Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on August 20, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

We’ve been busy writing finding aids for recent acquisitions and revising finding aids for sets of papers already in our holdings. You can browse all of our collections on DigitalCommons. See something below that piques your interest or could be useful for your research? Get in touch and let us know what you’re thinking about; we’d love to help!

James Marion, Jr. and Kathryn Adelaide Kerby Tolle Collection, 1559-1952, MS#448 [Revised Finding Aid]
James Marion Tolle, Jr. was born in Amarillo, Texas on October 22, 1915. Kathryn Adelaide Kerby was born in 1924 and the couple married on July 6, 1959. James attended Lipscomb College and the University of Tampa, Florida. He also did graduate work at George Peabody College and Los Angeles State. He preached throughout Tennessee, Florida, California, Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. James died on June 22, 2005 and Kathryn died January 22, 2013. This collection includes correspondence, photographs, and manuscripts collected by the Tolles. Some of the materials have original autographs.

Charles Camille Saint-Saëns, autograph music manuscript, James Marion, Jr. and Kathryn Adelaide Kerby Tolle Collection, 1559-1952. Center for Restoration Studies MS #448. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Morris Dupree Norman Papers, 1948-2012, MS#461 [Revised Finding Aid]
This collection includes Morris Dupree Norman’s files for preaching and teaching, including annotated research, typewritten and handwritten sermons, teaching notes, and church bulletins.

11th and Willis Church of Christ Collection, 1986-1991, MS#472 [Revised Finding Aid]
The South 11th and Willis Church of Christ is located in Abilene, Texas. These records include cassette tapes of sermons and one DVD. Many of the tapes are of V. E. Howard as broadcast on the International Gospel Hour

Alice Carlson Papers, 1946-1989, MS#489 [Revised Finding Aid]
The Alice Carlson Papers contain 1 box of materials from Carlson’s ministry as a Sunday School teacher. Carlson’s lesson plans, study notes, and other church-related material are arranged in the order in which they were received.

“Year Six – Spring, Bible Reading Guide April – June, Prophets, Psalms,” Box 1, Alice Carlson Papers, 1946-1989. Center for Restoration Studies MS #489. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Everett Oscar Coffman Papers, 1928-1934, MS#514 [New Finding Aid]
Everett Oscar Coffman (1882-1973) was born in Tennessee and eventually attended Abilene Christian College. He was a preacher in the Church of Christ and worked in the Lawrence County, Tennessee school system. These papers include one loose-leaf notebook of typed sermon outlines.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

Charles H. Marler Papers, 1825-2013, MS#123 [Revised Finding Aid]
Dr. Charlie Marler is professor emeritus of journalism and mass communication who taught full-time at ACU from 1955-2003, one of the longest tenures for a faculty member in his alma mater’s history. (Biographical note from ACU Today website: acu.today/author/marlerc/) The Charles H. Marler Papers include 11 boxes of materials documenting his work as a journalist, professor, and church member. The papers include his extensive research files on Frank Grimes and Alexander Campbell, among others. Dr. Marler’s involvement in University Church of Christ in Abilene, Texas, and West Islip in New York are also represented in these papers. Finally, there are teaching materials and campus involvement documents from events such as the Abilene Christian University Centennial included in Dr. Marler’s papers.

University Church of Christ Directory, Box 5, Charles H. Marler Papers,
1825-2013. Center for Restoration Studies MS #123. Abilene Christian University Special
Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Ancel Edward Nunn Collection, 2002, MS#406 [Revised Finding Aid]
Ancel Edward Nunn was born in 1928. He lived in Abilene where he graduated from high school in 1946 before joining the U. S. Army. He was a skilled artist who studied at an early age under artists such as Alexander Hogue and Dong Kingman. He was known for using egg tempera and acrylic in his work. He lived throughout Texas and his work is held in many public and private collections. He died in 1999. This collection includes a leather-bound collection of Ancel Edward Nunn’s lithographs.

Edwin Randall “Randy” Becton Papers, 1970-2012, MS#458 [Revised Finding Aid]
Edwin Randall “Randy” Becton (1944-2015) served in Churches of Christ and various ministries throughout the United States. This collection consists of articles, notes, speeches, publications, and correspondence related to Highland Church of Christ, Herald of Truth, Abilene Christian University, Pepperdine University, Care Ministry, and Cancer Ministry.

“To the Praise of His Glory,” Box 6, Edwin Randall “Randy”
Becton Papers, 1970-2012. Center for Restoration Studies MS #458. Abilene Christian
University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University,
Abilene, TX.

Fifth and Grape Church of Christ (Abilene, TX) Records, 2006-2015, MS#493 [New Finding Aid]
The Fifth and Grape Church of Christ is located in Abilene, Texas. These records include three boxes of audio and visual materials from the congregation.

William Wesley Grasham Papers, 1955-2016, MS#515 [New Finding Aid]

These papers include William Wesley Grasham’s research and topical files, image slides, and some multimedia and print materials.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!

Finding Aid Round Up

Posted on June 21, 2021 by Amanda Dietz

Lloyd A. Boyll Papers, 1942-2017, MS#59 [Revised Finding Aid]
Lloyd A. Boyll was born in Sullivan, Indiana in 1917. He began preaching in Sullivan in 1941 two years after he married his wife, Stella Ellinger. He attended Indiana State Teachers’ College and Terre Haute (BS, MS). He served churches in Sullivan, Indiana, Mentone, Indiana, Evanston, Illinois, and Lafayette, Indiana. Boyll taught American History in Sullivan public schools for seven years while preaching for small churches. He served as co-editor and publisher of Fellowship News, 1948-1953 and conducted a daily radio program at Evanston, Illinois for nearly a year. He also taught Bible to Purdue University students in a cooperative housing unit maintained for Christian boys and was editor of A New Spirit. These papers include audio tapes from a lecture series, notes from a lecture series, transparencies, and manuscripts from books. Included is a paper by Boyll on the Sommer Segment movement within the Restoration Movement and the manuscript of “A Spiritual Odyssey.” This collection also includes a book of sermons, Boyll’s Minister’s Personal Record Book: 1942-1990s, and a video series – The Heritage of the Church (Recorded at Elmwood Ave. Church of Christ in Lafayette, IN) -1994. In addition are various papers collected, written by, or pertaining to Lloyd A. Boyll.

“The Sommer Segment in Retrospect,” Box 7, Lloyd A. Boyll Papers, 1942-2017. Center for Restoration Studies MS #59. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Nelson Coates Collection, MS#397 [Revised Finding Aid]
Nelson Coates (’84) is an Emmy-nominated production designer. This collection contains two Ethiopian prayer books written in Ge’ez. The prayer books are estimated to be between 300-400 years old.

Mirror Lake Christian Church (St. Petersburg, Florida) Records, 1920-1991, MS#453 [Revised Finding Aid]
This record group includes one oversized folder of photographs, awards, and historical information about the Mirror Lake Christian Church in Saint Petersburg, Florida.

Christian Tape Library Collection, circa 1978, MS#477 [Revised Finding Aid]
The donor of these Christian Tape Library recordings is unknown. This collection includes two copies of 41 numbered sermon and lecture audio cassette tapes produced by the Christian Tape Library on various topics by various Church of Christ ministers. It also includes a brochure organizing the tapes by topic matter.

Harold Thomas and Nellie Jeannette Scruggs Lipford Papers, 1932-2010, MS#517 [New Finding Aid]
These papers include materials from Jeannette and Harold’s time at Abilene Christian University as students and then as faculty and involved community members. There are also church bulletins, sermon notes, scrapbooks, awards, and a few A/V materials.

Abilene Christian College 1949-1950 A Capella Chorus program, Box 1, Harold Thomas and Nellie Jeannette Scruggs Lipford Papers, 1932-2010. Center for Restoration Studies MS #517. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!