flight checklists and data files, along with Bridges' pilot kneeboard notes, medals, mementos, papers, photographs, scrapbooks, textbooks, research papers, and working paper...
Dates: 1950 - 2013

Eugene A. Cernan papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 288
Scope and Contents The Eugene A. Cernan papers document the military, aeronautics, and astronautics career of Eugene A. Cernan, as well as his subsequent professional and public activities. The papers also feature records pertaining to Cernan's youth, family, and education. The collection includes but is not limited to artifacts, audiovisual recordings, awards, books, certificates, coins, correspondence, documents, mission patches, newspaper clippings, photographs, plaques, publications, scrapbooks, speeches,...
Dates: 1934 - 2016; Majority of material found within 1956 - 2012

Class of 1915 photo album

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSP 260
Scope and Contents The Class of 1915 photo album (1912-1915; 0.10 cubic feet) documents class activities and Greek events of the Class of 1915, including the Tank Scrap and Greek house parties. Photographs of campus scenery and buildings are included (Fowler Hall, Physics Building). Of particular interest may be the documentation of the 1913 flood in the Lafayette area. Some of the photographs identify class members through hand-written notes on photographs and captions. The album is believed to have been...
Dates: 1912 - 1939; Majority of material found within 1912 - 1915

Collection of 1967 Rose Bowl Materials

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 1, Placement: 02
Identifier: MSP 189
Abstract Miscellaneous publications and publicity materials relating to the Purdue football team’s participation in the 1967 Rose Bowl.
Dates: 1966 - 1967

France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center records

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 60, Placement: 14
Identifier: UA 126
Scope and Contents The France A. Córdova Recreational Sports Center records contain four information booklets about the Recreational Gymnasium and Recreational Sports, including a layout of the facility.
Dates: 1957 - 1993

Purdue University Customs and Traditions collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 151
Scope and Contents The Purdue University Customs and Traditions collection features, among other memorabilia, a tank scrap chain and padlock from 1913, a label from the first bottle of beer served to a Purdue student after the repeal of prohibition, numerous buttons and pins, including a hatpin with the Purdue seal from 1895 on it (third design), a Reamer's Club "R" from the early 1990s, a Purdue Murad cigarette silk, a 1902-1903 matriculation ticket signed by Purdue President Winthrop E. Stone, along with Junior...
Dates: 1877 - 2014; Other: Majority of material found within 1880 - 1940

Dauch Alumni Center records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 137
Scope and Contents The Dauch Alumni Center records contain an information booklet describing the center's purpose and offerings to the Purdue Community as well as a floorplan of the building.
Dates: 2004

Fritz Ernst autobiography

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 6, Placement: 09
Identifier: MSA 19
Scope and Contents This collection consists of Small Town Boy Goes Away To College, an autobiography written by Fritz Ernst: '...just the simple story of the President of the B. Y. P. U. (Baptist Young People Union) of Madison, Indiana, attending Purdue University in his cutaway suit," circa 1896.
Dates: 1896

Evelyn Schmollinger papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 249
Scope and Contents The Evelyn Schmollinger Papers (1950-1956; 1.75 cubic feet) document the personal life of Evelyn Harvey Schmollinger as a student at Purdue University. The papers consist of scrapbooks, dance cards, and issues of The Purdue Agriculturalist. Types of materials include: magazines (periodicals), dance cards, programs, newspaper clippings, cards, invitations, letters, postcards, tickets, membership cards, identification cards, dried flowers, napkins, pins, and matchbooks.The collection...
Dates: 1950 - 1956; Other: Majority of material found within 1952 - 1956; Other: Date acquired: 03/07/2012

John H. Ferguson Collection of Purdue photographs

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 42, Placement: 06
Identifier: MSP 327
Scope and Contents This collection includes 30 photographs of Purdue's campus, taken when John visited Purdue along with other students and faculty from the University of Missouri in the Spring of 1973. Notations on the back of each photograph identify the building or location present.The subjects of the photographs consist primarily of campus buildings, including but not limited to University Hall, Stewart Center, and Agriculture buildings. Also included are aerial photographs of Purdue and West...
Dates: circa February 1973 - April 1973

Fowler Courts Residence Hall records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 43
Scope and Contents The Fowler Courts Residence Hall records document the history of Fowler Courts Residence Hall and Fowler House. The records include annual reports, orientation guidebooks and handbooks, faculty fellow directories, yearbooks and calendars. Also included are Purdue Residence Hall dress code standards and guest hours polices from the 1960s-1980s. Historical documents consist of background information on the closing of Harrison Street Courts and the transition to South Campus Courts,...
Dates: circa 1920s - 1993; Majority of material found within 1954 - 1993

Robert J. Gagen engineering tools

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSA 38
Scope and Contents Robert J. Gagen engineering tools consist of three sets of engineering drafting/compass tools used by Gagen as a Purdue student. One of the sets has Purdue inscribed on the case.
Dates: 1933

Lloyd E. Keck scrapbook

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: MSA 303
Scope and Contents The Lloyd E. Keck scrapbook documents the academic, military, personal and social activities of an Engineering student while on Purdue University's campus from 1936-1939, as well as various aspects of his life prior to college from 1917-1936. Keck titled the scrapbook, "Scraps and Snaps, May 27, 1917 - August 1, 1939," but most of the content is from his time at Purdue, 1936-1939.The scrapbook contains many unique photographs of campus and events from the 1930s. Some of the events...
Dates: 1917 - 1939; Majority of material found within 1937 - 1939

Martha Bolt Graham Papers on the Class of 1935

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 319
Scope and Contents The Martha Bolt Graham Papers on the Class of 1935 (circa 1934-2009; 2 linear ft.) documents activities of the Class of 1935. Types of materials include letters, correspondence, notes, and flyers, brochures on Gala Week celebrations, documents and reports on the Library Scholars Grant Program, photographs, and artifacts.
Dates: 1934-2009; Other: Majority of material found in 1960-2005; Other: Date acquired: 04/02/2013

Purdue Memorial Union records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 111
Scope and Contents The Purdue Memorial Union records contain information regarding the construction of the building, its uses, and promotional materials throughout its existence, including the student petition to raise funds and encourage the Board of Trustees to finish the building when construction was delayed due to World War I. Several pamphlets contain floor plans of the Union and show how the building has changed over the years with new additions.
Dates: 1920 - 1999

Purdue University Office of Publications Oral History Program collection

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSO 2
Scope and Contents The Purdue Office of Publications Oral History Program collection documents Purdue University history through oral history interviews with Purdue University professors and administrators. Types of materials include: printed material, cassette tapes, reel-to-reel tapes, compact discs, and digital materials. Interview topics include Purdue history and changes in administration and academic departments.
Dates: 1969 - 1989; Majority of material found within 1970 - 1972

Purdue University Musical Organizations records

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: UA 40
Scope and Contents This collection documents Purdue University's musical organizations including the Choral Society, Glee Club, Symphony Orchestra, and University bands. Materials include song books, scrapbook, programs, sheet music, and record albums. Includes information on well-known Purdue songs, such as "Hail Purdue," as well as lesser-known Purdue songs performed at convocations, football games against Indiana University, and related events. Some late 19th century song books not specific to Purdue but...
Dates: 1876 - 2019; Majority of material found within 1900 - 1960s

Charles M. Romanowitz papers

 Collection — Box: Communal Collections 56, Placement: 07
Identifier: MSA 345
Scope and Contents The Charles M. Romanowitz papers (1907-1971; 0.2 cubic feet) document Charles Romanowitz’s Purdue career, from his application to Purdue in 1907 to a certificate for his sixtieth anniversary of his degree in 1971. The postcards in the collection, adressed to family members and his future wife Ruth Ritchie, are panoramic scenes of Purdue campus. Of particular interest might be his original senior thesis, “Comparative Costs Foundations in 11-story office bldg. (Variation story height).” The...
Dates: 1907 - 1971; Majority of material found within 1907 - 1911

Aubrey H. and Doris M. Smith papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSF 525
Scope and Contents The Aubrey H. and Doris M. Smith papers contain Aubrey Smith's certificates and letters of recognition for distinguished service to Purdue, a train ticket from 1945, as well as his notebook, masters thesis, doctoral gown, and collection of materials relating to Purdue including a commencement brochure and an issue of the Purdue Alumnus. The papers also contain Doris M. Smith's copy of the Purdue Women's Club program and her notes, poems, and essays from Education 410 and English 551 classes...
Dates: 1928 - 1972

Robert W. Topping papers

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSA 33
Scope and Contents The Robert W. Topping papers (1930-1996; 2.75 cubic feet) collection consists of many newspaper clippings, news releases, ten interviews on cassette tapes and miscellaneous printed ephemera that Robert W. Topping collected, while on the staff of the Purdue University Office of Publications for twenty-eight years. Also included are the files used for his published book; “The Hovde Years,” 1980 and the original manuscript for “A Century and Beyond,” 1988, along with manuscripts for “Gentle...
Dates: 1930 - 1996; Majority of material found within 1966 - 1988