The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the William A. F. Stephenson Papers circa 1905-1986
© 2016 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Stephenson, William A. F., Papers |
|---|---|
| Dates: | circa 1905-1986 |
| Size: | 9.5 linear feet (16 boxes) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | William A. F. Stephenson (1904-1985) University of Chicago graduate who had a long and prominent career in the military, public service, education, politics, and business. The collection documents Stephenson’s work in FDR’s New Deal, in the Army during WWII where he served under Patton and Bradley, and in Florida’s Democratic Party. |
The collection is open for research.
When quoting material from this collection, the preferred citation is: Stephenson, William A. F., Papers, [Box #, Folder #], Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
William Alexander Forsyth Stephenson was born in Chicago on September 3, 1904. He graduated from the University of Chicago in June, 1927. During his college years, he was a police reporter for the City Press, covering organized crime. After college, Stephenson worked as Assistant Chief to the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair director, Faye Cooper Cole. Once the Fair was underway Stephenson returned to the graduate program in Public Administration at the University of Chicago.
The university was heavily involved in the development of New Deal programs, and in 1933 Stephenson was employed as the first Chief of Operations of the newly formed Soil Erosion Service. In 1935 he transferred to the Dept. of the Interior as first Executive Officer of the Housing Division of PWA (Public Works Administration). After holding several positions in the Department of the Interior, Stephenson was sent to Florida to organize and supervise the Florida Power Corporation. While in Florida, he invented a valve that allowed refrigerating systems to function as heating systems.
In 1942, Stephenson enlisted in the US Army. He was commissioned as a Major and assigned to the School of Military Government. Shortly after graduating he was sent to Europe. He worked in the secret Nehou headquarters in Normandy, site of invasion planning, and participated actively during D-Day with the Army's engineering division. Working on the reconstruction of France, he participated in the transfer of the French government from Algiers to Europe as well as in the Liberation of Paris.
In 1945, Stephenson returned to the U.S. and retired from the Army. He continued developing the valve he had invented, and founded the Broquinda Corporation, which focused in building cooling systems for industrial transportation machines. During the 1950s, he was active in the Democratic Party in Florida. He directed Adlai’s Stevenson presidential campaign in the state, was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party in Pinellas County, and helped to design state primary legislation.
In 1956, Stephenson ran unsuccessfully for Congress. Later that year, Stephenson designed a plan to address a shortage of male teachers in the public schools by funding graduate programs in education for qualified retired military personnel. He lobbied and gained support from both universities and the military. With the help of Senator Kennedy the program was approved and implemented with outstanding success. In 1963, Stephenson became an Assistant Dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, a position that he held until 1964.
In retirement, Stephenson moved to Bat Cave, North Carolina, where he lived the rest of his life. Stephenson died in a car accident in 1985. He was the father of three daughters.
The Stephenson Papers are divided into seven series.
Series I contains paperwork, notes, correspondence, statistical charts, reviews, and drafts related the military education program designed by Stephenson. The goal of the program was to solve the deficit of qualified high school level teachers by training retired military. The law authorizing the program was presented by John F. Kennedy and approved by Congress in 1956.
Series II documents Stephenson’s work on various governmental organizations during FDR’s New Deal, including the Soil Erosion Service and the Department of Labor. The series includes correspondence between Stephenson and important New Deal figures, including Claude Pepper and Benjamin Cohen. It also contains all correspondence pertaining different New Deal celebratory reunions.
Series III contains materials related to Stephenson’s work with the Democratic Party, including his support for Adlai Stevenson's presidential campaigns, his chairmanship of the Pinellas County Democratic Committee, and his 1956 campaign for Congress. The series also documents his work advocacy of Florida state primary legislation.
Series IV documents Stephenson’s Army service and his life and work as a military veteran The series contains WWII military records, maps, photographs, and correspondence, including several accounts of D-Day invasion and the liberation of Paris, in which Stephenson participated. (A map of D-Day invasion strategy may be found in Series VII, Oversize.)
Series V contains materials related to Stephenson's studies at the University of Chicago, including alumni correspondence and files related to his employment as a journalist while enrolled at the University.
Series VI contains Stephenson's personal and business correspondence. It includes postcards, invoices, newspaper clippings and many personal records, as well as files related to the Broquinda Corporation and the Florida Power Corporation.
Series I: Military Teaching Program |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Education Bill I, House Bill 1204, 1955 |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Notes and military education manuals, 1955 – 1956 |
| Box 1 Folder 3-5 | Reports, brochures and correspondence with Pentagon, 1951-1957 |
| Box 1 Folder 6-7 | Lobbying, correspondence, 1956-1958 |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Education Bill II, correspondence, preliminary studies of Education Bill, 1957-1959 |
| Box 2 Folder 1 | Teaching veterans, correspondence, 1960 |
| Box 2 Folder 2 | Retired Military Teaching, correspondence with universities that implemented the program, 1963 |
| Box 2 Folder 3 | Teaching Officers, correspondence with U.S. Air Force, brochures, invoices, 1963-1964 |
| Box 2 Folder 4-6 | Retired Military, advertisements, correspondence, 1969-1974 |
Series II: New Deal |
| Box 2 Folder 7 | Soil Erosion Service, correspondence, news clippings, bulletins, farmer’s pond plan, 1935-1984 |
| Box 2 Folder 8 | U.S. Department of Labor: Wage and Hour Department, correspondence, 1939-1940 |
| Box 2 Folder 9-10 | Helms, Douglas (historian of the Soil Conservation Service), correspondence, manuscripts, 1951-1983 |
| Box 2 Folder 11 | U.S. Department of Agriculture, correspondence, 1971-1973 |
| Box 2 Folder 12 | Kudzu Growing, correspondence, newspaper clippings, circa 1977 |
| Box 2 Folder 13 | Cohen Benjamin Honorary Degree, correspondence, 1977-1983 |
| Box 3 Folder 1-2 | 50th Anniversary New Deal Dinner Party, correspondence, programs, invitations, guest lists, handbook “The Faces of the New Deal”, invoices, 1983 |
| Box 3 Folder 3 | 50th Anniversary Soil and Water Movement, correspondence, 1985 |
| Box 3 Folder 4 | Allen, Robert, McCamy, James, Frank Jerome N., Merriam, Charles E., correspondence, 1935-1941 |
| Box 3 Folder 5 | Collier Charles W., correspondence, 1982-1984 |
| Box 3 Folder 6 | Corcoran, Thomas, correspondence, 1978-1982 |
| Box 3 Folder 7 | Crawford, Kenneth, Miller Lee G., correspondence, photograph, 1949-1979 |
| Box 3 Folder 8 | Foley, Edward, correspondence, 1948-1949 |
| Box 3 Folder 9 | Foley, Edward H., correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 3 Folder 10 | Gulick, Luther, correspondence, 1954-1985 |
| Box 3 Folder 11 | Gulick, Luther, correspondence, 1957-1975 |
| Box 3 Folder 12 | Gulick, Luther, Dimock Carol, correspondence, 1977-1984 |
| Box 3 Folder 13 | Gulick, Luther, correspondence, 1977-1984 |
| Box 3 Folder 14-16 | Pepper, Claude, correspondence, 1954-1982 |
| Box 3 Folder 17 | Pepper, Claude, correspondence, 1981-1984 |
Series III: Democratic Party |
Subseries 1: Campaigns |
| Box 4 Folder 1-2 | Radio Programs Local, radio programs and advertisement scripts supporting Adlai Stevenson’s campaign, 1952 |
| Box 4 Folder 3-4 | Volunteers for Stevenson, correspondence concerning volunteers for Adlai Stevenson’s presidential campaign, 1952-1953 |
| Box 4 Folder 5 | Democratic Executive Committee, Pinellas County, election of chair, files, 1954 |
| Box 4 Folder 6 | Non Partisan Filing of Candidates, legal paperwork, manuscripts, circa 1955 |
| Box 4 Folder 7 | Convention of Delegates 1956, correspondence, invoices, lists, 1955-1956 |
| Box 4 Folder 8 | Volunteers for Stevenson, correspondence, invoices, name tag, 1956 |
| Box 4 Folder 9 | Stevenson Adlai, Florida Campaign, correspondence, 1956-1960 |
| Box 4 Folder 10-11 | Speeches, manuscripts, correspondence, newspaper clippings, circa 1956 |
| Box 4 Folder 12 | Volunteers for Stevenson-Kefauver, correspondence concerning 1956 campaign, 1956 |
| Box 4 Folder 13 | Stephenson for Congress, correspondence concerning Stephenson’s campaign for congress, 1956 |
| Box 5 Folder 1-2 | Stevenson for President, Adlai Stevenson’s campaign for the Presidency material, including the organization of Stevenson’s campaign in Florida, correspondence, speeches, telegrams, 1956. |
| Box 5 Folder 3 | Know Your Candidates, newspaper clippings from the Petersburg Times column of the same name, 1956 |
| Box 5 Folder 4 | Pinellas Executive Committee, manuscripts, circa 1957 |
| Box 5 Folder 5 | Democratic Executive committee, correspondence, 1958 |
| Box 5 Folder 6 | 1968 Campaign, correspondence, 1968-1969 |
| Box 5 Folder 7 | Butler, Paul M, correspondence with Paul Butler chairman of the National Democratic Committee, 1955-1957 |
| Box 5 Folder 8 | Kefauver, Estes, correspondence with the office, 1954-1956 |
| Box 5 Folder 9 | Raskin, H.B., correspondence with Hy Raskin chairman of the National Democratic Committee, 1952-1955 |
| Box 5 Folder 10 | Tubby, Roger, Press Director Adlai Stevenson’s Campaign, correspondence, 1955 -1956 |
| Box 5 Folder 11 | National Democratic Party, loose correspondence, 1939-1977 |
Subseries 2: Florida State Election Laws |
| Box 5 Folder 12 | Platform, manuscript of Stephenson’s on 1st district matters, undated |
| Box 5 Folder 13 | The Brookings Institution includes a copy of the book Specifications for a Model State Presidential Primary Law by David T. Paul, correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 6 Folder 1-4 | Florida Primary Act 1955, correspondence, news clippings, includes a copy of Florida State Election Law, includes a brief Biography of Stephenson, manuscripts, 1955-1978 |
| Box 6 Folder 5 | Primary Returns, newspaper clippings concerning Florida State Primary, 1956 |
| Box 6 Folder 6 | Florida State Election Laws, correspondence, 1956 |
Series IV: World War II |
Subseries 1: War Files |
| Box 6 Folder 7 | Biographical Material related to Stephenson and Lewis H. Weinstein, 1940-1983 |
| Box 6 Folder 8 - 12 | World War II Files, correspondence, military records, maps, photographs, brochures, 1942-1977 |
| Box 7 Folder 1-2 | World War II files, military records, military health records, immunization records, correspondence, 1942-1952 |
| Box 7 Folder 3 | World War II files, military records, military health records, immunization records, correspondence, includes two letter of presentation, includes an invitation from the Dutch Ministry of War, 1942-1952 |
| Box 7 Folder 4 | Occupation Zones WWII, COSSAC Military records, 1944 |
| Box 7 Folder 5 | 3rd Army, map, correspondence, 1944 |
| Box 7 Folder 6-7 | "Battle Experiences," periodic bulletin prepared by the Combat Lessons Branch of the G-3 U.S. Army Headquarters, 1944-1945 |
| Box 7 Folder 8 | Liberation of Paris, military records, correspondence, brief account of the liberation by Weinstein Lewis, includes a WWII map of Paris, brief account of the liberation by Stephenson, 1944-1984 |
Subseries 2: Post-War Files |
| Box 7 Folder 9 | Photographs, correspondence, 1921-1984
|
| Box 7 Folder 10 | Early Reserve, correspondence, military records, 1951-1956 |
| Box 7 Folder 11 | Late Reserve, military records, invoices, correspondence, 1959-1962 |
| Box 8 Folder 1-3 | Final Official Records, U.S. Army Reserve military records, correspondence, newspaper clippings, 1949-1964 |
| Box 8 Folder 4 | Is Paris Burning? Correspondence, newspaper clippings, manuscripts, 1958-1977 |
| Box 8 Folder 5-6 | 12th Army Group, Eagles, correspondence, brochures, invoices, forms, 1954 -1972 |
| Box 8 Folder 7 | U.S. Army School, Europe, Department of Intelligence, Symposium on Collateral Activities, conferences schedules, brochures, school maps, correspondence, 1961- 1962 |
| Box 8 Folder 8 | Patton‘s Hunt, correspondence inquiring for any concerning media material on General Patton’s speeches, 1977-1984 |
| Box 8 Folder 9 | Barnett, Lloyd, Fitzmaurice, James, Hinton, Coleman, biographical data and military records, 1981 |
| Box 8 Folder 10 | Bradley, Omar N. General, correspondence, 1967-170 |
| Box 8 Folder 11 | Bradley, Omar N. General, correspondence, military records, 1945-1980 |
| Box 9 Folder 1 | McCormack, James, Major General correspondence, 1949-1956 |
| Box 9 Folder 2-3 | Trippett, Frank, correspondence, 1968-1982 |
| Box 9 Folder 4 | Weinstein, Lewis H., correspondence, 1955-1984 |
| Box 9 Folder 5 | Weinstein, Lewis H., Memoirs, correspondence, manuscripts, 1984 |
| Box 9 Folder 6-7 | Weinstein Lewis H, correspondence, 1970-1984 |
Series V: University of Chicago |
| Box 9 Folder 8 | The University of Chicago Alumni Foundation, correspondence, 1927-1979 |
| Box 9 Folder 9 | First Annual Publications Reunion, correspondence concerning University of Chicago former Editors and Top Staff members of Student Publications reunion, 1955 |
| Box 9 Folder 10 | Beta Theta Pi, personal files, 1956-1984 |
| Box 9 Folder 11 - 12 | Hyde Park High School, correspondence, includes correspondence with Mulroy, Thomas, Mayer, Howard, Anderson, Charles, and Osgood Cornelius (among others), 1957-1984 |
| Box 9 Folder 13 | University of Chicago Class of 1927 Alumni, correspondence, 1967-1984 |
| Box 10 Folder 1 - 2 | Chicago Alumni Reunion Class of 1927, correspondence, brochures, hand programs, invitations, 1976 - 1983 |
| Box 10 Folder 3 | University of Chicago Class of 1927, photograph, correspondence, 1977 |
| Box 10 Folder 4 | Chicago Press Veterans Association, correspondence, 1977-1982 |
Series VI: Personal Files |
| Box 10 Folder 5 | Babcock, Richard F., correspondence, 1952 -1953 |
| Box 10 Folder 6 | Baker, Robert, correspondence, 1954-1955 |
| Box 10 Folder 7 | Barnard, Harry, correspondence, includes correspondence with Barnard, Ruth, 1980-1984 |
| Box 10 Folder 8 | BE CENTER, correspondence, 1980-1985 |
| Box 10 Folder 9 | BE CENTER, correspondence, 1980-1981 |
| Box 10 Folder 10 | Bendetsen, Karl E., correspondence, 1950-1976 |
| Box 10 Folder 11 | Blair, William, correspondence, 1952-1957 |
| Box 10 Folder 12-13 | Correspondence, regarding military education legislation and Kennedy assassination, 1960-1964
|
| Box 10 Folder 14 | Bledsoe, Jerry, correspondence, 1979-1982 |
| Box 10 Folder 15 | The Broquinda Polarcar, brief history, correspondence, 1952-1958 |
| Box 10 Folder 16 | The Broquinda Polarmobile, pictures of Polarmobile Models, brochures, 1947 |
| Box 10 Folder 17 | Bryant, Farris, correspondence 1953-1955 |
| Box 11 Folder 1 | Burnett, Carol, correspondence, 1980 |
| Box 11 Folder 2 | Campus Unrest, manuscripts, correspondence, 1969 |
| Box 11 Folder 3 | Charles E. Kettering Foundation, correspondence, 1960-1961 |
| Box 11 Folder 4 | Chicago Tribune, correspondence, 1977 |
| Box 11 Folder 5 | Cisler, Walker, correspondence, 1950-1953 |
| Box 11 Folder 6 | Cochran, Alexander, correspondence, 1984 |
| Box 11 Folder 7 | Collins, Frank, correspondence, 1978 |
| Box 11 Folder 8 | Collins, Le Roy, correspondence, 1954-1956 |
| Box 11 Folder 9 | Curriculum Vitae, correspondence, 1960 |
| Box 11 Folder 10-11 | Diaries, circa 1940-1945 |
| Box 11 Folder 12 | David, Thomas E., correspondence, 1954-1956 |
| Box 11 Folder 13 | David, Paul T., correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 11 Folder 14 | Davis, Elmer, correspondence, newsclippings, 1953 |
| Box 11 Folder 15-16 | Dauer, Manning, correspondence, 1955-1957 |
| Box 12 Folder 1 | Dauer, Manning, University of Florida Political Science Program Chairman, correspondence, 1955-1957 |
| Box 12 Folder 2 | De Roos, Peter, correspondence, 1968-1974 |
| Box 12 Folder 3 | Dimock, Marshall, correspondence, 1984 |
| Box 12 Folder 4 | Dinsdale, David A., correspondence, manuscripts, 1982 - 1984 |
| Box 12 Folder 5 | Douglas, Paul H., correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 12 Folder 6 | Dungan, Ralph, correspondence, 1959 -1961 |
| Box 12 Folder 7 | Eisenhower, Milt, correspondence, 1951-1952 |
| Box 12 Folder 8 | Farrell, Jim, correspondence, photocopies, newspaper clippings, 1975-1982 |
| Box 12 Folder 9-10 | Federal Communications Commission, correspondence, 1953 |
| Box 12 Folder 11-12 | Finnegan James A., correspondence, 1956. |
| Box 12 Folder 13 | Florida Power, correspondence and manuscripts, 1940-1952 |
| Box 12 Folder 14 | Fuller, Warren, correspondence, 1956 |
| Box 12 Folder 15 | Glenn, John, correspondence, 1983 |
| Box 12 Folder 16 | Goodwin, George, correspondence, manuscripts, 1948-1982 |
| Box 12 Folder 17 | Graduate School Application, statement of purpose, writing sample, 1964 |
| Box 12 Folder 18 | Hancock Theodore includes correspondence with the painter Theodore Hancock, hand program for art exhibition, brochures, 1968 |
| Box 12 Folder 19 | Harris, Joan Coker, correspondence, 1966-1967 |
| Box 12 Folder 20-22 | Harvard Graduate School of Education, Harvard University interdepartmental correspondence, different projects drafts, general correspondence, 1963 - 1964 |
| Box 12 Folder 23 | Harvard Graduate School of Education, Office of the Dean, correspondence, 1963-1965. |
| Box 13 Folder 1 | Hebb, Maurice E., correspondence, 1983 |
| Box 13 Folder 2 | Holmes, Robert A., correspondence, 1979-1981 |
| Box 13 Folder 3 | Joslyn, John M., Beerheide Arthur J., correspondence, 1946-1947 |
| Box 13 Folder 4-5 | Job Hunt, curriculum vitae, correspondence, 1961-1964 |
| Box 13 Folder 6 | Keppel, Francis, correspondence, 1980-1982 |
| Box 13 Folder 7 | Kountz, Peter, correspondence, 1977 - 1985 |
| Box 13 Folder 8 | Lash, Joseph, correspondence, 1983 |
| Box 13 Folder 9 | L.L.D. Awards, correspondence, 1977-1980 |
| Box 13 Folder 10-11 | Manson Bruce D., correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 13 Folder 12 | Marshall, George C., correspondence, 1979 |
| Box 13 Folder 13 | Meyer, John Jr., correspondence, 1981-1984 |
| Box 13 Folder 14 | Mitchell, Stephen A., correspondence, 1954 |
| Box 13 Folder 15 | Morrison, Karl, correspondence, 1975-1982 |
| Box 13 Folder 16 | Neuberger, Richard L., correspondence, 1955 |
| Box 13 Folder 17 | Odell Joe, correspondence, 1971 -1984 |
| Box 13 Folder 18 | Parce Mead, correspondence, 1977 |
| Box 13 Folder 19 | Parkinsonism Harvard, correspondence, 1980-1984 |
| Box 13 Folder 20 | Perry John, correspondence, 1959-1983 |
| Box 13 Folder 21 | Perry John, correspondence, newspaper clippings, 1983-1984. |
| Box 14 Folder 1-3 | Perry John, correspondence, 1952 - 1957 |
| Box 14 Folder 4-5 | Public Letters, correspondence, newspaper clippings, 1971-1984 |
| Box 14 Folder 6 | Pussey, Nathan M., President of Harvard University, correspondence, 1963 |
| Box 14 Folder 7 | Redman, Mac, correspondence, 1949-1954 |
| Box 14 Folder 8 | Admiral Rickover Hyman, correspondence, news clippings, 1953-1982 |
| Box 14 Folder 9 | Recommendations, correspondence, 1939-1976 |
| Box 14 Folder 10 | Rocky Broad River Pollution, correspondence with the Department of Water Resources, 1966 |
| Box 14 Folder 11 | Rosenthal, Robert, correspondence, 1975-1983 |
| Box 14 Folder 12 | Sikes Robert, correspondence with the congressman Robert Skies, 1955 - 1956 |
| Box 14 Folder 13 | Southern Electrical Exchange, personal files, 1964 |
| Box 14 Folder 14 | Stevers, Martin D., Meekins, Roger P., Laughlin, Larry F., correspondence, 1967-1975 |
| Box 14 Folder 15 | Strauss, Michael W., Thompson, Wolfsohn, Joel D., correspondence, 1950-1954 |
| Box 15 Folder 1 | Switzerland and the Cold War, criticism by Stephenson of C.I.A. secret plan, 1962 |
| Box 15 Folder 2 | Vanderbilt University, correspondence, 1980-1982 |
| Box 15 Folder 3 | 1977 Vanderbilt University Class of 1927 Reunion, correspondence, hand programs, name tag, manuscripts, 1977-1983 |
| Box 15 Folder 4 | The Maria Vegh Wyatt Trust, correspondence, map, 1980. |
| Box 15 Folder 5 | Water Bond Bids, newspaper clippings, 1955 |
| Box 15 Folder 6 | Personal Files, photocopies, correspondence, 1942-1965 |
| Box 15 Folder 7 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1944-1970. |
| Box 15 Folder 8 | Personal Files, correspondence, newspaper clippings, circa 1945-1983 |
| Box 15 Folder 9 | Personal Files, correspondence, invoices, manuscripts, 1952-1984 |
| Box 15 Folder 10 | PhD. Application Inquiries, correspondence, 1956 |
| Box 15 Folder 11 | Miscellaneous and Copies, correspondence, manuscripts, TV speeches, news clippings, circa 1956 |
| Box 15 Folder 12 | Personal Files, correspondence, news clippings, 1956 |
| Box 15 Folder 13 | Personal Files, correspondence, news clippings, 1956-1960 |
| Box 15 Folder 14 | Personal Files, correspondence, manuscript, 1957 - 1983 |
| Box 15 Folder 15 - 17 | Miscellaneous, correspondence, brochures, invoices, news clippings, mainly concerning Kudzu, 1960-1984 |
| Box 15 Folder 18 | Ideas for Money, manuscripts, 1963 |
| Box 16 Folder 1 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1960 |
| Box 16 Folder 2 | Personal Files, includes correspondence concerning retired Captain Scott Severance, invoices, 1964 -1969 |
| Box 16 Folder 3 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1968- 1979 |
| Box 16 Folder 4 | Personal Files, correspondence 1972-1983 |
| Box 16 Folder 5 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1977 |
| Box 16 Folder 6 | Ike, correspondence, 1979 |
| Box 16 Folder 7 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1979-1984 |
| Box 16 Folder 8 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1983-1985 |
| Box 16 Folder 9 | Personal Files, correspondence, 1984 |
| Box 16 Folder 10 | Personal Files, correspondence, news clippings, 1984 |
| Box 16 Folder 11 | Stephenson, obituaries, newspaper clippings, 1985 |
| Box 16 Folder 12 | Manuscript, undated |
Series VII: Oversize Files |
| Box 17 Folder 1 | D-Day map, 1943 |