Special Collections and Archives Finding Aids

Scope and Contents The American Association of University Women – Kansas City (AAUW-KC) Collection was transferred from the UMKC Women’s Center to LaBudde Special Collections, UMKC Libraries, in summer 2010. The collection dates from 1909-1985 and consists of 12 scrapbooks and 11 photographs. The collection contains the chronicled years of civic and social events and achievements garnered by the AAUW-KC. These materials provide insight into the organization and exhibit their efforts toward the betterment of...

Scope and Contents The Brian Thurn Collection was formed by various purchases from Brian Thurn Antiques of Kansas City, beginning with the initial acquisition in January 2006. The collection consists of photographs, posters and miscellaneous material that primarily reflect aspects of the African-American cultural experience during the 20th century, particularly in and around Kansas City. Some material has been removed from this collection to form discrete collections: Ernest Daniels Collection (jazz...

Scope and Contents LaBudde Special Collections became the repository for the Children’s Mercy Hospital Collection in spring 2015. The large assemblage of material is contained in 66 manuscript boxes and 24 photograph boxes. There is much background material, such as personal narratives and booklets, as well as biographical sketches of Dr. Katherine Berry Richardson and Dr. Alice Berry Graham, sisters and co-founders of the hospital. Another person of interest would be Elizabeth Martin, R.N., who came to...

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The Dorothy Green Dreher Collection dates from 1960 to 1997 and contains primarily material related to her writings, which include short stories, poetry and a novel. A number of her works were published in literary magazines for children and adults. Included are manuscripts, correspondence and various publications. Materials have been divided into seven series.

Scope and Contents The Dorothy Johnson Collection was donated to LaBudde Special Collections in February of 2017 by Tara Johnson. It includes newspapers and clippings, memoranda, correspondence, certificates, photographs, research and reference materials, memorabilia, photographs, and other materials related to Johnson’s life, family history, work, research, political and organization involvement, and activism. Of note are materials related to the 1959 protests for desegregation of Kansas City department...

Scope and Contents The Freda Mendez-Smith Collection was donated to LaBudde Special Collections in October 2015 by Mendez-Smith herself. It contains materials dating from the early 1980s to 2010s and covers the inner workings and proceedings of several organizations and events that Mendez-Smith was involved in. The collection is divided into four series: Organizations and Events, both divided into sub-series by name of the organization or event. These documents reveal a great deal about the specific kind of...

Scope and Contents The Greater Kansas City Women’s Political Caucus (GKCWPC) Collection was donated to the LaBudde Special Collections in October 2017 and June 2021 by Rebecca Richardson. The collection, covering the GKCWPC’s internal operations from 1973 through 2019, consists of financial and tax data, campaign materials from endorsed candidates, event documentation, materials on associated organizations, membership documentation, photographs, newspaper articles, and political ephemera. Political campaign...

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The Helen Xarhis-DePasco Collection was acquired from Shirley Gipson, niece of Mrs. DePasco. It contains letters and photographs related to World War II. There are other personal items, but the focus remains on the war and the daily lives of family members waiting in Kansas City. It should be noted that during the period of time the correspondence in this collection took place, Helen Xarhis was using the pseudonym Helen Grey, although the reason is unknown.

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The collection was a gift from Karen Herman in June 2022. It consists of correspondence, organizational documents, photographs, publicity materials, research, and travel journals relating to the Women’s Foundation, the Hunger Project, and United WE. Of particular note are travel journals from trips to Bangladesh, India, Bangkok, Vietnam, and Cambodia containing drawings, observations, myths, and organizational plans.

Scope and Contents The Linda Hood Talbott Collection, housed in the Dr. Kenneth J. LaBudde Department of Special Collections, was donated in August of 2017 to the University of Missouri-Kansas City by Dr. Linda Hood Talbott. It contains documents from Dr. Talbott’s time working as a philanthropist in the Kansas City area. She worked with a number of organizations, though the bulk of this collection focuses on her work with the Soroptimist Kansas City Foundation (Formerly the Soroptimist Welfare Fund). Included...

Scope and Contents The Lucile H. Bluford Collection was transferred from a local regional historical society in 2010. Although only two linear feet in volume, it is rich in potential for anyone researching not only Lucile Bluford herself, but subjects such as Kansas City social issues, as well as Civil Rights. Bluford’s numerous community activities are documented in several studies and reports. Utilizing her status as owner and editor of the Kansas City Call, she reached out to fight social injustice for the...

Scope and Contents The MANA de Kansas City Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Special Collections in November 2010 by Freda Mendez Smith with additional accruals from MANA de Kansas City in June 2015 and Mary Estrada in 2019. It holds historical organizational documents pertaining to the local Chapter of the Mexican American Women’s National Association. Inclusive dates of the material are 1977-2008, with the bulk of the material dating from 1990s-2008.The MANA collection has been divided into...

Scope and Contents The Martha Jane Starr Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Special Collections by Martha Jane Starr in March of 2010. Due to the nature of Mrs. Starr’s strong connections to the University of Missouri-Kansas City and her deep rooted involvement with the Women’s Council and Family Life Education, the Starr Collection is rich in documentation and showcases the breadth of her devotion to education. Her dedication to the importance of marriage and family enrichment led to the...

Scope and Contents The McLean Family Collection was acquired in April 2009 as a gift from Martha McLean Simpson, daughter of Minnie and Lawrence McLean. The collection contains both personal information about the McLean Family as well as material relating to the McLean Band Shop in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The band shop was patronized by many local and well-known visiting musicians. There are photographs of such celebrities as Benny Goodman, Tex Beneke and Sammy Kaye. Hal McLean, Lawrence McLean’s older...

Scope and Contents The Patricia Huyett Collection was gifted to the LaBudde Special Collections in April 2011 by Pat Huyett. Huyett, an alumnus of and English professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was a Renaissance woman in the truest sense of the word, and this collection reflects those broad identities. Among the jewels of this collection are her personal journals, which range in emotions from whimsical to compelling. As she documents the experience of a young girl’s journey into womanhood,...

Scope and Contents The Patricia Stevens Collection was gifted to LaBudde Special Collections in November 2011 by Melissa Stevens, doyenne of the Patricia Stevens Modeling Agency. Inclusive dates are 1940s-2010, with the bulk in the 1975-2000 range. The collection includes correspondence, contracts, promotional material, instructional booklets, audio/visual tapes and an abundance of ephemera. Also included are several scrapbooks and photo books, highlighted by five colossal white scrapbooks documenting the...

Scope and Contents Photos in UMKC Digital Special CollectionsThe collection comprises 229 Victorian and vintage original photographic prints dating from the mid 19th Century to the early 20th Century. Formats include Cartes-de-Visite, Cabinet Cards and Tintype. The bulk of the collection represents studios in Missouri and Kansas, while the remaining span throughout the United States with a few in Europe. Within the...

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The Zine Collection was established with the first donation to LaBudde Special Collections in December 2015, after the Kansas City Zine Convention 2015. Comprising multiple individually-named series, the Zine Collection contains hundreds of magazines representing local and national underground/DIY culture, dating 1970s-2020s.