Henry Mayer papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Henry Mayer papers
- Date
- 1877-2001, undated (inclusive)
- Extent
- 6.65 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Coal miners
- Coal mines and mining.
- Coal mines and mining -- Economic aspects -- Kentucky.
- Journalism -- Kentucky
- Labor unions -- Kentucky.
- Records
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by subject in eight series: Coal Mine Safety and Disasters/Explosions, Coal Industry and Its Impacts, Labor, Coal in Kentucky, Coal in McCreary and Pulaski Counties, Personal, Photographs, and Audiovisual.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms123: [identification of item], Henry Mayer papers, 1877-2001, undated, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Henry C. Mayer (1927-2007) was born in Jefferson County, Kentucky on November 17, 1927 to Florence Rapp. Mayer attended Notre Dame University, earning a B.A. in journalism and a M.A. in philosophy, before serving in the Korean War. While in the army, Mayer reached the rank of Private First Class and was stationed in Japan for eighteen months.
- Returning to Kentucky, Mayer worked from 1955-1965 primarily in various roles within the Kentucky state government, as well as with various advertising agencies. From 1965-1973, he was self-employed running a writing and research assistance business, including various freelance projects. In 1973, Mayer resumed his work within the Kentucky state government and advertising, which he continued to do until 1981 before returning to his writing and research assistance and teaching as a visiting faculty member at the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University. During his second stint in state government and advertising, Mayer married Barbara Zehnder on October 23, 1976 in Jefferson County, Kentucky.
- Mayer was involved in numerous activities and organizations within Kentucky, including service on the Governor's Task Force on Welfare Reform in 1979, several years as the chair on the Committee on Public Issues, membership on the executive council of the Association for Social Economics, several years as a delegate to the Annual Assembly of the Kentucky Council of Churches, several years as a board member of the Kentuckiana Hemophilia Foundation, multiple terms as a Legislative Agent to the Kentucky General Assembly, and many other local state, national, and topical organizations.
- Mayer's writing covered a wide range of topics, including state and federal government programs with impacts on Kentucky, St. Xavier High School (Louisville, KY), unemployment, a column on opera and the Louisville Orchestra, various expressions of ministry for religious publications, coal mining, mine disasters, current events in the coal industry, labor relations, Southern Baptist controversies, histories of banking in two mountain counties and undated histories of two local Roman Catholic parishes.
- Mayer passed away on December 23, 2007 and was buried in Radcliff, Kentucky in the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery Central.
- Sources:
- Ancestry.com. Kentucky, U.S., Birth Index, 1911-1999 [database on-line; accessed 2023 June 27]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2006. (Original data: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Births 1911-1999. Frankfort, Kentucky: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.)
- Ancestry.com. Kentucky, U.S., Marriage Index, 1973-1999 [database on-line; accessed 2023 June 27]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. (Original data: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives. Kentucky Birth, Marriage, and Death Databases: Marriages 1973-1999. Frankfort, KY, USA: Kentucky Department for Libraries and Archives.)
- National Cemetery Administration. U.S., Veterans' Gravesites, ca.1775-2019 [database on-line; accessed 2023 June 27]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. (Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.)
- Henry C. Mayer's curriculum vitae (2009ms123 06-14 "Personal"; accessed 2023 June 27).
- Scope and Content
- The Henry Mayer papers (dated 1877-2001, undated; 6.65 cubic feet, 8 boxes) comprise materials that document the history of coal mine safety, of mine disasters/ explosions, various biographical collections on different labor leaders, industry executives, writers, and clergy members, newsletters and reports on the coal industry and various other organizations, coal production, surface and strip mining (including the Office of Surface Mining), the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) and other labor unions, background on various Kentucky counties as well as focuses on the eastern, western, and northeastern parts of the state, strikes (including the Stearns strike from 1976-1979), and Mayer's own records from his time as a visiting faculty member at the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and Eastern Kentucky University, as well as his own writings. These materials include various newspaper clippings, reports, newsletters, speeches/ addresses, writings, photographs, cassette tapes, and a VHS collected across Mayer's life as a writer, researcher, civil servant, and other roles during the second half of the twentieth century.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Coal Mine Safety and Disasters/Explosions, 1941-2001, undated
Scope and Contents
The Coal Mine Safety and Disasters/Explosions series (dated 1941-2001, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 27 folders) comprises various reports, newspaper clippings, and industry documents detailing coal mine safety from primarily the twentieth century, Kentucky mine disasters/explosions, scans and writings on Charles Norwood, and a 1976 technical report on Coal Miner Safety and Health. Mine disasters/ explosions cover the following counties: Bell, Floyd, Harlan, Hopkins, Johnson, Knott, Leslie, Letcher, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Perry, Pike, Union, and Webster.
Coal Mine Safety, Pre-1900, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1900-1929, 1978, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1930-1949, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1950-1969, 1964-1969, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1970-1979, 1971-1979, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1980-1989, 1980-1989, undated
Coal Mine Safety, 1990-1999, 1990-2001, undated
Coal Mine Safety, MESA, 1977-1984, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Historical Summaries, 1989, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Bell County (KY), 1980, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Floyd County (KY), 1976-1989, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Harlan County (KY), 1980-1984, undated
Disasters/ Explosions, Hopkins County (KY), undated
Disasters/ Explosions, Johnson County (KY) (includes photographs), 1982-1983, undated
Disasters/ Explosions, Knott County (KY), 1981-1985, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Leslie County (KY), 1977-1981, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Letcher County (KY), 1976-1983, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Muhlenberg County (KY), 1972-1997, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Ohio County (KY), 1976, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Perry County (KY), 1989, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Pike County (KY), undated
Disasters/Explosions, Union County (KY), 1987-1996, undated
Disasters/Explosions, Webster County (KY) (includes photographs), 1941-1990, undated
Norwood, Charles, 1988, undated
Technical Report 1976, Coal Miner Safety and Health, 1976
Coal Industry and Its Impacts, 1949-2001, undated
Scope and Contents
The Coal Industry and Its Impacts series (dated 1949-2001, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 31 folders) comprises Mayer's handwritten notes, newspaper clippings, reports, industry publications, and organizational newsletters detailing Kentucky coal executives and operators, the coal lifestyle, coal production, the Coal Mining Oral History Project, community development and the coal transition (including a focus on MACED), background information on Hywel Davies, the Office of Surface Mining (OSM), surface and strip mining, various coal companies, and the Wallace Wilkerson administration and its relationship to coal.
Bibliographies, Coal, 1991, undated
Coal Contact Lists, 1987-1989, undated
Coal, Economic Analyses (KY), 1980-1989, undated
Coal, Executives and Operators, 1976-1993, undated
Coal, Lifestyle, 1975-1984, undated
Coal Mining Oral History Project, 1988-1989, undated
Coal, Production, 1963-2001, undated
Coal, Production, 1980-1983
Community Development and MACED, 1986-1996, undated
Davies, Hywel, undated
Great Western Coal Company, 1991-1992
Kentucky Dept. of Mines, 1915 Annual Report, undated
Mather, W.W., 1838 Ky. Geology Report, undated
Newsletters, Kentucky Coal Association, 1973-1990, undated
Newsletters, Kentucky Mines and Minerals, 1988-1989
Newsletters, Misc., 1983-1996, undated
Newspaper clippings (copies), Pre-1900s, undated
Newspaper clippings, Ky. coal, 1989-1996, undated
Office of Surface Mining (OSM), 1980-1997, undated
South East Coal Company, 1990-1993, undated
Surface and Strip Mining, 1977-1990, undated
Transportation, 1949-1985, undated
Wilkinson, Wallace (administration), 1987-1993
Labor, 1902-1994, undated
Scope and Contents
The Labor series (dated 1902-1994, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 35 folders) comprises Mayer's research notes, scans, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and journal article scans covering topics such as convict labor in Kentucky, early work contracts, labor disputes in 1920s eastern Kentucky, the Knights of Labor, roving pickets, sweetheart pacts/ contracts, wage statistics in the 1800s, wildcat mines and strikes, women miners, labor leaders (including George Ford, Samuel Herron, W.R. Ramsey, W.C. Webb, and national leaders), the National Miners Union, the Southern Labor Union, the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) both nationally and in Kentucky (including focuses on Districts 19 and 23 in eastern and western Kentucky, respectively, the UMWA Journal, the Pittston Strike, newspaper coverage, and leaders such as Tom Raney and Richard Trumpka), and Mayer's notes on the Workingmen's Advocate newspaper.
Labor, Convict Labor, undated
Labor, Early Work Contracts, undated
Labor, Eastern Kentucky 1920s, undated
Labor, General, 1973-1992, undated
Labor, Knights of Labor, 1980, undated
Labor, Roving Pickets, undated
Labor, Sweetheart Pacts/ Contracts, undated
Labor, Wage Statistics 1800s, undated
Labor, Wildcat Mines and Strikes, 1986-1990, undated
Labor, Women Miners, 1977-1984, undated
Labor Leaders, Ford, George, undated
Labor Leaders, Herron, Samuel, undated
Labor Leaders, National, 1976-1985, undated
Labor Leaders, Ramsey, W.R. (includes photographs), 1984, undated
Labor Leaders, Webb, W.C., 1901-1982, undated
National Miners Union, undated
Southern Labor Union, 1974-1977, undated
UMWA, 1800s, undated
UMWA (KY), 1900s, 1930-1989, undated
UMWA, 1975-1994, 1975-1994, undated
UMWA, affidavits 1947-1952, undated
UMWA, Districts 19 and 23 (KY), 1902-1989, undated
UMWA, Journal, 1891-1899, undated
UMWA, Journal NE Kentucky, 1894-1895, undated
UMWA, Pittston Strike, 1989-1990, undated
UMWA, Raney, T. correspondence, 1950-1962, undated
UMWA, Trumpka, R. (includes photographs), 1982-1989, undated
Workingmen's Advocate 1864-1870 (HCM notes), undated
Coal in Kentucky, 1926-2001, undated
Scope and Contents
The Coal in Kentucky series (dated 1926-2001, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 35 folders) comprises newspaper clippings, writings, publications, and photographs covering the following counties: Hopkins, Laurel, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Martin, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Perry, Pike, Rockcastle, Union, Wayne, Webster, and Whitley. There is also a medical survey of the bituminous coal industry, newspaper clippings on eastern Kentucky pre-1900 and during the 1981 strike, general background information on northeastern Kentucky and coal, general state history of Kentucky, and newspaper clippings and background information on western Kentucky and coal from the 1800s through 1993, including focuses on the 1924-1925 and 1981 strikes.
County, Bell, 1941-1992, undated
County, Floyd, 1975-1992, undated
County, Harlan, 1926-2001, undated
County, Hopkins, 1974-1992, undated
County, Laurel, 1975-1991, undated
County, Lawrence, undated
County, Leslie, 1991-1993, undated
County, Letcher, 1977-1991, undated
County, Martin, 1975-2001, undated
County, Muhlenberg, 1974-1993, undated
County, Ohio, 1977-1980, undated
County, Perry, 1980-1991, undated
County, Pike, 1985-1995, undated
County, Rockcastle, undated
County, Union, 1981-1992, undated
County, Wayne, undated
County, Webster (includes photographs), 1992-1993, undated
County, Whitley, 1973-1993, undated
1947 Medical Survey of the Bituminous Coal Industry, undated
Eastern Kentucky, strike, 1981, 1981, undated
Eastern Kentucky, coal mining, pre-1900, undated
Northeast Kentucky, general, 1976-1986, undated
State history, Kentucky, 1972-1992, undated
Western Kentucky, coal mining, 1800s, 1976-1980, undated
Western Kentucky, coal, 1900-1921, 1921-1976, undated
Western Kentucky, coal strike, 1924-1925, undated
Western Kentucky, coal, 1930-1993, 1931-1993, undated
Western Kentucky, coal strike, 1981, 1981, undated
Coal in McCreary and Pulaski Counties, 1976-2001, undated
Scope and Contents
The Coal in McCreary and Pulaski Counties series (dated 1976-2001, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 24 folders) comprises newspaper clippings, writings, scans, and various other publications on McCreary and Pulaski Counties in southeastern Kentucky, ranging from before the 1912 split of McCreary from Pulaski County, to background information on coal (including Blue Diamond Coal Company), tourism, and other economic activities in the region, and extensive newspaper coverage of the Stearns strike from 1976-1979 (including the activism of the Sisters of Loretto). There are also newspaper clippings on general topics regarding the coal industry such as acid rain, black lung, and severance and mineral taxes.
Acid rain, 1983-2000, undated
Black lung, 1977-2001, undated
Blue Diamond Coal Company, 1976-1991, undated
Broad form deeds, 1981-1991, undated
County, McCreary coal mining, 1980-1984, undated
County, McCreary general life, 1977-1985, undated
County, McCreary pre-1912, 1977-1989, undated
County, McCreary and Pulaski background on mining, 1977-1985, undated
County, Pulaski, undated
Stearns and McCreary, background and tourism, 1979-1990, undated
Stearns, Coal Mining in the Big South Fork 1990 report, 1990
Stearns, coal prep plan, 1970-1990, 1981-1982, undated
Stearns, historical background, 1980-1985, undated
Stearns, Sisters of Loretto, 1979-1982, undated
Stearns, strike, 1976-1979, 1976-1997, undated
Stearns, surface mining interests, 1977-1987, undated
Tax, severance and mineral, 1978-1989, undated
Personal, 1877-2001, undated
Scope and Contents
The Personal series (dated 1877-2001, undated; 1.0 cubic feet; 1 box; 27 folders) primarily comprises publications, scans, postcards, photographs, handwritten notes and drafts, and other ephemera detailing Mayer's correspondence, personal family history on his mother's family, the Rapps, writings, university work, and research notes. The correspondence includes communication with the University of Kentucky Appalachian Center, coal executives and operators, mining families, and family postcards. His writings include poems detailing various subjects, drafts of research papers, and research notes. There are also folders with work by Alan J. Banks, Harry Caudill, company stores, M.K. Gordon, coal reporting during the 1980s in the Louisville Courier-Journal, Willard Stanley, and Rembert Weakland, as well as various style guides for publications.
Appalachian Studies, 1975-1991, undated
Banks, A.J. dissertation, undated
Banks, A.J. writings, undated
Caudill, Harry, 1988-1991, undated
Company stores, 1971
Correspondence, 1976-1996, undated
Gordon, M.K. bulletins and correspondence, undated
Gordon, M.K. legal proceedings, undated
Gordon, M.K. minutes, Operators Assoc., 1933-1936, undated
Louisville Courier-Journal, coal reporting, 1980s, 1982-1989
Notebooks, undated
Personal, 1982-1997, undated
Rapp Family, 1877-1955, undated
Stanley, Willard, 1980-2001, undated
Style guides, 1971, undated
University work, Eastern Kentucky University, 1980-1981, undated
University work, University of Kentucky (includes photographs), 1939-1992, undated
Weakland, Rembert, 1985-1993, undated
Writings, 1958-1996, undated
Photographs, 1981, undated
Scope and Contents
The Photographs series (dated 1981, undated; 0.5 cubic feet; 40 items) comprises photographs detailing UMWA charters and leaders (including JD Wood, Tom Raney, Carson Hibbitts, Ed. J. Morgan, James W. Riding, Joseph Smith, and Dennis Walker), coal miners, company towns (including Coalton), rail stops, mine disaster/ explosion aftermath scenes (including the Explosion at Belva #1 Four Mile Bell County), miner and mine equipment (including miner's hats with headlamps, cutting machines, and various belongings) and various scenes of coal camp life such as English language classes and funerals.
Kentucky Coal Products Tree, undated
National Progressive Union 1898 charter, undated
UMWA District 19 1917 Wage Scale Convention delegates, undated
Man kneeling in front of a mine entrance, undated
Group of men posed in front of a mine entrance, undated
Walker, Dennis portrait, undated
Group gathered at a railroad stop, undated
Signed portrait to Henry Mayer, undated
Group of men doing a radio show (negatives), undated
Morgan, Ed. J. portrait, undated
Raney, Tom portrait, undated
Hibbitts, Carson portrait, undated
Unnamed Hopkins Co. miner, 1912 portrait, undated
Ridings, James W. portrait, undated
Wood, J. portrait, undated
UMWA charter, JD Wood (President), Joseph Smith (Secretary), undated
UMWA District 23 Central City, Kentucky, undated
Man with horses and a wagon near a tower, undated
Miner's belongings, undated
Miner's hat with a lamp, undated
Photograph of a group of miners, undated
Group of miners' houses, Elkhorn Mining Company, circa 1914, undated
Group of men ramming a pole through a wall, undated
Aerial view of an unnamed company town, undated
Group of people at a funeral, 1981
Group of miners protesting losing their jobs, undated
Class in English language January 25, 1913, undated
Removal of one of the 25 victims Explosion at Belva Mine no. 1 Four Mile, Bell County, Kentucky December 28-29, 1945, undated
Group of men in suits, undated
A.D. James, M.D. Delegate from Muhlenberg, Kentucky, undated
Unnamed miner staring into the camera, undated
Cutting machine in St. Bernard mine, 1906, undated
Checkweighman at the tipple PV&K Coal Company, Harlan, undated
UMWA District No. 23 Official Ballot for term beginning April 1, 1923, undated
Aerial drawing of Coalton "Coalton supplied coal for Norton and Theashland Iron and Mining Co.", undated
Rural rail stop, undated
Ashland Steel Co. built in 1891, bought by American Rolling Mill in 1926, undated
Group of miners posed with horses, undated
Audiovisual, 1989, undated
Scope and Contents
The Audiovisual series (dated 1989, undated; 0.15 cubic feet; 13 items) comprises twelve cassette tapes and one VHS tape that document Mayer's interviews with figures such as Harry LaViers III, Dave Zeeger, Edward Lee Cawood, Darwin Allen, Jim Roor, Ron Gaudiano, Nyan Greeyn, and Duane Bennett, a BOA-POWER meeting, and the film "Matewan" which dramatized the fight between a West Virginia coal mining community and the mining company.
Interview with Harry LaViers III Tape #1, undated
Dave Zeeger Tape no. 1, undated
Dave Zeeger Tape no. 2, undated
BOA-POWER meeting, 1989 September 12
Edward Lee Cawood, undated
I "Start" Darwin Allen, undated
Madden (A side), Mr Thomas (B side), undated
Jim Roor, 1989 February 23
Ron Gaudiano no. 1, 1989 May 19
RGH2?, undated
Nyan Greeyn no. 1, 1989 February 10
Duane Bennett no. 2, 1989 February 11
"Matewan" VHS, undated
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
- Abstract
- Descriptive Summary
- Collection Overview
- Preferred Citation
- Restrictions on Access and Use
- Contents of the Collection
- Coal Mine Safety and Disasters/Explosions, 1941-2001, undated
- Coal Industry and Its Impacts, 1949-2001, undated
- Labor, 1902-1994, undated
- Coal in Kentucky, 1926-2001, undated
- Coal in McCreary and Pulaski Counties, 1976-2001, undated
- Personal, 1877-2001, undated
- Photographs, 1981, undated
- Audiovisual, 1989, undated
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.