CUL Digital Collections Update: December 2016

In December 2016, SMU’s Central University Libraries uploaded 531 items into CUL Digital Collections.

Highlights include:

247 items from the new J. Erik Jonsson Papers digital collection, including correspondence relating to the dedication of the Callier Hearing and Speech Center, manuscripts of several speeches relating to civic improvements for Dallas, and various photographs and slides from the construction and opening of DFW Airport. The physical collection is held by the DeGolyer Library. Jonsson served as the mayor of Dallas from 1964 to 1971, and worked to improve the image and morale of the city in the wake of the Kennedy assassination. He was a key leader in the development of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, serving as chairman of the project from 1968 to 1976. Jonsson proposed a pioneering urban goal-setting program, Goals for Dallas, in 1964, for which he went on to serve as chairman of the board (1965-1976) and chairman emeritus (1976-92). Jonsson received numerous honors and awards during his life, including ten honorary doctorates between 1959 and 1973. Jonsson died on September 1, 1995, in Dallas.

102 videos and rundowns from WFAA Newsfilm, 1960-1978. The videos contain news clips and a- and b-roll footage from the Dallas ABC Television station covering August and September 1971. The rundowns lay out the schedule for the WFAA Channel 8 News broadcast for their respective nights, highlighting segments, producers, and direction for the nightly news show emanating from Dallas, Texas.

15 items from the George W. Cook Dallas/Texas Image Collection as part of the TexTreasures FY2016 grant program, sponsored by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission and funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Images include Dallas buildings, ca. 1902-1905, such as the Dallas Courthouse, Grand Windsor Hotel, Texas Moline Plow Company, Columbian School, Dallas Morning News and Tenison Brothers Saddlery Company.

18 negatives from the Collection of Photographs by Andy Hanson taken for the Dallas Times Herald during a press conference prior to the Beatles’ only concert in Dallas, Texas, on September 18, 1964.

34 photographic postcards from the Elmer and Diane Powell Collection on Mexico and the Mexican Revolution, including images of Red Lopez, Pancho Villa, and the aftermath of the battle of Cerro Prieto.

14 cartes de visite from Early California Views, ca. 1860s, including images of San Jose, San Francisco, and the New Almaden quicksilver mines.

51 stereographs of the Garden of the Gods, a National Park in Colorado, and the surrounding areas: 46 stereographs are from the Collection of Colorado Photographs and Stereos; 5 stereographs are from the Banks McLaurin, Jr. Stereograph Collection. Included are photographs of the fascinating geologic formations throughout the park, as well as images of nearby Pike’s Peak, Manitou Springs, and tourists enjoying the area and scenery.

44 items from the Hervey A. Priddy Collection of American Presidential and Political Memorabilia. Many items focus on presidential inaugurations, beginning with the 1865 inaugural ball invitation for Abraham Lincoln and ending with a 2005 inaugural keepsake booklet for George W. Bush. Inaugural materials include inaugural ball invitations and programs, ribbons, and various tickets and passes. This set also contains election campaign materials that include pin-back buttons, bumper stickers, a photograph, and a thank you letter. The 1992 George Bush and the 2012 Barack Obama economic plans are included as well. One unique item is a 1969 Eisenhower Commemorative Medal issued in the year of his death. The medal is part of a set which also includes a commemorative postage stamp issued in Abilene, Kansas, Eisenhower’s boyhood home. Another highlight is a copy of the famous photograph of Harry Truman holding up the Chicago Daily Tribune headline announcing his defeat by Dewey.

5 photographs of locomotives owned and used by the Ford Motor Company in the 1930s and 1940s. Three of these photographs feature locomotives with tenders; the remaining two feature oil electric locomotives that were used at the Rouge River Plant in Detroit, Michigan.