The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Alton Abraham Collection of Sun Ra 1822-2008
© 2009 University of Chicago Library
The Alton Abraham Collections of Sun Ra was processed and preserved as part of the "Uncovering New Chicago Archives Project," funded with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Title: | Abraham, Alton. Collection of Sun Ra |
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Dates: | 1822-2008 |
Size: | 156 linear feet (146 boxes, 1 oversize folder) |
Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
Abstract: | Alton Abraham (1927-1999), entrepreneur and hospital technician, was a longtime friend and business associate of Sun Ra (1914-1993), the influential jazz composer and musician. Alton Abraham collected manuscripts, business records, printed ephemera, artifacts, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other documents of his work with Sun Ra. The collection contains textual, graphic, and audio-visual records of the work of Sun Ra and his collaborators, as well as professional and personal papers of Alton Abraham. The collection spans 1822-2008, with material concentrated in the late 1950s-1980s. |
Series VIII: Subseries 2 and 3 do not include access copies for material in this series. Researchers must consult with staff before requesting material from this series.
Series XII contains personal financial records restricted for 50 years, and academic and medical records restricted for 80 years.
The remainder of the collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Abraham, Alton. Collection of Sun Ra, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
Sun Ra was born Herman Poole Blount on May 22, 1914 in Birmingham Alabama and was regarded as a skilled pianist and composer by his early teenage years. Although Blount based his musical activities in Birmingham until 1945, his big band toured extensively, playing Chicago in 1934 where he registered with the local musicians union under the name Sonny Blount. Blount read extensively, researching mystical and occult practices, ancient culture, biblical history, and contemporary developments in science and space exploration. During 1942-1943 he was imprisoned for draft resistance prior to being released with a 4-F classification.
In the winter of 1946 Blount migrated to Chicago, settling near Washington Park. Although regarded as eccentric by some, Blount was a respected and studied musician and was regularly employed as a pianist, composer, and arranger in the vibrant south side music scene. During the early 1950s he began rehearsing his own groups, ultimately leading to the 1955 creation of the Arkestra, the large ensemble he directed until his death in 1993. In October 1952 Blount legally changed his name to "Le Sony'r Ra" at the Circuit Court of Cook County, with "Sun Ra" serving thereafter as an abbreviated version of his new name.
Alton Abraham was born in Chicago on May 5, 1927. He served in the U.S Military in Okinawa from 1945-1947, and upon returning to Chicago in 1947 graduated from Du Sable High School, followed by Wilson Junior College in 1950. In 1952 he was certified as an x-ray technician at Provident Hospital. Blount and Abraham became acquainted in 1951, sharing interests in mysticism, the occult, science, numerology, and ancient history.
Along with Abraham's brother Artis, the men founded El Saturn Research in 1957, which would record and distribute albums by the Arkestra as well as the vocal and R&B groups rehearsed by Sun Ra during the late 1950s.
Additionally, Ra and Abraham organized Thmei Research, an organization dedicated to "subjects cosmic, spiritual, philosophical, religious, historical, scientific, economical, etc." Thmei also provided financing for El Saturn's earliest releases and issued a newsletter and book catalog. The earliest El Saturn recordings are singles dating from 1955 and 1956, including the Cosmic Rays "Dreaming" b/w "Daddy's Gonna Tell You No Lie." Some of the Arkestra's earliest studio recordings were released as Jazz By Sun Ra (1956) on Transition Records, and Super Sonic Jazz (1957) on Saturn Records.
In 1961 Sun Ra left Chicago for Montreal with members of the Arkestra including Marshall Allen and John Gilmore. Lacking sustained employment in Montreal, the group relocated to New York City where further difficulty finding work encouraged communal living arrangements. While Sun Ra would never again reside in Chicago, Abraham continued to manage some of the Arkestra's business engagements and the Saturn Record label in Chicago. By the late 1960s Sun Ra began giving performances on college campuses and appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone. During these years, recordings on ESP Records such as The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra Vols. 1 and 2 (1965, 1966), added to the growing catalog of Sun Ra recordings available through Saturn Records such as The Magic City (1966) and Atlantis (1969). In 1967 Abraham, along with Sun Ra, James Bryant, and Almeter Hayden, incorporated Ihnfinity, Inc. in the State of Illinois with the intention of it serving as an umbrella organization for Sun Ra's activities. The following year Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra would move into a large home in the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, commuting regularly to New York City for performances. In 1972 Ra and Abraham published two volumes of Sun Ra's poetry, The Immeasurable Equation, and Extensions Out: The Immeasurable Equation Vol. 2, some of which had previously appeared on the back cover of Saturn Records.
Opportunities for international performance expanded significantly during the 1970s and Arkestra recordings became more widely available following a 1972 agreement with Impulse Records, who reissued The Magic City and Atlantis in 1973. While Sun Ra would continue sending recordings to Abraham in Chicago through the late 1970s, such as The Soul Vibrations of Man (1977) and Taking a Chance on Chances (1977), he also began independently pressing Saturn records in Philadelphia, relying on the assistance of Arkestra members. Similarly, as performance opportunities expanded throughout the 1970s Arkestra trumpeter Danny Thompson increasingly took on the responsibilities of de facto business and tour manager.
Following Sun Ra's death in Birmingham 1993, Abraham became involved with the reissue and rerelease of out-of-print Sun Ra recordings. In addition to his activities with Sun Ra, Abraham was employed as an x-ray technician, and independently pursued his interests in spirituality, history, science, and technology. Alton Abraham died June 6, 1999 in Chicago.
Throughout his long friendship and business association with Sun Ra, Alton Abraham collected manuscripts, business records, printed ephemera, artifacts, photographs, audio and video recordings, and other documents. The collection contains textual, graphic, and audio-visual records of the work of Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra, as well as professional and personal papers of Alton Abraham. The collection spans 1822-2008, with material concentrated in the late 1950s-1980s.
This collection also contains material of research value in the subjects of audio and film recording, independent music production and distribution, African-American communities in Chicago, radical politics, health sciences, book collecting, race theories, spirituality and the occult.
There is considerable duplication of materials, particularly printed ephemera, across the collection. Copies of the same item duplicated in multiple series often document different aspects of Sun Ra and Alton Abraham's endeavors.
The collection is arranged in twelve series:
Series I: Biographical, contains writings about Sun Ra, including interviews, critical essays, articles, and obituaries. Also included in this series are a small number of biographical writings about John Gilmore.
Series II: Performance, contains textual and graphic documents of Sun Ra performances from 1966-1989, as well as performances by members of the Arkestra and other associated musicians from 1993-1998. Materials include clippings, broadsides, handbills, programs, press releases, set lists, and tour itineraries.
Series III: Recording, contains textual and graphic documents of recordings by Sun Ra, members of the Arkestra, and other associated musicians from 1955-1995. Materials include discographies, catalogs, clippings, press releases, handbills, broadsides, advertising copy, radio playlists, drafts of track listings and liner notes, and production notes.
Series IV: Music Manuscripts, contains Sun Ra's original works and arrangements of standards. Also included are music manuscripts prepared by others, including Alton Abraham. Materials in this series include arrangements, compositions, sketches, lyrics, notes and fragmentary music notations. Many of the manuscripts are undated, but generally range from the 1960s-1980s.
Series V: Verse, Prose and Notes, contains manuscripts, proofs, broadsides, pamphlets, notebooks and books by Sun Ra. It also includes notes, fragmentary works, and a small number of works by Alton Abraham and unidentified writers. Most items are undated, but generally span the 1950s-1980s.
Series VI: Business Records, contains records of the business operations of Saturn Records and other endeavors managed by Alton Abraham in collaboration with Sun Ra and others. The bulk of this material was kept by Alton Abraham, though some material may have been collected from Sun Ra, John Gilmore and others. Materials date from 1939-1998, but mainly document business activities from the late 1950s through the mid-1990s. Material in this series includes legal agreements, business forms and stationery, financial records, ephemera, instructional books and pamphlets, correspondence and notebooks.
Series VII: Alton Abraham, documents Abraham's education, employment, personal life, and interests in areas such as spirituality, the supernatural, science and technology, politics, history, and music. There is also some material related to Abraham's friends, associates and family members. Materials in this series include publications, ephemera, educational and instructional materials, correspondence, notes, sheet music, songbooks and manuscripts. This series spans 1822-1993, with material concentrated in the 1940s-1980s.
Series VIII: Audio-Visual, contains photographs, audio recordings, and film and video recordings. Included are photographs of Sun Ra and the Arkestra, filmstrips and videocassettes, audio cassette tapes, reel tapes, and vinyl records. Many items are undated, spanning the late 1950s-1990s.
Series IX: Art and Artifacts, contains items related to Sun Ra, Saturn Records, and music in general; as well as personal items that belonged to Alton Abraham. In the first category are sample album jackets; proofs and layouts of album covers, catalogs and advertisements; drawings, sketches and paintings; photographs of artworks; musical instruments and equipment; metal stampers for vinyl records; printing blocks and office supplies. In the second category are decorative ornaments and personal items such as a wallet and a briefcase.
Some items are matted or framed for display. Most items are undated but generally span the late 1950s-1980s.
Series X: Oversize, consists of large-format materials transferred from previous series.
Series XI: Restricted, consists of personal financial records, academic records, medical records, and identification and registration documents, all transferred from Series VII.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
Chicago Jazz Archive
Series I: Biographical |
This series contains biographical writings about Sun Ra, including interviews, critical essays, articles, and obituaries. Other biographical information includes a 1975 biographical statement, a postcard from the Hyde Park Art Center's "Pathways to Unknown Worlds" exhibition, a list of members of the Arkestra, and a map of Sun Ra's gravesite. Also included in this series are a small number of biographical writings about John Gilmore. Most of the writings in this series are in the form of clippings, photocopies, or sample copies of publications. This series is organized chronologically from 1966-2007, with undated material at the end of the series.
Autobiographical writings by Sun Ra are in Series V: Subseries 1. Discographies are in Series III: Subseries 2. Oversize materials, consisting of newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, a Buzzard comic book, and a poster for the Hyde Park Art Center's 2006 symposium "Sun Ra: The Astro Black and Other Solar Myths," have all been transferred to Series X: Subseries 1.
Box 1 Folder 1 | "Homage to Sun Ra," Change, 1966 |
Box 1 Folder 2 | "Spiritual Voices of Black America," Liberator, 1966 |
Box 1 Folder 3 | "The New Jazz," Newsweek, 1966 |
Box 1 Folder 4 | Henry Dumas, "An Interview with Sun Ra," Hiram Poetry Review, 1967 |
Box 1 Folder 5 | Tam Fiofori, "The Illusion of Sun Ra," Liberator, 1967 |
Box 1 Folder 6 | "Sun Ra," Jazz on Record, 1968 |
Box 1 Folder 7 | John Sinclair, "Self-Determination Music," Jazz & Pop, 1970 |
Box 1 Folder 8 | Harriet Choice, "Rah, rah...sunny Mr. Ra," Chicago Tribune, 1972 |
Box 1 Folder 9 | Ray Townley, "Sun Ra," Down Beat, 1973 |
Box 1 Folder 10 | Tom Bingham, "The Many Worlds of Sun Ra," Audio, 1975 |
Box 1 Folder 11 | Harvey Pekar, "Sun Ra;" Vladimir Simosko, "John Gilmore," Coda, 1975 |
Box 1 Folder 12 | Biographical statement, 1975 |
Box 1 Folder 13 | Bob Rusch, "John Gilmore: Oral history/Interview," 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 14 | Bob Rusch, "Sun Ra: Interview," Cadence, 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 15 | J.C. Thomas, "Sun Ra's Space Probe," Down Beat, 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 16 | Mark C. Gridley, "Bill Evans, Sun Ra, and Cecil Taylor," Jazz Styles, 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 17 | Michael Hoenig, "Sounds: Tomorrow's Music Today," Penthouse, 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 18 | Michael Hopkins, "Lord of the Saturnian Rings: Sun Ra Disco," The Spectrum, 1978 |
Box 1 Folder 19 | Charles White, "The People are the Instrument: Interview with Sun Ra," Lightworks, 1979 |
Box 1 Folder 20 | David Miller, "Sun Ra," Real Times, 1979 |
Box 1 Folder 21 | "Une porte s'oeuvre," Les Tubes de l'Été, circa 1970s |
Box 1 Folder 22 | "Sun Ra's Solar Jet-Set Arkestra," Soho Weekly News, 1980 |
Box 1 Folder 23 | Daniel Allen, "Sun Ra," Bibliography of Discographies, Volume 2: Jazz, 1981 |
Box 1 Folder 24 | "International Jazz Critics Poll," Down Beat, 1982 |
Box 1 Folder 25 | "Sun Ra," New Musical Express, 1982 |
Box 1 Folder 26 | "Sun Ra," Stop, 1982 |
Box 1 Folder 27 | Richard Harrington, "Jazz & Astral Visions," Washington Post, 1982 |
Box 1 Folder 28 | "Interplanetair entertainment met ceremoniemeester Sun Ra!" Travers, 1983 |
Box 1 Folder 29 | "Sun Ra," Nancy Jazz Pulsations, 1983 |
Box 1 Folder 30 | John Diliberto, "John Gilmore: Three Decades in the Sun's Shadow," Down Beat, 1984 |
Box 1 Folder 31 | Val Wilmer, "John Gilmore: A Quiet Screamer from Mississippi," The Wire, 1985 |
Box 1 Folder 32 | Art Sato, "John Gilmore," Be-Bop and Beyond, 1986 |
Box 1 Folder 33 | Jim Macnie, "The Original Brother from Another Planet," The New Paper, 1986 |
Box 1 Folder 34 | "The 52nd Annual Down Beat Reader's Poll," Down Beat, 1987 |
Box 1 Folder 35 | "Sun Ra," Jazz: The Essential Companion, 1987 |
Box 1 Folder 36 | Bob Doerschuk, "Sun Ra: Jazz from Another Planet," Keyboard, 1987 |
Box 1 Folder 37 | "Big Band," Down Beat, 1988 |
Box 1 Folder 38 | Owen McNally, "Sun Ra: The high priest of avant-garde jazz," Hartford Courant, 1988 |
Box 1 Folder 39 | Barry Kernfeld, "Sun Ra," New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 1988 |
Box 1 Folder 40 | "Quotations from the Prime Minister of Saturn," 1988 |
Box 1 Folder 41 | Ira Steingroot, "Sun Ra's Magical Kingdom," Reality Hackers, 1988 |
Box 1 Folder 42 | Sun Ra Omniverse Arkestra, 1990 |
Box 1 Folder 43 | "All Over the Universe with Sun Ra," Record Exchange Music Monitor, 1990 |
Box 1 Folder 44 | "Sun Ra," Wire Magazine, 1990 |
Box 1 Folder 45 | Michael L. Lablanc, "Sun Ra," Contemporary Musicians, Volume 5, 1991 |
Box 1 Folder 46 | Art Lange, "The First Evidence of Life on Saturn," Pulse! 1992 |
Box 1 Folder 47 | "Sun Ra, avant-garde jazz musician," Chicago Tribune, 1993 |
Box 1 Folder 48 | Russell Woessner, "Joyful Memorial Tribute to Sun Ra with the Intergalactic Arkestra," City Paper, 1993 |
Box 1 Folder 49 | John Corbett, "Inherit the Sun," Down Beat, 1993 |
Box 1 Folder 50 | Robert Campbell, "Sun Ra: Supersonic Sounds from Saturn," Goldmine, 1993 |
Box 1 Folder 51 | Scott Yanow, "Sun Ra," Jazziz, 1993 |
Box 2 Folder 1 | David Block, "John Gilmore," Jazz Journal International, 1994 |
Box 2 Folder 2 | "Sun Ra," Life, 1994 |
Box 2 Folder 3 | Hyde Park Art Center, "Pathways to Unknown Worlds," 2006-2007 |
Box 2 Folder 4 | John Farris, "Space is the Place," undated |
Box 2 Folder 5 | Tam Fiofori, "The Space Age Music of Sun Ra...'Between Two Worlds'," undated |
Box 2 Folder 6 | Tam Fiofori, "Sun Ra's Space Odyssey," undated |
Box 2 Folder 7 | Jim Macnie, "Sun Ra is the Heaviest Man in this Galaxy," undated |
Box 2 Folder 8 | Jim Macnie, "Space is the Place," undated |
Box 2 Folder 9 | Harvey Pekar and R. Crumb, "Ridin' the Dog," undated |
Box 2 Folder 10 | Bret Primack, "Captain Angelic: Sun Ra," Down Beat, undated |
Box 2 Folder 11 | Bryan Sale, "Sun Ra," Be-Bop and Beyond, undated |
Box 2 Folder 12 | Michael Shore, "Sun Ra," undated |
Box 2 Folder 13 | David Sprague, "Sun Ra Not of this Earth," undated |
Box 2 Folder 14 | Neil Tesser, "Sun Ra's wild orbit cooks hot dish," undated |
Box 2 Folder 15 | Rich Theis, "Sun Ra," undated |
Box 2 Folder 16 | "Astro Black Mythology," Forces in Motion, undated |
Box 2 Folder 17 | "The Free, New Jazz of Sun Ra," undated |
Box 2 Folder 18 | "Sun Ra," undated |
Box 2 Folder 19 | "Sun Ra," Jazz Pianists, undated |
Box 2 Folder 20 | "Sun Ra celestiali suoni del futuro," undated |
Box 2 Folder 21 | "Sun Ra and his Solar Astro-Infinity Arkestra," undated |
Box 2 Folder 22 | List of Arkestra members, undated |
Box 2 Folder 23 | Map of Sun Ra's gravesite, undated |
Box 2 Folder 24 | The Jazz Store Catalog, undated |
Box 2 Folder 25 | Clippings, circa 1960s-1990s |
Series II: Performance |
This series contains textual and graphic documents Sun Ra performances from 1966-1989, as well as performances by members of the Arkestra and other associated musicians from 1993-1998. Also included is material documenting the film Space is the Place. Materials include clippings, broadsides, handbills, programs, press releases, set lists, and tour itineraries. This series is chronologically by performance date. Performance dates are given as identified on the items. Undated items are at the end of the series.
Oversize broadsides, newspaper clippings, and posters (including several large-format posters for concerts and the film Space is the Place), been transferred to Series X; Subseries 2. Photographs, audio recordings, and film and video recordings of performances are in Series VIII. Some material in this series is duplicated in Series VI.
Box 3 Folder 1 | Tompkins Square Amphitheater, New York, 14 July 1966 |
Box 3 Folder 2 | Slugs', New York, 1967 |
Box 3 Folder 3 | University of Santa Clara, Santa Clara, California, 11 April 1969 |
Box 3 Folder 4 | London and Paris, 1970 |
Box 3 Folder 5 | Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2 February 1971 |
Box 3 Folder 6 | Alhambra Theater, San Francisco, 13 November 1972 |
Box 3 Folder 7 | The East, 29 December 1972 |
Box 3 Folder 8 | Auditorium Theater, Chicago, 21 April 1973 |
Box 3 Folder 9 | Black Music Conference, Amherst College, Amherst, Massachusetts, April 1973 |
Box 3 Folder 10 | Mexico tour, 1973-1974 |
Box 3 Folder 11 | Keystone Korner, San Francisco, 30 October-10 November 1974 |
Box 3 Folder 12 | Ruthie's Inn, Berkeley, California, 30 November-1 December 1974 |
Box 3 Folder 13 | San Francisco Art Institute, San Francisco, 19 April 1975 |
Box 3 Folder 14 | Maryjane, Sacramento, California, 3 May 1975 |
Box 3 Folder 15 | Unidentified festival, 17 July 1976 |
Box 3 Folder 16 | The Venue, London, 27-28 July 1976 |
Box 3 Folder 17 | Jazz Marathon, Brussels, 1-3 June 1979 |
Box 3 Folder 18 | Carnegie Hall, New York, 20 September 1979 |
Box 3 Folder 19 | Ann Arbor Jazz Festival, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 28-30 September, 1979 |
Box 3 Folder 20 | Glasgow International Folk Festival, Glasgow, Scotland, July- August 1982 |
Box 3 Folder 21 | Bluebird, Bloomington, Indiana, 11 October 1982 |
Box 3 Folder 22 | Paris Jazz Festival, Paris, 25 October-1 November 1983 |
Box 3 Folder 23 | European tour, March 1984 |
Box 3 Folder 24 | The Old Waldorf, Fans Francisco, 4 April 1984 |
Box 3 Folder 25 | University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 1 October 1985 |
Box 3 Folder 26 | Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase, Blackstone Hotel, Chicago, 1-6 October, 1985 |
Box 3 Folder 27 | Seattle, 7 January 1986 |
Box 3 Folder 28 | Grendel's Lair, Philadelphia, 4 August 1986 |
Box 3 Folder 29 | Club Lingerie, Los Angeles, 24 September 1986 |
Box 3 Folder 30 | Sweet Basil, New York, 30 June-5 July 1987 |
Box 3 Folder 31 | Center Fest, North Carolina, 18-25 September 1987 |
Box 3 Folder 32 | Harmonie Park, Detroit, Michigan, 17 October 1987 |
Box 3 Folder 33 | Bastille Days, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 15 July 1988 |
Box 3 Folder 34 | Club Quattro, Japan, 8 August 1988 |
Box 3 Folder 35 | Chicago Old Style Jazz Festival, Chicago, 31 August-4 September 1988 |
Box 3 Folder 36 | Staller Center, New York, 28 February 1989 |
Box 3 Folder 37 | Koncepts Cultural Gallery, Oakland, California, 7-8 April 1989 |
Box 3 Folder 38 | Sant'Anna Arresi Jazz Festival, Sardinia, Italy, August-September 1989 |
Box 3 Folder 39 | D.C. Space, Washington, D.C., circa 1980s |
Box 3 Folder 40 | Presidential Jazz Weekend, Philadelphia, 12-15 February 1993 |
Box 3 Folder 41 | First Congregational Church, Washington, D.C. |
Box 3 Folder 42 | Afro-American Historical and Cultural Museum, Philadelphia,18 October 1993 |
Box 3 Folder 43 | Fez, New York, 4 January 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 44 | Community Education Center, Philadelphia, 18 January 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 45 | Jake and Oliver's, Philadelphia, 14 February 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 46 | West Warwick, Rhode Island, 15 July 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 47 | Bright Monuments Festival, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 18 July 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 48 | Vermont Jazz Festival, Brattleboro, Vermont, 19 July 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 49 | "The Jazz City," Philadelphia, 1998 |
Box 3 Folder 50 | Budland, Chicago, undated |
Box 3 Folder 51 | Ella Guru's, Knoxville, Tennessee, undated |
Box 3 Folder 52 | Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn, New York, undated |
Box 3 Folder 53 | Unidentified Pan-African Study-Tour Committee performance, undated |
Box 3 Folder 54 | Haverford College, Pennsylvania, undated |
Series III: Recording |
This series contains textual and graphic documents of audio recordings by Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra from 1955-1995. This series is organized into two subseries:
Subseries 1: Production and Promotion, is organized chronologically by item date or by recording release date. Item dates sometimes differ from release dates. Undated items are at the end of the series. Materials include catalogs, clippings, press releases, handbills, broadsides, advertising copy, radio playlists, drafts of track listings and liner notes, and production notes.
Subseries 2: Discographies, is organized chronologically by document date. This subseries contains discographies compiled by researchers of Sun Ra's work, as well as by Alton Abraham. Discographies are in the form of notes, lists, photocopied articles and printouts of computer files.
Oversize broadsides and posters, as well as a binder for the discography by Tilman Stahl, have been transferred to Series X: Subseries 3. Audio and audio-visual recordings are in Series VIII. Sample album jackets and other material related to album cover design are in Series IX. Some material in this series is duplicated in Series VI.
Subseries 1: Production and Promotion |
Box 4 Folder 1 | Cosmic Rays, "Somebody's in Love," and "Bye Bye," 1955 |
Box 4 Folder 2 | circa 1955-1960s
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Box 4 Folder 3 | Jazz by Sun Ra, 1956 |
Box 4 Folder 4 | Super-Sonic Jazz, 1956 |
Box 4 Folder 5 | Jazz in Silhouette, 1959 |
Box 4 Folder 6 | Space Loneliness, 1960 |
Box 4 Folder 7 | The Heliocentric World of Sun Ra, Vol. I, 1965 |
Box 4 Folder 8 | The Magic City, 1966 |
Box 4 Folder 9 | 1966
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Box 4 Folder 10 | 1967
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Box 4 Folder 11 | Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, 1971 |
Box 4 Folder 12 | Space is the Place, 1972 |
Box 4 Folder 13 | Astro Black, 1973 |
Box 4 Folder 14 | Lanquidity, 1978 |
Box 4 Folder 15 | The Other Side of the Sun, 1979 |
Box 4 Folder 16 | John Cage Meets Sun Ra, 1979 |
Box 4 Folder 17 | 1995
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Box 4 Folder 18 | Undated
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Box 4 Folder 19 | Undated
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Box 4 Folder 20 | Undated
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Box 4 Folder 21 | Undated
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Subseries 2: Discographies |
Box 4 Folder 22 | Alton Abraham, El Saturn Records discographies, circa 1970s |
Box 4 Folder 23 | Tilman Stahl, "Sun Ra Materialen/Sun Ra Material," discography, 1983 |
Box 4 Folder 24 | Discographies, circa 1980s |
Box 4 Folder 25 | Jean Buzelin and Alain-René Hardy, "Disco Sun Ra/1," discography, 1953-1970, 1991 |
Box 4 Folder 26-27 | "Sun Ra Discography," Robert L. Campbell, 1993 |
Series IV: Music Manuscripts |
This series contains manuscripts of Sun Ra's music writing. Also included are music manuscripts prepared by others, and copies of original manuscripts. There are arrangements, compositions, sketches, lyrics, notes and fragmentary music notations. Peripheral material of Sun Ra and Alton Abraham, such as correspondence and notes, is also retained with the manuscripts, though it is not always related. Most manuscripts are undated, but generally range from the 1960s-1980s.
This series is organized into two subseries:
Subseries 1: Sun Ra Manuscripts, contains Sun Ra's manuscripts of his own music, as well as his arrangements of jazz standards. There are holograph manuscripts as well as copies that Sun Ra used to document copyright. Also included are untitled and fragmentary works, and a notebook containing a variety of Sun Ra's music writings.
Subseries 2: Manuscripts by Others, includes compositions by Alton Abraham, Walter Dunn, Ruth Lewis, Faith McBride, and unidentified composers. Some manuscripts may represent versions of Sun Ra's works that were transcribed by others, or works on which Sun Ra collaborated with others. Included are later manuscripts of songs recorded in the late 1950s by the Chicago R&B performer Yochanan. Materials are organized by size.
Manuscripts consisting primarily of lyrics and other verse writings are in Series V.
Subseries 1: Sun Ra Manuscripts |
Box 5 Folder 1 | "21st Century," |
Box 5 Folder 2 | "Barbizon" |
Box 5 Folder 3 | "City in the Clouds" |
Box 5 Folder 4 | "Coordination" |
Box 5 Folder 5 | "Cosmos-Sun-Day" |
Box 5 Folder 6 | "Discipline #1" |
Box 5 Folder 7 | "Discipline 99" |
Box 5 Folder 8 | "Hi Spook" |
Box 5 Folder 9 | "I'm Gonna Unmask the Batman" |
Box 5 Folder 10 | "Loco" |
Box 5 Folder 11 | "Love in Outer Space" |
Box 5 Folder 12 | "Opus 5" |
Box 5 Folder 13 | "Opus Springtime" |
Box 5 Folder 14 | "Saturn" |
Box 5 Folder 15 | "Space Loneliness" |
Box 5 Folder 16 | "Star Time" |
Box 5 Folder 17 | "Who in the World Do You Love?" |
Box 5 Folder 18 | "Wrappin' It Up" |
Box 5 Folder 19 | "Yeah Man!" |
Box 6 Folder 1 | Manuscripts
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Box 6 Folder 2 | Manuscripts
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Box 6 Folder 3 | Manuscripts
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Box 6 Folder 4 | Manuscripts
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Box 6 Folder 5 | Manuscripts
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Box 6 Folder 6 | Untitled manuscripts |
Box 7 Folder 1 | "83 Comet" |
Box 7 Folder 2 | "Astro Black" |
Box 7 Folder 3 | "Hidden Spheres" |
Box 7 Folder 4 | Manuscripts
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Box 7 Folder 5 | "The Cosmo-Fire" |
Box 7 Folder 6 | "Rocket Number Nine" |
Box 7 Folder 7 | "Magic City" |
Box 7 Folder 8 | Notebook |
Box 8 Folder 1 | "Atlantis" |
Box 8 Folder 2 | "True love is never lost..." |
Box 8 Folder 3 | "Frisco Fog" |
Box 8 Folder 4 | "Let's Go Slumming" |
Box 8 Folder 5 | "Running a Temperature" |
Box 9 Folder 1 | "At Sundown" |
Box 9 Folder 2 | "Blue Lou" |
Box 9 Folder 3 | "Can this Be Love?" |
Box 9 Folder 4 | "Dream of You" |
Box 9 Folder 5 | "Four or Five Times" |
Box 9 Folder 6 | "Frisco Fog" |
Box 9 Folder 7 | "Gone with the Wind" |
Box 9 Folder 8 | "I'll Get By" |
Box 9 Folder 9 | "I'll Never Be the Same" |
Box 9 Folder 10 | "I'll String Along with You" |
Box 9 Folder 11 | "Little John" |
Box 9 Folder 12 | "Might Lak' a Rose" |
Box 9 Folder 13 | "Queer Notions" |
Box 9 Folder 14 | "Slippery Horn" |
Box 9 Folder 15 | "Yard Dog Mazurka" |
Box 9 Folder 16 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 17 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 18 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 19 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 20 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 21 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 22 | Manuscripts
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Box 9 Folder 23 | Fakebook and sheet music fragments |
Subseries 2: Manuscripts by Others |
Box 10 Folder 1 | Manuscripts
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Box 10 Folder 2 | Manuscripts
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Box 10 Folder 3 | Manuscripts
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Box 10 Folder 4 | Manuscripts
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Box 10 Folder 5 | "Two of a Kind" |
Box 10 Folder 6 | "From sunset to darkness..." |
Box 10 Folder 7 | Music notebook |
Box 10 Folder 8 | Unidentified works |
Box 10 Folder 9 | Recorder music |
Series V: Verse, Prose and Notes |
This series contains manuscripts, proofs, broadsides, pamphlets, notebooks and books by Sun Ra. It also includes notes, fragmentary works, and a small number of works by Alton Abraham and unidentified writers. Most items are undated, but generally span the 1950s-1980s. Correspondence of Sun Ra is retained with many of his writings. This series is organized alphabetically by title, subject or format.
One distinctive group of material is a collection of notebooks kept by Sun Ra and Alton Abraham. These contain a variety of content such as numerological figures, sketches, notes, and drafts of verse and prose. This series also contains several files related to The Immeasurable Equation, two volumes of Sun Ra's verse: This material includes manuscripts, proofs, sample copies and cover stock. There are other verse compilations including the unpublished The Magic Lie. Also of note are circa 1950s-1960s typescripts and broadsides in which Sun Ra articulated his beliefs during a formative part of his career. An unusual item is Sun Ra's application to an arts program operated by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
Oversize proof sheets of pages of the Immeasurable Equation have been transferred to Series X: Subseries 4. Written music, including music with lyrics, is in Series IV.
Box 10 Folder 10 | "Comments and Poetry by Sun Ra," circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 11 Folder 1 | "The Differences," 1973 |
Box 11 Folder 2 | Egyptian alphabet, circa 1980s |
Box 11 Folder 3 | "Everyday events bear witness..." undated |
Box 11 Folder 4 | "Flight to Mars," undated |
Box 11 Folder 5 | "Gather together our dispersion..." undated |
Box 11 Folder 6 | "I do not remember being born..." undated |
Box 11 Folder 7-10 | The Immeasurable Equation, circa 1971-1972 |
Box 11 Folder 11-18 | The Immeasurable Equation, 1972 |
Box 11 Folder 19 | The Immeasurable Equation, 1972, 1985 |
Box 12 Folder 1-5 | The Immeasurable Equation, Extensions Out: The Immeasurable Equation, volume 2, 1972 |
Box 12 Folder 6 | "In the beginning..." circa 1968-1972 |
Box 12 Folder 7-8 | "Jazz in Silhouette," circa 1958-1960s |
Box 13 Folder 1 | "Jazz in Silhouette," circa 1958-1960s |
Box 13 Folder 2 | "Jesus Gave You a Peace of His Mind," undated |
Box 13 Folder 3 | "Jesus Said, 'Let the Negro Bury the Negro'," undated |
Box 13 Folder 4 | The Magic Lie, undated |
Box 13 Folder 5 | "Music: The Space Language," undated |
Box 13 Folder 6 | Letterhead, Sun Ra, with handwritten notes, undated |
Box 13 Folder 7 | NASA program application, undated |
Box 13 Folder 8 | "The Neglected Plane of Wisdom," circa 1960s |
Box 13 Folder 9-13 | Notebooks, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 14 | Notebook, circa 1963-1965 |
Box 14 Folder 1-4 | Writings and sketches transferred from notebook, circa 1963-1965 |
Box 15 Folder 1 | "Oh Terrible Knower (Noah)," circa 1970s-1980s |
Box 15 Folder 2 | "Safari," undated |
Box 15 Folder 3 | "Solomon," undated |
Box 15 Folder 4 | Statements by Sun Ra, 1970 |
Box 15 Folder 5 | "Sun Ra Live at the Black Music Conference 4/73 at Amherst College," circa 1973 |
Box 15 Folder 6 | "Think a Prayer," 1974 |
Box 15 Folder 7 | "Thought Flash," "Tone Pictures," undated |
Box 15 Folder 8 | "The Tower of Babel," undated |
Box 15 Folder 9 | "A Treatise on Rebirth," undated |
Box 15 Folder 10 | Prose and verse, circa 1950s
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Box 15 Folder 11 | Verse collection, undated
|
Box 15 Folder 12 | Verse and prose collection, undated
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Box 15 Folder 13 | Verse, undated
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Box 15 Folder 14 | Verse, undated
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Box 15 Folder 15 | Verse, undated
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Series VI: Business Records |
This series contains records of the business operations of Saturn Records and other endeavors managed by Alton Abraham in collaboration with Sun Ra and others. The bulk of this material was kept by Alton Abraham, though he may have collected some items from Sun Ra, John Gilmore and others.
Alton Abraham's businesses operated under many different names and iterations. Business names are given as documented on items. Files are organized chronologically, with undated material at the end of the series. Materials date from 1939-1998, but relate mainly to business activities from the late 1950s through the mid-1990s. In addition to material related to the management of Sun Ra and members of the Arkestra, this series also documents Abraham's involvement with other performers and work as a dealer in occult books.
Material in this series includes legal agreements on matters such as recording, performance, record distribution and promotion; business forms and stationery; financial records, such as statements, invoices, reports, and receipts; ephemera, such as catalogs, broadsides, handbills, pamphlets, brochures and other promotional material; and instructional books and pamphlets related to music recording and production. General correspondence includes business mail, promotional material, customer orders and fan mail. Also included are notebooks kept by Alton Abraham: these contain a variety of content, including contact lists; draft promotional copy; notes on recordings and performances; and notes on personal matters.
Oversize financial records, correspondence, publicity material, notes and blank legal forms have been transferred to Series X: Subseries 5. Additional materials related to Abraham's hobbies and entrepreneurial interests are in Series VII. Additional documents of Sun Ra performances and recordings are in Series II and III.
Box 16 Folder 1 | F.H Goldsmith and V.G. Geisel, Techniques of Recording: A Practical Hand-Book on Recording, monograph, 1939 |
Box 16 Folder 2 | Leroy Hughbanks, You Can Make Records, 1945 |
Box 16 Folder 3 | Saturn Records, "New Release Announcement: 'Super-Sonic Jazz' by Sun Ra and his Arkestra," broadsides, circa 1956 |
Box 16 Folder 4 | Financial records, 1956-1957 |
Box 16 Folder 5 | "Down Beat Promotions for Profit," portfolio, 1956-1957 |
Box 16 Folder 6-7 | Financial records, 1956-1966 |
Box 16 Folder 8-9 | Financial records, 1956-1971 |
Box 16 Folder 10 | Record distribution, draft agreement, 1957 |
Box 16 Folder 11 | Account book, 1957 |
Box 16 Folder 12 | Wurlitzer organs, promotional material, 1958 |
Box 17 Folder 1 | Notebook, 1958-1959 |
Box 17 Folder 2 | Central Show Printing Company, brochure, 1959 |
Box 17 Folder 3-4 | Music performance trust funds, forms and reports, 1959-1965 |
Box 17 Folder 5 | Music recording and production, correspondence, circa 1959-1968 |
Box 17 Folder 6 | Financial records, 1950s |
Box 17 Folder 7 | Saturn Records, promotional correspondence and ephemera, circa 1950s-1960s |
Box 17 Folder 8 | Stereo and recording equipment, promotional material, circa 1950s- 1960s |
Box 17 Folder 9 | Saturn Records, draft recording contracts, circa 1950s-1960s |
Box 17 Folder 10 | General correspondence, 1960 |
Box 17 Folder 11 | Record distribution, correspondence, 1960 |
Box 18 Folder 1 | Fletcher Myatt, correspondence, 1960 |
Box 18 Folder 2 | Saturn Records, sample contracts and promotional material, 1960 |
Box 18 Folder 3 | Notes, circa 1960-1969 |
Box 18 Folder 4-5 | Notebooks, 1961 |
Box 18 Folder 6 | General correspondence, 1961-1963 |
Box 18 Folder 7 | Come Back, Africa screening at Doc Films, University of Chicago, correspondence, 1962 |
Box 18 Folder 8 | McLin Ensemble, program, 1962 |
Box 18 Folder 9 | "Down Beat Promotions for Profit," portfolio, 1962 |
Box 18 Folder 10 | Saturn Records, "From the World of Saturn Records," catalogs, circa 1963 |
Box 18 Folder 11 | Down Beat magazines, 1963-1969 |
Box 18 Folder 12 | General correspondence, 1964-1965 |
Box 18 Folder 13 | Ruth Lewis, resume and photograph, 1965 |
Box 18 Folder 14 | Playboy Theater, program, 1965 |
Box 18 Folder 15 | Financial ledger, 1965-1967 |
Box 18 Folder 16 | "Jazz by Sun Ra," advertisement reprint, 1966 |
Box 18 Folder 17-19 | General correspondence, 1966 |
Box 19 Folder 1 | Notes, 1966-1970 |
Box 19 Folder 2 | El Saturn Records, "Strange Strings," catalog, circa 1966 |
Box 19 Folder 3-4 | General correspondence, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 5 | Walter Thiers, correspondence, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 6 | Recording contract forms and notes, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 7 | Jazz magazine, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 8 | Record mailing list, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 9 | John Taggart, correspondence, 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 10 | Record distributors catalogs, circa 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 11 | El Saturn Records, catalogs, circa 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 12 | Copyright forms, circa 1967 |
Box 19 Folder 13 | Saturn "II" Research, Dimpna B. Clarin, correspondence and promotional material, circa 1967-1968 |
Box 19 Folder 14 | LZMC Inc., promotional correspondence, circa 1967-1968 |
Box 19 Folder 15 | LZMC Inc., promotional photographs, circa 1967-1968
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Box 19 Folder 16 | General correspondence, 1968 |
Box 19 Folder 17 | Atra Productions, announcement and letterhead, 1968 |
Box 19 Folder 18 | Hellas Café, handbill, circa 1968 |
Box 19 Folder 19 | Atra Productions, Lacy Gibson, promotional material, circa 1968 |
Box 19 Folder 20 | Lena McLin, promotional material, circa 1968 |
Box 19 Folder 21 | Saturn Research Foundation, book catalogs and letterhead, circa 1968 |
Box 20 Folder 1 | Saturn Research Foundation, book catalogs and letterhead, circa 1968 |
Box 20 Folder 2 | Playboy marketing portfolio, circa 1968 |
Box 20 Folder 3 | Filming rights agreement drafts and correspondence, circa 1968 |
Box 20 Folder 4 | General correspondence, 1968-1969 |
Box 20 Folder 5 | Notebook, 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 6 | Tam Fiofori, correspondence, 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 7 | General correspondence, circa 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 8 | Billy Mitchell (Mitchell W. Boisseau) and Duo Records, recording agreement, 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 9 | Music performance trust funds, agreements, 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 10 | Saturn Records Research, sales representative solicitations, circa 1969 |
Box 20 Folder 11 | Financial records, circa 1960s |
Box 20 Folder 12 | General correspondence, circa 1960s |
Box 20 Folder 13 | Notebook, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 1 | Clippings, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 2 | "Saturn's Fan Club," postcards, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 3-4 | El Saturn Research, invoice pads, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 4 | El Saturn Records, letterhead, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 5 | Enterplanetary Koncepts, legal forms, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 6 | Saturn Research Foundation, book catalogs, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 7 | Saturn Records Research, letterhead, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 8-9 | El Saturn Research, invoice forms, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 10 | El Saturn Records, "Good News From...El Saturn Records," postcards, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 11 | Legal forms, circa 1960s |
Box 21 Folder 12 | Sonny's Stereo Village, catalogs, circa 1960s |
Box 22 Folder 1 | Atra Productions, broadside, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 22 Folder 2 | Notes, 1970 |
Box 22 Folder 3 | Saturn Records Research, Maeght Foundation recording agreement, 1970 |
Box 22 Folder 4 | Notebook, 1970 |
Box 22 Folder 5 | General correspondence, 1970 |
Box 22 Folder 6 | Financial records, legal records and correspondence, 1970-1971 |
Box 22 Folder 7 | Enterplanetary Koncepts, registrations, licenses and notes, 1970- 1973 |
Box 22 Folder 8 | European travel, financial records, 1971 |
Box 22 Folder 9 | Film equipment and production, promotional material, 1971 |
Box 22 Folder 10 | General correspondence, 1971 |
Box 23 Folder 1 | General correspondence, 1971 |
Box 23 Folder 2 | Notebook, 1971 |
Box 23 Folder 3 | Checkbook, 1971 |
Box 23 Folder 4 | American Federation of Musicians, correspondence, 1971-1975 |
Box 23 Folder 5-6 | General correspondence, 1972 |
Box 23 Folder 7 | Legal correspondence and agreements, 1972 |
Box 23 Folder 8 | Poetry of America, correspondence, circa 1972 |
Box 23 Folder 9 | General correspondence, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 1 | General correspondence, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 2 | Travel insurance policies, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 3 | Down Beat magazine, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 4 | Triangle Guide magazine, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 5 | Copyright manual and forms, 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 6 | Notebook, circa 1973 |
Box 24 Folder 7 | Mailing book, 1974 |
Box 24 Folder 8 | Movie Maker magazine, 1974 |
Box 24 Folder 9-10 | General correspondence, 1974 |
Box 25 Folder 1 | Dimpna B. Clarin, program, 1975 |
Box 25 Folder 2 | General correspondence, 1975 |
Box 25 Folder 3-4 | Student Activities Programming, magazine, 1976 |
Box 25 Folder 5-6 | General correspondence, 1976 |
Box 25 Folder 7 | Notebook, 1976-1979 |
Box 25 Folder 8 | Notebook, 1976-1980 |
Box 25 Folder 9 | General correspondence, 1977 |
Box 26 Folder 1 | General correspondence, 1977 |
Box 26 Folder 2 | Judith A. Holten, "The Endangered Species: A One Act History Play for Children," script, 1977 |
Box 26 Folder 3 | Record orders, 1978 |
Box 26 Folder 4 | Jefferson 42, magazine, 1978 |
Box 26 Folder 5-6 | General correspondence, 1978 |
Box 26 Folder 7 | Jazz Echo, newsletter, 1979 |
Box 26 Folder 8 | Jazz Forum, magazine, 1979 |
Box 26 Folder 9 | Navy Pier performance contract, 1979 |
Box 26 Folder 10-11 | General correspondence, 1979 |
Box 26 Folder 12 | El Saturn Research, "Hot Hits Fresh from the Sun..." broadside, circa 1970s |
Box 26 Folder 13 | Saturn Records Research, announcement, circa 1970s |
Box 26 Folder 14 | Symac Productions, Johnnie Walker announcement, circa 1970s |
Box 26 Folder 15 | Recording agreements, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 1 | Financial records, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 2 | Keystone Printed Specialties Co., Inc., product samples, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 3 | Notes, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 4-5 | Notebooks, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 6 | Legal forms, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 7 | Financial records, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 8 | Farfisa electric organ, instruction manual, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 9-10 | Audio recording equipment, promotional material, circa 1970s |
Box 27 Folder 11 | Saturn Records Research, catalog of Sun Ra albums, circa 1970s- 1980s |
Box 27 Folder 12 | Notebook, 1980 |
Box 27 Folder 13 | John Gilmore, correspondence, 1980 |
Box 28 Folder 1 | Otis Rush, European tour itinerary, 1980 |
Box 28 Folder 2 | General correspondence, 1980 |
Box 28 Folder 3 | Notebook, 1980-1982 |
Box 28 Folder 4 | Notebook, 1981 |
Box 28 Folder 5 | Pierre Fablet, correspondence, 1981 |
Box 28 Folder 6 | General correspondence, 1981 |
Box 28 Folder 7 | General correspondence, 1982 |
Box 28 Folder 8 | General correspondence, 1983 |
Box 28 Folder 9 | Dimpna B. Clarin, broadsides, 1983-1985 |
Box 28 Folder 10 | General correspondence, 1984 |
Box 28 Folder 11 | Ed Michel, correspondence, 1984-1986 |
Box 28 Folder 12 | Down Beat magazine, 1985 |
Box 28 Folder 13 | General correspondence, 1985 |
Box 29 Folder 1 | General correspondence, 1985 |
Box 29 Folder 2 | Enterplanetary Koncepts, contract with Guthrie Theater, Minneapolis, 1986 |
Box 29 Folder 3 | General correspondence, 1986-1987 |
Box 29 Folder 4 | International Jazz Federation, membership application and magazine, 1987 |
Box 29 Folder 5 | Notebooks, 1988 |
Box 29 Folder 6 | General correspondence, 1988 |
Box 29 Folder 7 | Mitchell W. Boisseau, resume, photograph and clippings, circa 1980s |
Box 29 Folder 8 | El Saturn Research, Sun Ra recordings broadside, circa 1980s |
Box 29 Folder 9-15 | Notebooks, circa 1980s |
Box 30 Folder 1-2 | Notebooks, circa 1980s |
Box 30 Folder 3 | Financial records, 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 4 | Jazz museums and parks, publications and reports, 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 5 | Enterplanetary Koncepts, draft agreement, circa 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 6 | Notes, circa 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 7 | Legal forms, circa 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 8 | Audio recording, promotional material and notes, circa 1980s- 1990s |
Box 30 Folder 9 | Clippings, circa 1980s-1990s |
Box 30 Folder 10 | "Pat Patrick: Saxophonist, Musicologist, Composer," brochure, 1990 |
Box 30 Folder 11 | General correspondence, 1990 |
Box 30 Folder 12 | Royalties and licensing, correspondence and notes, 1990-1994 |
Box 30 Folder 13 | General correspondence, 1991 |
Box 30 Folder 14 | John Szwed, correspondence, 1991 |
Box 30 Folder 15 | General correspondence, 1992 |
Box 31 Folder 1 | General correspondence, 1992 |
Box 31 Folder 2-4 | General correspondence, 1993 |
Box 31 Folder 5 | David Henderson, correspondence, 1993 |
Box 31 Folder 6 | Notes, 1993 |
Box 31 Folder 7 | General correspondence, 1994 |
Box 31 Folder 8 | General correspondence, 1995 |
Box 31 Folder 9 | Hartmut Geerken, correspondence, 1995 |
Box 31 Folder 10 | David DeShong, correspondence, 1995 |
Box 31 Folder 11 | General correspondence, 1996 |
Box 32 Folder 1 | Evidence Music, royalty statement, 1996 |
Box 32 Folder 2 | General correspondence, 1997 |
Box 32 Folder 3 | Trademark bulletin and application, 1997 |
Box 32 Folder 4 | General correspondence, 1998 |
Box 32 Folder 5-6 | General correspondence, circa 1990s |
Box 32 Folder 7 | Independent music promotion, pamphlets, circa 1990s |
Box 32 Folder 8 | El Saturn Research, letterhead, circa 1990s |
Box 32 Folder 9 | Ihnfinity Research Inc., letterhead, circa 1990s |
Box 32 Folder 10 | Saturn Research, letterhead, circa 1990s |
Box 32 Folder 11 | General correspondence, undated |
Box 32 Folder 12-13 | Notes, undated |
Box 32 Folder 14 | Legal forms, undated |
Box 33 Folder 1 | El Saturn Records, recording agreement forms, undated |
Box 33 Folder 2 | LP center labels, order forms, undated |
Box 33 Folder 3 | Allied Record Distributing Company, agreement forms, undated |
Box 33 Folder 4 | Legal agreement mimeograph stencil, undated |
Box 33 Folder 5 | El Saturn Research, invoice forms, undated |
Box 33 Folder 6 | El Saturn Research, Alton Abraham business cards, undated |
Box 33 Folder 7 | Thmei Research, letterhead, undated |
Box 33 Folder 8 | Ihnfinity Research Inc., letterhead, undated |
Box 33 Folder 9 | El Saturn Research, letterhead, undated |
Box 33 Folder 10-11 | Atra Productions, letterhead, undated |
Box 33 Folder 12 | Saturn Records Research and Saturn "II" Research, letterhead, undated |
Series VII: Alton Abraham |
This series documents Alton Abraham's education, employment, personal life, and outside interests. There is also some material related to Abraham's friends, associates and family members. This series is organized into six subseries.
Subseries 1: Spirituality and the Supernatural, contains books, periodicals and print ephemera reflecting Alton Abraham's interest in subjects such as religion, Egyptology, the occult, alternative medicine, extraterrestrials, and the afterlife. These materials span the years 1822-1988. This subseries is organized by format: There is a section of hardcover books; a section of paperback books; a section of periodicals; and a section of print ephemera. Each section is further organized alphabetically by author or organization.
Subseries 2: Science and Technology, contains material related to Abraham's lifelong interest in these subjects, as well as records of his education and employment in technical fields. Abraham collected material on a multitude of topics, such as nutrition, chemistry, psychology, communications technology, electronic surveillance, photography, agriculture, aerospace, and many more. Included are publications, printed ephemera, technical specifications, correspondence and notes. Files are organized chronologically from the 1920s-1993; undated materials are included at the end of the subseries.
Subseries 3: Politics and Society, contains publications and print ephemera on topics such as black nationalism, radical leftism, African society, and minority social issues. Files are organized chronologically from 1962-1992, with undated materials at the end of the subseries.
Subseries 4: Music Instruction, contains of Alton Abraham's collection of sheet music, songbooks, and instruction books. Files are arranged chronologically from 1923-1982, though most of the subseries consists of instruction books for popular music of the 1960s-1970s.
Subseries 5: Knights of Music, is a small collection of material documenting this African-American men's choral group, to which Alton Abraham belonged in the early 1950s. This subseries contains some of the group's concert programs and business records, as well as Abraham's certificate of membership and collection of choral music songbooks. This subseries also contains some related material that documents other unique aspects of African-American culture in mid-20th century Chicago: An invitation to the 1950 "Queen of May" frolic hosted by the Sepians, and an elaborate program for a performance of the Mildred B. Haessler Ballet Group. Material in this subseries dates from 1887-1953, but is concentrated in the early 1950s.
Subseries 6: Entrepreneurship, consists of correspondence, publications and printed ephemera dating from the 1960s-1980s. The majority of this material is direct marketing correspondence promoting pyramid capital schemes and other spurious business opportunities. Also included are correspondence and publications from the Bureau of Land Management, catalogs and correspondence from manufacturing concerns, and typescript excerpts of J.D. Borthwick's Three Years in California.
Subseries 7: Correspondence, Notes and Ephemera, contains material collected by Alton Abraham and his friends and family. Included are materials related to travel, book collecting, automobiles, employment, education, and civic affairs. This subseries also contains several files of notes and correspondence on a variety of personal subjects. Files are organized chronologically from 1929-1978, with undated material at the end of the subseries.
Oversize publications, clippings, sheet music and ephemera have been transferred to Series X: Subseries 6; among these items are several large-format posters and radical publications. Artifactual objects, such as decorative ornaments and other personal items, are in Series IX. Restricted materials, consisting of personal financial records, academic records, medical records, and identification and registration documents, have been transferred to Series XII.
Subseries 1: Spirituality and the Supernatural |
Box 34 Folder 1 | Avalon, Arthur, Hymn to Kāli Karpūrādi-Stotra, 1965 |
Box 34 Folder 2 | Belzoni, G., Narrative of the Operations and Recent Discoveries in Egypt and Nubia, Vol. II, 1822 |
Box 34 Folder 3 | Besant, Annie, Thought Power: Its Control and Culture, 1953 |
Box 34 Folder 4 | Blavatsky, H.P., The Key to Theosophy, 1889 |
Box 34 Folder 5 | Burroughs, Joseph Birkbeck, Titan, Son of Saturn, 1921 |
Box 35 Folder 1 | Curtiss, Harriette Augusta and F. Homer Curtiss, The Voice of Isis, 1935 |
Box 35 Folder 2 | DeClaremont, Lewis, The Ancient's Book of Magic, undated |
Box 35 Folder 3 | Francis, J.R., The Encyclopedia of Death and Life in the Spirit- World, 1900 |
Box 35 Folder 4 | Haddock, Frank Channing, The Personal Atmosphere, 1908 |
Box 36 Folder 1 | Hall, Trowbridge, Egypt in Silhouette, 1928 |
Box 36 Folder 2 | Irving, Washington, Mahomet and his Successors, 1849 |
Box 36 Folder 3 | Jiharājadāsa, C., H.P.B. Speaks, Vol. I, 1950 |
Box 36 Folder 4 | Jiharājadāsa, C., H.P.B. Speaks, Vol. II, 1951 |
Box 36 Folder 5 | Meyer, Rev. Fulgence, The Seraphic Highway, 1925 |
Box 37 Folder 1 | Parsons, Albert Ross, New Light from the Great Pyramid, 1893 |
Box 37 Folder 2 | Priestley, Richard, Nimrod: A Discourse on Certain Passages of History and Fable, Vol. I, 1828 |
Box 38 Folder 1 | Priestley, Richard, Nimrod: A Discourse on Certain Passages of History and Fable, Vol. III, 1828 |
Box 38 Folder 2 | Priestley, Richard, Nimrod: A Discourse on Certain Passages of History and Fable, Vol. IV, 1829 |
Box 39 Folder 1 | Proctor, Richard A., Other Worlds than Ours, 1902 |
Box 39 Folder 2 | Reed, Lucas A., Astronomy and the Bible, 1919 |
Box 39 Folder 3 | Speer, Robert E., Race and Race Relations, 1924 |
Box 39 Folder 4 | Spivey, Thomas Sawyer, Lavius Egyptus, 1904 |
Box 40 Folder 1 | Stockham, Alice B., Tokology: A Book for Every Woman, 1889 |
Box 40 Folder 2 | Unwin, T. Fisher, The Mystics, Ascetics, and Saints of India, 1905 |
Box 40 Folder 3 | Volney, C.F., The Ruins, 1920 |
Box 41 Folder 1 | Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, You May Survive Armageddon into God's New World, 1955 |
Box 41 Folder 2 | Wood, Ernest, Concentration, 1949 |
Box 41 Folder 3 | Woodroffe, Sir John, The World as Power, Power as Matter, 1923 |
Box 41 Folder 4 | Unidentified author, Supernatural Religion: An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation, Vol. II, 1874 |
Box 42 Folder 1 | Besant, Annie, Theosophy and Christianity, 1941 |
Box 42 Folder 2 | Boots, Gypsy and Thorwald Bosie, Turn On-Turn Off, 1972 |
Box 42 Folder 3 | Cayce, Edgar E., Atlantis: Fact or Fiction?, 1962 |
Box 42 Folder 4 | Copen, Bruce, How Radiesthesia Can Help You, 1968 |
Box 42 Folder 5 | Fox, Emmet, Find and Use Your Inner Power, undated |
Box 42 Folder 6 | Heline, Corinne, Healing and Regeneration through Color, 1943 |
Box 42 Folder 7 | Heline, Corinne, Healing and Regeneration through Music, 1943 |
Box 42 Folder 8 | McCain, Betty, Abortion and Karma, 1960 |
Box 42 Folder 9 | McDonald, John, The Magic Story: The Message of a Master, 1952 |
Box 42 Folder 10 | Moser, Robert E., Mental and Astral Projection, 1974 |
Box 42 Folder 11 | Namikoshi, Tokujiro, Japanese Finger-Pressure Therapy, 1972 |
Box 42 Folder 12 | Platoff, Raphael P., The Light for Tomorrow: H3, undated |
Box 42 Folder 13 | Quinn, Pete, Policy Pete's Dream Book, 1965 |
Box 42 Folder 14 | Raleigh, Dr. A.S., The Hermetic Art: An Introduction to the Art of Alchemy, 1919 |
Box 42 Folder 15 | Rogers, J.A., 100 Amazing Facts About the Negro (with complete proof), 1957 |
Box 42 Folder 16 | Rogers, L.W., The Forces We Generate, 1924 |
Box 42 Folder 17 | Rogers, L.W., Gods in the Making, 1925 |
Box 42 Folder 18 | Rogers, L.W., The Purpose of Life, 1945 |
Box 42 Folder 19 | Rogers, L.W., Soul Powers and Possibilities, 1925 |
Box 42 Folder 20 | Rogers, L.W., Self Development and Power, 1910 |
Box 43 Folder 1 | Saxmann, Robert Beatty, Rebirth, Transmigration and Reincarnation, 1937 |
Box 43 Folder 2 | Scharder, Dr. M.F., Sacred Wisdom of the Ancients!, 1959 |
Box 43 Folder 3 | Shay, Joseph M., Out of Body Consciousness, 1972 |
Box 43 Folder 4 | Urides, Eros (a Martian), The Planet Mars and its Inhabitants, 1956 |
Box 43 Folder 5 | Whitman, Edward, The Books of the Planets: the Book of Saturn, undated |
Box 43 Folder 6 | Woodland, Samuel Francis, All That's Love-ly, 1907 |
Box 43 Folder 7 | Unidentified Author, Ancient History, undated |
Box 43 Folder 8 | Unidentified Author, I am Decrees, 1937 |
Box 43 Folder 9 | Holy Bible (King James Version), 1964 |
Box 44 Folder 1 | Beyond Reality, 1974 |
Box 44 Folder 2 | The Cosmic Dawn, 1930 |
Box 44 Folder 3 | Cosmic Voice, Vol. I, 1955-61 |
Box 44 Folder 4 | Fate and Fortune, 1974 |
Box 44 Folder 5 | Flying Saucers, 1967 |
Box 44 Folder 6 | Man, Myth, and Magic, 1974 |
Box 44 Folder 7 | Occult Digest, 1972 |
Box 44 Folder 8 | The Occult Press Review, 1923 |
Box 44 Folder 9 | Psychic, 1974 |
Box 44 Folder 10 | Psychic Dimensions, 1974 |
Box 44 Folder 11 | Science of Mind, 1981 |
Box 44 Folder 12 | The Truth Seeker, 1955-1956 |
Box 45 Folder 1 | Abraham, Adam A., 1983 |
Box 45 Folder 2 | Aetherius Society, 1961 |
Box 45 Folder 3 | American Cosmic-Solar Research Center, 1962 |
Box 45 Folder 4 | American Federation of Young Theosophists, 1970 |
Box 45 Folder 5 | Ansaru Allah Community, undated |
Box 45 Folder 6-7 | Ascended Master's Darjeeling Council of God's Will, 1966-1975 |
Box 45 Folder 8 | The Association for Research and Enlightenment, undated |
Box 45 Folder 9-11 | Astara Foundation, 1966-1968 |
Box 45 Folder 12 | Astrology, undated |
Box 45 Folder 13 | Biosophical Society, 1956 |
Box 45 Folder 14 | The Bridge to Freedom, undated |
Box 45 Folder 15 | The Brotherhood of Light, 1934 |
Box 45 Folder 16 | The Children of God, 1973 |
Box 45 Folder 17 | The Christian Community, undated |
Box 46 Folder 1 | The Christian Vernacular Education Society, 1890 |
Box 46 Folder 2 | Church of Illumination, undated |
Box 46 Folder 3 | E.S.P. Laboratory, 1974 |
Box 46 Folder 4-5 | The Great White Brotherhood, 1963 |
Box 46 Folder 6 | The Holy House of Ra, undated |
Box 46 Folder 7 | International Imports, 1974 |
Box 46 Folder 8 | The Mayans, 1936-64 |
Box 46 Folder 9 | The New Age Truth Organization, 1982 |
Box 46 Folder 10 | Nubian Islaamic Hebrews, undated |
Box 46 Folder 11 | Osiris Book Service Ltd., undated |
Box 46 Folder 12 | The Philosophical Research Society, 1987-1988 |
Box 46 Folder 13 | Pyramids, 1973-1974 |
Box 46 Folder 14 | Rogers, J.A., 1960 |
Box 46 Folder 15 | Society of Transcendent Science, 1923 |
Box 46 Folder 16 | Stewart, Kilton, undated |
Box 46 Folder 17 | Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, 1969 |
Box 46 Folder 18 | Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania, 1976 |
Box 46 Folder 19 | von Winterstein, Alfred Frh., undated |
Box 46 Folder 20 | Unidentified authors
|
Subseries 2: Science and Technology |
Box 47 Folder 1 | Battle Creek Food Company, "Healthful Living," pamphlet, circa 1920s |
Box 47 Folder 2 | United States War Department, Detector Set AN/PRS-1, manual, 1944 |
Box 47 Folder 3 | American Institute of Engineering and Technology, Drafting: The Language of Industry, volume 2, textbook, circa 1940s-1950s |
Box 47 Folder 4 | Chicago City Junior College, An Introduction to College Chemistry in the Laboratory, textbook, circa 1949 |
Box 47 Folder 5 | Chemistry course, lecture notes, 1949 |
Box 47 Folder 6 | Psychology course, lecture notes and examination, 1949 |
Box 47 Folder 7 | X-ray technical instruction, lecture notes, syllabus and readings, 1950-1959 |
Box 47 Folder 8 | X-ray equipment, manuals, circa 1950-1959 |
Box 47 Folder 9 | Milton S. Kiser, Analyzing and Tracing TV Circuits, manual, 1954 |
Box 47 Folder 10 | Edmund Scientific Company, Infra-Red Light and Its Uses, manual, circa 1954 |
Box 47 Folder 11 | Boy Scouts of America, catalog, 1956 |
Box 47 Folder 12 | Laboratory equipment and supplies, catalogs, circa 1950s-1970 |
Box 47 Folder 13 | American Society of X-Ray Technicians, newsletter, 1960 |
Box 47 Folder 14 | Mössbauer spectroscopy, conference proceedings, technical specifications and reprint, 1963-1967 |
Box 47 Folder 15 | Technical sketches, 1964 |
Box 47 Folder 16 | Electronic Technician, magazine, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 1 | Lance Antenna Corporation, brochure, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 2-3 | PF Reporter, magazines, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 4 | Professional Photographers of America, Professional Photographers Product Guide, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 5 | Radio Electronics, magazine, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 6 | Science and Mechanics, magazine, 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 7 | Nova-Tech aviation equipment, correspondence, circa 1966 |
Box 48 Folder 8 | Surveillance and security equipment, correspondence, 1966-1970 |
Box 48 Folder 9 | Hydrogen generator, operating instructions, 1967 |
Box 48 Folder 10 | Motorola Semiconductor Products, manuals and catalog, 1967 |
Box 48 Folder 11 | New York University, Summer Workshop in Television and Radio, bulletin, 1967 |
Box 48 Folder 12 | Metal detectors, correspondence, circa 1967 |
Box 48 Folder 13 | Agricultural Extension Service, University of California, "Selected Publications on Growing Plants Without Soil," bibliography, 1968 |
Box 48 Folder 14 | Indiana Botanic Gardens, Inc., catalog, 1969 |
Box 48 Folder 15 | Joseph D. Cooper, Nikon F Nikkormat Pocket Companion, manual, 1969 |
Box 48 Folder 16 | Bruce Copen, The Radionic Computer Handbook, 1969-1974 |
Box 48 Folder 17 | NSEC, cryogenic accessories, specifications, circa 1960s |
Box 48 Folder 18 | Pyrotechnics operating instructions, circa 1960s |
Box 48 Folder 19 | Space Travel: A Golden Stamp Book, circa 1960s |
Box 49 Folder 1 | Telephone equipment, catalog and clipping, circa 1960s |
Box 49 Folder 2 | Metalworking supplies and equipment, catalogs, circa 1960s-1976 |
Box 49 Folder 3 | Model Rocketry, magazine, 1970 |
Box 49 Folder 4 | Olivetti Logos 27-1 calculator, specifications, circa 1970 |
Box 49 Folder 5 | Occidental Institute of Chinese Studies, acupuncture, correspondence, 1973 |
Box 49 Folder 6 | Nutrition and diet, correspondence, 1973-1974 |
Box 49 Folder 7 | Science and Mechanics, magazine, 1974 |
Box 49 Folder 8 | Scott R. French, The Big Brother Game, monograph, 1975 |
Box 49 Folder 9 | Surveillance equipment, brochures and correspondence, circa 1975 |
Box 49 Folder 10 | Rapid Electroplating Process, Inc., correspondence, 1979 |
Box 49 Folder 11 | Newsweek, magazine, 1979 |
Box 49 Folder 12 | Holography, correspondence, circa 1979-1980 |
Box 49 Folder 13 | Photograph equipment catalogs, circa 1970s |
Box 49 Folder 14 | Panasonic Satellite Products, catalog, 1986 |
Box 49 Folder 15 | Gero Vita International, brochure, circa 1987 |
Box 49 Folder 16 | Chicago Academy of Sciences, "Science and Art: Creativity and Motivation," conference program and correspondence, 1993 |
Box 49 Folder 17 | Electronics courses, correspondence, undated |
Box 49 Folder 18 | IBM Field Engineering Education, Selectric I/O Printer, guide, undated |
Box 49 Folder 19 | Castolite Company, correspondence, undated |
Box 49 Folder 20 | Medical procedures, notes, undated |
Box 49 Folder 21 | Nutritional values of foods, photocopied list, undated |
Box 49 Folder 22 | Garth W. Boericke, "Homeopathy," pamphlet, undated |
Subseries 3: Politics and Society |
Box 50 Folder 1 | Mary O'Hanlon, Racial Myths, pamphlet, 1946 |
Box 50 Folder 2 | Charles H. Davis, Jr., "Black Nationalism and the Nation of Islam," pamphlets, 1962 |
Box 50 Folder 3 | United States Department of Commerce, "East Africa: A Market for U.S. Products" and "Market for U.S. Products in the Ivory Coast," supplements to International Commerce, 1966 |
Box 50 Folder 4 | The Real Great Society, conference proceedings and clippings, 1967 |
Box 50 Folder 5 | Black Poets Reading, brochure, 1970 |
Box 50 Folder 6 | Institute of Positive Education, Black Books Bulletin, 1973 |
Box 50 Folder 7 | South West Africa People's Organization of Namibia (SWAPO), Namibia News, periodicals, 1973 |
Box 50 Folder 8 | Southern Africa, periodical, 1974 |
Box 50 Folder 9 | Plain Truth: A Magazine of Understanding, 1975 |
Box 50 Folder 10 | Herbert J. Hansell, memorandum for the secretary of state on the president's power to give notice of termination of US-ROC mutual defense treaty, photocopy, 1978 |
Box 50 Folder 11-13 | Overthrow, periodicals, 1983-1986 |
Box 50 Folder 14 | Griot: A Journal of Native Consciousness, 1992 |
Box 50 Folder 15 | Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, brochure, undated |
Box 50 Folder 16 | Richard Clagett, "Public Sale of Negroes," reproduction broadside, undated |
Subseries 4: Music Instruction |
Box 50 Folder 17 | Sheet music, 1923-1962 |
Box 50 Folder 18 | Music workbook, 1946 |
Box 50 Folder 19 | Mickey Baker's Complete Course in Jazz Guitar, book 1, 1955 |
Box 50 Folder 20 | Anthony J. Manfredi and Joseph M. Estella, Smith's Modern Electric Bass Guitar Method, instruction book,1959 |
Box 50 Folder 21 | Mel Bay, Tenor Banjo Chords in Photo-Diagram Form, instruction book, 1961 |
Box 50 Folder 22 | Charles F. Morrison, Jr., Generalized Instrumentation for Research and Teaching, primer, 1964 |
Box 51 Folder 1 | Authentic Guitar Sounds of Peter Paul and Mary, songbook, 1967 |
Box 51 Folder 2 | John Higgins, "Night Coach," score, 1968 |
Box 51 Folder 3 | Tommy J. Fry, "Triptych," score, 1971 |
Box 51 Folder 4 | B.B. King Songbook: Black and Blue, 1971 |
Box 51 Folder 5 | Kenneth Stanton, Introduction to Jazz Theory, 1976 |
Box 51 Folder 6 | The Buddy Holly Story, songbook, 1978 |
Box 51 Folder 7 | Maurice J. Summerfield, The Jazz Guitar, monograph, 1978 |
Box 51 Folder 8 | Country Superstars, songbook, 1980 |
Box 51 Folder 9 | The Jack Butler Piano Course, part 2, 1980 |
Box 51 Folder 10 | Beatles, songbook, 1982 |
Subseries 5: Knights of Music |
Box 51 Folder 11 | "The Gately Song," score, circa 1950 |
Box 51 Folder 12 | Sepians "Queen of May" frolic, invitation, 1950 |
Box 51 Folder 13 | Financial records, notes and business card, circa 1950s |
Box 51 Folder 14 | Mildred B. Haessler Ballet Group, program, 1948 |
Box 51 Folder 15 | Concert programs, 1951-1952 |
Box 51 Folder 16 | Certificate of membership, 1953 |
Box 51 Folder 17-18 | Choral music songbooks, 1887-1952 |
Box 52 Folder 1 | Choral music songbooks, 1887-1952 |
Subseries 6: Entrepreneurship |
Box 52 Folder 2 | Nationwide Plastics Company, plastic manufacturing manuals, 1962 |
Box 52 Folder 3 | Bureau of Land Management, correspondence, 1966-1970 |
Box 52 Folder 4 | Bureau of Land Management, Our Public Lands, periodicals, 1967- 1968 |
Box 52 Folder 5 | Amway pamphlets and order form, circa 1970 |
Box 52 Folder 6 | Sri Lanka State Trading Corporation, correspondence and catalog, 1974 |
Box 52 Folder 7 | J.D. Borthwick, "Notes from Three (3) Years in California," typescript, undated |
Box 52 Folder 8-13 | Business opportunities, correspondence, circa 1960s-1980s |
Box 53 Folder 1-8 | Business opportunities, correspondence, circa 1960s-1980s |
Subseries 7: Correspondence, Notes and Ephemera |
Box 54 Folder 1 | Limited Editions Club, 1929-1941 catalogue, 1940 |
Box 54 Folder 2 | Diplomas, certifications and registrations, 1947-circa 1980s |
Box 54 Folder 3 | A.O. Knoll, correspondence, 1952-1958 |
Box 54 Folder 4 | Madalynn Friedman, notes, 1959 |
Box 54 Folder 5 | Fiat 1800 manual, 1950s |
Box 54 Folder 6 | Correspondence, circa 1950s-1990s |
Box 54 Folder 7 | Chicago Transit Authority, accident report, 1960 |
Box 54 Folder 8 | Adam Everett Abraham, vocabulary list, 1965 |
Box 54 Folder 9 | United States Civil Service Commission, employment application and pamphlet, 1966-1967 |
Box 54 Folder 10-11 | Automobiles, financial records, publicity material, forms and notes, circa 1960s-1980s |
Box 54 Folder 12-13 | Notebooks, circa 1960s-1980s |
Box 55 Folder 1-2 | Travel ephemera and correspondence, circa 1960s-1990s |
Box 55 Folder 3 | Chicago Public Library, bulletin, 1969 |
Box 55 Folder 4 | Clippings, circa 1960s-1990s |
Box 55 Folder 5 | Ohio St. Matthew University, correspondence, 1970 |
Box 55 Folder 6 | Parke-Bernet Galleries, automobile auction catalog, 1970 |
Box 55 Folder 7 | CPA review course schedule, 1976 |
Box 55 Folder 8 | Notebook, 1978 |
Box 55 Folder 9 | Horoscope, notes, 1987 |
Box 55 Folder 10 | Citroën CX brochure, 1987 |
Box 55 Folder 11 | Chicago A.R.E. study groups, list, undated |
Box 55 Folder 12 | Business cards, undated |
Box 55 Folder 13-23 | Notes, undated |
Series VIII: Audio-Visual |
This series contains photographs, audio recordings, and film and video recordings. Materials are organized by format into three subseries:
Subseries 1: Photographs, contains prints, contact sheets, transparencies and negatives. There are also photocopies and printed scans of photographs. Most photographs are in black and white, though some are in color. Many photographs are undated, but generally span the 1940s-1990s. Photographs of Sun Ra and the Arkestra include portraits, photographs of live performances, candid snapshots, and publicity stills for Space is the Place. Also included are photographs of Alton Abraham, photographs of travel in Egypt in elsewhere, and photographs of other performers. There are many unidentified photographs, particularly negatives.
Subseries 2: Film and Video, contains filmstrips and videocassette tapes. Most items are unidentified and undated, but generally date from the 1970s-1990s. Also included is an empty canister and box shipped in 1961.
Subseries 3: Audio, contains cassette tapes, reel tapes, and vinyl records. Included are recordings by Sun Ra and other performers, as well as test pressings and unidentified recordings. Inserts, correspondence and other accompanying material is found with some recordings. Materials span 1964-1999.
Text and graphic documents of Sun Ra performances and recordings are in Series II and III.
Subseries 1: Photographs |
Box 56 Folder 1 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s-1980s |
Box 56 Folder 2 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s-1980s |
Box 56 Folder 3 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s-1980s |
Box 56 Folder 4 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s-1980s |
Box 56 Folder 5 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s, 2002 |
Box 56 Folder 6 | Sun Ra and other performers, circa 1960s |
Box 56 Folder 7 | Sun Ra and other performers, circa 1960s |
Box 56 Folder 8 | Sun Ra and other performers, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 56 Folder 9 | Sun Ra and other performers, Space is the Place, circa 1972-1974 |
Box 56 Folder 10 | Sun Ra, 1973 |
Box 56 Folder 11 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, Mexico, circa 1973-1974 |
Box 56 Folder 12 | Sun Ra and Arkestra by Mike Harris, 1975 |
Box 56 Folder 13 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, Chicago Old Style Jazz Festival, 1978 |
Box 56 Folder 14 | Sun Ra, circa 1993 |
Box 57 Folder 1 | Sun Ra, Schwarz, 1998 |
Box 57 Folder 2 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, Chicago Old Style Jazz Festival, undated |
Box 57 Folder 3 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, undated |
Box 57 Folder 4 | Alton Abraham and friends, DuSable High School prom, circa 1940s |
Box 57 Folder 5 | Alton Abraham, undated |
Box 57 Folder 6 | The Fabulous Chicago Links, circa 1960s |
Box 57 Folder 7 | The Visitors, circa 1960s |
Box 57 Folder 8 | Lacy Gibson, circa 1960s |
Box 57 Folder 9 | National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards, 1972 |
Box 57 Folder 10 | Dimpna B. Clarin and others, circa 1970s |
Box 57 Folder 11 | Egypt, circa 1977-1978 |
Box 57 Folder 12 | Egypt, circa 1977-1978 |
Box 57 Folder 13 | Travel and outdoor scenes, 1975 |
Box 57 Folder 14 | Travel and outdoor scenes, 1978 |
Box 57 Folder 15 | Travel and outdoor scenes, circa 1978 |
Box 57 Folder 16 | Travel and outdoor scenes, 1970s |
Box 57 Folder 17 | Travel and outdoor scenes, 1988 |
Box 57 Folder 18 | Travel and outdoor scenes, undated |
Box 58 Folder 1 | Travel and outdoor scenes, undated |
Box 58 Folder 2 | Apollo mission, circa 1969 |
Box 58 Folder 3 | Unidentified, 1962 |
Box 58 Folder 4 | Unidentified, undated |
Box 58 Folder 5 | Unidentified, undated |
Box 58 Folder 6 | Notes, 1966 |
Box 59 | Item 1: Sun Ra, New York, circa 1965 |
Box 59 | Item 2: Sun Ra, Chicago, circa 1958 |
Box 60 Folder 1 | Sun Ra and Arkestra in performance, by Harlan Robinson, undated |
Box 60 Folder 2 | Sun Ra and Arkestra, circa 1950s-1970s |
Box 60 Folder 3 | Dimpna B. Clarin, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 60 Folder 4 | Wilson Junior College graduates, 1950 |
Box 60 Folder 5 | Great Sphinx and pyramid, undated |
Box 60 Folder 6 | Landscape, undated |
Box 61 | Unidentified, circa 1960s-2000 |
Subseries 2: Film and Video |
Box 62 | "Sun Ra: Calling Planet Earth," two videocassettes, 1986 |
Box 62 | Filmstrip fragment, undated |
Box 63 | 8-millimeter films, 13 rolls, circa 1970s |
Box 64 | Film box and canister, undated |
Box 65 | "Sun Ra aux Halles," 16-millimeter film, 1970 |
Subseries 3: Audio |
Box 66 | Dimpna B. Clarin, "Sarung Banghi" / "Kagandahan Mo," Saturn 783, 45 rpm records, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Dimpna B. Clarin, "Hain Na Ang Panumpa?" / "Ave Maria," Saturn SR-4276/4277, 45 rpm records, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Cosmic Rays with Le Sun Ra and Arkestra, "Bye Bye" / "Somebody's In Love", Saturn 222, 45 rpm record, circa 1955 |
Box 66 | Walt Dunn, "When You're in Love this Way," / "Perfidious Lover," Repeto 4233/4235, 45 rpm records, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Walt Dunn and the Metros, "Christina, Eugena, Marie," / "I'll Close My Heart," Repeto 4232/4235, 45 rpm records, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Lacy Gibson, "The Sky is Crying" / "She's My Baby," Saturn 436, 45 rpm records and inserts, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | The Qualities, "It's Christmastime" / "Happy New Year to You," Saturn M08W4052/M08W4053, 45 rpm records, circa 1956 |
Box 66 | Sun Ra and his Arkestra, "A Blue One," / "Orbitration in Blue," Saturn SRA-9991/9992, 45 rpm record, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, "The Perfect Man," Saturn ES537B, 45 rpm record, circa 1960s |
Box 66 | Sun Ra with NU Sounds, "Chicago USA"/ "Spaceship Lullaby," Stopsmiling 24, 45 rpm record, 2003 |
Box 66 | Uptights Band, "Devil's on the Run" / "Mirrors Don't Ever Lie," Uptight 001, 45 rpm record, circa 1974 |
Box 66 | Yochanan Yochanan, "Muck Muck (Matt Matt)" / "Hot Skillet Momma," Saturn 4236/4237, 45 rpm record, circa 1960 |
Box 67 | Cosmic Rays with Le Sun Ra and Arkestra, "Bye Bye" / "Somebody's In Love", Saturn 222, 45 rpm record, circa 1955 |
Box 67 | Little Mack, "Tell Her to Come on Home" / "I'm Making Believe," Saturn 144M, 45 rpm record, circa 1962 |
Box 67 | The Qualities, "It's Christmastime" / "Happy New Year to You," Saturn M08W4052/M08W4053, 45 rpm record, circa 1956 |
Box 67 | Sun-Ra and his Arkistra, "Soft Talk" / "Super Blonde," Saturn Z-1111, 45 rpm record, circa 1956 |
Box 68 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra, "Blues on Planet Mars" / "Saturn Moon," Saturn 911AR, 45 rpm record, circa 1968 |
Box 68 | Yochanan Yochanan, "Muck Muck (Matt Matt)" / "Hot Skillet Momma," Saturn 4236/4237, 45 rpm record, circa 1960 |
Box 68 | "Medicine for a Nightmare," test pressing, circa 1958 |
Box 68 | "Blue Set," test pressing, circa 1959 |
Box 69 | American Jazz and Blues History, Vol. 111 Sun Ra The Cosmos, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | American Jazz and Blues History, Vol. 112 Sun Ra Cosmic Chaos, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Ann Arbor Blues and Jazz Festival 1972, Atlantic SD 2-502, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1972 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, Angels and Demons at Play, Saturn SR-9956-2-P, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra, Astro Black, Impulse ABC Records AS-9255, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1973 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra, Atlantis, Impulse ABC Records AS-9239, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1973 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Outer Space Arkestra, Celestial Love, Saturn C-1984-SG-9, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, Cosmos for Mental Therapy, Thoth KH-2772, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro Intergalactic Infinity Arkestra, Discipline 27-II, Saturn 538, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1973 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Dreams Come True, Saturn 485, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra, Fate in a Pleasant Mood, Saturn SR 9956-2, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra, The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, ESP-Disk 1014, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1965 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Holiday for Soul Dance, Saturn SR-508, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, Interstellar Low Ways, Saturn SR-9956-2, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, Magic City, Saturn B-711, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra, My Brother the Wind, Saturn SR-1970, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and Astro-Intergalactic-Infinity Arkestra, Nature's God, Thoth 1272, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra, The Night of the Purple Moon, Infinity IR 1972, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Solar Infinity Arkestra, The Night of the Purple Moon, Saturn IR 1972, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1974 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth-Science Arkestra, The Nubians of Plutonia, Saturn SR-9956-11, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, Other Planes of There, Saturn KH 98766, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, Planet Earth, Saturn 9956-11, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, Secrets of the Sun, Saturn FG-9954, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Astro-Infinity Arkestra, Strange Strange, Saturn KH-5472, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Myth Science Arkestra, Sun Song, Gravure Universelle GY 30002, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1971 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Arkestra, Super-Sonic Sounds, Impulse ABC Records AS-9271, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1974 |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and his Blue Universe Arkestra, Universe in Blue, Saturn ESR 5000, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 69 | Sun Ra and His Myth-Science Arkestra, When Sun Comes Out, Saturn 2066, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Anal Magic and Reverend Dwight Frizzell, Beyond the Black Crack, Cavern Custom 6104-12, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1975 |
Box 70 | Count Basie and his Orchestra, Pop Goes the Basie, Reprise R 6153, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Bhagwan Sree Adi Sankaracharya, Bhaja Govindam, Odeon Moce-2001, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1967 |
Box 70 | Brown, Rev. T.E., Progressive Baptist Male Chorus, U-28182, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | George Cates and his Orchestra, Coral 61618, undated |
Box 70 | Dimpna B. Clarin / The Habagat Singers, Saturn 282, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, Zulu Records 0004, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Philip Cohran and the Artistic Heritage Ensemble, The Malcolm X Memorial, Zulu Records, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1970 |
Box 70 | The Columbia World Library of Folk and Primitive Music, Southern Italy and the Islands, Columbia KL 5174, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Miles Davis, The Original Quintet (First Recording), Presitge PR 7254, 33 1/3 rpm record, 1962 |
Box 70 | Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, Ebenezer's Singing Choirs, 744, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Gil Fuller and the Monterey Jazz Festival Orchestra, Night Flight, Pacific Jazz PJ-10101, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Erroll Garner, Erroll!, Mercury MG 36069, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Lucy Gibson, I Wish I Had a Wishing Ring, Saturn 528, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Normal Granz, Jazz at the Philharmonic, Disc Asch Recordings D455 V17, undated |
Box 70 | Ernest Hare/Charles Hart and Elliott Shaw, "Gone, but not Forgotten" / "Swanee River Moon," Brunswick 2141, undated |
Box 70 | Hyde Park Seventh Day Adventist Youth Choir, Oldney K. Rucker Director, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Curtis Jones, "Cool Playing Blues" / "Wrong Blues," Parrot 782, undated |
Box 70 | Louis Jordan, "The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall" / "What's the Use of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again)," Decca 23629, undated |
Box 70 | Mismillah Kahn, The Magic Shehnai of Mismillah Kahn, Odeon MOAE 122, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Gene Krupa and his Orchestra, "Let's Get Away From it All" / "Just a Little Bit South of North Carolina," Okeh 6130 (29976), undated |
Box 70 | Lightnin' Hopkins, Talkin' Some Sense, Jewel Records 5001, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Jay McShann, "Hootie Boogie" / "Garfield Avenue Blues," Mercury, 8002, undated |
Box 70 | Prince's Dance Orchestra / Yerkes Jazarimba Orchestra, "Dardanella" / Wild Flower Waltz," Columbia 2851, undated |
Box 70 | The Savannah Syncopations, "Jackass Blues" / "Deep Henderson," Brunswick 3245, undated |
Box 70 | The Shilo Chancel Choir and the St. Mary's Sr. Choir, The Holy City: Parts 1 and 2, Saturn 222, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | The Shilo Chancel Choir and the St. Mary's Sr. Choir, The Holy City: Parts 3 and 4, Saturn 333, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | The Shilo Chancel Choir and the St. Mary's Sr. Choir, The Holy City: Parts 3 and 4, Saturn 333, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Silver Echo, "Sinner Man" "Land of Fadeless Day," Manor 1011, undated |
Box 70 | Victor Minstrel Company with Orchestra, "Tennessee Minstrels, No. 24" / Arthur Pryor's Band, "College Overture," Victor Record 35264, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 70 | Victor Minstrel Company with Orchestra, "Florida Minstrels, No. 25" / Ada Jones and Len Spencer, "A Race for a Wife," Victor Record 35267, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 71 | Fats Waller, '34/'35, RCA Victor LPV 516 (RPRM-7949), 33 1/3 rpm record, 1965 |
Box 71 | Fats Waller, Fractious Fingering, RCA Victor LPV 537 (TPRM-5099), 33 1/3 rpm record, 1967 |
Box 71 | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, "I Found a Four Leaf Clover" / "Two Little Ruby Rings," Victor 18950, undated |
Box 71 | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra, "I'm Bringing a Red-Red Rose" / "Making Whoopee!" Columbia 1683, undated |
Box 71 | W.W. Williams, Back Diamond Rattler, Supreme Blues Records SR-1001, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 71 | Sonny Boy Williamson, Down and Out Blues, Chess 9508, 33 1/3 rpm record, undated |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9276, undated |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9276, undated |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9288, undated |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9288, undated |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9289, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9289, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9290, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9290, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9293, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9294, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9295-A-2, ASD-9295-B-2, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9295-A-2, ASD 9295-B-2, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9295-A-2, ASD 9295-B-2, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9296, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9296, 1974 |
Box 71 | Test pressing, ASD-9297-A-1, ASD-9297-B-2, 1974 |
Box 72 Folder 1 | Jus Tu, Oriskhemqtua, cassette tape and correspondence, 1993 |
Box 72 Folder 2 | Nat King Cole, The Unforgettable Nat King Cole, cassette tape, 1991 |
Box 72 Folder 3 | Nakula, cassette tape, undated |
Box 72 Folder 4 | Kelan Phil Cochran, cassette tapes and correspondence, 1999 |
Box 72 Folder 5 | Dr. Richard Denholm, "Mathematics: Structure and Skills," reel tape, 1968 |
Box 72 Folder 6 | Unidentified reel tape, undated |
Box 72 Folder 7 | Radio broadcast, reel tape box fragment, 1971 |
Box 72 Folder 8 | Berlin, Germany, reel tape box fragment, 1982 |
Box 73 | Reel tape box fragments, circa 1964 |
Box 74 | Sister Angelica, McLin Opera Company, master reel tape, 1965 |
Box 75 | Ethel N.L. Coleman, The Coleman Sociophonic Reading Design for All Ages, metal stampers and scripts, 1968 |
Series IX: Art and Artifacts |
Materials in this series fall into two broad categories: Art and artifacts related to Sun Ra, Saturn Records, and music in general; and personal items that belonged to Alton Abraham. In the first category are sample album jackets; proofs and layouts of album covers, catalogs and advertisements; drawings, sketches and paintings; photographs of artworks; musical instruments and equipment; metal stampers for vinyl records; printing blocks and office supplies. In the second category are decorative ornaments and personal items such as a wallet and a briefcase.
Some items are matted or framed for display. These are organized together at the beginning of the series and arranged by size and format. The remaining items in the series are arranged by size. Most items are undated but generally span the late 1950s-1980s.
This series includes a wealth of material documenting the process of designing and producing album covers for Sun Ra recordings. For some albums, there is original artwork, layout designs, album cover proofs, and sample album jackets. There are some alternate album cover artwork that was not used, and some for unreleased or possibly hypothetical recordings. Also included are several job files compiled by printing companies that produced packaging for reissued Sun Ra records in the 1970s and 1980s. These files consist of negatives, proofs and job specifications. Another unusual group of materials consists of thousands of record labels for Sun Ra albums. There is also artwork and layout material for albums by Lacy Gibson and Lena McLin. Names of performers and recordings are as given on the artwork or artifact. Artist names are given when identified on items; many artworks with no attributed artist are probably by Sun Ra.
Box 76 | Angels and Demons at Play, album jacket, framed |
Box 76 | Discipline 27-II, album jacket, framed |
Box 77 | Fate in a Pleasant Mood, album jacket, framed |
Box 77 | Interstellar Low Ways, album jacket, framed |
Box 78 | Jazz in Silhouette, album jacket, framed |
Box 78 | Jazz in Silhouette, album jacket, framed |
Box 79 | Monorails and Satellites, album jacket, framed |
Box 79 | Sound Sun Pleasure!!, album jacket, framed |
Box 80 | Sun Ra, album jacket, framed |
Box 80 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, album jacket, framed |
Box 81 | Super-Sonic Jazz, album jacket, framed |
Box 81 | Super-Sonic Jazz, album jacket, framed |
Box 82 | A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, album jacket, framed |
Box 82 | We Travel the Space Ways, album jacket, framed |
Box 83 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, framed |
Box 84 | Claude Dangerfield, Music from Tomorrow's World, album cover artwork, framed |
Box 85 | Evans, Jazz in Silhouette, artwork, framed |
Box 86 Folder 1 | James Bryant, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 2 | James Bryant, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 3 | James Bryant, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 4 | James Bryant, Sun Ra and his Arkestra, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 5 | LeRoy Butler, Discipline 27-II, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 6 | Claude Dangerfield, Rocket Number Nine, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 7 | Claude Dangerfield, Super-Sonic Jazz, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 8 | Claude Dangerfield, Super-Sonic Jazz, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 9 | Claude Dangerfield, When Sun Comes Out, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 86 Folder 10 | Claude Dangerfield, When Sun Comes Out, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 1 | Claude Dangerfield, When Sun Comes Out, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 2 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 3 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 4 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 5 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 6 | Claude Dangerfield, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 7 | Sun Ra, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 87 Folder 8 | Sun Ra, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 1 | Angels and Demons at Play, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 2 | Angels and Demons at Play, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 3 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 4 | Other Planes of There, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 5 | Visits Planet Earth, album cover proof, matted |
Box 88 Folder 6 | When Angels Speak of Love, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 7 | When Sun Comes Out, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 88 Folder 8 | Unidentified album cover artwork, matted |
Box 89 Folder 1 | Aye, black-light painting, matted |
Box 89 Folder 2 | Black-light painting installation, photographs, matted |
Box 89 Folder 3 | Black-light painting installation, photographs, matted |
Box 89 Folder 4 | Black-light painting installation, photographs, matted |
Box 89 Folder 5 | Black-light painting installation, photographs, matted |
Box 89 Folder 6 | Saturn Research business card and logo artwork, matted |
Box 89 Folder 7 | Typographic designs, matted |
Box 89 Folder 8 | Tickets and handbill, matted |
Box 89 Folder 9 | Broadside, matted |
Box 89 Folder 10 | Sign, matted |
Box 90 | Sun Ra, Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 90 | Jazz from Tomorrow's World, album cover artwork, matted |
Box 90 | Saturn Records catalog cover artwork, matted |
Box 90 | Black-light painting installation, photographs, matted |
Box 91 Folder 1 | Angels and Demons at Play, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 2 | Atlantis, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 3 | Bad and Beautiful, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 4-5 | Continuation, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 6 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 7 | Discipline 27-II, album jackets |
Box 91 Folder 8 | Fate in a Pleasant Mood, album jacket |
Box 92 Folder 1-2 | Interstellar Low Ways, album jackets, circa 1967 |
Box 92 Folder 3-4 | Jazz in Silhouette, album jackets |
Box 92 Folder 5 | The Magic City, album jackets |
Box 92 Folder 6-8 | Monorails and Satellites, album jackets |
Box 92 Folder 9 | My Favorite Things, album jacket |
Box 92 Folder 10-11 | The Night of the Purple Moon, album jackets |
Box 92 Folder 12-13 | The Nubians of Plutonia, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 1 | Other Planes of There, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 2-3 | The Soul Vibrations of Man, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 4 | Sound Sun Pleasure!!, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 5 | Sun Ra, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 6-7 | Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 8 | A Tonal View of Times Tomorrow, album jackets |
Box 93 Folder 9 | Universe in Blue, album jacket |
Box 93 Folder 10-11 | We Travel the Space Ways, album jackets |
Box 94 Folder 1-4 | Claude Dangerfield, color separations for album cover artwork
|
Box 94 Folder 5 | Angels and Demons at Play, album cover artwork |
Box 94 Folder 6 | Celestial Love, album cover label |
Box 94 Folder 7 | Collectors Items Volume I thru K, album cover artwork and proofs |
Box 94 Folder 8 | Discipline 27-II, album cover layout |
Box 94 Folder 9 | The Immeasurable Equation, metal printing plate and negatives |
Box 94 Folder 10 | Music of the Greater Space Age, album cover layout |
Box 94 Folder 11 | Other Planes of There, album cover artwork |
Box 94 Folder 12 | Other Planes of There, album cover layout |
Box 94 Folder 13 | Space is the Place, production notes on blank album jacket |
Box 94 Folder 14 | Visit Planet Earth, album cover layout |
Box 94 Folder 15 | Lacy Gibson, I Wish I Had a Wishing Ring, fragment of album cover layout |
Box 94 Folder 16 | Lena McLin, The McLin Ensemble Singing Spirituals, album cover artwork |
Box 94 Folder 17 | Recording studio architectural drawings |
Box 94 Folder 18 | Drawings |
Box 94 Folder 19 | Photographs of artworks |
Box 94 Folder 20 | Unidentified proof |
Box 94 Folder 21 | Unidentified proofs and layout fragments |
Box 94 Folder 22 | Fragments of album cover layouts |
Box 94 Folder 23 | Audio Matrix, Inc., sample album jacket |
Box 94 Folder 24 | Blank album jacket and type specimens |
Box 94 Folder 25 | Empty album jacket mailed from Sun Ra to Alton Abraham |
Box 94 Folder 26 | Lettering transfer sheets |
Box 95 Folder 1 | Angels and Demons at Play, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 2 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 3 | Atlantis, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 4 | Collectors Items Volumes I Through IX, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 5 | Continuation, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 6 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 7 | Discipline 27-II, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 8 | Fate in a Pleasant Mood, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 9 | Holiday for Soul Dance, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 10 | Jazz in Silhouette, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 11 | Magic City, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 12 | My Brother the Wind, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 13 | Night of the Purple Moon, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 14 | Nubians of Plutonia, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 15 | Other Planes of There, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 16 | The Soul Vibrations of Man, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 17 | Sound Sun Pleasure, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 18 | Strange Strings, album cover proofs |
Box 95 Folder 19 | Super-Sonic Jazz, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 20 | Universe in Blue, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 21 | Visits Planet Earth, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 22 | We Travel the Space Ways, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 23 | When Sun Comes Out, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 24 | Unidentified Sun Ra album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 25 | Lacy Gibson, Wishing Ring, album cover proofs |
Box 95A Folder 26 | Sketch pad with fragmentary design material and notes laid in |
Box 95A Folder 27 | When Sun Comes Out, album cover artwork |
Box 95A Folder 28 | Impulse Records advertisement layout |
Box 95A Folder 29 | V. Short, drawing |
Box 95A Folder 30 | Photograph of artwork |
Box 96 Folder 1 | Atlantis, album cover layout |
Box 96 Folder 2 | Atlantis, album cover proofs |
Box 96 Folder 3 | Album cover proofs
|
Box 96 Folder 4 | Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, album cover proof |
Box 96 Folder 5 | Album cover proofs
|
Box 96 Folder 6 | Proofs of artworks |
Box 96 Folder 7 | Angels and Demons at Play, printing job file |
Box 97 Folder 1 | Atlantis, printing job file |
Box 97 Folder 2 | Fate in a Pleasant Mood, printing job file |
Box 97 Folder 3 | Magic City, printing job file |
Box 97 Folder 4 | Unidentified printing job files |
Box 98 Folder 1 | "The Space Music of Sun Ra," brochure design |
Box 98 Folder 2 | Drawings |
Box 98 Folder 3 | Sun Ra, photocopied artworks |
Box 98 Folder 4 | Fragmentary design material |
Box 98 Folder 5 | "LP's by Sun Ra and his Arkestra," signs |
Box 98 Folder 6 | Saturn Research business card and logo, proofs |
Box 98 Folder 7 | "Hot Hits Fresh from the Sun," broadside layout |
Box 98 Folder 8 | Saturn "II" Research letterhead, layout and samples |
Box 98 Folder 9 | Atra Productions letterhead, layout and samples |
Box 98 Folder 10 | Record label artwork |
Box 98 Folder 11 | Record labels |
Box 98 Folder 12 | Record label sheets |
Box 98 Folder 13 | Record label sheets |
Box 98 Folder 14 | Record label sheets |
Box 98 Folder 15 | Record label sheets |
Box 99 | The Soul Vibrations of Man, Side A, record labels |
Box 99 | The Soul Vibrations of Man, Side B, record labels |
Box 99 | Taking a Chance on Chances, Side A, record labels |
Box 100 | Angels and Demons at Play, record labels |
Box 100 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, Side A, record labels |
Box 100 | "Cosmo Drama," Side B, record labels |
Box 100 | Interstellar Low Ways, Side B, record labels |
Box 100 | "Love in Outerspace," Side A, record labels |
Box 100 | "Mayan Temple," Side B, record labels |
Box 100 | Nidhamu, Side A, record labels |
Box 100 | Nidhamu, Side B, record labels |
Box 100 | "Sub Underground Series," Side A, record labels |
Box 100 | "Sub Underground Series," Side B, record labels |
Box 100 | Taking a Chance on Chances, Side B, record labels |
Box 101 | Magic City, Side A, record labels |
Box 101 | Space is the Place, record labels |
Box 101 | The Soul Vibrations of Man, Side D, record labels |
Box 102 | "Message to Earthman," Side, record labels |
Box 102 | Nidhamu, Side B, record labels |
Box 102 | "The Perfect Man," Side B, record labels |
Box 102 | "Space is the Place," Side A, record labels |
Box 102 | "The Sun Man Speaks," Side A, record labels |
Box 102 | We Travel the Space Ways, Side B, record labels |
Box 103 | Bad and Beautiful, Side B, record labels |
Box 103 | Cosmo Earth Fantasy, Side B, record labels |
Box 103 | Deep Purple, Side B record labels |
Box 103 | Nature's God, Side A, record labels |
Box 103 | Nature's God, Side B, record labels |
Box 103 | "Sub Underground Series," Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Bad and Beautiful, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | "Cosmo Drama," Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Interstellar Low Ways, Side A, record labels |
Box 104 | Interstellar Low Ways, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Magic City, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Monorails and Satellites, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | Sound Sun Pleasure, Side A, record labels |
Box 104 | Some Blues But Not The Kind That's Blue, Side A, record labels |
Box 104 | Some Blues But Not The Kind That's Blue, Side B, record labels |
Box 104 | "Sub Underground Series," Side B, record labels |
Box 105 | Atlantis, Side A, record labels |
Box 105 | Bad and the Beautiful, Side A, record labels |
Box 105 | Cosmo Earth Fantasy, Side A, record labels |
Box 105 | Outerspaceways Inc., Side B, record labels |
Box 105 | Pat Patrick and the Baritone Saxophone Retinue, Sound Advice, Side B, record labels |
Box 105 | "Sub Underground Series," Side A, record labels |
Box 106 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, Side A, record labels |
Box 106 | Horizon, Side A, record labels |
Box 106 | Deep Purple, Side A record labels |
Box 106 | Strange Strings, Side A, record labels |
Box 106 | Strange Strings, Side B, record labels |
Box 106 | "Sub Underground Series," Side A, record labels |
Box 107 | Record labels |
Box 108 | Record labels |
Box 109 | Record labels |
Box 110 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, front cover, printing block |
Box 110 | Other Planes of There, front cover, printing block |
Box 111 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, front cover, two printing blocks |
Box 112 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, back title, printing block |
Box 112 | Other Planes of There, "SRA" logo, printing block |
Box 112 | Thoth Intergalactic logo, two printing blocks |
Box 113 | Art Forms of Dimensions Tomorrow, inset abstraction, printing block |
Box 113 | Saturn Records catalog cover, printing block |
Box 113 | Saturn Records album list, printing block |
Box 113 | Arkestra member list, printing block |
Box 113 | Thoth Intergalactic logo, printing block |
Box 114 | Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy, inset image, printing block |
Box 114 | Arkestra member list, printing block |
Box 114 | Other Planes of There, registration, printing block |
Box 114 | Saturn Records mailing address, two printing blocks |
Box 114 | "The Shadow of the Fire," and "The Potential," printing block |
Box 115 | Three pyramid ornaments |
Box 116 | Three orb ornaments |
Box 117 | "Alton E. Abraham" stamp |
Box 117 | "Saturn Records" stamp |
Box 117 | "Thoth Intergalactic Productions" stamp |
Box 117 | "Saturn 'II' Research" stamp |
Box 117 | "Promotional Use" stamp |
Box 117 | "Air Mail" stamp |
Box 117 | "Special Delivery" stamp |
Box 118 | Saturn "II" Research, address and copyright statement, type pieces |
Box 118 | Leather pouch containing astrological inscription |
Box 118 | Wallet |
Box 118 | Two kazoos |
Box 118 | Tuning fork |
Box 118 | Quartz crystal |
Box 118 | Door keys |
Box 118 | Insignia pin |
Box 118 | 45 rpm record adapter |
Box 118 | Metal ornament |
Box 119 | Magnifying lens |
Box 119 | Tarot cards |
Box 119 | Sun Ra sticker labels |
Box 120 | Album title sticker labels |
Box 121 | Saturn Research sticker labels |
Box 122 | Mbira |
Box 123 | Necklace |
Box 123 | Letter opener |
Box 124 Folder 1 | Craft paper |
Box 124 Folder 2 | Mars Marine bumper stickers |
Box 124 Folder 3 | Printed ephemera
|
Box 125 | Homemade musical instrument |
Box 126 | Cymbal with numerological inscriptions |
Box 127 | Microphones |
Box 128 | Briefcase |
Box 128 | Drumsticks |
Box 129 | Planisphere instrument |
Box 129 | Plexiglass triangle |
Box 130 | Cymbal |
Box 131 | Eight metal record stampers |
Series X: Oversize |
This series consists of oversize material transferred from series I, II, III, V, VI and VII. It is organized into subseries corresponding to the arrangement of these series.
Subseries 1: Biographical, contains newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, a Buzzard comic book, and a poster for the Hyde Park Art Center's 2006 symposium "Sun Ra: The Astro Black and Other Solar Myths."
Subseries 2: Performance, contains broadsides, posters and newspaper clippings documenting Sun Ra performances.
Subseries 3: Recordings, contains broadsides and posters promoting Sun Ra's commercial recordings, as well as a binder that housed the Tilman Stahl discography.
Subseries 4: Verse, Prose and Notes, contains oversize proof sheets of pages of the Immeasurable Equation.
Subseries 5: Business Records, contains financial records, correspondence, publicity material, notes and blank legal forms.
Subseries 6: Alton Abraham, contains publications, clippings, sheet music and ephemera. Included are several large-format posters and radical publications.
Subseries 1: Biographical |
Box 132 | Scrapbook, 1962-1967 |
Box 132 | Scrapbook page, 1968 |
Box 133 Folder 1 | Tam Fiofori, "Sun Ra's Space Music," Changes, 1970 |
Box 133 Folder 2 | Nathalie Petrowski, "Jazz de l'espace et des astronautes," Le Devoir, 1978 |
Box 133 Folder 3 | Chicago Defender, 1981 |
Box 133 Folder 4 | Daryl Jung, "Attempting the Impossible," Now, 1986 |
Box 133 Folder 5 | Stephen Beaupre, "In Support of the Sun Ra Presidency," Buzzard, 1992 |
Box 133 Folder 6 | Hyde Park Art Center, "Sun Ra: The Astro Black and Other Solar Myths," 2006 |
Subseries 2: Performance |
Box 133 Folder 7 | Crouse Hall, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, circa 1960s |
Box 133 Folder 8 | Carnegie Hall, New York, 1966 |
Box 133 Folder 9 | Mexico tour, 1973-1974 |
Box 133 Folder 10 | Happy Medium, Chicago, 9-10 September 1978 |
Box 133 Folder 11 | Massachusetts College of Art, Boston, 26-29 June 1980 |
Box 133 Folder 12 | First Avenue, Minneapolis, 1987 |
Box 133 Folder 13 | Chicago Jazz Festival, 1988 |
Box 133 Folder 14 | Ridley's, Philadelphia, circa 1980s |
Box 133 Folder 15 | Glassboro State College Black Art Festival, Glassboro, New Jersey, undated |
Box 134 Folder 1 | Space is the Place, circa 1974 |
Box 134 Folder 2 | Performances
|
Box DRAWER 9 Folder 1 | Les Halles, Paris, 13 November 1970 |
Subseries 3: Recording |
Box 134 Folder 3 | circa 1970s-2000s
|
Box 135 | Discography binder, 1983 |
Subseries 4: Verse, Prose and Notes |
Box 134 Folder 4 | The Immeasurable Equation, circa 1971-1972 |
Subseries 5: Business Records |
Box 136 Folder 1 | Ledger sheets, 1956-1959 |
Box 136 Folder 2 | General correspondence, 1965-1976 |
Box 136 Folder 3 | Sunset Records, catalogs, 1966 |
Box 136 Folder 4 | El Saturn Records catalog, circa 1960s |
Box 136 Folder 5 | Press clipping montages, circa 1960s |
Box 136 Folder 6 | Lacy Gibson, posters, circa 1960s |
Box 136 Folder 7 | Ledger, 1969-1970 |
Box 136 Folder 8 | "Sun Ra and his Arkestra," booking posters, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 137 Folder 1 | Provinssi-Rock festival, Finland, poster, 1979 |
Box 137 Folder 2 | Saturn Records, promotional mailings, circa 1970s |
Box 137 Folder 3 | Notes, undated |
Box 137 Folder 4 | Recording agreement forms, undated |
Box 137 Folder 5 | Ramsey Lewis Trio, album cover proof, undated |
Box 137 Folder 6 | Peter Brotzmann Octet, poster, circa 2008 |
Subseries 6: Alton Abraham |
Box 138 Folder 1 | House of Knowledge, "M.H. Hammurabi's Almanac Calendar History," 1962-1963 |
Box 138 Folder 2 | "The Complete Works of Professor Hilton Hotema, circa 1960s |
Box 138 Folder 3 | Ethiopian Research Library, "Let there be Light," 1952 |
Box 138 Folder 4 | Psychic Times, 1975 |
Box 138 Folder 5 | Silva Mind Control kit, undated |
Box 138 Folder 6 | Medical Electronics News, magazine, 1966 |
Box 138 Folder 7 | Apollo space flights, commemorative album, 1969 |
Box 138 Folder 8 | Cadillac brochure, 1975 |
Box 138 Folder 9 | American Institute of Engineering and Technology, blank diploma, undated |
Box 139 Folder 1 | Minister J.M. Miller, "Gospel Spreaders for God," poster, circa 1950s |
Box 139 Folder 2 | "Doctine Chretienne," poster, undated |
Box 139 Folder 3 | Yucatan Peninsula, map, undated |
Box 139 Folder 4 | American Medical Association, "Who Expects V.D. at a Time Like This?" poster, circa 1970s |
Box 139 Folder 5 | Guerilla newsletters, 1968 |
Box 140 Folder 1 | Yipster Times, newsletter, 1974 |
Box 140 Folder 2 | Sepia, magazine, 1974 |
Box 140 Folder 3 | Clippings and Chicago travel guide, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 140 Folder 4 | Music filler paper, undated |
Box 140 Folder 5-6 | Sheet music, circa 1910s-1950s |
Box 140 Folder 7 | Guitar instruction material, circa 1960s-1970s |
Box 141 | Blank music score pads |
Box 142 | Newspapers and clippings, circa 1960s-1980s |
Series XI: Restricted |
This series consists of personal financial records, academic records, medical records, and identification and registration documents transferred from Series VII.
Box 143 Folder 1-6 | Personal financial records, circa 1940s-1990s |
Box 144 Folder 1-10 | Personal financial records, circa 1940s-1990s |
Box 145 Folder 1-11 | Personal financial records, circa 1950s-1990s |
Box 146 Folder 1-5 | Personal financial records, circa 1940s-1990s |
Box 146 Folder 6-7 | Academic records, circa 1963-1964 |
Box 146 Folder 8 | Identification and registration, circa 1970s |
Box 146 Folder 9 | Medical records, circa 1970s |