Abstract: Papers, 1939-1993, of Marion Hawkins, a professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, consisting of correspondence, personal diaries, travel diaries and journals, speeches and writings, and photographs. The bulk of the collection consists of her correspondence, arranged chronologically, which includes letters and cards sent to Hawkins by her friends and employers. Information in the letters reveals how Hawkins' work as a professor and additional volunteer activities influenced the university. Hawkins' home diaries record both her daily personal and professional activities including the classes she taught. Her travel diaries document her trips both abroad and in the United States and detail her personal travel experiences, description of the various locales, and contemporary news of the countries in which she is visiting. She later used these travel diaries as background material while writing her travel journals which she compiled to formally express how she experienced these foreign lands.

Abstract: The Community Improvement Committe started in La Crosse in 1963, and remained active through at least 1968. The committee focused on issuses related to the development of La Crosse. The materials in this collection include membership lists (1967-1968), meeting minutes (1963-1968), and materials related to topics discussed in meetings.