Library: Archives & Special Collections: Buffalo State Alumni & Educator Collections

Collection Subject: Buffalo State Alumni & Educator Collections

African American Studies Department at Buffalo State [1973-1991] The files of the African American Studies department became dormant after the department was dissolved (1977). The papers that are microfilmed in this collection are primarily from the 1970s. After the department was dissolved and African American Studies became a "program", records were kept by the coordinator of that program. Professor Keith Baird. Records from the "program" period are not included in this collection. In 1988, Monroe Fordham was asked to serve as Acting Coordinator of African American Studies. In 1989 Dr. Anthony Neal was appointed as Coordinator of African American Studies.
Alex Osborn Creative Studies Collection [1951-2003; bulk 1951-1965] Alexander Faickney Osborn was born in the Bronx, New York, on May 24, 1888. He attended Hamilton College where he was awarded Ph.B. and Ph.M. degrees in 1909 and 1921 respectively. Osborn’s career began with positions in newspaper reporting at the Buffalo Times and Buffalo Express; the assistant secretary for the Buffalo Chamber of Commerce; sales manager of the Hard Manufacturing Co.; and began his renowned advertising career with the E. P. Remington agency of Buffalo. He served as a council member for the University of Buffalo from 1951-1959, and founded the Creative Education Foundation in 1954 study what he coined “deliberate creativity.” Osborn was heavily involved with SUNY Buffalo State and helped found, what is now, The International Center for Studies in Creativity, the first program in the world to offer a Master of Science in Creative Studies. Alexander Osborn died of cancer in Roswell Park Memorial Institute on May 5, 1966, at the age of 77.
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Andrew Brown Choral Arts Collection [c. 1968-1991] A tenor soloist at St. John Baptist Church, Andrew Brown (1929-1977) became the church's minister of music in 1955. There, he organized a hundred-voice choir and personally established concert series as well as composing popular and renowned spiritual songs such as "My Prayer to Thee," "In Jesus' Name," "Come and Go with Me to My Father's House" and "Lord, Lord." A native of Buffalo, NY, Brown was also involved locally and elsewhere in organizing, establishing and conducting church choirs while promoting his love of gospel music. Installed as an instructor of music at Buffalo State College (then State University College at Buffalo), Brown became the director of the Pilot Musical Experiment Program in Gospel Music in 1967. Due to the program's success, it was instituted into the College's curriculum the following year. He directed the annual "Gospel Festival Comes to College" and remained active in teaching and community groups until his death in 1977. In 1978, a Memorial Scholarship Fund was established in memory of Andrew Brown, the first director of Buffalo State College All-College Choir, by Dr. Joseph Wincenc, Distinguished Teaching Professor Emeritus, of the Buffalo State College Performing Arts Department. Since 1978, scholarships and awards have been given annually to outstanding students who participate in Choral Arts at Buffalo State. With encouragement and support from Dr. Joseph Wincenc and Miss Rosalie Turton, former director of the Buffalo State Alumni Association, an Andrew Brown Chapter was established in 1987 by Reather Walker Diamond (BSC '76), coordinator of the Buffalo State All-College Gospel Choir, 1973-1982. The main object of this Chapter is to provide educational enrichment and assistance for people who have little or no background in music or singing. The Chapter's future goal is to maintain an Archives and Music Library to preserve the tradition, legacy, and ideals of African-American Choral Arts directors and accompanists in the educational process of learning, searching, and serving mankind.
Anne Rogovin - Teaching Materials Collection and Papers [c. 1970-1992]
Burrell Papers In 1945, Dr. Burrell enrolled in the doctoral program in psychology and human relations at New York University. Dr. Burrell came to Buffalo to teach at Buffalo State College in 1948. She was the first African American faculty member to be hired by the College. Her husband, Robert was an attorney in the Buffalo District Attorney's office. He later became a City Court Judge. Dr. Burrell's interest in child development, human relations and international education led to her involvement in education in the country of India. In 1959, she received a Fulbright Fellowship at Jabalpu University in India. This was followed by an appointment to the post of Director of the India Project at Buffalo State that resulted in several trips with students, in 1968-69 and 1970-71, to study the educational system and culture of that country. She was also the College's Director of Human Relations Workshops. Dr. Burrell retired from Buffalo State in 1972.
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Chappelle, Mary Crosby Mary Lee Crosby Chappelle is a retired public school teacher of Special Education. She retired from teaching in 1975 after 32 years in the classroom. In her illustrious career she was Dean Emeritus, Mary Chappelle Foundation; minister; volunteer; public speaker; journalist, poet, dramatist, singer, and community builder with membership in numerous community, civic, religious and social organizations.
Collins, Dr. Catherine Regent Catherine Fisher Collins’ educational background includes undergraduate degrees from Trocaire College in nursing and a Bachelor of Science Degree from State University College in Vocational Technical Education. She also has an earned doctoral degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo in Education Administration. From the same institution she also received her Master’s Degree in Allied Health Education and Curriculum Development, graduated from the School of Nursing in the Nurse Practitioner’s Program. Regent Collins’ holds certifications in Health Occupations and Jr. College Teaching.
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Courier-Express Newspaper Collections [1926-1982] The Courier-Express newspaper was born in 1926, with the merger of the Buffalo Courier and the Buffalo Express to form the Buffalo Courier-Express. William J. Conners, owner of the Buffalo Courier, was the person instrumental in bringing the two papers together. During the 19th century numerous newspapers existed. The Buffalo Courier-Express merger can trace its roots back to 1828. From 1828 to 1926, twelve separate newspapers merged during those years, ending with the formation of the Buffalo Courier-Express; quite a chronology for the history of this newspaper. The Courier and then the Courier-Express took a liberal position on all issues. In the late 1970s, the Courier-Express was sold to Cowles-Media, an out of state publisher. Cowles Media decided to close the paper in 1982. The September 19, 1982 issue was the last one for this very popular Buffalo newspaper. Cowles Media donated the library to the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and Buffalo State College.
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David Lampe Poetry Collection [c. 1960-present] The David Lampe Collection of archival and book material represents the first holdings obtained under the E. H. Butler Library's "Special Collections of Special Professors" initiative. Dr. Lampe, a native Iowan, earned his PhD from the University of Nebraska, and taught at Buffalo State College for over 35 years. His areas of interest and research range from Medieval to modern poetry. Dr. Lampe's subject expertise is reflected in his donation to E. H. Butler Library. The collection is comprised of two parts, representing Dr. Lampe’s collection of monographs as well as correspondence/subject files.
The Diane English Script Collection [1988-1995] Diane English was born in Buffalo, New York where she attended Nardin Academy and SUNY Buffalo State. Throughout the 1980s English wrote several series including: The Lathe of Heaven, Foley Square (1985-1986) and My Sister Sam (1986 and 1987 seasons). She is best known for writing and producing the sitcom Murphy Brown for CBS that ran for 10 years (1988-1998) totaling 247 episodes; and writing and directing the 2008 feature film, The Women. Additional sitcoms written in the 1990s include, Love and War (1992-1995), Double Rush (1995), Ink (1996), The Louie Show (1996), and Living in Captivity (1998).
Dr. Fraser Drew - Langston Hughes Correspondence [1950-1967] Langston Hughes was born on 1 February 1902 in Joplin, Missouri, and died on 22 May 1967. His maternal grandmother raised him in Lawrence, Kansas. According to Hughes, his grandmother inspired him to write, as she was a natural orator of black traditions. After his grandmother’s death, Hughes returned to his mother in Cleveland, Ohio, until he graduated from high school in 1920. In 1921, Hughes enrolled in an engineering program at Columbia University, but left after one year. For a few years, Hughes worked various blue- and white-collar jobs while he spent most of his time writing, as that was his passion. Langston Hughes began to publish numerous poems, and by 1926, he published his first book of poems, The Weary Blues. In 1929, he graduated from Lincoln University with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Conscious of the importance of race relations and politics, Hughes published The Way of White Folks in 1934. The spectrum of Hughes’ writing grew as the years went by. He began to write many politically inspired poems, plays (such as Mulatto and Don’t You Want to Be Free?), and autobiographies. Hughes also wrote books that supported his consciousness of race relations like Jim Crow’s Last Stand and Montage of a Dream Deferred. Writing was Hughes’ main contribution to black history, though he also served as a social activist. He traveled the world, expanding his horizons on black issues and became well-known as a radical democrat. Langston Hughes faced many obstacles during the prime years of his publications as his critics viewed him as being too extreme. He was able to hurdle these obstacles as he persevered. Today, Hughes is remembered as an essential figure in black history. He had the ability of writing the relevant problems within that community at a time when the American public consciously ignored such issues. Langston Hughes devoted his time to writing poems, novels, dramas, and numerous articles. Fraser Drew had the opportunity to keep in contact with Hughes during the peak of his career. Dr. Drew was a professor of English at SUNY Buffalo State for decades; he retired in 1983. He received his Ph.D. in English Literature from the University at Buffalo in 1952. His interest in African American literature motivated him to follow Langston Hughes’ career closely, and this led him to reach out to Hughes directly. Hughes responded by keeping open communication with Drew for a number of years. The SUNY Buffalo State Archives and Special Collections contains the correspondence between Drew and Hughes.
The Dr. Madeline Davis LGBTQ Archive of Western New York [c. 1920-2015; bulk 1960-2015] Western New York as a way to collect, safeguard, and provide access to materials that document the LGBTQ+ communities of Western New York and Southern Ontario. In 2009, the archives were transferred to SUNY Buffalo State’s E. H. Butler Library. Housed in the Archives and Special Collections, the archives have expanded to more than 300 linear feet of items and become the region’s largest LGBTQ+ collection. More than 80 individuals, groups, and diverse organizations are represented in the tens of thousands of documents and items that include photographs, local organizational records, multimedia materials, pamphlets, posters, clippings, awards, signs, banners, plaques, published materials, as well as an array of ephemeral items and other pieces that date back to the 1920s. Stewards of the collection are thrilled to be able to contribute to global projects such as the “Wearing Gay History Project” and the “Digital Transgender Archives” as well as the “New York Heritage” site and our local digital platforms in order to make the essential historical material available to students, communities, researchers, and other scholars from around the world. Through generous funding, SUNY Buffalo State is able to hire and teach students on the importance of material of this nature as well as to be able to have their expertise add to descriptive knowledge bases for description and access. The SUNY Buffalo State Madeline Davis LGBTQ+ Archives is actively soliciting donations of materials and further support. As Madeline Davis herself has said, “Our community has a past, but no history.” The presence and continued growth of the many collections in the Archives help to assure that our shared history will only grow in scope and importance. Any contributions to the collections will help fill in historical gaps, assuring that we have a past, a history, and a future.
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Edward H. Butler - Family Papers [1880-1956] The Edward H. Butler Family played a prominent role in the development of the Niagara Frontier for nearly 100 years (1880 - 1976). Edward H. Butler, Senior published the first edition of the Buffalo Evening News on October 11, 1880. Upon his death in 1914, his son, Edward, assumed the role of editor and publisher of the paper. At his death in 1956, his widow, Kate Robinson Butler ran the paper. Shortly after her death in 1975, the paper was sold to Blue Chips Stamps. Buffalo State College has enjoyed a long relationship with the Butler family. Three generations of members of the Butler Family served as Presidents of the College Council. E. H. Butler Library was named after Edward H. Butler, Senior. Kate Butler Wickham, daughter of Edward H. Butler, Junior donated her mother's personal correspondence to the library in 1977. In 1976, she donated all correspondence of her grandfather and father covering the period 1880-1956. In 1985, the Buffalo News donated all business correspondence of the Butler Senior and Junior connected to the Buffalo Evening News. In 1987, The Buffalo News donated the "Kirchhofer Papers". Kirchhofer, editor of the News, was in the process of writing a history of the paper when he died suddenly. His research materials and the papers he had taken from the Butler family files (1880-1976) were kept together as a collection.
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Erie County Charter Revision Commission: Dr. E.O. Smith, Jr. Files The Erie County Charter had not been reviewed since its adoption in 1959. The Charter Revision Commission was established in 1973 in order to review the Charter and recommend improvements and revisions to the Erie County Legislature. The Commission was to keep in mind the purposes of the Charter which include the accomplishing of greater efficiency, economy, and responsibility in County government, the securing of all possible County home rule, and the separation of the legislative and executive functions.
Fordham, Monroe [1957-2003] Monroe Fordham was born on October 11, 1939 in Parrott, Georgia. His mother’s name was Arie Deloris Oxford, and his grandparents were Mance and Sarah Ann Oxford. Fordham earned an MS degree from Emporia State University, and in the fall of 1970 he entered a doctoral program in history at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he earned a PhD in 1973. He was a faculty member of the History Department at Buffalo State College from 1970-1998. He served as department chair for 12 years. During his tenure as a faculty member at Buffalo State College, Fordham pioneered a number of initiatives aimed at preserving state and regional African American historical sources. He also worked with numerous community groups in developing records management and records preservation programs.
Hank Nuwer Hazing Collection [c. 1970-2022] Hank Nuwer, a 1968 graduate of Buffalo State College, is a social critic and author. Hank credits Buffalo State professors and students for contributing to his success as an author and journalist. In 1999, he wanted to give something to the college in honor of Professor Fraser Drew, who inspired him to write, and in honor of a fellow classmate, the late Joe Nikiel. Hank has authored more than 18 books, one of which, Broken Pledges, was made into a 1994 TV movie, "Moment of Truth: Broken Pledges." His research on binge drinking and hazing in schools and higher education has made him a sought after expert by CNN and other national television networks doing special reports on those topics.
Ida Kempke and Charles Root - Textbook Collection [c. 1750-1960]
Irving Tesmer Western New York Geological Literature Collection [1800s-1900s]
John C. Gowan Collection [1949-1986] John Curtis Gowan was born May 21, 1912 in Boston, Massachusetts. Graduating from Thayer Academy, Braintree, Massachusetts, in 1929, John Gowan was only 17 when he entered Harvard University, earning his undergraduate degree four years later. A master's degree in mathematics followed; he then moved to Culver, Indiana, where he was employed as a counselor and mathematics teacher at Culver Military Academy from 1941 to 1952. Earning a doctorate from UCLA, he became a member of the founding faculty at the California State University at Northridge, where he taught as a professor of Educational Psychology from 1953 until 1975, when he retired with emeritus status. Dr. Gowan became interested in gifted children after the Russians gained superiority in space with the 1957 launch of Sputnik. He formed the National Association for Gifted Children the following year. He was the group's executive director and president from 1975 to 1979 and over the years wrote more than 100 articles and fourteen books on gifted children, teacher evaluation, child development, and creativity.
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Lois Lenski Children and Young Adult Literature Collection [1930-1974] In 1957, the well-known author-illustrator, Lois Lenski (1893-1974), presented a collection of her books, original illustrations, and manuscripts, as well as extensive files of research materials to the E. H. Butler Library of SUNY Buffalo State College. Lois Lenski was the author and illustrator of over 200 children’s books and winner of the coveted Newbery and Caldecutt award in children’s literature. She was best known for her hands on research in compiling her works. Periodic generous gifts from Miss Lenski have considerably enlarged the initial collection, and it is considered one of the most complete collections in the country. The collection contains not only the originals manuscripts, both longhand and typescript, of several of her books, but also, in many instances, includes her notes, original sketches, and correspondence showing the inception of ideas. It is extremely valuable as resource materials for in-depth studies of how a recognized author created the books which have won her the top awards in the field of children’s literature. By examining the notebooks and correspondence, students can become aware of Lenski’s methods of research in obtaining the materials she needed when writing her books. Lenski’s approach to the environmental background of her regional stories, as illustrated in her correspondence with children and concerned adults, is a technique unique to Lenski, and one which should be of special value to individuals interested in the writing of regional realistic fiction. Numerous boxes and folders contain copies of her books, photos, manuscripts, notes, drawings, awards, and work of students whom inspired Lois Lenski to write and publish.
Lydia Fish Local Church Collection
Manny Fried Collection [bulk 1950-1980] Dr. Emanuel J. Fried was born on March 1, 1913 in Brooklyn, NY. As a young boy, Fried’s family moved to Buffalo, NY where he finished elementary and secondary education and wrote his first play at the age of 14. Fried worked as a bellhop and elevator operator, concessionaire, theater usher, salesmen, and newsboy. His first play written as a teenager was about an entertainer while working as a bellhop. Dr. Fried continuing acting under the stage name Edward Mann and became close friends with theater and film director Elia Kazan while living in New York City. In 1939, he returned to Buffalo and was employed as a template maker for Curtis-Wright airplane factory. While employed at Curtis-Wright he was active with the UAW—CIO Volunteer Organizing Committee and the UE for United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers and also organized employees at the Wurlitzer, Spaulding Fibre, Buffalo Bolt, Columbus McKinnon, Wales-Stippit, Pratt & Letchworth, Otis Elevator, & Blaw-Knox. In addition, Dr. Fried led the Labor Writers Workshop and was a representative to the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council. Questionable activities while representing several unions resulted in his blacklist from unions and employment for several years. He served in World War II in the 20th Infantry and worked up to the position of lieutenant until discharged in late 1945. During the McCarthy Era, Fried was a person of interest by the Un-American Activities Committee on two separate occasions in which he refused to answer questions. Most notably from a 2007 interview “my answer will be, I will not answer. The first and the Fifth” “or in other words, it’s none of your business”. For a short time Fried served as director of the Buffalo Contemporary Theatre that produced shows about the working class. Dr. Fried attended the University of New York at Buffalo, earning a Bachelor and Masters of Arts in Humanities in 1971 and a Ph. D in English in 1974. Dr. Fried taught English and Creative Writing courses at Buffalo State College and retired in 1983 but continued to teach part-time until 2008. In 2009, Dr. Fried donated his collection to the E.H. Butler Library Archives and Special Collections. The collection of 36 boxes includes plays, letters, correspondences, audio and video tapes, and FBI papers. In addition, Dr. Fried granted Buffalo State College permission to perform his plays for the educational benefits of students with no fee charged for performances. Dr. Fried died on February 25, 2011 at his Kenmore Nursing Home, he was 97.
Margaret Goff Clark-Children and Young Adult Literature Collection and Papers [c. 1930-2004] Margaret Goff Clark was born March 7, 1913 in Oklahoma City, USA. At five, she and her family moved to Olean, New York. She attended Columbia University and State University in Buffalo, earning a bachelor’s degree in education. She began writing when her children were young and published her first book, "The Mystery Of Seneca Hill" in 1961. As a result, Ms. Clark was adopted into the Seneca Indian tribe in 1962. Many of her books are based on her experiences traveling to parks and nature areas. She cottages in Algonquin Park in Ontario, Canada. "Death At Their Heels" was written in 1975, after visiting it one summer. Most recently, Ms. Clark has been writing books about endangered species in Florida, including the manatee and the Florida black bear. Her 1993 book on the endangered Florida panther was dedicated to her husband Charles R. Clark. In addition to books, Ms. Clark has contributed over 200 short stories to magazines such as "American Girl, The Instructor, Teen Talk" and other Canadian and American magazines. Margaret Goff Clark passed away in 2004. –taken from Goodreads.com on 05/07/2018
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New York African-American Institute, Founding Committee Papers The New York African American Institute was initiated under SUNY Chancellor Clifton R. Wharton, Jr. The Chancellor appointed a planning committee made up of Drs. Monroe Fordham (Chair), Ena Farley, Ralph Watkins, Ken Hall, and Mr. Rudy Johnson to design and write a rational for the Institute to be presented to the New York State Legislature for funding. The committee worked during the first four months of 1986, meeting in Albany for two days each week to prepare their recommendations. The papers in this collection are the records of that planning committee.
Panhellenic Association - Buffalo Alumnae Records [1946-1988]
Peter Yates Musical Composition and Material Collection [mid 20th century] Peter Yates (1909-1976), along with his wife Frances Mullen, is perhaps best remembered for his founding of the concert series Evenings on the Roof in Los Angeles. It grew literally on the roof of the 2nd floor of the Yates’ home, designed by Rudolf Schindler, one of the first of many artists and musician to emigrate from Europe to southern California during the early years of World War II. This concert series was to give most of them a much needed opportunity to have their music performed in an extremely supportive setting. (The reader is urged to consult the early chapters of D. Crawford’s Evenings On and Off the Roof for extensive coverage of this most important aspect of music history in the United States.) Mr. Yates’ appointment as Chair of the Music Department at Buffalo State College in 1968 met with many “raised eyebrows,” due to his lack of experience in higher education teaching and administration. He was, after all, an interviewer with the California Employment Service for most of his pre-Buffalo years. Additionally, he had earned only minimal academic qualifications, a BA degree from Princeton. However, having served as associate editor of Arts and Architecture, 1940-1967, as a contributing editor to Arts in Society, as well as author of two well-received books -- An Amateur at the Keyboard (1964) and Twentieth Century Music (1967) plus his long and unparalleled association with many of the most important contemporary European and American composers, the usual and traditional resume expectations were overlooked in lieu of this newer and richer experience.
Robert Cantrick - Original Music Collection [1990s] As Dr. Robert B. Cantrick (1917-2006), composer and music professor at Buffalo State College, 1969-1985, indicated in correspondence dated 2005, his intention throughout the last thirty years of his life was to "formulate fundamental concepts of music which are applicable to all cultural traditions and historical eras.” This mission seems to have been in the back of his mind since 1970 and the contents of his archive documents his attempts to bring this life-long project to fruition. The project was evolutionary in its scope. He was constantly pushing towards greater comprehensiveness and clarity as can be seen by the sheer volume of notes and revisions within the contents of the archive, as well as evidence of extensive and close reading not only in music but especially in philosophy as well. Project completion was never realized as he passed away not long after the above-mentioned letter to a prospective publisher as it turned out, was written.
SUNY Buffalo State Oral History Project [1975-1994] The SUNY Buffalo State Oral History Project was extensively conducted from 1975 to 1985 and was primarily directed by Sister Martin Joseph Jones, the first archivist. The full selection of recordings span 1975-1995. Interviews and materials are currently being digitized from audio cassette to digital media that will be made available through the Buffalo State Digital Commons.
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SUNY Buffalo State Photograph Collection [1871-2009] The collection spans from 1871-2009 and is subdivided into: Activities & Events; Sports; Buffalo & the Surrounding Community; Campus Buildings; Organizations; Departments; Faculty; Students. The collection is exceptionally robust and contains approximately 8,000 print images spanning all areas of student life, from dorm construction in the 1940s to dance marathon costume parties held in the mid-1980s.
Tom Fontana Collection [c. 1973-present] Tom Fontana, a Buffalo native and 1973 graduate of Buffalo State College, is the award-winning writer and producer of three acclaimed television series, "St. Elsewhere," "Homicide: Life on the Street," and "Oz." Tom has generously placed his collection of scripts and materials associated with the production of the television series and the television movies in the Archives & Special Collections of E. H. Butler Library. His collection also contains videotapes of many of the episodes in the series’ he has written and produced. Tom's accomplishments include involvement as a writer and producer on the series "Tattinger's," "Home Fires," and "The Beat." He wrote the ABC special "The Fourth Wiseman," "Firehouse: the Movie" a pilot for CBS, and "Homicide: Life Everlasting", a TV movie of the week for NBC. He also wrote a made-for-television movie "Judas" that premiered on February 15, 2002 at Canisius High School in Buffalo, NY. The premier honored a fellow graduate of the school, Sean Rooney, who died September 11th during the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Tom taught a class on ensemble writing at Buffalo State College in the fall of 2003. On November 19, 2003, Tom's new play "The Day Jack London Got Pinched," based on the memoirs of the 19th century writer, premiered at the college. On November 24, 2003 Tom was inducted into the Western New York Entertainment Hall of Fame at the Shea's Performing Arts Center. Past inductees include Lucille Ball, Buffalo Bob Smith, Broadway's George Abbott and Michael Bennett, playwright A.R. Gurney and jazz musician Grover Washington Jr. Tom's portrait, by Buffalo artist George Palmer, will hang in the lobby of the Shea's theater. Tom has written several plays which have been produced in New York City, San Francisco, and at the Studio Arena in Buffalo. His collection contains one of his unpublished plays entitled "A Slice of Buffalo, A Peace of Paris."
William Engelbrecht - Iroquois Ceramic Coding Papers [c. 1969-1995]
William Schmidt Commercial Art Collection [1936-1975] Mr. William Schmidt (Buffalo State, Art Education, 1950), the creator of art designs on plastic covers for commercial products contained in plastic, requested that his special art work be deposited in the Buffalo State College E. H. Butler Library's Special Collections. He helped to set up the Schmidt and Eckert Award, offering several scholarships annually to Art Education majors at State University of New York at Buffalo. William Schmidt was drawn to art all his life, beginning his path as an artist as a young child. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Pacific theater. His powerful and often harrowing artwork depicted the experiences of GI's and Japanese prisoners. Many of his pencil sketches and ink drawings are of the battle of Iwo Jima. He also attended the Art Institute of Buffalo, where much of his work would take on an abstract quality. After the war, he became a freelance designer working under Mr. Sidney Schulman of the Transparent Bag Company of Buffalo. Together, they handled many of the Western New York area's most important plastic bag accounts, and was one of the most successful businesses of its kind during the 1950's and 1960's. Although Mr. Schulman sold the Transparent Bag Company in December of 1981, the legacy of the company lives on in the William Schmidt Collection.
William Tallmadge Music Collection [c. 1925-1975] Dr. William H. Tallmadge (1916-2004), Professor of Music and charter member of the Sonneck Society (now the Society for American Music). Dr. Tallmadge taught music at Buffalo State College from 1949-1976, specializing in jazz and American folk music. Indeed, he developed the first course for credit in the United States on the history of jazz. Dr. Tallmadge's work is especially notable for the attention he paid to recording and studying African American church music of the early 20th century, though it is believed that none of these recordings are maintained within this collection. Dr. Tallmadge continued to teach at Berea College after his retirement from Buffalo State College.
Lydia Fish Folklore Collection

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Contact an Archivist

Daniel DiLandro, MLS, CA
College Archivist & Special Collections Librarian
Email: dilanddm@buffalostate.edu
Phone: 716-878-6308

Hope Dunbar, MLIS, JD
Special Collections Archivist
Email: dunbarhm@buffalostate.edu
Phone: 716-878-4790