Title: Frederick I. Olson Papers
Inclusive Dates: 1941-1993

Creator:

• Olson, Frederick I.

Call Number: UWM Manuscript Collection 26

Quantity: 6.8 cubic ft. (10 boxes)
Repository:

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives Department

Archival Location:

UW-Milwaukee Libraries, Archives / Milwaukee Area Research Ctr. (Map)

Abstract:

Papers (mainly 1960-1980) of a history professor at the Milwaukee State Teachers College, Wisconsin State College, Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the University of Wisconsin-Extension who taught from 1946 to 1985. The collection documents the professional and volunteer activities of Olson and contains teaching materials, personal and professional correspondence, book reviews and articles, and speeches and seminars given to local history supporters. Also contains materials concerning UWM committees on which Olson served such as the Golda Meir Collection Planning Committee, the University Appeals Committee, the History Department's Committee on Graduate Affairs, the Physical Environment Committee's subcommittee on Parking and Transit, the Presidential Search and Screening Committee and the On-campus Course Development Committee. Includes Olson's files on the preservation of the Milwaukee-Downer College buildings, especially Holton Hall.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-mil-uwmmss0026

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Frederick Irving Olson was born on May 30, 1916 in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. Olson graduated from the Milwaukee Public School System in 1934 and subsequently earned a B.A. in 1938, M.A. in 1939, and a Ph.D. in 1952 in history from Harvard University, specializing in Milwaukee and Wisconsin history. Olson also served in the U.S. Army between 1942-1945 as a special agent in the Counter Intelligence Corps, which saw service in Africa, the Middle East and the Mediterranean. After being discharged from the army, Olson married Jane M. Correll in June of 1946. The Olsons had three children: David, Donald and Roger.

Olson began his teaching career at the Milwaukee State Teacher's College in 1946. This institution later became the Wisconsin State College, Milwaukee, and in 1956, UWM. Olson served as a professor in history from 1956 to 1985, and as a professor in the University of Wisconsin-Extension from 1968 to 1985. Olson chaired the History Department from 1960 to 1962 and from 1967 to 1970. Olson also served as associate dean in the UW-Extension from 1960-1968 and as the UWM's College of Letters & Science from 1971 to 1976. He acted as the acting dean of the School of Library Science from 1977 to 1979, served on numerous university committees during his tenure at UWM, and was director of the Milwaukee Humanities Program from 1977 to 1984.

Olson was active in supporting and nurturing local and state history, especially the Milwaukee County Historical Society, the Milwaukee Public Museum, and the State Historical Society of Wisconsin (SHSW). He served on the Milwaukee County Historical Board of Directors from 1947 to 1985 and as its president from 1953 to 1957 and from 1971 to 1974. Olson has also served on the SHSW's State Historic Preservation Review Board from 1978-1989, and its Board of Curators from 1961 to 1991. Olson contributed frequently to the historical literature. He co-authored Milwaukee: At the Gathering of the Waters, in 1981, published articles in numerous historical journals, contributed to various dictionaries and encyclopedia articles, was an editor for the Dictionary of Wisconsin Biography in 1960, co-author of University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee An Historical Profile (1992) and Dear Jane: A Soldier's Letters from West Africa and the Middle East 1942-1945 (1994).

Collection documents the professional and volunteer activities of Frederick Irving Olson, a professor of history at the Milwaukee State Teachers College, Wisconsin State College, Milwaukee, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) and the University Wisconsin-Extension from 1941 to 1985. Most of the records date from 1960-1980.

The collection contains teaching materials, including lectures, syllabi and research material; personal and professional correspondence dealing with research and publication, book reviews and articles; speeches given to local historical and genealogical groups; and research on local history.

The collection also holds records of UWM committees that Olson served on, such as the Golda Meir Collection Planning Committee, Appeals Committee, the Archives Committee, History Department's Committee on Graduate Affairs, the Physical Environment Committee's subcommittee on Parking and Transit, the Presidential Search and Screening Committee and the On-campus Course Development Committee. These files contain minutes, reports and correspondence. The Academic Administration and Social Science Dean's Serial Files are outgoing correspondence concerning budgets, hiring of professors, and class programs from Olson while serving in those two positions. Includes Olson's files on the preservation of the Milwaukee-Downer College buildings, especially Holton Hall.

The Educational Telephone Network was a program sponsored by UW-Extension that enabled a speaker to talk over telephone lines to persons who had special receiving devices. The Educational Telephone Network records are lectures that Olson gave through this network.

The files are organized alphabetically, then chronologically.

Citation Guide for Primary Sources

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law.

Use Restrictions

The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

Acquisition Information

Frederick I. Olson donated the collection to the Archives in December 1985. Olson donated the contents of box 8 in 1993 (accession 1993-023). Olson donated the contents of boxes 9 and 10 in 1997.

Processing Information

Mark Shelstad processed the collection in June-July 1992 at the Archives. Mark A. Vargas processed box 8 in June 1994 at the Archives. Michele Christian processed box 9 and 10 in April 1998.

Box   3 Folder   17	25th Anniversary Committee, Academic Coordinating Subcommittee, 1981
Box   3 Folder   18-27	Academic Administration Dean's Serial File, 1972-1976
Box   1 Folder   1	Allis, Edward P. and Louis Allis, 1951-1958
Box   1 Folder   3	American Historical Association, 1960-1961
Box   1 Folder   4	American Legislative Leaders Project, 1984
Box   3 Folder   28	American Revolution Bicentennial Committee, 1970-1976
Box   1 Folder   5	American Revolution Lecture Series, 1970-1972
Box   9 Folder   1	American Association for State and Local History, 1960-1987
Box   1 Folder   2	American Association for State and Local History Presentation, 1954
Box   9 Folder   2	Annual Summary of Academic Activities, 1964-1985
Box   3 Folder   29	Appeals Committee, 1976
Box   3 Folder   30	Archives Committee, 1979-1985
Box   9 Folder   3	Archives Committee, 1957-1970, 1993
Box   1 Folder   6	Aukofer, Frank, Article on Robert LaFollette, 1980
Box   1 Folder   7	Back to the City Program, 1981
Box   9 Folder   4	Bicentennial of the Constitution, 1986-1990
Box   1 Folder   8	Bicentennial Engineering, Scientific and Technical Exposition and ConferenceCouncil, 1975-1976
Box   9 Folder   5	Big Names on Campus, 1985
Box   1 Folder   9	Bill of Rights Lecture Series, 1971
Box   1 Folder   10	Biographical Dictionary of Social Welfare in America, 1984
Box   1 Folder   11	Black Communities in the U.S., 1982-1983
	Book Reviews
Box   1 Folder   14	History Review of New Books, 1974-1977
Box   1 Folder   12	Milwaukee Journal, 1964-1977
Box   1 Folder   13	Miscellaneous, 1948-1984
Box   9 Folder   6	Brubakers, 1988
Box   1 Folder   15	Carroll College, Community History Workshop, 1978-1984
Box   1 Folder   16	Carroll College, Founder's Day Convocation, 1979
Box   4 Folder   14	Center for Latin America, 1977-1984
	Classes
Box   4 Folder   2	American Foreign Relations Since 1900, 1956-1961
Box   4 Folder   1	American Foreign Relations To 1900, 1956-1961
Box   4 Folder   3	Historic Milwaukee, 1961-1971
Box   4 Folder   4	History of the Westward Movement, undated
Box   4 Folder   5	History of Wisconsin, 1972-1982
Box   4 Folder   6	Negro History Course, 1967
Box   4 Folder   7	Recent American History, 1946-1959
Box   4 Folder   12	Urban History, 1946-1960
Box   4 Folder   8-9	U.S. History Since 1865, 1946-1961
Box   4 Folder   10-11	U.S. History To 1865, 1946-1961
Box   4 Folder   13	World War I and its Aftermath, Radio Study Program, 1953-1954
Box   4 Folder   19	Cockcroft, James D., 1969-1970
Box   4 Folder   15	College of Letters & Science, 1977-1984
	College of Letters & Science
Box   4 Folder   16	Annual Faculty and Academic Staff Status, Reports, 1972-1974
Box   4 Folder   17	Department Chairs, 1974-1975
Box   4 Folder   18	Nominating Committee, 1980
Box   1 Folder   17	Colonial Dames of Wisconsin, 1968
Box   1 Folder   18	Columbia Hospital History, 1982
Box   3 Folder   3	Community History Seminar, 1978-1979
Box   1 Folder   19	Constitution Anniversary, 1972
Box   1 Folder   20	Consulting on Commissioned Histories, 1981-1985
Box   1 Folder   21	Consumer Affairs Conference, 1973
Box   3 Folder   4	Continuing Education Units Task Force, 1976-1977
Box   8 Folder   1	Corbett, Elizabeth, 1979-1981
Box   4 Folder   20-30	Correspondence, 1946-1975
Box   5 Folder   1-11	Correspondence, 1974-1985
	Correspondence
Box   5 Folder   12	Brotslaw, Irving, 1979-1980
Box   5 Folder   13	Friend, Henry C., 1967-1969
Box   5 Folder   14	Harrington, Fred, 1959-1982
Box   5 Folder   15	Horton, Frank, 1980
Box   5 Folder   16	Mermin, Samuel, 1961-1962
Box   5 Folder   17	Merritt, Raymond H., 1987
Box   5 Folder   18	O'Konski, Alvin, 1973
Box   5 Folder   19	Ozanne, Robert, 1983
Box   5 Folder   20-21	Peterson, Walter, 1967-1984
Box   5 Folder   22	Reinders, Robert, 1965-1975
Box   5 Folder   23	Schowalter, Herbert, 1966-1969
Box   5 Folder   24	Stark, William F., 1980-1981
Box   5 Folder   25	Stave, Bruce M., 1970-1977
Box   5 Folder   26	Wing, William G., 1966
Box   5 Folder   27	Wright, W.K., 1966
Box   1 Folder   22	Crowell-Collier Educational Corporation, 1964-1967
Box   1 Folder   23-24	Cultural and Technological Studies Conference, 1976-1977
Box   5 Folder   28	Curtin Hall Dedication, 1973-1976
Box   1 Folder   25	Daniels, Newall, 1958
Box   8 Folder   2	Davis, Elizabth Upham, 1981
Box   5 Folder   29	Department of Exceptional Education Audit Committee, 1982-1983
Box   1 Folder   26	Dictionary of American Biography, 1972-1985
Box   9 Folder   7	Dictionary of American Biography, 1987
Box   1 Folder   27-28	Dictionary of Wisconsin Biography, 1950-1959
Box   5 Folder   30	Distinguished Public Service Award, 1982-1984
	Educational Telephone Network
Box   3 Folder   5	Energy in American Society, 1978
Box   3 Folder   6	Historic Buildings, 1977
Box   3 Folder   7	Historic Preservation, 1976
Box   3 Folder   8	Historic Sites Tours, 1978
Box   3 Folder   9	Living Wisconsin History for Teachers, 1980
Box   3 Folder   10	Local and Family History, 1978
Box   5 Folder   31	Elderhostel Program, 1978-1979
Box   5 Folder   32	Elderly Education, 1976
Box   1 Folder   29	Encyclopedia Britannica, 1958-1964
Box   1 Folder   30	Ethnic Settlements in Wisconsin Advisory Committee, 1982-1987
Box   1 Folder   31	Fifth Congressional District, 1955
Box   1 Folder   32	Flagg, Ernest Landmark Nomination, 1982-1983
Box   1 Folder   33	Fond du Lac History Seminar, 1968
Box   1 Folder   34	Fragment from the Past, 1959
Box   9 Folder   8	Fred Harrington and the Development of UWM, undated
Box   5 Folder   34	Freshman Seminar, 1976-1977
Box   1 Folder   35	From Farmland to Freeways, 1984
Box   5 Folder   35	Fromkin Grant and Lectureship, 1975-1985
	Fromkin Grant and Lectureship
Box   5 Folder   36-37	Lecture Committee, 1969-1980
Box   5 Folder   38-39	Memorial Collection, 1970-1980
Box   5 Folder   40	Fullbright Lectureship, 1970-1971
Box   9 Folder   9	Future of UWM Committee, 1963
Box   2 Folder   43-44	General, 1963-1985 (1 of 2)
Box   3 Folder   1-2	General, 1963-1985 (2 of 2)
Box   3 Folder   16	General, 1970-1977
Box   1 Folder   36	German-English Academy, 1977-1981
Box   1 Folder   37	Goethe House, 1982-1985
Box   1 Folder   38	Going Public: American History Today, 1981
Box   5 Folder   33	Graduate School, 1969-1976
Box   1 Folder   39	Greater Milwaukee Association for Financial Planning, 1985
Box   1 Folder   40	Gross, Edwin J., 1956
Box   5 Folder   41	Guild for Learning in Retirement, 1983
Box   1 Folder   41	Guide to the Milwaukee River, 1975
Box   1 Folder   42	Harvard Club of Wisconsin Schools Committee, 1963-1977
Box   1 Folder   43-44	Harvard University, 1956-1985
Box   1 Folder   45	Historic Preservation Conference, 1974
Box   1 Folder   46	Historic Preservation Week, 1980
Box   1 Folder   47	Historical Messenger, 1952-1965
Box   5 Folder   42-44	History Department, 1959-1981
Box   5 Folder   45	History Department, Committee on Graduate Affairs, 1981-1984
Box   8 Folder   3	Holton, Edward, Portrait, 1980-1982
Box   8 Folder   4	Holton Hall Drawing Room, 1980-1982
	Holton Hall Drawing Room
Box   8 Folder   5	Committee, 1982-1984
Box   8 Folder   6	Photographs, 1986
Box   8 Folder   7	Holton Hall Rededication, 1980-1981
Box   1 Folder   48	Homemakers Workshop on Milwaukee History, 1982
Box   1 Folder   49	Homerun Hawkins, 1981
Box   1 Folder   50	Humanities in the City, 1981-1984
Box   1 Folder   51	Humanities Showcase, 1978-1981
Box   1 Folder   52	Huston, Harvey, 1959-1970
Box   1 Folder   53	Inland Seas Article, 1970
Box   1 Folder   54-55	Institute of World Affairs, 1981-1985
Box   5 Folder   46	Jagodinski Collection, 1979-1982
Box   5 Folder   47	Klotsche, J. Martin, Day and Scholarship, 1975-1978
Box   5 Folder   48	Klotsche, J. Martin, Honorary Degree, 1983-1984
Box   2 Folder   1	Land Ethics Incorporated, 1964-1971
Box   9 Folder   10	Lapham Plaque Moves from Park to Campus, 1964
Box   5 Folder   49	Lawrence, Lee Memorial, 1978
Box   2 Folder   4	League of Women Voters, 1956-1975
Box   3 Folder   11	Liberal Studies, 1977-1984
Box   5 Folder   50-51	Library, 1956-1982
Box   2 Folder   2-3	Library Council of Metropolitan Milwaukee Advisory Committee, 1979-1981
Box   6 Folder   1	London Semester, 1983-1985
Box   6 Folder   2	Meir, Golda Collection Planning Committee, 1979-1984
Box   8 Folder   8	Merrill-Johnston-Greene Hall Rededication, 1983-1984
Box   6 Folder   3	Middle Eastern and North African Studies Committee, 1983-1984
Box   2 Folder   6	Midwest Museums Quarterly, 1954
Box   2 Folder   5	Midwest Museums Conference, 1968
Box   2 Folder   10	Milwaukee Comes of Age, 1946
Box   2 Folder   7	Milwaukee County Parks, 1972-1977
Box   8 Folder   9	Milwaukee-Downer College, 1974-1986
Box   8 Folder   10	Milwaukee-Downer College, Newsclippings, 1973-1985
Box   9 Folder   11	Milwaukee Humanities Program, 1986-1988
Box   2 Folder   8	Milwaukee Neighborhood Conservation Forum, 1976
Box   9 Folder   12	Milwaukee Normal School Building, Eighteenth and Wells Streets, 1985
Box   9 Folder   13	Milwaukee Normal School Exhibit, 1986
Box   9 Folder   14	Milwaukee Public School History Project, 1989-1991
Box   2 Folder   9	Milwaukeeans in State Politics, 1976
Box   9 Folder   15	Mitchell Hall State Historic Marker, 1991-1992
Box   9 Folder   16	Names of Buildings Sub-Committee, 1969-1992
Box   10 Folder   1	Nash, John, Memorial, 1988
Box   6 Folder   5	Nash-Lawrence Conference Room, 1982-1983
Box   2 Folder   11	National Endowment for the Humanities, Milwaukee Public Museum Grant Application, 1985
Box   2 Folder   12	National Humanities Series, Midwestern Center, 1972-1973
Box   2 Folder   13	National Trust for Historic Preservation, 1977
Box   2 Folder   14	Neighborhood Awareness, 1981
Box   6 Folder   4	North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education, Mission and Purpose Subcommittee, 1985
Box   2 Folder   15	Notable American Women, 1959-1969
Box   6 Folder   14	On-Campus Course Development Committee, 1965-1976
Box   2 Folder   16	Organization of American Historians, 1941-1985
Box   6 Folder   6	Ph.D. in History Proposal, 1983-1985
Box   6 Folder   7	Phi Alpha Theta, UWM's Chapter Origins, 1971
Box   6 Folder   8	Phi Beta Kappa, 1974-1982
Box   6 Folder   9	Phi Kappa Phi, 1968
Box   6 Folder   10-11	Physical Environment Committee, Parking and Transit Advisory Subcommittee, 1983-1985
Box   6 Folder   12	Polish-American Records Collecting Project, 1980-1982
Box   2 Folder   17	Pound, Thaddeus, 1957-1964
Box   2 Folder   18	Presidential Elections, 1956
Box   6 Folder   13	Presidential Search and Screening Committee, 1957-1958
Box   2 Folder   19-20	Programs, Miscellaneous, 1947-1982
Box   2 Folder   21	Radio and Television Appearances, 1959-1969
Box   2 Folder   22	Rector, J. Ward, Frank Larson Biography, 1965-1968
Box   2 Folder   23	Researching Your Neighborhood, 1981
Box   2 Folder   24	Richards, DeForest, 1959-1965
Box   8 Folder   11	Sabin, Ellen, Portrait, 1976-1977
Box   6 Folder   15	Salary Information, 1969-1978
Box   3 Folder   12-14	School for Workers Labor Advisory Committee, 1971-1985
Box   7 Folder   1	School of Education, 1960
Box   7 Folder   2	School of Library Science, 1977-1979
Box   7 Folder   3-4	Social Science Dean Serial File, 1971-1972
Box   7 Folder   5	Summer Session, 1957
Box   7 Folder   6	Summer Session, Salary Report, 1957-1959
Box   7 Folder   7	Suppan, Adolph Retirement, 1979
Box   2 Folder   25	Three Generations in American Life, 1977
Box   2 Folder   26	Trends in the History of Higher Education in Wisconsin, 1969
Box   10 Folder   2	Turner, Frederick Jackson, Historical Marker, 1992-1993
Box   2 Folder   27	United Community Services Priority Committee, 1973-1974
Box   3 Folder   15	University Administration Program, 1969-1976
Box   10 Folder   3	The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee: A Historical Profile 1885-1992, 1992-1993
Box   2 Folder   28	University of Wisconsin Press, 1961-1978
Box   7 Folder   8	Venezuelan Higher Education Proposal, 1969
Box   8 Folder   12	Vilas, Faith, 1986
Box   2 Folder   29	Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, 1961-1985
Box   2 Folder   30	Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters, Centennial Committee, 1969-1970
Box   2 Folder   33	Wisconsin AFL-CIO, 1968-1982
Box   10 Folder   4	Wisconsin Architectural Archives, 1972-1979
Box   2 Folder   31	Wisconsin Associates of Teachers of College History, 1960-1985
Box   2 Folder   32	Wisconsin Aviation History Project, 1975-1976
Box   2 Folder   34	Wisconsin Federation of Museums, 1978
Box   2 Folder   35	Wisconsin Humanities Committee, 1978-1981
Box   2 Folder   36-37	Wisconsin Humanities Committee, Grant Applications, 1977-1984
Box   2 Folder   38	Wisconsin Industrial Hall of Fame, 1960-1970
Box   2 Folder   40	Wisconsin State Genealogical Society, 1959-1969
Box   2 Folder   39	Wisconsin's Own Library Advisory Committee, 1981-1985
Box   2 Folder   41	Women's Club of Wisconsin, 1975-1976
Box   2 Folder   42	World Book Encyclopedia, 1968-1975