The Fernando Ortíz Papers principally contain original manuscript and typescript notes taken by Fernando Ortíz (1881-1969) on vernacular Cuban architecture and the history of Cuban architecture. Ortíz was specifically researching the indigenous, African and other folk influences on architecture and building construction. Other materials related to his research, such as pamphlets and clippings, represent a small part of the collection.
The collection also contains preservation photocopies of the original manuscript material and one folder of scholarly research on the work of Fernando Ortíz.
The collection contains publications and organizational records of the University of Miami's School of Architecture, such as official newsletters, publications, promotional postcards, and other materials.
The Ricardo Arregui Papers contain materials documenting the advertising career of Ricardo Arregui (b. 1919), including scrapbooks, photographs, clippings, advertisement flyers, brochures, coupons and signs, as well as posters for Bacardí, Galletas Gilda, Ocean Bank, Iberia Air Lines, Ron Castillo, Polar and Recal Beer and many other products for which Arregui headed advertising campaigns with his ad agencies in Cuba and Miami, Florida. The collection also contains examples of audiovisual materials and LP jingles with recordings for Galletas Gilda, Líneas Aéreas Iberia, Cinturones Century, Ron Castillo, Desodorante Leo-Nor, Partagás, Vino Seco Edmundo, etc., and awards, diplomas and certificates that Arregui's agency won for their ad campaigns.
The Moravia Capó Papers contain correspondence, manuscripts, clippings and photographs related to Moravia Capó, Cuban educator and human rights activist who lived and worked in Nicaragua and Miami from the 1960s to her death in 2007.
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 Agustín Acosta Papers contain the correspondence, writings and memorabilia of Agustín Acosta (1886-1979), named Cuba's National Poet in 1955.
The collection includes correspondence between Agustín Acosta and his literary and political contemporaries, as well as his wife, Consuelo Acosta.
Writings include published pamphlets from Acosta and other authors on topics ranging from poetry to politics and science; articles and clippings written by and about Acosta, as well as those collected by him and his wife; and manuscripts and galley proofs of Acosta's poetry books.
The collection also contains memorabilia related to Acosta's personal and professional life, including postcards; photographs; homages to the poet, both late in his career and posthumous; drawings and caricatures; and scrapbooks.
Lloyd T. Everett practiced law and researched, wrote and lectured on Confederate history from a legal standpoint. His papers contain manuscript copies of articles and books as well as published works. Articles include manuscript copies of "Abolition, Slavery and the Year 1833," of "Pro-Tariff Et. Al." and "Anti-Slavery," and copies of "Federal Initiative and Referendum" published in the South Atlantic Quarterly in 1912. The following essays and articles, published in pamphlet form, also appear among the papers: "Patrick R. Cleburne, Prophet," (1946) "Was It Anti-Slavery," (1916) and "Davis, Lincoln, and the Kaiser: Some Comparisons Compared" (1917). Among the books are manuscript copies of Dixie's Story and of A Titan's War, a study of the nullification crisis and the debates of 1830 and 1833. A copy of a Revolutionary War recruiting broadside is included in the remaining papers.
The Kenneth Close Collection contains a number of prints from the Metropolitan Museum of Art and elsewhere, sheet music for "The Death of Minnehaha" by Longfellow and Ch. C. Converse, and several insurance policies from the 19th century (some which are photocopied).
The Richard Forbes Papers contains research documents for Richard Forbes's 1984 University of Miami dissertation titled Arya Samaj in Trinidad: An Historical Study of Hindu Organizational Process in Acculturative Conditions. The description of the dissertation is as follows: "Arya Samaj is a democratic Hindu reform movement founded in 1875. Though reflecting Western and Christian methods, it aims to revive ancient Vedic ideals. Brought to Trinidad after 1910 by Indian Missionaries, the Samaj spearheaded a Hindu renaissance and socio-religious reforms while also provoking an orthodox counter-reformation in the 1930s. While retarding assimilation of Hindus into the dominant Trinidad culture, the Samaj promoted inter-communal dialogue and was an effective and unified pressure group. Yet, despite emphasis on constitutional rule, the "Aryas" eventually suffered the same factionalism as other Hindus. Differential acculturation between competing groups within the movement was found to be the immediate source of conflict. Opposing factions differed significantly in their members' average educational level, exposure to Christianity, proximity to urban centers and acceptance of secular values."
Contained in the collection are a number of audio cassettes (and corresponding transcripts) of interviews with members of the Arya-Samaj, articles, typescripts, manuscripts, notebooks, reports, bibliographies, pamphlets, and photocopies.
Dr. Sidney Walter Fox (1912-1998) was a biochemist known for discoveries in the autosynthesis of protocells. Fox served as director of the Institute for Molecular and Cellular Evolution (IMCE) at the University of Miami.
The Sidney Fox Collection contains 9 NASA reports concerning the NASA Surveyor Program which took place from 1966 to 1968. The Surveyor Program was a NASA program that sent seven robotic spacecraft to the surface of the Moon, with the intent of demonstrating the possibility of soft landings on the Moon.
Also included is a 1978 interview with Russian-American inventor and engineer Dr. Vladimir Zworykin.
Juanita Greene was a Miami Herald reporter and South Florida environmentalist. The collection consists of letters sent to Juanita Greene in response to a 1970 column in the Miami Herald requesting readers' thoughts on the current status of the Miami Metropolitan Transportation Services. The letters are subdivided into folders by topic, ranging thematically from complaints about smoking to inefficient service to the behavior of other ethnic and cultural groups on the buses.
Willard Hubbell was a South Florida architect and playwright. His collection contains several plays, clippings regarding and programs of the plays, architectural documents and correspondence, a blueprint titled "Cloth House No. 1," four issues of The American Eagle newspaper, a typescript titled "F. W. Munson - (Questionaire about Merritt Island)," a document titled "History of the Koreshan Unity" by A. H. Andrews, and other items.
The Florida Corporations records contains annual and quarterly reports, statements of conditions, and other documents from various Florida corporations from 1955 to 1978. Particularly represented are the Florida Gas Company, Florida National Banks of Florida, Gulf Life Insurance Company, Keller Industries Incorporated, Sikes Corporation, Storer Broadcasting Corporation, Tropigas (Tropical Gas Co.), United States Sugar Corporation, and Wometco Enterprises.
The Florida Philharmonic, Inc. Records contain financial records, administrative files, and scrapbooks pertaining to the Greater Miami Philharmonic, which later became known as the Florida Philharmonic under conductor Brian Priestman.
The Fidelia Righi papers contains a notebook of poetry, a series of handwritten pages on architecture with accompanying architectural sketches, six photographs from the Intercollegiate Cosmopolitan Club of the City of New York, a 1922 address by Harry E. Edmonds to the club called "The Ideals of International House," and a 1922 program for "European Night" held at the club.
The Ethel E. Murrell Papers document the activities of the National Woman's Party (NWP) under her leadership from 1952-53. The files include correspondence, newsletters and other materials with other women's organizations including the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the World Woman's Party, the American Woman's Foundation, and the American Woman's Council. The papers document the cooperative efforts of these groups in working for the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, including articles written from 1938 to 1953 publicizing the Amendment.
Charters, minutes, speeches, press releases, resolutions, and correspondence dated 1946-53 detail Murrell's efforts as a lawyer, writer and political organizer. The files also highlight NWP attempts to promote its agenda. The papers are significant as a record of activity during the 1940's and 1950's, years considered by many as a period of decline between the two larger feminist movements of the early twentieth century and the 1960's. The records also include references to cold war anticommunism. One letter of resignation, for example, dated June 17, 1953 expressed a sentiment characteristic of several members: "...I wondered...if the 'pinkos' had not taken over. I certainly do not want to be connected with any organization that does not stand for good Americanism."
The collection contains a single account book for the Parker Printing Company, documenting sales from 1924 to 1931. George E. Merrick was a regular customer of the company in the earlier years.
The Richard Lewis Aldrich Papers contain the manuscript of his book Style in Mexican Architecture, published by the University of Miami Press in 1968, as well as a number of essays written by Aldrich during his graduate study.
The files also include classroom notes and exams, bibliographies, research notes, personal correspondence, five student term papers dated 1936-62, poetry records concerning his employment at the University of Miami and newspaper clippings on a Miami Beach gallery showing of his watercolor works.
Additional files contain domestic and foreign newspaper clippings, as well as a photograph, of a glider plane developed in 1922 by Edmund Allen. In correspondence, Aldrich mentions Allen indicating that the glider constructor/pilot, who was probably a close friend, assisted Aldrich and enabled him to complete his many years of study.
The Minnie Moore Willson Papers document the life and career of a noted Florida writer and advocate for the Seminole Indians of Florida. The Papers also include materials related to her husband James Mallory Willson, a prominent Kissimmee businessman and a defender of Seminole Indian rights. The Papers were purchased by the University of Miami in the late 1940s from the Elizabeth Aultman Cantrell Historical Museum in Kissimmee, Florida. Selected materials from the Papers, including books, maps, pamphlets and some periodicals were removed from the collection and sent to the appropriate areas in the Library.
The collection includes material from Minnie Moore Willson as well as material from her husband James Mallory Willson. The Minnie Moore Willson Collection consists of correspondence with individuals including Florida Senator Duncan Fletcher and Florida Representative Ruth Bryan Owen. Correspondence files also include letters with Seminole Indians such as Billy Bowlegs, Tony Tommie and other prominent Seminole Indian chiefs. The collection contains a number of manuscripts by M.M. Willson related to the Seminole Indians and such issues as the equality of blacks and Southern politics. Additional material relates to the creation of a bird sanctuary in Kissimmee, Florida.
James M. Willson's papers contain business records including correspondence, abstract of titles (original and copies) scrapbooks, and financial records from the 1880's to the 1930's (in the latter years Minnie Moore Willson handled the business correspondence due to illness). Correspondence deals with Mr. Willson's real estate and insurance business in the Kissimmee area. The files also contain manuscripts, correspondence and material collected or written by Elizabeth Cantrell, niece of James Mallory Willson. Correspondence to and from S.B. Aultman (Elizabeth Cantrell's father and brother-in-law of J.M. Willson)and letters with Dr. Howard Kelly, a family friend and widely known surgeon are also organized in these files.
The collection also includes several newspaper clippings from the late 1800's through the 1930's. The majority of these clippings are from Florida-based newspapers. Several maps of Florida have been removed from the collection and placed with Map Collection.
Also included are photographs of the Willsons, Seminole Indians, plants, and animals. The collection also includes postcards depicting scenes from Florida and the United States.
James Horace Alderman (circa 1882-1929) was a Prohibition-era smuggler and rum runner who in 1927 killed three Coast Guard agents and was hanged two years later in Fort Lauderdale. This collection consists the typescript "The Life Story of James Horace Alderman," a memoir he wrote in the days leading up to his execution.
