Joseph R. Schwendeman papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Joseph R. Schwendeman papers
- Date
- 1932-1981, undated (inclusive)
- 1942-1950 (bulk)
- Creator
- Schwendeman, Joseph R., 1897-1984
- Extent
- 0.35 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Education, Higher -- Social aspects
- Geography -- Study and teaching -- Kentucky
- Universities and colleges -- Kentucky -- Sociological aspects
- Schwendeman, Joseph R., 1897-1984
- Preferred Citation
- 1991ua008 : [identification of item], Joseph R. Schwendeman papers, 1932-1981, undated, bulk 1942-1950, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Joseph Raymon Schwendeman (1897-1984) was a University of Kentucky (UK) professor and founder of the University's Department of Geography. Schwendeman was born in Waterford, Ohio, in 1897 and studied at Ohio University, where he earned a BS in Education in 1926. He attended Clark University, where he earned a MA (1927) and PhD (1941) in Geography. Between April and May 1945, he was a civilian instructor for the Air Corps and held teaching jobs at Columbia College, St. Johns University, State Teacher College at Spearfish, was a visiting professor at Ohio University, a part-time instructor of geography at the University of Minnesota, and was head of Department of Geography at State Teachers College at Moorhead, Minnesota. On September 1, 1944, he was appointed Professor of Geography and the first Head of the Department of Geography at UK, making him the founder of the department.
- Schwendeman's publications include geographical materials for public grade schools for geography classes in Minnesota and regionally specific works about Kentucky, Mexico, and Minnesota. His articles on rocks, minerals, and water supply were published in numerous scholarly journals, and his work for the United States Scientific Congress entitled Blueprints the Future: A report of the first United States Scientific Congress [1949] was published in English, German, French and Spanish. Schwendeman's contributions to the State of Kentucky Desk Map Series and the World Desk Map Series encompassed population, economy, resources, and natural region and climate information. Schwendeman retired in 1967 after 23 years at UK. A bibliography of his published work can be found in his faculty and staff biographical file in the University of Kentucky Archives in the Special Collections Research Center (accession number 2018ua031).
- Schwendeman was a Roman Catholic and member of the Kiwanis Lexington Chapter, a member and advisor of Alpha Epsilon, president of Deun International (a Catholic Organization), and president of Holy Name Society (a Catholic men's organization). He served as a delegate to the United Nations conference on natural resources held in Lake Success, NY, in 1949 for which he discussed "The Status of Geography in Institutions of Higher Learning in the United States." The International Summer School 1960-1966), an exchange program between Monterrey, Mexico, and Lexington, Kentucky, funded by the Carnegie Foundation and the Sears-Roebuck Foundation, was inaugurated by Schwendeman and inspired by a graduation speech President Eisenhower gave to Baylor University in Waco, Texas, in 1956. Schwendeman served as the International Summer School's Executive Secretary.
- Sources: 2018ua031:"Schwendeman, Joseph R." University Archives faculty/staff reference file, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Scope and Content
- The Joseph R. Schwendeman papers (dated 1932-1981, undated, bulk 1942-1950; 0.35 cubic feet; 1 box) comprise correspondence, photographs, printed materials, newspaper clippings, and handwritten notes that document Schwendeman's professional geographic activities as well as general faculty life at the University of Kentucky (UK) immediately after World War II. The correspondence includes incoming and outgoing letters from geographic colleagues and professional organizations; publishers; K-12 teachers, The Teacher's Service Bureau, and teaching colleges; and newspaper columnists. Correspondents and topics include a fundraising appeal from the American Men of Science; geologist Samuel N. Dicken, who refers to a unnamed Mexican climatologist about whom Schwendeman was interested; Don Schlattman, a military geologist based in Colorado, discussing the climate and geographical differences between that state and his home place and working with an unnamed Jewish geologist; J. Riley Staate, Chairman of Geography at The University of Miami, expressing concern about the state of regional geography studies in Florida; The Madison and Wisconsin Foundation; a survey from the War Manpower Commission National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel (blank survey form included); and George E. Sokolsky, a weekly radio broadcaster for the National Association of Manufacturers and a columnist for The New York Herald Tribune discussing the intellectual culture of the 19th century and Sokolsy's doubt that the intermingling of cultures will result in world peace.
- The photographs comprise 20 undated images from a Catholic Mission in several localities in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, showing two priests (Silverio Hernández and Joseph Valenciano) and unidentified Indigenous people (probably Wixárika) participating in various religious activities. The captions on the back of the photographs are in Spanish with translations or commentary in English. The printed materials include the UK newsletter, conference advertisements, The Kiwanis Club of Lexington newsletter, Kentucky Images Newsletter, and a Catholic Commission on International and Cultural Affairs Quarterly Review. The newspaper clippings include news about individual young men serving in the US military. There are also an undated handwritten curriculum vitae and a 1932 handwritten travel diary. The collection does not include any material relating to the UK Geography Department or to Schwendeman's academic and professional work after 1950.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment
- Use Restrictions
- Property rights reside with the University of Kentucky. The University of Kentucky holds the copyright for materials created in the course of business by University of Kentucky employees. Copyright for all other materials has not been assigned to the University of Kentucky. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Handwritten Curriculum Vitae (CV), undated
Catholic Commission on Intellectual and Cultural Affairs (CCICA), 1950
Equitable Life Insurance Society of the United States, 1950
Handwritten notes, undated
Kiwanis Club of Lexington, 1945
K-12 geography teaching materials, 1944-1950
Lynge and Son Geographic Materials-book catalog, undated
Newspaper clippings, 1945-1950
Photographs from Catholic Mission in the state of Jalisco, Mexico (20 Items), undated
Scope and Contents
There is no information in the collection about these black-and-white images, other than it is clear they document a Catholic mission in Jalisco, Mexico, probably with the Wixárika (Huichol) indigenous people living in that area. Images usually include groups of people standing or kneeling in the foreground with a background of wood or stone structures, sometimes with hills or mountains in the distance. One image includes a dog. Clothing can be seen clearly, but faces and other details are less distinct. The original photograph captions were written in Spanish with English translation in two different handwriting. The captions are clearly written from the Catholic mission perspective and in some cases include derrogatory comments about the Wixárika. These original captions are included in description notes for each image. The priests represented are the Right Reverend Silverio Hernández and the Reverend Joseph Elisabeth Valenciano. None of the Wixárika are named.
A group of thirteen adults and children (one a child in the arms of another person) stand in front of three whitewashed, stone buildings, each with a thatched roof in Los Gatos, Jalisco, Mexico. At least ten of the people are probably Wixárika. At least two of the people are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Los Gatos: recién bautizados y casados/newly baptized and newly wed (in the same day)"
A group of ten adults and children stand in front of an arched doorway in a white wall with plaster decorations, probably a Catholic church building at Zenzompa, Jalisco, Mexico. At least eight of the people are probably Wixárika. At least two of the people are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Frente al Templo de Tenzompa/In front of the Church at Zenzompa"
Three adults stand in the foreground with at least two people sitting or standing in the background in front of or next to plaster or wooden structures covered with thatched roofs, probably at San Andrés Cohamiata, Jalisco, Mexico. One of the adults in the foreground is the Governor and probably Wixárika. Two of the adults in the foreground are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "San Andrés Cohamiata, con el Gobernador/With the Governor at San Andres Cohamiata"
Twelve adults and children kneel on the ground and two people stand with their backs to the camera and facing six people with their faces toward the camera and standing in front of two rectangular doorways in a stone structure, probably at Ocota, Jalisco, Mexico. The people are participating in a Catholic mass. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. Two of the people standing are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Ocota, esperando la Misa/Ocota, waiting for Mass"
Four adults stand in the foreground with at least two people sitting or standing in the background in front of or next to plaster or wooden structures with thatched roofs, probably in San Andrés Cohamiata, Jalisco, Mexico. One of the people standing is the Governor and the other is a neighbor. Both are probably Wixárika. Two are Catholic priests., undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "El Gobernador y un vecino y los misioneros en San Andrés Cohamiata/From left to right: Rev. [Reverend] Hernández, the Governor, a 'vecino' [neighbor] and Rev. [Reverend] Valencia at St. [Saint] Andrew"
Three adults stand on a field of boulders with steep hills in the background at Barranca del Ríos de Chapalagana/Chapalagana River Canyon, Jalisco, Mexico. One of these adults is the Governor of Santa Caterina/Saint Catherine, Jalisco, Mexico, and is probably Wixárika. Two of the adults are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Barranca del Ríos de Chapalagana con el Gobernador de Sta [Santa] Caterína/Chapalagana River Canyon, Rt. Rev. [Right Reverend] Hernández and Rev. [Reverend] Valenciano with the Governor of St. [Saint] Catherine"
A large group of adults and children stand or sit in front of an arched doorway in a stone structure at Guadalupe Ocotán, Jalisco, Mexico. Two people stand in the doorway, each holding one side of a rectangular framed object. The people are most likely Wixárika. The scene probably documents a celebration of the Catholic feast of Our Holy of Guadalupe on December 12, year unknown December 12
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "12 Diciembre en Guadalupe Ocotán aquí hay gente mas civilizada, pocos son los que usan el traje típico/The feast of Our Holy of Guadalupe in 'Guadalupe Ocotán.' In this place the Indians are more civilized; you hardly meet any Indians with typical costumes."
A large group of adults and children kneel and two adults stand in front of a ruined stone building with two rectangular doorways in San Sebastián/Saint Sebastián, Jalisco, Mexico. The building is probably a Catholic church, and the people are participating in a Catholic mass. The majority of the kneeling people are probably Wixárika. The two standing men are Catholic priests., undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Frente al [destruido?] Templo de San Sebastián, esperando la Misa/Rt. Rev. Mgr. [Right Reverend Monsignor] Silverio Hernández and Rev. [Reverend] Joseph Valenciano in St [Saint] Sebastián just before Mass"
Blank colorized postcard, "Patio Central del Obispado, Monterrey, N. L. [Nuevo Leon] Mexico"/Central courtyard of the Diocese, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, undated
A group of nine adults and young adults stand in front of a structure with whitewashed walls and a thatched roof. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. Two of the people are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Los [posantes?]" May mean "people posing."
A large group of people kneel on the ground with their backs to the photographer, probably in Zalatita, Jalisco, Mexico. Facing them and the photographer are two standing adults. The entire group is kneeling and standing in front of a structure with a thatched roof. The majority of the kneeling people are probably Wixárika. The two standing people are Catholic priests. In the background on the right is a tree, a standing person with arms folded, and another structure. A woven wicker structure with a hat on it is also in the foreground, undated
Seven adults and children (one child being held by another person) stand in front of a a hill and a stone structure with a thatched roof in Los Pocitos, Jalisco, Mexico. Most of the people are probably Wixárika. At least one of the adults is a Catholic priest. The group is probably participating in a Catholic baptismal ceremony, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Bautismo en Los Pocitos/A baptismal ceremony in 'Los Pocitos'"
Two people, probably a man and a woman, lean against a stone wall in Zenzompa, Jalisco, Mexico. They have probably just been married. They are probably Wixárika. To the left is a large bell suspended in a stand. In the background is a vista of vegetation and stone structures sloping away from the foreground, with what is probably a large body of water in the distance, probably either the Gulf of California or the Pacific Ocean, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Recién casados en Zenzompa/Newly wed in Zenzompa"
Eight adults and children stand in front of a stone structure, slightly to the left of an arched doorway. The stone structure is probably the Catholic Church of Saint Catherine in Jalisco, Mexico. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. One of the adults is a Catholic priest. There is a ladder leaning against the stone structure on the left, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Templo de Sta [Santa] Caterina/Catholic Church of St. [Saint] Catherine, Rev. [Revered] Joseph Elisabeth Valenciano and Indians (Huicholes)"
At least nine adults and children (one a child carried by another person) stand in front of a structure with a thatched roof in Los Pocitos, Jalisco, Mexico. A person lies on a cot in the middle of the group. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. One of them is a Catholic priest. There is probably an animal skin stretched on the thatched roof, undated
At least ten adults and children stand, sit, or squat in a clearing next to two structures with thatched roofs in Los Gatos, Jalisco, Mexico. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. One of the people is probably a Catholic priest. The group is probably learning Catholic catechism being taught by a Wixárika, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "Catequista Huichol en [Los Gatos?]. Sabe leer/Teaching catechism to the Indians" The person leading the catechism is a Huichol and knows how to read
A group of ten adults stand in front of a structure with a thatched roof, possibly a Wixárika temple in Zaymasita, Jalisco, Mexico. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. Two of the people are Catholic priests, undated
- Box 1, folder 10
Scope and Contents
Original photograph caption: "[Zaymasita?] frente al [culihuy?]/The Indian temple at [Zaymasita?]"
Five adults and children (one a child carried by another person) stand in front of a structure with a thatched roof, probably in Zaymasita, Jalisco, Mexico. The majority of the people are probably Wixárika. One of the people is a Catholic priest, who stands on the left, looking at the photographer but facing toward the group of four people to the right. The priest's right hand is outstretched, and he holds a book in his left hand. Two adults stand in the background. The people are probably participating in a Catholic ceremony, undated
A large group of people kneel on the ground with their backs to the photographer, probably in Zalatita, Jalisco, Mexico. Facing them and the photographer are two standing adults. The entire group is kneeling and standing in front of a structure with a thatched roof. The majority of the kneeling people are probably Wixárika. The two standing people are Catholic priests. In the background on the right is a tree and at least one standing person. A woven wicker structure with a hat on it is also in the foreground, undated
Nine people kneel on the ground with their backs to the photographer. Facing them and the photographer are two standing adults. The entire group is kneeling and standing in front of a whitewashed stone structure with a thatched roof. The majority of the kneeling people are probably Wixárika. The two standing people are Catholic priests. A dog is curled up on the ground behind one of the kneeling people., undated
Professional correspondence, 1944-1950
Southeastern Division of the Associations of American Geographers (SEDAAG), 1950
Teaching and learning materials, 1945, undated
University of Kentucky faculty meeting minutes, 1950
University of Kentucky staff bulletins, 1945-1950
War Manpower Commission National Roster of Scientific and Specialized Personnel (Blank), 1944
Handwritten travel diary, 1932
"We the People--Whom Fortune Favors" graduation address, Moorhead State Teachers College, 1942
"Kentucky Images Newsletter" featuring Kentucky geography textbooks authored by Schwendeman, 1981
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Table of Contents
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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.
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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.
