Don Leak papers
Abstract
The Donald A. Leak Papers (dated 1949-1967; 2 cubic feet, 6 boxes) comprise correspondence, newspaper clippings, periodicals, flyers, and conference materials that document several religious organizations on the University of Kentucky's campus, most prominently the YMCA and YWCA.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Don Leak papers
- Date
- 1949-1967 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Leak, Don
- Extent
- 2 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Student organizations -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
- Student activities -- Kentucky -- Lexington
- Religious institutions -- Kentucky -- Lexington.
- College students -- Religious life -- United States
- Universities and colleges -- United States -- Religion
- Arrangement
- Arranged into 3 series by subject: UK Student Organizations, National Organizations, and Subject Files. Within each series, organized alphabetically by organization or event name.
- Preferred Citation
- 0000ua102 : [identification of item], Don Leak Papers, 1949-1967, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Donald A. Leak was born in Brownsburg, Indiana, in 1935. He was director of the University of Kentucky (UK) Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and the Coordinator of Religious Affairs from 1961-1966. Leak was an ordained minister of the Disciples of Christ, and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Indiana University (IU) in 1957 and a Bachelor of Divinity degree from the University of Chicago's Chicago Theological Seminary in 1961. At Seminary he received the National Council Fellowship and the John R. Mott Fellowship. He was a member of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. As an undergraduate student at IU Leak worked as Youth Director for the Central YMCA of Indianapolis. While attending Seminary, Leak was Assistant Director of Camp Duncan, a camp sponsored by the Chicago YMCA and was Associate Program Secretary of the University of Illinois YMCA.
- Leak began working at the University of Kentucky in 1961 as director of the campus YMCA. Shortly after he began working at UK, his position was expanded to include the role of Religious Coordinator. In this role, Leak continued to work as YMCA director and also coordinated religious activities on campus among different religious groups. Leak was involved in organizing UK students to participate in the construction of a school in Lima, Peru, funded by the national YMCA office. In 1965 Leak lead another student group from UK to build another school in Bogota, Columbia. The following year, a second UK group returned to Bogota but Leak did not join them.
- In February 1966, Leak resigned his position at the University of Kentucky in order to accept a position with the Southern Area Council of the YMCA in Atlanta, Georgia.
- Source: "Leak, Don," University Archives Faculty/Staff General Reference Files, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Scope and Content
- The Donald A. Leak papers (dated 1949-1967; 2 cubic feet; 6 boxes) comprise correspondence, administrative notes, newspaper clippings, periodicals, flyers, meeting minutes, and conference materials that document the activities and concerns of several student religious organizations on the University of Kentucky's (UK) campus and in the United States in the 1950s and 1960s, most prominently the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) and Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). Other local organizations represented in the collection include the Newman Club and Pitkin Club (both of which were student Christian missionary organizations) and Town Girls (an organization for female students living off campus). National organizations represented include World University Service, National Council of Christians and Jews, University Christian Movement, National Student Christian Federation, and the Religious Education Association. Activities and concerns of these student organizations included promoting religious life at colleges, encouraging the moral development of college students, promoting religious identity, and pursuing charity and mission work. A number of these organizations also participated in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, focusing on getting white students involved.
- The collection also includes correspondence, organizational notes, programs, and flyers relating to UK-organized events for students in the early 1960s, including the Hanging of the Greens (an event held at Christmas time that involved hanging holiday decorations and putting up a Christmas tree in the student center as well as singing and Biblical scripture readings); Religious Orientation (an overview of campus religious programs held in the fall for entering first year students); Freshman Camp (an event similarly intended to help freshman students adjust to college life and encourage them to be involved in religious life on campus); and summer school programs (social events such as picnics held for students taking summer classes). The records were created or acquired by Leak in the course of his work as Head of the UK YMCA and Coordinator of Religious Affairs.
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
UK Student Organizations, 1949-1967
Freshman Camp, 1963-1964
Hanging of the Greens, 1955-1965
Newman Club, 1960-1962
Nexus, 1966-1967
Pitkin Club, 1961
Religious Orientation, 1963
Religion on Campus, 1964
Seminar on Sex, 1963
Summer School Program, 1956-1961
Town Girls, 1961-1966
UK Graduate Ministerial Students, 1965-1966
Womens Web, 1966
World University Service (Don Leak Files), 1961-1963
World University Service (Kentucky Kernel Articles), 1964
World University Service (UK Records), 1949-1967
National Organizations, 1945-1967
National Council of Christians and Jews, 1962-1964
National Student Christian Federation, 1960-1964
National Student YWCA, 1956-1963
National YWCA, 1964-1967
Pacific School of Religion, 1963
Religious Education Association, 1958-1965
Rockefeller Brothers Fund, 1965
Rockefeller Foundation, 1955-1962
Students for a Democratic Society, 1966-1968
Vanderbilt Divinity, 1965-1968
Vanderbilt Seminary Bulletins, 1964
University Christian Movement, 1966-1968
World Student Christian Fedration, 1965
World University Service (YMCA Files), 1956-1967
World YMCA, 1959-1962
YWCA Annual Reports, 1950-1964
YWCA National Board, 1955-1962
YWCA National Student Assembly, 1966-1967
YWCA Newsletter (Southern Regional), 1945-1960
YMCA Southern Regional Council, 1951-1961
YWCA Southern Regional Education Board, 1952-1958
Subject Files, 1948-1967
AZUWUR, 1961-1962
Group Dynamics Conference, 1964
Leadership Materials, 1956-1964
Program Resources, 1948-1964
Public Affairs, 1958-1964
Public Relations Materials, 1956-1959
Religious Counselling of College Students, 1963
Religion in Higher Education, 1956-1964
Seminary Correspondence, 1961-1962
Seminary Recruitment, 1965
Senior Citizens and Aging, 1958
Social and Religious Concepts Inventory, 1957
Student Voice, 1964
Universal Day of Prayer, 1961-1964
Washington Seminar, 1964-1965
Worldview Journal, 1960-1961
YWCA Break Barriers Project, 1963
YWCA Human Relations Materials, 1965-1967
YMCA Southern Regional Council (Race Relations Group), 1951-1961
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
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.
