The William F. Danenbarger Papers (1931_1981) contain personal and business correspondence, speeches, and printed material. The papers, consisting of approximately 450 items, are housed in one document box.
The major portion of the collection consists of correspondence with parents, Kansas governors, members of the Kansas Board of Regents, university presidents, United Press employees, and members of State boards and commissions. Prominent correspondents include Governors Robert Bennett, Robert Docking and John Carlin, and Kansas Senators Ross Doyen and Norman Garr. A letter from U.S. Senator Bob Dole is also included. Many letters are congratulatory in nature, however, some of them reveal information about political events and leaders in Kansas. There are numerous letters concerning Danenbarger's association with the University of Kansas, especially correspondence with Chancellor Archie Dykes. Correspondence with officials of Kansas State University is also included, Presidents James McCain and Duane Acker in particular. The series is contained in 16 folders.
The speeches Danenbarger gave at conferences, retreats and public ceremonies in the years 1972_1974 make up the second series. Scripts from a 1972 tele_lecture conference, Board of Regents and Kansas University Liberal Arts retreats, and Kansas State University and Emporia State University commencements are within this series.
The 25 folders of printed material include the years 1931_1979. Newspaper clippings contain articles written by Danenbarger, articles concerning events at various universities, and Kansas Board of Regents announcements. Programs from campus building dedications and articles and minutes of the Kansas State Board of Regents during Danenbarger's terms are also included in this series.
Four photographs have been removed from the papers and filed in the University Archives photograph collection under the heading of Danenbarger. The photographs include President and Mrs. Richard Nixon at Kansas State University (1970), James McCain (1972). and a scene from a 1937 United Press production of The Front Page in which Danenbarger acted.
William F. Danenbarger was a leader in Kansas education policy, as well as being active in multiple business pursuits over the course of his life. Danenbarger received his A.B. degree from the University of Kansas in 1933, after which he worked for two years as editor of the Concordia News and Press in Concordia, Kansas. This was followed by work for United Press, first in Denver, then in El Paso as a manager, and finally in Atlanta as a business manager. In 1947, Danenbarger returned to Concordia to manage Danenbarger’s Hardware from 1947 until 1952. In 1954, he founded the radio station KNCK in Concordia, which he would manage until 1972. Kansas Governor George Docking appointed Danenbarger to the Kansas Board of Regents in 1961 and he would serve until 1965. Danenbarger also served on the Board of Regents for Washburn University in Topeka at this time. From 1962 to 1975, Danenbarger was a member of the Kansas Council on Economic Education. Danenbarger’s work in education continued in the 1970s, as he was reappointed to the Kansas Board of Regents from 1970 to 1974 and from 1972 to 1974, he was commissioner of the Education Commission of the States. He also served as a member of the Kansas State University Research Foundation. From 1973 to 1979, he was a member of the Kansas Economic Development Commission and a member of the Kansas Industrial Roundtable. Danenbarger died in 1990.