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This collection consists of 58.7 hours of audio files and the accompanying transcripts of oral history interviews with custom harvesters. Those interviewed were all from the United States except for one participant from Saskatchewan, Canada. American participants were from Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, or North Dakota. The time period discussed in the interviews ranges from pre-World War II to 2010, with first-person accounts of harvest from the 1950s to 2010. All persons interviewed were retired or working custom harvesters, yet the project has a distinct group of interviews, 21.5 hours in length, exclusively with Mennonite custom harvesters. The interviews with Mennonite custom harvesters began when Mr. Schmidt recommended interviewing Waldo and Doris Froese of Inman, KS, one of the communities in the Mennonite settlement area of south-central Kansas. Other communities include Buhler and Moundridge. Dr. Holcomb then recruited others in this area for a separate project, which included interview questions pertaining specifically to Mennonite custom harvesters. Dr. Holcomb received grant funding from the Kansas Humanities Council for the Mennonite project, with sponsorship from the Mennonite Heritage & Agricultural Museum in Goessel, KS, which he used to pay for travel and transcription expenses. There is a subject index of the transcripts of the interviews with Mennonites.

Dr. Holcomb obtained 244 complimentary photos and news articles from participants to augment the interviews. Photos were either from the personal collections of those interviewed or were taken by the research team. There are two photo keys that provide captions for the photos. All interviews were conducted between 2008 and 2010. Interview questions were in the broad categories of family history and background, labor, origins of custom harvesting as a vocation, the work of custom harvesting, identity and lifestyle, equipment, places along the harvest route, changes in the communities where they harvest, crops harvested, weather, hardships, meals, lodging, relationships, and sense of place. Dr. Holcomb asked Mennonite participants additional questions, including details about their faith, the relationship between faith and their work, pacifism, and the alternative service conscientious objectors performed.

Jimmy Rogers (1924-1997) was a Chicago blues singer, guitarist and harmonica players who was born James A. Lane in Rule, Mississippi. An association of Robert Lockwood, Jr., Muddy Waters and Little Water, Rogers became known for his rhythm guitar and his South Side Chicago sound.
The bulk of the collection consists of photograph albums documenting Jimmy Rogers' later career, circa 1970-1979. Studio recordings, address books, business cards, mementos, awards and musical instruments are also included.
Some items of interest include typed lyric sheets of "Goos Pond" by Rogers who stated he started writing this work in 1941 at Vance, Mississippi and "Don't Start Me To Talking" by Rogers that is not dated; performance dates, times, costs, hotels, etc. for all dates from July 17, 1997 to December 1998 (Rogers died before he could complete all these dates); and photographs of The Aces, Frank Bandy, Scott Bradbury (Badboy Scotty), Lonnie Brooks, Eric Clapton, Frank Craig (Left Hand Frank), Ted Harvey, Walter Horton (Big Walter), Mick Jagger, Robert Johnson, S. P. Leary, Willie Mabon, McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters), Joseph William Perkins (Pinetop), Keith Richards, Willie Lee Smith (Big Eyes) and Cora Anna Walton (Koko Taylor).

The Joel Climenhaga Papers (1912-2001) consist primarily of his literary works and correspondence to and from family and friends.
The Biographical Series consist of two boxes which include Climenhaga's baby book, family genealogy, obituary, and memorial service program, and 1987 Kansas State University retirement tributes.
The Correspondence Series is made up of fourteen boxes and arranged alphabetically. Climenhaga was a prolific and voluminous writer. He corresponded with Mina Cooper, Carlos Cortez, Charles Jones, George Moberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Kenneth Patchen to name a few. Within the Charles Jones correspondence there are letters by LBJ (Lyndon B. Johnson) and from people who opposed him agreeing with the NCAAP- these letters were signed by "a white Christian" or "a white, white, American." There are twenty-four folders of correspondence between Climenhaga and Fred Shaw. The two men planned to turn their correspondence into a book titled The Mephisto Addenda. Before this could manifest, Fred Shaw passed away. The Climenhaga's were good friends with Kenneth and Miriam Patchen and there is extensive correspondence between the two families. The sub-series "Correspondence to Poetry Magazines" is listed alphabetically by magazine title and consists of one box.
The sub-series "Correspondence Log" is arranged chronologically and is stored in eighteen boxes. It is similar to a journal as Climenhaga made personal entries on specific dates and if those dates corresponded with writing or receiving a letter, the letter was included. Names of those who Climenhaga corresponded includes Marlon Brando, Milton Bernard, John and Emma Climenhaga, Mina Cooper, Norman Fedder, Henry Miller, Kenneth Patchen, George Savage, Fred Shaw, Wesley Van Tassel, Myrna Wolfe, and Kenneth Woodroofe. These letters were pulled from the alphabetical listing by Climenhaga. It is not known why Climenhaga separated these letters.
Literary Works is comprised of twenty-two boxes that contain Climenhaga's plays and poems, as well as fiction stories and essays. During his lifetime Climenhaga had at least seven columns in various newspapers and newsletters. Three of his columns One Man's Frontier, One Man's Journey, and Dear Good People often had the same material while the introduction was sometimes different or a sentence or two rearranged. One Man's Journey was also broadcasted on the KKSC Radio station at Kansas State University during the 1980s. Climenhaga was a notorious recycler of paper. He often used recycled paper which can be confusing to researchers. If researchers pay close attention, however, they just might find that "recycled" paper useful after all, as it could be a part of another story, poem, etc., whether written by Climenhaga or one of his many friends or colleagues. Climenhaga wrote his first poem at age six. By 1989, he had written approximately 2,500 poems of which 1,200 had been published in various magazines and journals. Volumes of his published poems include: The Age of Pollution; Belief in Chaos; Hawk and Chameleon; The Month of the Shadow on My Heart; Ninety-Nine Messages from Separate Places; None of this Really Matters a Great Deal Now; One Hundred and One Songs are Promised for Tomorrow; Preliminary Walk into the Sweat of Dying; Report on the Progress of the Bearded One's Homework; Spontaneity is a Deceiving God; and The Thirteenth Winter.
Subject Series is contained in seventeen boxes and is organized alphabetically. It includes names such as Charles Jackson Jones, Jr. who was married to artist Molly Ramolla, Kenneth Patchen, and Larry Smith. It also includes programs from plays produced, written, and directed by Climenhaga. Other programs include plays produced at the Purple Masque Theatre, Kansas State University; by the Pine Cone Players, Grand Lake, CO; and at UCLA.
The Photograph and Slides Series consists of one box and includes photos of the 1976 Pine Cone Players, Grand Lake, Colorado, production of Mark Twain. Photos taken at the Purple Masque Theatre, Kansas State University include the 1981 production of Kenneth Patchen's Don't Look Now, the 1989 production of Dust-Storm Wedding, and Climenhaga's own play the Marriage Wheel. The Slides consist of Kenneth Patchen's art poetry.
Comprised of seven boxes, the Media Series includes cassette tapes, reel to reel tapes, VHS videotapes, and computer disks. The computer disks contain some of Climenhaga's manuscripts that were incorporated in the Literary Works Series. The cassette tapes include interviews with Ben Nyberg and Jonathan Holden, 1985 letters from Charles Jones, and Climenhaga's 1980s One Man's Journey recorded at KKSU radio, Kansas State University. The reel to reel tapes includes several different readings from Patchen's Don't Look Now. The VHS tapes include the "50th Anniversary of the 1939 Pottstown High School Graduates" of interviews with Earl "Yogi" Storm, Dr. Joel Esner, and Raymond Elliott conducted by Bill Achatz. Climenhaga was unable to attend this anniversary gathering where he and others were inducted into the Alumni Honor Roll. Climenhaga created a video to be played at the anniversary program and it is included in this series. The tape Miriam Is Not Amused, a film by Kim Roberts, 1996, is a profile of the life of Miriam Patchen with interesting information about her husband Kenneth Patchen. The most interesting tapes in this series, however, are the interviews with Joel Climenhaga. The one that stands out the most is the one created by the Manhattan, Kansas Art Councils, 1992, where John Biggs interviews Climenhaga.
There are some very interesting interviews with Joel Climenhaga, especially the one filmed by the Manhattan, Kansas Arts Council titled Joel: Creative Profile. Another VHS tape of interest is Miriam Is Not Amused, a film by Kim Roberts, 1996. This is a profile of the life of Miriam Patchen with interesting information about her husband, Kenneth Patchen.
Scrapbooks are contained in one box. The most notable is the Marriage Wheel by Joel Climenhaga with his notes written on the sides of each page. Another item of interest is the 1983-1988 Travel Journal. Climenhaga kept notes of his summer travels, how many miles he traveled, where he traveled to, and when and where he stopped to eat.
The Oversize Series is made up of one box that includes art, art poetry, poetry, and program posters. Notable sketches in this series are the drawing of Joel Climenhaga by Lawrence Ferlinghetti and the greeting to the Climenhagas from Carlos and Marianna Cortez in 1972. Kenneth Patchen's art poetry shows up in Lee Artz's "Passion for Peace," Peace Works, Mid-Peninsula Peace Center, Palo Alto, California and in Steven Ratiner's "The Picture Poems of Kenneth Patchen," California Living, 1983. There are four Kenneth Patchen poems included: "The Way Men Live Is a Life," 1944, "A Poem For Christmas," 1961, "What I'd Like To Know Is, 1967" and "A Mercy Filled and Defiant Xmas To All Still Worthy To Be Called Man," 1970. Program posters from the Kansas State University Purple Masque Theatre that are interesting include Mark Edward's Larger Than Life, 1978, Cindy Helfertstay's From Heaven to Hell, 1978, and Chloris Killian's 1981, The Dust-Storm Wedding. Other items of interest include Climenhaga's 1987 retirement certificate from Kansas State University and a letter from the then Provost, Owen J. Koeppe.
Stored in twenty boxes, the Printed Material includes Climenhaga's poetry magazines, published by him under his publishing company, Transient Press, and other research journals and books.

The John C. Reese papers include a 2013 curriculum vitae, a 2006 grant application, and reprinted publications from 1971 to 2015 of Kansas State University entomology professor John C. Reese. An expert in plant host resistance, Reese's papers document his career and associated research.

John Thirwell's collection contains the Consumer's Association annual reports from 1966- and 1970-1977 and 1980. Additional publications include Which? & Consumer Association (1966), Articles of Association of Consumers' Association (1957), a brochure outlining the history of the International Organization of Consumers Unions from 1960-1981, and the 1987-1988 annual report from The Association For Consumer Research. The collection also includes a type-written overview of the Consumer Movement in Britain, minutes from one 1956 meeting of the Association of British Consumers, and minutes from two meetings of the Association for Consumer Research Limited, one dated 1957 and the other undated. There is also a handwritten graph showing the annual income of the Consumers Association from 1958-1990.

The John W. Minor papers are a part of the Arthur Capper Cooperative Research Collection, a resource for the study of agricultural cooperatives. This collection includes training programs, presentations, publications, annual reports, and artifacts related to John W. Minor’s career in cooperative agriculture, in particular his work with the regional cooperatives FAR-MAR-CO and Farmland Industries. Training programs and presentations include a variety of courses spanning accounting, business planning, grain storage, and professional development, many with handwritten notes and additions. Publications include assorted booklets and circulars relating to cooperative farming. Annual reports from Farmland Industries and FAR-MAR-CO (as well as its PROMARK system) range discontinuously from 1975 to 2001. Artifacts include paperweights and other commemorative items.

Collection includes documents, photographs, magazines, personal records, and other materials related to the life of Joseph Maxwell Tucker and his work in formulating and organizing the Massey-Harris Harvest Brigade in 1944 and 1945 which used Massey-Harris self-propelled combines to harvest wheat and other crops in a wartime environment of both scarce labor and rationing of raw materials. The combines were used to harvest crops in the Great Plains states, Pacific Northwest states, Arizona, and California.

The Subject Series is made up of five folders and includes an organization chart for VP & GSM Sales Department, Joseph Tucker's 1941 job application with the War Food Administration, a 1943 memorandum on the organization of the Massey-Harris Emergency Harvest Brigade, the 1943 proposal of the Massey-Harris Harvest Brigade, and two War Production Board certificates.

The Printed Material Series consists of fourteen folders and includes a calendar, four journal articles, a speech Joseph Tucker gave in 1946, and seven publications.

The Don & Kay Kluck Series is comprised of seven folders. This series pertains to The Kluck Brothers: Custom Harvesters (Emil Kluck, Ray Kluck, and Roy Kluck), the combines they purchased, and a few photographs.

The Photograph Series contains four folders. There are photographs of Lawrence John Letnes, Joseph Tucker, and a photograph of the medal, Order of the British Empire give to Joseph Tucker by King George VI in 1946.

The Oversize Printed Materials Subseries consists of three journal articles, three publications, and two advertising posters.

The Oversize Photographs Subseries has two photographs: 1) Proclamation by King George VI, 1946 September 9, that nominates and appoints Joseph Maxwell Tucker “to an Honorary Officer of the Civil Division of Our said and Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" and 2) a newspaper advertisement poking fun at Joseph Tucker titled “Retribution Overdue."

The collection is an amalgamation of Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska ephemera derived from multiple sources, dating 1940-2000. Maps, promotional brochures, and travel guides feature prominently.
Most materials pertain to the state of Kansas. Topics include plants, regions, municipalities, sites, programming, and transportation routes. Researchers interested in the state's highway and water resources, the tourist industry, and public services may find the collection especially beneficial. Highlights include a state-issued map illustrated by F. Richard, "Travel Kansas: Kansas, the Friendly State Welcomes You" (1940) and a Corps of Engineers - Kansas City District brochure pertaining to the construction of the Harlan County (Nebraska) Dam (May 1947).

The Kansas Iota chapter of Phi Kappa Theta was founded in 1921 and continues to be a presence at the university. These records contain meeting minutes from 1921 to 1996, attendance records, operating statements, and general fraternity history and activity. This collection also contains petitions from other university chapters asking to be inducted into the national fraternity. Box 1 contains meeting minutes from 1921-199. Box 2 contains the general records for the organization.

This accession includes media coverage, photographs, and publications of the Kansas Regents Educational Communications Center from 1988 to 2009. Media coverage includes local and national outlets, as well as press releases, and covers the activities and awards of the center. Photos include President Jon Wefald, center director Mel Chastain, and Board of Regents member Charles Hostetler at the ground breaking in 1989, as well as Senator Bob Dole and others on a tour later that year.