Few individuals among Churches of Christ in the 20th century were as well-known as Carl Ketcherside (1908-1989). He described his journey as that of a piece-maker who became a peacemaker. He was for many a champion for the recovery of a lost unity amid a divided fellowship; for others, his voice represented a dangerous departure from historic restorationism if not biblical teaching. However his legacy is characterized, any interpretation of it rests on available sources: from a voluminous published corpus to archival materials from his own hand. On the one hand, ACU Special Collections holds a robust collection of his published books. Further we have copies or originals of as complete a set of his periodicals as is obtainable. On the other hand, we have numerous letters written by Carl to several of his associates. Never intended for publication, they shed additional light into his ministry and through his life, the wider story of Churches of Christ in his day. Each letter includes an attached transcription, and as a result of the typed transcriptions, the letters are now text searchable. We thank Ian Davidson, Cecil Hook. Hoy Ledbetter, Boyce Mouton, Stan Paregien, and Terry Gardner for making the letters, transcriptions, and annotations available.

During the 2013 ACU Friends of ACU Library luncheon during Summit Mac Ice discussed the archival significance of this correspondence and the role archives play in the preservation and dissemination of our faith story. A video of Mac’s presentation is at the bottom of the page.

Letters
We have scanned over 135 letters from Carl to these five associates. Click the name below to access the correspondence (in PDF form) from W. Carl Ketcherside to that individual. Terry J. Gardner meticulously transcribed and annotated many of these letters.

Davidson, Ian

Hook, Cecil

Ledbetter, Hoy

Mouton, Boyce – First set

Mouton, Boyce – Second set

Paregien, Stan

If you have any information about these, or any other letters to or from Carl Ketcherside – please contact Mac Ice.

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Link to Special Collection’s Twitter account

Now that the chaos of moving the items we have been entrusted with downstairs, we find ourselves slowly making progress in getting settled into our new space.  Offices are coming together, as paint dried and shelves and desks were built.  Paintings and signs are being hung and rethought in order to give each of you a sense of the familiar and a presentation of the new – as we begin to stretch our legs in this new space.

We want to thank all of those individuals who helped us in the move, and those who continue to help us straighten, dust, reconnect technology, and find new places for familiar and beloved items that have become a real and valuable part of our history and heritage.  It will not be long before the new semester starts, and the move that consumed our attention a few weeks ago is nothing more than another part of our history.  We are looking forward to sharing our new space with you, and hope that you will stop by whenever you get a chance to experience the collections and the people that bring our history to life.

Stay tuned to more photos, videos, and posts concerning ACU’s Special Collections.