The Fishel Papers document his scholarly and personal life; they are complemented by the General Administrative correspondence of the State Historical Society (Series 934) and by the personal papers of his sister, Barbara Fishel. The Leslie H. Fishel Papers are arranged as BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL, CORRESPONDENCE, SPEECHES AND WRITINGS, ACTIVITIES, and VISUAL MATERIALS
The BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIAL consists of biographical newspaper clippings and brief military records.
The CORRESPONDENCE is divided into two chronologically arranged subsections: Personal and Professional. The personal correspondence, which is largely outgoing, dates to his college years, and it includes references to college life, religious views, service during World War II, and post-war plans. The section concerning activities as a graduate student at Harvard include letters from his advisor, Arthur M. Schlesinger. The later correspondence focuses primarily on historical research. The personal correspondence from the 1960s and 1970s is limited with the exception of exchanges with Don McNeil, the former assistant director of the Historical Society. This file contains both incoming and outgoing letters about Fishel's early days at the Society. The personal correspondence from the 1980s and 1990s is more extensive, and these letters reflect the family's changing lifestyle, especially after his retirement in 1988. One folder of correspondence here consists of sporadic letters written by Barbara Fishel, the majority of which were written to her parents early in her married life.
The professional correspondence is more focused on academic and scholarly pursuits, covering the period 1959 to 1988. The majority of these letters concern the years when Fishel was director of the Historical Society. With the exception of the 1975-1988 period, which is in chronological order, the professional correspondence is filed alphabetically by name. Prominent in the correspondence are exchanges about the writing of The Negro American, the book Fishel wrote with Benjamin Quarles, and his work as a museum accreditor for the Rock County Historical Society and the Wisconsin Veterans Museum.
The SPEECHES AND WRITINGS series is subdivided by genre into articles, book reviews, and speeches and then arranged chronologically. There are no draft materials for The Negro American in the collection. The speeches parallel Fishel's career, and as a result many pertain to his changing responsibilities at the State Historical Society and at Heidelberg College. Others concern his lifelong interest in African American history and contemporary racial issues. The less extensive file of articles includes some research materials. The section entitled book reviews includes some similar commentaries that were orally presented. Of special note are the talks to the Madison Literary Club.
The ACTIVITIES series focuses on organizations with which Fishel was involved while residing in Madison. They are arranged alphabetically by organization name. The earliest records document Fishel's involvement with Oberlin College after moving the Madison in 1959. In addition to general correspondence concerning the Alumni Association, a discrete file concerns the Shansi Memorial Association, an Asian missionary organization that Fishel served as a member of the board. The records of the Madison YMCA include correspondence and minutes of the Personnel Committee. The files on the Friends of the National Urban League include correspondence, minutes, correspondence, lists, and other organizational records of a committee that worked to establish a league chapter in Madison. These records complement the records of the Madison Urban League also held by the Historical Society. The files on the First Congregational Church span the period 1964-1969 and 1990-1996. They document his membership on several important committees and his tenure in 1966 as moderator, the highest lay administrative position in the church. The later files concern a sesquicentennial congregational history that Fishel wrote with George Shands in 1996.
The VISUAL MATERIALS series includes images related to Fishel's military service and images of Fishel, family, and friends, and Fishel with colleagues. Also included is a caricature of Fishel.
