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!

William Roy “W. R.” Smith Papers, 1951-1969, MS#446 [Revised Finding Aid]
William Roy “W. R.” Smith was born September 22, 1893 in Nacogdoches, Texas. He was married to Mayme Christian Rice Smith. The couple had two children. In 1933 W. R. Smith founded Lee Junior College in Baytown, Texas. He served as president at Lee Junior College until 1936 when he began working at Abilene Christian College. He was vice president of ACC from 1940-1962. The Smiths traveled extensively teaching Bible classes throughout the United States and Canada. Mayme passed away on November 18, 1975 and W. R. passed away on April 29, 1976. This collection includes correspondence regarding the McGarvey Fellowship Program, W. R. Smith Graduate Fund, and Restoration Quarterly.

Dawn Leslie Callaway Papers, 1991-2016, MS#459 [Revised Finding Aid]
Dawn Leslie Callaway (she also went by ‘Lori J. Lee’ and ‘Rebel Yell’) hitchhiked and lived on the streets most of her life. She published “Hitchhiker’s Dream” in 1992, a verse record of her travels through the South under her pen name ‘Rebel Yell.’ Callaway connected with the Aspen Grove Christian Church (Franklin, TN) where the members helped her secure a job and find a place to live. Her journals provide insight into topics including women’s issues, poverty, justice, and homelesness. This collection includes 29 journals of poetry and notes, and a folder of personal information about Callaway.

Hitchhiker’s Dream by Rebel Yell, Dawn Leslie Callaway Papers, 1991-2016. Center for Restoration Studies MS #459. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

James Durward Willeford Papers, 1928-1967, MS#468 [Revised Finding Aid]
James Durward Willeford was born in Grayson County, Texas, on April 13, 1916. His father died when he was nine, and his mother died when he was twelve. Willeford went to live in the Boles Orphan Home (Quinlan, Texas) until he graduated from high school. He attended college at West Texas State Teachers College (Canyon, Texas), Freed-Hardeman College (Henderson, Tennessee), Pennsylvania State College (State College, Pennsylvania), Abilene Christian College (Abilene, Texas), and the University of Wisconsin (Madison, Wisconsin). Willeford married Alice Marguerite Perkins on July 25, 1937. They had three children, and adopted one child. Willeford preached in Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, New Mexico, Texas, and Wisconsin. While preaching in Madison, Wisconsin, Willeford began producing a daily radio program. He later teamed up with James Walter Nichols and the 5th and Highland Church of Christ (Abilene, Texas) and began producing the Herald of Truth radio program. He preached for the Herald of Truth in its early years. When he died on August 3, 1992, he was an elder at the 5th and Grape Street Church of Christ (Abilene, TX). This collection includes transcripts and notes for Willeford’s sermons (1952-1960), and a small folder of materials from other authors and/or preachers.

Sermon, James Durward Willeford Papers, 1928-1967. Center for Restoration Studies MS #468. Abilene Christian University Special Collections and Archives, Brown Library. Abilene Christian University, Abilene, TX.

Hubert Connor “Con” Sweet, Jr. Collection, 1927-1928, MS#480 [Revised Finding Aid]
Hubert Connor ‘Con’ Sweet, Jr. was born 12 August 1942 in Leadville, Colorado. From 1959-1963 he served in the U.S. Navy before moving to Austin, Texas and working as a truck driver. His interests included trains and photography, among others. He was a member of West Erwin Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, and was active in a prison Bible correspondence ministry. He passed away on 13 August 2012 in Tyler, Texas. The Hubert Connor ‘Con’ Sweet, Jr. Collection contains one negative and six photographic prints of various scenes in the Abilene, Texas region.

J. Hermon Taylor Papers, circa 1915-1930, MS#512 [New Finding Aid]
According to Logan Key, great-great nephew of J. Hermon Taylor, family oral tradition holds that J. Hermon Taylor left home in Alabama around 1916 to attend a music school and died at a young age. These papers include a partial hymnal and some handwritten musical compositions by J. Hermon Taylor.

Stay tuned for more installments of Finding Aid Round Ups!