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Photographs, correspondence, articles, news clippings, personal papers and other documents describing the life and career of Thomas Cruise Palmer (KSC, 1938), who from 1952 to 1977 served in various editorial positions with the Kansas City Star and Times, including ten years as executive editor. An advocate and supporter of K-State and its journalism program, Palmer was instrumental in acquiring the endowment establishing the A.Q. Miller School of Journalism and Mass Communications. News articles, photographs and military records describe Palmer’s service in the Navy in the Pacific during World War II, including his experience onboard the first Navy ship to enter Shanghai after the end of the war. Materials also include articles written by Palmer during his time at the Star, items related to his activities as a student and, later, a supporter of K-State, personal and family history-related documents and photographs with Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ginger Rogers and other notables.

The United States Commission on Military History records (1973-2002) contain materials pertinent to the operation of the USCMH and the International Commission on Military History. The ICMH is an organization of national organizations that comprises the USCMH and the national commissions of thirty or more countries at any given time. The ICMH convenes annually at a colloquium hosted by a different foreign commission. The bulk of material centers on the annual USCMH meetings and ICMH colloquiums. Reports, agendas, and minutes of USCMH meetings document the operation of the commission. Extensive correspondence and various files associated with the three ICMH colloquiums hosted by the USCMH in 1975, 1982 and 2002 contain detailed information about the accommodations, registration, itineraries, papers and publications necessary for each conference. The papers are divided into ten series: 1) By-Laws, 1974-1997; 2) Membership, 1973-1999; 3) Elections, 1973-1999; 4) Correspondence, 1973-2000; 5) United States Commission on Military History Meetings, 1973-2000; 6) International Commission on Military History Meetings, 1965-2002; 7) Financial, 1973-2000; 8) Printed Material, 1974-1999; 9) Other Historical Associations, 1974-2001; and 10) Audiovisual, 1972 and 1992. The By-Laws series contains the original articles of incorporation of USCMH in 1974 and consequent revisions of the organization's by-laws from 1975-1997. Also included are the by-laws and statutes of the International Commission on Military History. Membership information and data is assembled in the second series. Annual dues payments and registration data for USCHM is included as well as membership lists from both the USCMH and ICMH. All membership information is arranged chronologically from 1973-1999. The election series encompasses all aspects of USCMH elections. Every two years USCMH holds elections for president, vice-president, trustees and members of various committees. Materials within the third series include correspondence relevant to the nomination of officers, biographies of nominated persons, official ballots, and results of the elections. The fourth series contains general correspondence. The material is arranged chronologically and is separated between the USCMH and the ICMH. The material was left together as it was previously arranged and was not divided into categorical sub-series, except when already sorted by the donor organization. The majority of the contents are correspondence written to or by commission officers. Each year the USCMH holds a general membership meeting and a board of trustees meeting. Agendas and minutes of annual USCMH meetings as well as correspondence relevant to the planning and execution of meetings are included in the fifth series. Most notable among these records is the 1998 Report of the Long Range Planning Committee. The ICMH Meetings series contains information on the annual ICMH colloquiums. The colloquiums hosted by the USCMH and held in the United States in 1975, 1982 and 2002 make up the majority of the substance of the sixth series. Financial materials make up the seventh series. The USCMH functions as a not-for-profit organization and operated out of several different accounts. Annual financial reports and bills and receipts are filed chronologically from 1976-1999. Printed materials in the eighth series include USCMH bulletins and newspapers. Circulated to members monthly, the newsletters contain announcements, reports, and remarks from the current president and served as a means of communication to the general membership. Certain published material was removed from the collection and was catalogued for the main library. This included International Review of Military History, 1975-1992; International Bibliography of Military History, 1978-1999; and Proceedings from the ICMH Colloquiums, 1975-2002. The USCMH is affiliated with the American Historical Society and is listed in the AHA Directory of Affiliated Societies. The ninth series also includes information about a variety of other historical associations including newsletters, meetings, and conferences. The audiovisual materials make up the tenth series which contains audio recordings of the 1972 USCMH meeting and the April 15 and November 21, 1992 USCMH Board of Trustees meetings. Written records of the 1992 meetings are located in the USCMH Meetings series, however, no other record of the 1972 meeting exists in this collection.

The Velma L. Carson Papers comprises of correspondence, records, and photographs of her personal life, academic, and professional careers. The collection is divided into eight series: Manuscripts, Poems, Magazines and Published Articles, Correspondence, Photographs, Drawings, Biographical, Subject, and Artifacts.
The manuscripts of this collection contain scripts from plays, documentaries, and stories written by Velma Carson. Some of these manuscripts provide information regarding "Operation Democracy," a pageant called "Message to Feves," and original stories and essays were written by Velma Carson. The poems in this collection are original poems written by Velma Carson about various topics throughout her lifetime. Magazines and Published Articles consist of newspaper and magazine articles and clippings from her life. There are also a few of her own publications and works that she published during her career as a journalist and writer. The largest portion of this collection is correspondence. This series is organized mostly in chronological order and consists of letters, cards, and postcards. The correspondence is mainly between Velma and her family and friends. The earliest letter is from 1915 and the latest is 1984. This covers her time at Kansas State in 1915 all the way to when she was awarded her degree in 1982. The photographs of this collection include a variety of photos of Velma Carson, her friends, and her family over the course of her life. The drawings are several small pieces created by Velma Carson. The biographical series includes nine folders of information on Velma, two folders of information on Winona Carson, and three folders on Viola and Edward Carson. The subject series is made up of four folders that include information on Belva Lockwood, Wayne Randall, Morganville United Methodist Church, and Clay County taxes. The artifacts include wallpaper and fabric samples, E. L. Carson's black leather wallet, stamps, a small toy monkey, a small puzzle, a copy of a Ten Dollar Confederate bill used as an advertisement for Joe Kay as Sheriff, and a Cigar Box.

The collection documents the family, travels, education, and art practice of Kansas State Agricultural College graduate and teacher Vida Agnes Harris (March 29, 1893-May 25, 1985) from 1915-1970. Correspondence includes a letter Harris wrote while working as a domestic science instructor at the American Missionary Society's Tillotson College in Austin, Texas (1915) and letters received from Margaret Justin, Dean of Home Economics (1923-1954). Three diaries record Harris' international trips: Europe (1930); Mexico (1940) and India (1951). Sketches, block prints, paintings, and handmade greeting cards represent her art and design techniques. One folder contains photocopied, handwritten, and typed recipes, a number of them credited to known associates.
Scant photographs and a notebook (1916-1918) pertain to her father, Samuel Murrell Harris (1858-1944), who operated the Hillside Dairy in Manhattan, Kansas. The photographs were taken during the early 1940s, and used by Ruth Linquist in her 1946 publication, Using and Sharing Our Hours (Chapel Hill, N.C.). Samuel M. Harris is shown at the site of his old barn, located at 700 Harris Avenue. Kansas State's Memorial Stadium, Anderson and Seaton Halls, and power plant may be seen in the distance.