The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Ralph Lewis Papers 1921-ca. 1980s
© 2007 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Lewis, Ralph. Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1921-ca. 1980s |
| Size: | 2.75 linear feet (6 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Ralph Lewis studied sociology at University of Chicago as an undergraduate and graduate student (PhB 1932, AM 1958), influenced by the work of Ernest Watson Burgess. After working as a minister, parole officer, and World War II chaplain, Lewis spent most of his career as a sociologist with the U.S. State Department. The Ralph Lewis Papers contain manuscripts, diaries, sociological data, correspondence and other material related to Lewis's work as a student, his professional career, and his personal life and avocations. |
Open for research.
No restrictions.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Lewis, Ralph. Papers [Box #, Folder #]
Ralph Lewis studied at University of Chicago as an undergraduate student (PhB 1932), then studied at Chicago Theological Seminary. Lewis went on to serve as a minister, parole officer, and World War II chaplain. During and after the war Lewis participated in sociological surveys of US soldiers, as well as civilians in Germany and Korea.
Profoundly influenced by the work and encouragement of Ernest Watson Burgess, Lewis returned to University of Chicago for further study in sociology, and completed his Master's degree in 1958. He spent most of his career as a sociologist with the US State Department.
Lewis retired from the State Department in 1979, and lived in Santa Barbara, California until his death in 1995. A gift from Lewis to the University of Chicago established the Ralph Lewis Professorship in Sociology.
The Ralph Lewis Papers contain manuscripts, diaries, sociological data, correspondence and other material related to Lewis's work as a student, his professional career, and his personal life and avocations.
The first part of the collection relates to a ca. 1939-1942 study of the Kenwood Gardens apartment building, and includes diaries of Ralph Lewis and his colleagues, narrative drafts, and detailed sociological data about the building's residents.
The remainder of the collection includes writings on a variety of subjects, ranging from Lewis's work in post-WWII Germany and Korea, to memoirs about his personal life. Also included are copies of Lewis's bachelor's and master's papers, as well as a bound collection of Parole Supervision News, a newsletter edited by Lewis and published by the State of Illinois's Division of Supervision of Parolees.
Burgess, Ernest Watson. Papers
| Box 1 Folder 1-2 | Kenwood Gardens study, Ralph Lewis diary, 1937-1941 |
| Box 1 Folder 3-4 | Kenwood Gardens study, questionnaires, ca. 1940 |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Kenwood Gardens study, notes, ca. 1980s |
| Box 1 Folder 6-8 | Kenwood Gardens study, Celia Healy diary, 1939-1942 |
| Box 2 Folder 1-3 | Kenwood Gardens study, Celia Healy diary, 1939-1942 |
| Box 2 Folder 4-5 | Kenwood Gardens study, Pat Davis, "Life in Kenwood Gardens" manuscript, 1940-1942 |
| Box 2 Folder 6-8 | Kenwood Gardens study, census, ca. 1940 |
| Box 3 Folder 1 | Kenwood Gardens study, drafts, notes and clippings, ca. 1940s- 1980s |
| Box 3 Folder 2 | Kenwood Gardens study, drafts, notes and correspondence, ca. 1940s-1980s |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | Kenwood Gardens study, drafts and notes, ca. 1970s-1980s |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Kenwood Gardens study, outlines, drafts and survey data, ca. 1940 |
| Box 4 Folder 1 | Juvenile delinquency in Hyde Park, drafts, survey data, correspondence and publications, 1931-1940 |
| Box 4 Folder 2 | An evaluation of the Functioning of an Agency Designed to Influence Community Attitudes, M.A. thesis, ca. 1958 |
| Box 4 Folder 3 | Negro Delinquency and Amateur Dramatics, Bachelor of Divinity dissertation, 1935 |
| Box 4 Folder 4 | Amerika Haus: From Rejection to Acceptance. A Study of the Process by which a U.S. Information Center Overcame Initial Community Resistance and Established Itself as an Institution of the Community, Master’s report, 1958 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Parole Supervision News, vol. 1, # 1-6, 1941-42 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Hill City, South Dakota, notes, publications and ephemera, ca. 1971 |
| Box 5 Folder 1-2 | Diary notes, 1921-1955 |
| Box 5 Folder 3-4 | "I Was a Minister," manuscript, n.d. |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | German society and culture, manuscript, n.d. |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | Korea, drafts, notes and research material, ca. 1960s-1970s |
| Box 6 Folder 1 | "Across Siberia by Train," drafts, n.d. |
| Box 6 Folder 2 | Manuscripts, correspondence and notes, 1937-1941 |
| Box 6 Folder 3 | Correspondence and drafts, 1935-1937 |
| Box 6 Folder 4 | Drafts, clippings and travel material, ca. 1970s-1980s |
| Box 6 Folder 5-6 | Drafts and notes, ca. 1960s-1970s |