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The Smith, Bottomly, and Lill Family Papers, 1827-1984, document four generations of a family. The collection focuses primarily on George Smith between 1827-72, to a lesser extent on his children and grandchildren (the Bottomlys'), and then increases in volume with the next generation (the Lills'), especially between 1934-45.
In the first series, journals and diaries, there are four items. Included in one of the journals is an interesting account of George Smith's trip from Iowa to Nebraska by wagon in 1865.
Correspondence (1828-1984), the second series in the collection, is housed in three document boxes and comprises the largest series in the collection. Items within the series are organized chronologically. The bulk of the items are the incoming and outgoing correspondence from 1934-45 between Percy and Helen Lill and their seven children, most of whom were either attending Kansas State College, preparing for military duty, or actively fighting overseas in World War II. Correspondence among family and friends, while the Lill brothers were attending K-State, describes student life. Also included in the collection are some letters by their mother, Helen Bottomly Lill, when she attended K-State from 1900-05. Perhaps the most significant items in the collection, however, are the early Smith family correspondence from 1828-41 because of its description of life in Vermont and the settlement of the Midwest particularly Iowa.
Contained in the third series, literary works, are speeches and essays housed in five folders. Although some of the works are undated, most were, apparently, penned by George Smith.
In the next series, education, there are a variety of items including diplomas, school programs, teachers' certificates, and grade cards. These items are diverse and cover the period from 1927-1953 and are contained in two folders.
The fifth series, medicine, contains a single item, a 1921 handwritten cold remedy.
The sixth series, Booth Association, is housed in one folder. This organization was formed on November 15, 1854, in New York by descendants of the Booth family of England, who claim to be the lawful heirs of the Booth family estates. Included in the materials are the association's constitution and by-laws, a membership fee receipt, certificate, and newsletter made out to George Smith, and a broadside removed to a larger flat box because of its size.
In the seventh series, financial documents, there are many items dating from 1837-1953; ledgers, receipts, bank statements, tax information, and related pieces. These materials are organized chronologically with the ledgers filed separately at the end of the series.
Genealogy, the eighth series, is separated by surname. There are some original handwritten items placed at the beginning of the series but most of the materials are photocopied, typed, or handwritten reproductions of original documents. These materials, contained in eleven folders, provide biographical information about the families.
The ninth series, printed materials, consists of Christmas and greeting cards, advertising cards, certificates, and miscellaneous items. These are housed in five folders.
The last series, photographs, are separated by family surname, specifically, or more generally, as family and friends. All negatives and tintypes are identified. Unidentified photographs are filed at the end of the series. Photographs of locations in Kansas, particularly of the campus at K-State, have been removed and placed in the University Archives photograph collection.

The Robert Simonsen Photograph Collection contains autographed photographs divided into 4 series: U. S. Political, U. S. Military, U. S. Protectorates, and International Leaders. The collection is split fairly evenly between the United States and International photographs, with the majority of the U. S. photographs residing in the Political series. Many of the autographs include an inscription and/or an accompanying letter. Unidentified individuals are first within each section.
The United States Political series is divided into three subseries: States, Ambassadors, and Federal Agencies. The States are arranged alphabetically with the individuals sorted alphabetically by name under their political division: House of Representatives, Senate, and State Officials. This is followed by United States Ambassadors arranged alphabetically within various year ranges, and United States Federal Agencies sorted alphabetically by specific department then arranged alphabetically by name.
The United States Military series is divided into four subseries by branch: Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, and Marines. Within each branch the names are alphabetized under rank. Some ranks are entered multiple times under various year ranges.
The photographs in the United States Protectorates series are alphabetized under the specific place: Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands, Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Trust Territory of the Pacific, Guam, and Marshall Islands.
The International Leaders series is sorted alphabetically by country. Some countries have all the individuals sorted alphabetically within a single grouping, while other countries will further divide the photographs into political and military subgroups. For example, the photographs for Argentina are all grouped together, while Australia is broken into 14 subgroups.

The four boxes of Currin V. Shields papers are associated with his activities in the consumer movement from 1966-1984. They also reflect Marjorie Shields' involvement in consumer affairs, especially the Arizona Dairy Products Litigation that extended to 1986. Papers describing Shields' career as an educator and his political activities (he was the Democratic candidate for governor of Arizona in 1970) are not included in the collection.
The Shields papers are organized into four separate series thereby preserving, for the most part, the order in which they were maintained by Shields and received by the Consumer Movement Archives at KSU.
A few minor adjustments in the arrangement were made to facilitate labeling and access. For example, in the Arizona Consumers Council series, the financial documents and typed reports were separated into individual sub-series. In addition, groups of printed material were brought together in the fourth series. Currin Shields was a national figure in the consumer movement. He was president of the Arizona Consumers Council from 1969 to 1980 and the organizer of the Conference of Consumer Organizations in 1973. He directed the National Consumer Affairs Internship Program, National Consumer Symposium, and Consumer Affairs Seminar. His papers document his association with these organizations and the consumer issues both he and the groups addressed.
The first series, Arizona Consumers Council (1966-1984), is housed in two document boxes and comprises the largest series in the collection. It is divided into four subseries; correspondence, general files, financial documents, and reports. The items are in chronological order within each subseries. The correspondence and general files constitute all but three of the folders in this series. Dr. Shields maintained the ACC correspondence and general files in separate notebooks, although their contents are similar. The major difference between the two is the correspondence series contains Shields' individual letters and documents regarding the ACC and his activities, while the general files include correspondence, minutes, surveys, membership data, annual and board meeting documents, and miscellaneous material related to the affairs of the organization.
The general files can be described as the central office files for the ACC while Shields was president from 1969-1980. Both sub-series contain papers dealing with the major consumer issues the ACC was confronting including the following: consumer protection program for Arizona, consumer fraud, unit pricing regulations, energy and environment, public utility rates, milk and bread prices, food price-fixing, labeling, and dating of perishable foods, national meat boycotts, food sale tax, aging, group health plans, Arizona Consumers cooperative store, an anti-trust suit against bakeries, a price-fixing suit against Tuscon Cement Co., and bicycle safety.
The ACC correspondence contains letters between Shields and the following consumer leaders: Erma Angevine, Carol Tucker, Lee Richardson, Ester Peterson, and Edwin Palumbo; Arizona senators and representatives (Douglas S. Holsclaw, Helen Grace Carlson, David B. Stone, Manuel Pena, and Anna J. Cullinan); consumer groups in other states, state and local government officials, national organizations such as the Consumer Federation of American, and federal agencies including the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Federal Energy Administration, and Federal Trade Commission. The remaining ACC subseries contain financial documents for 1977-1978 and seven typed reports on consumer issues, 1972-1976.
The second series of the Shields papers, Arizona Dairy Products Litigation, contains four files of legal documents and correspondence regarding a class action suit against four major dairies for violation of antitrust laws (1974-1976; 1986-1987). The class action was a partial result of the bread and milk price surveys conducted by the Arizona Consumers Council in the 1970s. Currin and Marjorie Shields were plaintiffs in the case. The litigation continued after Dr. Shields' death and the files indicate Mrs. Shields's involvement, including settlements in favor of the plaintiffs.
Material associated with the Conference of Consumer Organizations (COCO) is contained in series three. It is stored in 21 folders and covers the years 1973-1975. The series was kept in its original order of three related sub-series; correspondence, general, and steering committee. The entire series reflects the formation and early years of COCO and Shields' direct involvement with establishing the organization and service as chairman. Related organizations represented in the COCO series include the National Symposium on Consumer Movement, numerous state consumer organizations, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Arizona Consumers Council, and National Consumers Congress. Individual correspondents include Colston E. Warne, Roy Kiesling, Patricia Van Betten, Lynn B. Jordan, William Fasse, Eileen Hoats, Janet Ann Hutchinson, Robert McEwen, William Pate, Helen E. Nelson, Ellen Zawel, Arline Mathews, Louis Meyer, and Henry E.K. Lee. COCO documents consist of by-laws, minutes, reports, membership data, financial statements, and correspondence.
The fourth series of the Shields' papers contains printed material divided into four sub-series as follows: Conference of Consumer Organizations, National Consumer Affairs Internship Program, National Symposium on Consumer Movement/National Consumer Symposium, and Consumer Affairs Seminar. The COCO sub-series contains two folders of its monthly newsletter, Intercom, for the years 1974-78.
The National Consumer Affairs Internship Program was initiated by Shields in 1975. Originally a joint project between COCO and the American Council on Consumer Interests. It was chartered as a separate non-profit educational corporation in the State of Arizona in 1978. The six folders (1975-1983) contain brochures, articles of incorporation, internship descriptions, application procedures, membership lists, and newsletters.
Printed items describing the National Symposium on the Consumer Movement (1973-1975)/ National Consumer Symposium (1976-1979) make up the third sub-series. This annual conference was directed by Shields as part of the Community Services Center, Division of Continuing Education, University of Arizona. The material consists of descriptions of the symposium, programs, and lists of speakers and registrants. The Consumer Affairs Seminar (4th sub-series) was also conducted by the Community Services Center at the University of Arizona. Each of the five seminars from 1976 to 1980 is described in a folder of printed material.

Shawnee County Extension Office records contains various photos from general meetings and actives, alongside several handbooks, and meeting minutes, key dates include 1960, 1988, 1992, and 2009.

The Sesquicentennial Steering Committee records contain materials related to Kansas State University's celebration of its 150th anniversary. There are records from the planning stage of the celebration such as meeting minutes and marketing plans. Also, this collection has information over the Kickoff Weekend, Wildcat March (auction totals and details), Grand Finale, the Gala 150 (guest list and invitations), and the time capsule. There are two books Wildcat March and Generations of Success. Other items in the collection are two-anniversary coins, two-anniversary pins, promotional posters, and three large sesquicentennial banners for each campus (Manhattan, Salina, and Olathe).

The following 27 letters were donated in honor of Lt. General Richard J. Seitz by Alan G. Greer, husband of Patricia Seitz, the daughter of General Seitz. The collection was donated in April 2014.
The letters describe military operations and diplomatic and political relations between Charles de Gaulle and the Free French resistance, and the British, 1941-1942; 1944.

The papers of Lieutenant General Richard J. Seitz (Ret.) document major portions of his military career, civilian activities, and family life (1918-1975). A native Kansan, General Seitz was born in Leavenworth in 1918; he entered Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science in 1937. He completed the ROTC program before he was able to graduate, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the infantry reserve, and was called to active duty in February of 1940. Researchers are referred to the above biographical sketch and obituary, an oral history conducted by the U.S. Army Military Institute (Box 2/Folder 6), and autobiography (Box 6/Folder 8), to gain a full understanding of the career of General Seitz, a highly decorated, accomplished, and respected soldier in the U.S. Army. His civic and family activities are also worthy of distinction. After 35 years of service, he retired a lieutenant general in 1975 to Junction City, Kansas. He passed away on June 8, 2013.
The military service files and photographs (1939-1975) document General Seitz’s military career primarily with the U. S. Army Airborne. The papers include orders, commendations, service records, promotions, correspondence with commanding officers and officers under his command. Researchers can use these files to study the rise of a newly commissioned second lieutenant in 1940 to his promotion to lieutenant general and designation as commander of the 18th Airborne Corps in 1973. They can also gain an understanding of the involvement of the U.S. military in World War II and other operations around the world including Brazil, Iran (Mahabad), and Vietnam (under General William Westmoreland), in addition to various Airborne commands in the United States.
General Seitz’s record involving military campaigns during World War II is most notable. In March 1942 he was given command of the 2nd Battalion of the 517th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team. Promoted to Lt. Colonel, he was the Army’s youngest battalion commander. The 517th entered combat at Anzio and continued up the Italian Peninsula before joining the southern invasion of France in August 1944. When Hitler launched the Battle of the Bulge, Seitz joined the fighting where his battalion went from 691 men to 380 during some of the worst fightings of the war. During the later stages of the war, Bettie Merrill, who Seitz had dated since they met in Kansas, was able to travel from Holland as a member of the Red Cross to rendezvous with Seitz in Joigny, France where they were married on June 23, 1945! Among the awards that he received for his valor were the Purple Heart (Italy), Silver Star, Croiz de Guerre with Palm, and Bronze Star.
In addition to his service records, other material in the collection documents General Seitz’s military career including his personal files, speeches, printed material, and certificates and awards. Significant information about the Seitz family is found in the personal files and photographs.

These papers include correspondence, photographs, publications, audio/visual items, events ephemera, and a poster. The papers span from early 2009 to early 2011 and document the Schulz family’s activities after moving to Manhattan, Kansas. These activities included Kirk Schulz’s presidency at Kansas State University, K-State sporting events, partnerships with Fort Riley, and Noel Schulz’s work with women’s issues. The correspondence in this collection is predominately cards sent to the family for the inauguration of Kirk Schulz, and others wishing the family well. The publications consist mainly of newspapers and other materials documenting the Schulz inauguration, as well as other major events at Kansas State University that included athletic competitions and the hiring of major Kansas State personnel. The remainder of the material in the collection pertains to the presidency of Kirk Schulz.