The A. Curtis Wilgus Papers document the pioneering efforts by historian and author A. Curtis Wilgus (1898-1981) in the area of Latin American studies and the emergence of "Pan Americanism." The correspondence, writings, research files, photographs and other materials also document the evolution of a trend in higher education during the 1920's and the 1970's, an increase in global awareness reflected in the introduction of "area studies" programs at many universities.
The Florence Brigham Papers consist of four boxes of material totalling two cubic feet of files. The Papers include research materials Brigham compiled from numerous primary and secondary sources including articles and books, diaries, notes and other materials. Brigham also conducted interviews with early Keys residents, including many employees of the Federal East Coast Railroad Company. Newspaper clippings dated 1935-69 detail local history, "pioneers," hurricanes and other topics. In addition to these records, the files include correspondence with a number ofarchives and libraries, and photostats of original documents and maps. Brigham also collected prints of Marathon dated 1906-1960.
The Papers include notes on Keys deer, birds, reptiles and other animals, as well as clippings and notes on schools, churches, fishing, libraries and other institutions and activities in the Keys. Historical material includes copies of early maps, records tracing the title of Keys lands, and materials documenting the construction of the "Overseas Railroad" and the development of Marathon.
The Walter Tennyson Swingle Collection contains research material and correspondence of Walter T. Swingle as well as translations and correspondence of Michael J. Hagerty. The Swingle portion of the collection is comprised of his articles, manuscripts, diaries, and most of Swingle's correspondence between 1885 and 1951.
The correspondence gives an overview of his botanical and plant introduction work as well as his personal life and travels. The bulk of the correspondence are letters from distinguished colleagues such as Herbert J. Webber, Dr. Beverly T. Galloway, W.A. Kellerman and others from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Also included in this group are correspondence between Swingle and David G. Fairchild, noted Florida naturalist and one of the men who conceived of a sub-tropical garden in Florida and for who Fairchild Tropical Garden in Miami, Florida is named. Their correspondence details an account of their collaborative work and friendship.
Swingle's research material includes notes, notebooks, and large number of first accounts of citrus in the Original Citrus Literature, containing a number of articles by Carolus Linnaeus.
Of special interest to the University of Miami is material dealing with Swingle's tenure as Consultant in Tropical Botany at the University, as well as some interesting material dealing with his U.S.D.A. work in Brazil in the 1930's.
The Hagerty portion of the collection consists most importantly of translations made by Hagerty of Chinese accounts on botany for the Swingle's work in the Department of Agriculture. It includes a very large translation of the Chinese accounts of citrus from the Chinese Imperial Encyclopedia which is over 500 pages long and very important to Swingle's study of citrus. Also in this portion are found a very large amount of correspondence between Hagerty and Swingle which details most of their work together for the U.S.D.A.
The Virginia Spencer Carr Collection contains correspondence, research notes, interviews (transcripts and audio tapes), photographs, manuscript drafts of publications and other materials compiled and created by Virginia Spencer Carr in the course of her research and writing of John Dos Passos: A Life. John Dos Passos, a noted American literary figure of the "lost generation," published a number of important works, including the trilogy U.S.A.
Among important materials in the collection are the personal reminisces of family members, colleagues and contemporary figures of Dos Passos (notably, letters by Simone de Beauvoir, William F. Buckley, William Slater Brown, Frances Scott Fitzgerald, and family members of both Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck are included). The collection also includes extensive research files on the life and publications of Dos Passos and family members.
