Purdue University Convocations records

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: UA 42

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Purdue University Convocations Records (1892-2012, predominant 1903-2012) documents the pre-history and history of Purdue Convocations. This collection offers researchers an excellent glimpse into the wide-variety of performances offered and showcased, courtesy of Purdue Convocations. Types of materials include: budgets and other financial statements, committee meeting minutes, performance schedules, performer contracts, photographs, programs, newsletters, etc.

Dates

Creation: 1876-2012
Other: Majority of material found in 1903-2012
Other: Date acquired: 08/02/2012

Creator

Purdue University. Convocations (Organization)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Access Information

Collection is open for research.

Copyright and Use Information

Some material in this collection are in the public domain, while other material copyrights are held by Purdue University. Consult with Purdue University Archives and Special Collections prior to reproduction of materials.

Historical Information

Purdue Convocations began in 1902 with the “Lecture Concert and Course” and continues to offer a wide-variety of performances in the genres of ballet and dance, Broadway-style shows, cinema, comedy, popular and classical music, and stage theatre. A number of performers have made multiple appearances at Purdue University, courtesy of Purdue Convocations, including the Oak Ridge Boys, the Beach Boys, Amy Grant, Chicago, Alan Jackson, STOMP, and the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra performed on over forty-five occasions between 1932 and 2002. Purdue Convocations has also offered students, faculty, and local residents an opportunity to see a number of overseas performers, including the Berlin Philharmonic, the Chinese Acrobats of Taiwan, Danzas Venezuela, the Hungarian Quartet, the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the National Ballet of Canada, the National Chinese Opera Theatre, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Stars of Soviet and Eastern European Ballet, and the Warsaw Philharmonic. Notable lecturers have included Dean Acheson, George Ade, Clement Attlee, Jimmy Carter, Barry Goldwater, John F. Kennedy, and Alex Haley.

Purdue Convocations Performance Database, at http://www.purdue.edu/convocations/performance-database/

Materials found within the collection

Extent

29.55 Cubic Feet (10 c.f. boxes, 37 mss. boxes, 10 loose scrapbooks)

Additional Description

Arrangement Note

The Records are organized into six series: Administrative Records, 1948-1970; Performers and Performances, 1903-1979; Promotional Materials, 1892-2012; Scrapbooks, 1965-1979, 1981-2000; Chairman of the University Convocation Committee Scrapbooks, 1923-1955; and Program Scrapbooks, 1876-circa 1918. The series are arranged, for the most part, chronologically by material type. Some of the performer files in Series 6 are organized alphabetically.

Physical Access Requirements

The scrapbooks comprising Series 5 and Series 6 are very fragile and need to be handled with care. Loose materials from the scrapbooks have been removed and placed in acid-free folders, which accompany their respective scrapbooks in flat boxes.

Custodial History

Purdue University Convocations to Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Records transfer from Purdue University Convocations on August 02, 2012. The date and source of acquisition of the Franklin D. Roosevelt memoriam program is unknown.

Processing Information

Materials comprising Series 2’s performer files remain in their original folders.The arrangement of the performer files was also retained as found. Loose items in the Series 5 scrapbooks were removed and placed in acid-free folders according to material type. All scrapbooks in the series, along with their corresponding folders, were then placed in flat boxes.

Three bound booklets of newsletters was added to Series 3 (box 23) on September 14, 2022.

Subjects

Genre / Form

Collecting Areas

- University Archives. Purdue University Archives

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title: Purdue University Convocations records
Status: In Progress
Author: Archive Staff
Date: 05/08/2014
Description rules: Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description: English
Script of description: Latin
Language of description note: English
Edition statement: Third edition. Collection description was first completed 2014-05-08.

Revision Statements

09099999: Collection identifier updated from UA 12.05.06 to UA 42 as of November 1, 2016. Added series 3, folder one; previously unprocessed as of May 30, 2017.
2020-05-08: Collection description updated by Adelle Rogers.
2022-09-14: Three bound booklets of newsletters from "Marquee" were added to series 3 by Emily Jones. Processing note was updated. Proofreading and formatting in content fields was also completed. Within each series, instances of the appropriate boxes were added.
2022-09-21: Container profiles and extents at each series were added for all boxes by Emily Jones.
2024-05-28: An April 1945 program in memoriam to Franklin D. Roosevelt was added to the collection, and the box instances for Series 2 and Series 3 were updated by William Niner.