Historical Material from UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections

The diary of Elgia Leila (Wittwer) Dawley from 1921-1925 spans her years teaching French and voice in New York through her marriage in 1922, and move to Olympia, Washington. The diary includes entries for the same date for five years on the same page.

The diaries of Hallie Miles document her life in Danville, Indiana from 1940-1945, including activities at her church, sewing, visiting with friends and family, choir rehearsal, and similar activities. She mentions giving lessons to children in her home. She comments on world events such as the death of President Franklin Roosevelt and the end of World War II. Her diaries also contain many news clippings, notes, and other bits of ephemera such as a WWII ration stamps envelope. Miles used a variety of types of diaries including desk calendar style, a diary provided by an insurance company, and embossed covers.

The James B. Peterson Papers comprise primarily handwritten scores of Peterson's original music compositions, along with some "autograph copies" (photocopies) of his scores; a reel-to-reel audio recording of Peterson's retirement dinner, April 30, 1978; a newspaper clipping, and a handwritten note. Peterson's compositions include a woodwind quintet, quartet in C, fantasy for oboe and piano, concerto for oboe and wind ensemble, sinfonia for string orchestra, improvisation with two oboes and English horn, quartet for brass, sonatas for violin with piano or with piano and cello, a suite of modes, and a requiem.

Jazz Past-Times with Ed Jones was a 100-episode radio series which aired on KVNO from January 5, 1981, until May 30, 1983. Ed Jones created the program from his personal collection of 78 rpm records and taped radio programs, using KVNO's equipment and presenting information about the musicians from his own notes and research. The collection includes the reel-to-reel audio recordings of the complete set of hour-long programs, CD copies made from those recordings, program transcripts, Ed Jones's handwritten program notes and scripts, photographs, negatives, correspondence, news clippings, KVNO Guides from October 1980 through May 1983 (which listed the show on the schedule), and one audiocassette recording of "Tribute to Henry James" (from reel 90, October 24, 1983), which was the only program featuring Ed Jones interviewing anyone (in all other programs, Ed Jones presented solo). Each program featured at least three and sometimes as many as ten different jazz musicians and bands. Occasionally swing or big band music was included. Some programs were devoted to jazz music from other countries, including Italy and Japan. Detailed program lists are available to assist researchers.

The records of Lavender Couch include fliers, posters, and photographs documenting the alternative rock, all-lesbian band's shows or gigs in Omaha, Lincoln, and other locales. Publicity photos and casual photos of band members are also available. A small number of contracts or agreements are part of the collection along with ephemera such as a sticker. A copy of the band's eponymous 1994 audiocassette tape is part of the collection. Lavender Couch was an alternative rock band active in Omaha and Lincoln, Nebraska, beginning in the mid-1990s. Lavender Couch was Omaha's first all-lesbian band. Band members were: Cami Rawlings, guitar, bass, vocals; Allison Ravnholdt, bass, guitar, vocals; Ariann Anderson, vocals; and Roselle Ledesma, drums.

The collection includes a series of musical scores compiled into folios by Mary Münchhoff, with an index compiled by Robert Ruetz. A series of original and miscellaneous mostly appear to be original autographs by the composer, also compiled into a folio by Mary Münchhoff, with an index compiled by Robert Ruetz. Both of the former series have been cataloged and may be discovered by searching WorldCat. Finally, a series of about 3.8 cubic feet of music scores has not been further arranged or described. Many of these appear to be inscribed by Mary Münchhoff or one of her students. Other music scores originally collected by Münchhoff, which did not have distinctive inscriptions or markings, were presumably integrated into the Criss Library Music Score Collection.

The New Voice of Nebraska was published in Lincoln, NE beginning in 1984 before moving to Omaha where it continued to be published until 1998. All issues have been digitized and are available online. Paper issues along with attached ephemera are available in UNO Libraries' Archives & Special Collections.

The records of the Omaha Symphony Guild document events organized by the group as well as governance functions of the board of directors from circa 1990-2011 with gaps in the records. Organizational records include the secretary’s notebooks (2003-2006), treasurer’s notebooks and reports (1999-2005, Omaha Symphony Guild Advisor, as well as material created by other officers including the President, Executive Committee, Board of Directors, President-Elect, Vice President for Administration, Vice President for Education.

The Omaha Zine Collection is predominantly zines produced by local and regional creators with selected national zines. Topics include perzines, social justice, self-care, art, music, comics, LGBTQIA+, and many other subjects. The majority of zines in the collection were acquired at Omaha Zine Fest beginning in 2017 with other notable additions by students creating zines for their UNO classes.

The records of Opera Omaha include material from before its founding in the 1950s to the present, documenting the history of the organization, its administration, and its productions. The collection holds board meeting minutes (1958-1994), news clippings (1954-1990), audio and video recordings (1960s-2000s), as well as scrapbooks, photographs, negatives, slides, programs, posters, original artwork, and related material.

The collection of Sam Walker includes posters, fliers, LPs, and ephemera documenting Omaha organizations, events, and people in the 20th and 21st centuries particularly related to activism, music, and culture. Topics covered include anti-Vietnam War protests, protests against the demolition of Jobbers Canyon, Omaha sheet music, Wounded Knee legal defense fund, Omaha music and performers, Al Smith, jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson, and the Omaha centennial celebration. The fourteen LPs in the collection were produced by Omaha church, high school, university, Boys Town, and other musical groups. The collection includes a sample ballot for the 1967 Omaha vote about whether to merge the Municipal University of Omaha with the University of Nebraska, which when passed created the University of Nebraska system.

The WPA Records are drafts and research notes used for the books and pamphlets produced by the Omaha office of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) Federal Writers' Project (FWP) (1935-1943). The bulk of the papers are typescript, with a few handwritten notes. The collection includes reports about architectural works (primarily buildings), businesses and industry, cemeteries, charities, collections, crime and criminals, defense trainee interviews, education, ethnicity (race and national origin), fine arts (artists, authors, music, and theater), folklore, hospitals, interviews and biographies, the Missouri River, the State of Nebraska, newspaper clippings on a variety of topics, information about the newspapers themselves (rivalries, strikes, unions, newspapermen, and individual Nebraska newspapers), the City of Omaha, organizations and clubs, parks, politics, printing, "Prophets of Armageddon" (including information about George F. Train), radio scripts ("Pageant of Nebraska," "Pageant of Omaha," and "Pageant of Wakefield"), religion, residences, sports and recreation, the W.P.A. (American Guide Manual, bibliographies, correspondence, indexes, projects, publications, tours, and writer's production reports), and miscellaneous information. The Nebraska category is further broken down into archaeology, Civilian Conservation Corps, Douglas County, early explorers and explorations, farming, history (the most extensive portion), military information, plants and wildlife, Sarpy County, topography, villages and towns outside of Omaha, Washington County, and miscellaneous information. The Nebraska portion of the collection also includes the Nebraska Almanac, the Nebraska Atlas, and the Nebraska Encyclopedia (biographies and county information).

The records of the YMCA of Greater Omaha include material from the organization’s founding in the 19th century through the 21st century. Material documenting board meetings from the 1880s to the early 21st century is nearly complete. Also included are: fundraising material, membership information, marketing material, photographs (bulk 1970s-1990s), scrapbooks, and a small amount of media formats including VHS videotapes. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings as well as ephemera such as broadsides and booklets. In addition to the activities of the boards of directors, fundraising, and membership, other topics with at least sporadic documentation include programming, long range planning, summer camps, athletic teams such as basketball and football, and others.

The records of the Omaha Symphony Orchestra predominantly document performances and public activities of the organization. The collection includes marketing and promotional materials (mostly late 1980s to the 2010s), scrapbooks containing news clippings and ephemera (1950s-1980s), and other records. A small number of photographs (undated) and posters (predominantly 2000s) are also part of the collection. Programs and audio and video recordings are not part of the collection. Future additions to the collection are anticipated.

Nearly every issue of UNO’s student newspaper, The Gateway , is available on-line stretching back to the 1920s.

The Henry Cox Collection includes: two photocopies of a lengthy biographical work, "The Life and Career of Henry Cox," author unknown; news clippings about Cox; and the Omaha Musicians Directory, 1914-1915, and a booklet about violins from the library of Henry Cox. The connection between Henry Cox and music programs from 1913 and an explanatory letter dated 1943 is unclear. The collection also includes two unidentified black and white photographs of an orchestra.

Music scores numbering 41 composed by University of Nebraska at Omaha Department of Music professor Dr. Kenton Bales.

The Robert G. Ruetz Papers include materials related to his time as a Professor of Music at the University of Nebraska at Omaha (1965-1990) and materials related to his service on the Opera Omaha Board of Directors. UNO related materials include committee reports, faculty handbook, curriculum reviews, planning documents, publicity articles, Brian Way residency information, correspondence, reviews of the UNO music program, scripts for KVNO-FM Opera broadcasts (1975-1976), audio recordings of UNO recitals (1966-1973), videos of television interviews, and framed UNO Opera Theatre photos & news clippings (circa 1960s-1970s). Ruetz also collected research materials on Eugenia Whitmore (letters and pictures, 1917-1957) and Mary Munchoff (reviews (1897-1899), pictures, letters, news articles, programs, and information on her teachers Matilde Marchesi and Mary Fitzsimmons Massie). Opera Omaha related materials include search committee notes, reviews, preview information (1968-1994), performance programs (1959-1990, 2006-2008), the 40 year book, the 50 year book, and notes used to make the 50 year book.

Collection of material related to the dance program at the University of Omaha, including a scrapbook, a spiral notebook containing handwritten music, a collage of photographs laminated onto a wooden wall hanging, correspondence, departmental records, event programs, posters, photographs, news clippings, photocopies. The scrapbook includes photographs, news clippings, and ephemera including dried flower corsages. The photo collage plaque was given to Levinson at the time of her retirement.

The majority of the material, including the scrapbook, dates to 1940-1942, but some articles and programs date back into the early to mid-1930s, and some notes and letters are dated 1988.

This collection includes organizational records from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and its predecessors, the Municipal University of Omaha and the University of Omaha, dating from the institution's founding in 1908 to the present. Records originated from many colleges, schools, departments, offices, committees, faculty and staff organizations, student organizations, and alumni. Materials include publications, event programs, conference materials, publicity material, meeting minutes, correspondence, budget information, internal reports, policies, architectural drawings, photographs, and miscellaneous records from various UNO and UNO-affiliated groups or relating to UNO people, buildings, events, and academic programs.

The UNO College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media Records comprise primarily event programs from the Department of Music along with a small number of documents from the College of Fine Arts (predecessor of the College of Communication, Fine Arts and Media).

The UNO Performing Arts Center Performance Recordings comprise at least 550 audiocassette recordings of recitals and concerts performed at the Straus Performing Arts Center at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, from circa 1982 until circa 2001. Many of the cassettes are labeled with the name of the performer (individual or group), instrument(s), date of performance, and list of pieces performed. Some cassettes are minimally labeled or ambiguously labeled. It is believed that a small number of class lectures are included in the collection.

The University of Nebraska at Omaha yearbook was known as the Gateway from 1915-1927; then changed names to the Omahan from 1928-1929; then changed names to the Tomahawk from 1936-1970; then changed names to Breakaway from 1971-1972; before ending as the University of Nebraska at Omaha's Maverick from 1973-1975. The first yearbook, the Gateway (1915-1927), shares its name with the university’s longtime student newspaper. No yearbook was published in 1930-1935.