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The Daniel M. Braum Papers document the professional career of Braum from 1940-1965.  They also include information about his personal activities and family during that time as well as after his death in 1981 when the information was added to the collection by the family covering the years 1982-1998.   

The bulk of the collection consists of information regarding his involvement with the advancement of farm work simplification, scientific management, and public administration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, University of the Philippines, and Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service. The papers contain both personal and business correspondence received from numerous people throughout Braum’s life. Braum is the author of A Thousand Questions on Supervision in the Philippines, and a typescript of the book is preserved in the collection.

The Braum Papers are divided into eight series: 1) Correspondence, 1935-1991; 2) Subjects, 1943-1998; 3) Literary Works; 4) Organizations and Conferences, 1948-1958; 5) Certificates, Awards, Diplomas 1924-1978; 6) Printed Material, 1938-1957; 7) Photographs; and 8) Over Size.

The first series, Correspondence (1935-1991), is divided into two subseries.  The first includes both business and personal correspondence received from numerous people throughout Braum’s life.  The letters are organized alphabetically and include correspondence from Roberta Braum and John H. and Mary Ann (Loughridge) Braum.  The series contains numerous letters with Dr. Lillian Gilbreth that involves their work with farm work simplification, as well as personal matters after Daniel and Roberta Braum became close friends with Gilbreth.  Gilbreth became known as the “mother of modern management” and, with her husband, Frank pioneered industrial management techniques that are still practiced.  Correspondence with Dan Copell, E.C Young, Lowell Hardin, the farm work simplification project director and a number of other individuals also address Braum’s involvement with farm work simplification.  White House correspondence includes a small number of invitations and personal notes sent to Braum by Presidents Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter.  The second subseries contains general correspondence and is organized chronologically from 1935-1975.  The majority of these letters are related to Braum’s professional career and his involvement with farm work simplification, public administration, and scientific management.  The letters also address a number of committees and conferences Braum was involved with throughout his career including the Executive Committee, Agricultural Committee, and the Agricultural Management Conference at Purdue.

Subjects (1943-1998) is divided into 10 subseries: 1) The Braum Family contains newspaper clippings and articles concerning Bill Braum and other Braum family members; 2) Denison, Kansas History includes information about the history of the town; 3) Farm Work Simplification involves reports, literary works, and other information including course outlines and material, charts/graphs, and printed material outlining Braum’s involvement in the development of farm work simplification; 4) Lillian Gilbreth contains biographical information and printed material about Dr. Gilbreth and her work with time and motion study analysis; 5) Lectures consists of a class orientation lecture and a lecture series given in 1949; 6) Open Door Policy (1946) includes the policy and contract used when this program was established; 7) Philippines contains documents and other papers including Braum’s literary works from his time spent teaching in that country; 8) Semantics (1948-1949) includes course material and information on semantics taught at Purdue University; 9) Scientific Management and Christianity consists of 3 papers written by Braum on the subject and also his notes and Christian publications; and 10) Management involves literary works by Braum on management applied to the home, management development, and labor management, also includes Braum’s notes on the topic and charts/graphs.

The third series, Literary Works, contains two important works written by Braum.  The first is entitled “A Peaceful Approach to Work.”  A number of abstracts, critiques, and drafts are included.  Also, a complete typescript of Braum’s book A Thousand Questions on Supervision in the Philippines is retained in this series.

The series Organizations and Conferences consists of seven subseries.  The first is the American Society of Mechanical Engineers that includes information about the Farm Management Committee set up by Braum in 1948.  The second, Bureau of Ships, contains papers on leadership and communication.  The third sub-series is the International Committee of Scientific Management (CIOS) and contains a day book written by Braum while attending one of its conferences in Paris in 1957.  The fourth is the International Management Conference.  It contains papers written by Braum to be presented at the 8th and 9th Conferences.  The fifth subseries contains the Purdue Farm Cardiac Project (1958).  The sixth, The Society for the Advancement of Management, houses information and papers on the advancement of management.  The final subseries includes miscellaneous papers and documents from unidentified organizations and/or conferences.

The Certificates, Awards, and Diplomas series contains eleven certificates, awards, and diplomas Braum received throughout his lifetime.  The series includes certificates of merit from the USDA, ten and twenty-year service awards from the USDA, and a certificate of recognition from Ronald Reagan and the National Republican Party for Braum’s service to the Republican Party.

Printed Material, the sixth series, contains various items that are related to most of the other series or subseries.  These include Farm Work Simplification, the Philippines, International Committee of Scientific Management, the International Management Conference, Scientific Management, and a copy of Braum’s book A Thousand Questions on Supervision in the Philippines.

The Photographs series contains several hundred images including those of the Braum family, Philippines, China, Hong Kong, USDA, International Management Conference, International Committee on Scientific Management, and miscellaneous.  They provide excellent pictorial documentation of family members and the locations where Braum worked.

The final series, Over Size, contains photographs, certificates, awards, diplomas, posters, photo albums, and memorabilia from Braum’s life including an audiotape of Dr. Lillian Gilbreth and a photograph album that includes photographs from Braum’s service in World War I and other personal and family photographs.

Included with the papers were nineteen books from Daniel and Roberta Braum, many of which were signed and presented to them by the authors.  They have been cataloged and added to the library of the University Archives.