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The Charlotte Churaman research collection is a compilation of research materials collected regarding consumer research, consumer legislative protection, and consumer education. The dates covered by the records collected are approximately 1962–1992.

This collection is composed of four series, which include photographs and records that document Chet Peters’s employment at Kansas State University (K-State), contributions to professional organizations, personal life, and athletic and recreational pursuits.
K-State Series: These materials document his employment as the Dean of Students and Vice President for Student Affairs at K-State and include correspondence, workshop transcripts and speeches, retirement papers, and photographs from 1957–1985. Materials relating to his involvement as an advisor to Blue Key and Student Government are also included. There are personal clippings from the K-State Collegian on various topics during his time at K-State, as well as information and photographs showing the construction of the Chester E. Peters Recreation Complex in 1980. These materials can be found in Box 1.
Professional Series: This series includes materials relating to Peters’s involvement with the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) between 1972 and 1975. These include notes and programs from annual business meetings, correspondence, regional awards/certificates, and speeches. Materials from his time on the NASPA Coordinating Committee and a speech that was given during his time as the NASPA President in 1972 are included, as well as various NASPA newsletters (The Forum) from the 1980s and 1990s. These materials can be found in Box 2.
Personal Series: The series includes various materials from Peters’s personal life including items from high school, college, and later endeavors such as his sculpting business and church activities. High school yearbooks and college diplomas are included, along with military information and other memorabilia such as patches, certificates, and digital images of plaques. Hundreds of photos of his wooden sculptures displayed in galleries, art shows, and in his home are included, along with sketches and inspirations for his sculptures. There are also a few materials from his work with religious organizations and church camps. Other miscellaneous materials include personal income records, correspondence, cards, awards, newspaper clippings, a box of notecards with inspirational quotes, and a K-State pennant. The dipolmas are in Box 1, photos in Box 5, quote notecards in Box 6, other materials in Boxes 2 and 3, and digital images available upon request.
Recreational Series: This series includes materials involving Peters’s recreational pursuits, specifically running at various races and events between 1975 and 1993. These include photographs, clippings, race maps, bibs, programs, certificates, digital images or medals and ribbons, and records from events with various organizations including the World Veterans Games/Championships, USA and World Masters Track Championships, and the Senior Olympics. These races took place in cities across the United States, as well as in other countries such as Canada, Germany, Finland, Italy, and Australia. This series also includes various materials from Peters’ involvement with the Kansas State Cornhusking Association and includes clippings, cornhusking contest details, and results from 1988 to 1994. These materials are found in Box 4, a few photographs are in Box 5, and digital images available upon request.

The College of Engineering records contains information from specific departments within the college along with information for specific programs and curriculums from Engineering as well. The collection contains ten series all pertaining to different aspects within the College of Engineering, the series are College of Engineering materials, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering, Concrete Canoe race, War Training Program, invoices for repairs and supplies, Accreditation Commission, and Historic Student Records. The series that pertain to departments within the College of Engineering and the educational aspects of the department as well. The series such as College of Engineering Materials and Invoices for repairs and supplies are generalized materials that pertain to the function and foundation of the College of Engineering.

The College of Health and Human Science Records cover the history of the college spanning from 1863-2011. The collection includes documents, pictures, and other materials from Hospitality Days, departmental restructuring, name changes, various conference presentations and information from research and extension services. In 1912, Home Economics become a division within in the college and eventually in 1985, changed its' name to Human Ecology and later in 2019 the college changed its' name to the College of Health and Human Sciences. There were programs that moved to the College of Arts & Sciences, but the College of Health and Human Sciences retained the Interior Design and Fashion Studies programs in 1965. Likewise, programs were added to the College of Health of Human Sciences, such as Communication Sciences and Disorders and Social Work in 1994. There are correspondence and planning materials from these mergers and changes, along with other program moves. The collection contains notes and programs from conferences such as Lake Placid and the White House Conference on Families. Included in the collection is also personal and business related correspondence from Deans and other faculty members.

This collection comprises material related to the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine between 1855-2014. This collection contains administrative records from this college, including handbooks and manuals, proposals and applications, various records, reports, publications, presentation materials, records related to international programs, material pertaining to campus and its buildings, and a film catalogue which describes some of the collection’s video material. It also contains recordings and transcripts of interviews, most of which featured alumni from the College of Veterinary Medicine for the history book “A Century of Excellence: Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine” by Howard H. Erickson and Ronnie G. Elmore. Drafts of this book are also present in this collection. Moreover, this collection contains yearbooks and scrapbooks, including auxiliaries and photo albums, from the college spanning nearly a century. There are also audio and video materials related to the College of Veterinary Medicine on cassette tapes, microcassette tapes, VHS tapes, CDs, and DVDs, and film reels which record college events, interviews, teaching aids, and virtual tours of the college. This collection includes class and faculty composites for the College of Veterinary Medicine spanning the majority of the 20th century, and even features a composite from the St. Joseph Veterinary College. These composites are either photographic negatives or oversize photographs.

Other photographs that can be found in this collection depict people, including faculty, staff, students, and other notable individuals. Photos of buildings, including diagrams and photos of buildings on the Kansas State campus and the Veterinary Medicine campus, as well. There are also photos of animals, which were either pets, farm animals, or lab animals, as well as the labs performed on these animals. Additionally, photographs of college events, miscellaneous photos, and oversize photos also contribute to this collection’s material.

Lastly, this collection features photographic negatives and photographic slides which depict people, like faculty, staff, students, exchange students, and Student Chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association members. Also pictured are labs, lab equipment, and associated animals, which were often pets, farm animals, or wildlife/exotic animals. Locations within the Manhattan area (especially within the Kansas State University campus and the College of Veterinary Medicine Complex/Campus specifically) are also an important subject to this collection. Negatives of these locations feature buildings, layouts, maps, construction, maintenance, renovations, and damage to buildings. Formal, casual, recreational, donation-based, food-based, and sporting events related to the college can be found in this collection as well. Miscellaneous photo negatives and slides make up the remainder of the undeveloped photographic material in this collection.

The collection contains materials related to the Commission on the Status of Women (COSW) at Kansas State University from 1974 to 1989. The commission was appointed in 1972 by President James McCain and was charged with studying the status of women at K-State, searching out opportunities for women to achieve complete equality with men, creating an understanding of the needs of women within the academic community, and developing recommendations for change. This collection contains reports, correspondence, and committee notes primarily from the time the donor, Linda Morse, was an active member of the Commission. Also included are interview materials from a 2016 interview between a student and Morse, such as the student’s questions, handwritten notes, and a draft of the paper resulting from the interview.

At the height of its activity 1980 to 1983, the Consumer Education Resource Network (CERN) was an organization funded by the Office of Consumer’s Education, U.S. Department of Education, its purpose being to provide information and resources to consumer educators throughout the nation. Its services included the operation of a referral library, technical assistance, and training to all individuals involved in the education of consumers, on both private and public levels. This collection contains organizations whose information and publications were used by CERN such as the American Council on Consumer Interests (ACCI), the Southern Poverty Law Center, Standard Oil Company, Money Magazine, National Association of Consumer Agency Administrators (NACA), Public Affairs Pamphlets, Blue Cross & Blue Shield Consumer Exchange, Current Consumer, and United States Departments such as the Office of Labor Employment and Training Administration and Office of Consumer Affairs. There are also material from state-specific organizations, such as the Kansas Department of Economic Development, Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs, Michigan Consumer Education Center, and other akin institutions as well as paraphernalia from universities including Kansas State University, Oklahoma State University, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and Cornell University to name a few. It also contains publications on subjects covered by these organizations and others including advertising, appliances, automobile buying and ownership, bankruptcy, credit, disabilities, drugs, employment, and employment services, energy conservation, food and nutrition, retirement and older Americans, and physicians to name a few. The collection also encompasses materials pertaining to CERN conference calls, as well as publications from international organizations such as the Australian Consumer’s Association, Victorian Commercial Teachers Association, Alberta Consumer and Corporate Affairs, Consumer’s Association of Canada, Bureau Europeen des Unions de Consommateurs, European Economic Community, Hong Kong Consumer Council, Guidance Society of India, Yayasan Lembaga Konsumen (Indonesia), National Consumer Council (UK), Centre for Consumer Education and Research in Scotland, and the International Organization of Consumers Unions. Legal-size materials fall into previous groups and are organized both by organizations including the White House Conference on Aging, the American Association of Retired Persons, Displaced Homemakers Network, Inc., the JC Penny Forum, and by topics such as appliances, sexism and women, insurance, and program development.

The Consumer Federation of America records document the association's development from 1967 to 2017 through testimonies, newsletters, reports, statements, correspondence, press releases, pamphlets, policy resolutions, and audiotapes. The collection contains minutes from the CFA board of directors meetings, CFA policy resolutions and CFA annual reports (1980–2016). Other reports, statements, and surveys provide coverage of issues investigated, policies advanced, and materials developed to educate the public and media. Areas addressed include consumer safety, financial advancement and protection, consumer knowledge, post-9/11 terrorism insurance and safety, and product safety in general and specifically product safety in children's products and automobiles.

Of special interest is correspondence documenting interactions with prominent political figures including Joe Biden, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, and Bob Dole. Also noteworthy are pamphlets from the association’s annual Consumer Assembly (1980–2015) and pamphlets developed for the CFA project America Saves. A set of audiotapes (2000–2003) offers insight into CFA conferences that tackled issues including food safety, obesity, and bioterrorism. Reports document court cases and petitions. The collection contains the association's voting records (1971–2008).

CFAnews and Consumer Federation of America annual reports are available online. See Series 8 for online access to annual reports and series 9 for online access to CFAnews. Series 12 provides access to archives of CFA's website from 2007 to 2023.

The Craig Miner-Donald v.R.Drenner collection (1960, 1991-2008) is made up of two series: Correspondence and Ephemera. The majority of the correspondence is between Craig Miner and Donald Drenner and housed in boxes one and two. The Ephemera shares box two with correspondence and additional ephemera is contained in boxes three and four. Ephemera of interest may be Faustus prints and Darksome House prints.

The four boxes of Currin V. Shields papers are associated with his activities in the consumer movement from 1966-1984. They also reflect Marjorie Shields' involvement in consumer affairs, especially the Arizona Dairy Products Litigation that extended to 1986. Papers describing Shields' career as an educator and his political activities (he was the Democratic candidate for governor of Arizona in 1970) are not included in the collection.
The Shields papers are organized into four separate series thereby preserving, for the most part, the order in which they were maintained by Shields and received by the Consumer Movement Archives at KSU.
A few minor adjustments in the arrangement were made to facilitate labeling and access. For example, in the Arizona Consumers Council series, the financial documents and typed reports were separated into individual sub-series. In addition, groups of printed material were brought together in the fourth series. Currin Shields was a national figure in the consumer movement. He was president of the Arizona Consumers Council from 1969 to 1980 and the organizer of the Conference of Consumer Organizations in 1973. He directed the National Consumer Affairs Internship Program, National Consumer Symposium, and Consumer Affairs Seminar. His papers document his association with these organizations and the consumer issues both he and the groups addressed.
The first series, Arizona Consumers Council (1966-1984), is housed in two document boxes and comprises the largest series in the collection. It is divided into four subseries; correspondence, general files, financial documents, and reports. The items are in chronological order within each subseries. The correspondence and general files constitute all but three of the folders in this series. Dr. Shields maintained the ACC correspondence and general files in separate notebooks, although their contents are similar. The major difference between the two is the correspondence series contains Shields' individual letters and documents regarding the ACC and his activities, while the general files include correspondence, minutes, surveys, membership data, annual and board meeting documents, and miscellaneous material related to the affairs of the organization.
The general files can be described as the central office files for the ACC while Shields was president from 1969-1980. Both sub-series contain papers dealing with the major consumer issues the ACC was confronting including the following: consumer protection program for Arizona, consumer fraud, unit pricing regulations, energy and environment, public utility rates, milk and bread prices, food price-fixing, labeling, and dating of perishable foods, national meat boycotts, food sale tax, aging, group health plans, Arizona Consumers cooperative store, an anti-trust suit against bakeries, a price-fixing suit against Tuscon Cement Co., and bicycle safety.
The ACC correspondence contains letters between Shields and the following consumer leaders: Erma Angevine, Carol Tucker, Lee Richardson, Ester Peterson, and Edwin Palumbo; Arizona senators and representatives (Douglas S. Holsclaw, Helen Grace Carlson, David B. Stone, Manuel Pena, and Anna J. Cullinan); consumer groups in other states, state and local government officials, national organizations such as the Consumer Federation of American, and federal agencies including the U.S. Office of Consumer Affairs, U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Federal Energy Administration, and Federal Trade Commission. The remaining ACC subseries contain financial documents for 1977-1978 and seven typed reports on consumer issues, 1972-1976.
The second series of the Shields papers, Arizona Dairy Products Litigation, contains four files of legal documents and correspondence regarding a class action suit against four major dairies for violation of antitrust laws (1974-1976; 1986-1987). The class action was a partial result of the bread and milk price surveys conducted by the Arizona Consumers Council in the 1970s. Currin and Marjorie Shields were plaintiffs in the case. The litigation continued after Dr. Shields' death and the files indicate Mrs. Shields's involvement, including settlements in favor of the plaintiffs.
Material associated with the Conference of Consumer Organizations (COCO) is contained in series three. It is stored in 21 folders and covers the years 1973-1975. The series was kept in its original order of three related sub-series; correspondence, general, and steering committee. The entire series reflects the formation and early years of COCO and Shields' direct involvement with establishing the organization and service as chairman. Related organizations represented in the COCO series include the National Symposium on Consumer Movement, numerous state consumer organizations, Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Arizona Consumers Council, and National Consumers Congress. Individual correspondents include Colston E. Warne, Roy Kiesling, Patricia Van Betten, Lynn B. Jordan, William Fasse, Eileen Hoats, Janet Ann Hutchinson, Robert McEwen, William Pate, Helen E. Nelson, Ellen Zawel, Arline Mathews, Louis Meyer, and Henry E.K. Lee. COCO documents consist of by-laws, minutes, reports, membership data, financial statements, and correspondence.
The fourth series of the Shields' papers contains printed material divided into four sub-series as follows: Conference of Consumer Organizations, National Consumer Affairs Internship Program, National Symposium on Consumer Movement/National Consumer Symposium, and Consumer Affairs Seminar. The COCO sub-series contains two folders of its monthly newsletter, Intercom, for the years 1974-78.
The National Consumer Affairs Internship Program was initiated by Shields in 1975. Originally a joint project between COCO and the American Council on Consumer Interests. It was chartered as a separate non-profit educational corporation in the State of Arizona in 1978. The six folders (1975-1983) contain brochures, articles of incorporation, internship descriptions, application procedures, membership lists, and newsletters.
Printed items describing the National Symposium on the Consumer Movement (1973-1975)/ National Consumer Symposium (1976-1979) make up the third sub-series. This annual conference was directed by Shields as part of the Community Services Center, Division of Continuing Education, University of Arizona. The material consists of descriptions of the symposium, programs, and lists of speakers and registrants. The Consumer Affairs Seminar (4th sub-series) was also conducted by the Community Services Center at the University of Arizona. Each of the five seminars from 1976 to 1980 is described in a folder of printed material.