Indiana University Comptroller records, 1935-1946, bulk 1936-1942
A Guide to the Records at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Christopher S. Eaton
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Indiana University.
Comptroller.
Extent
2 cubic feet
Language
Materials are in English unless otherwise indicated.
TitleIndiana University
Comptroller records, 1935-1946,
bulk 1936-1942
Collection No.
C124
Abstract
With the retirement of the Indiana
University Bursar in 1936, the Board of Trustees created the new administrative position
of University Comptroller to manage the university's financial operation. As the
university's business manager, the Comptroller had a number of duties including
preparation and control of the budget, handling of student loan funds, collection of
gifts and bequests and general charge of the physical plant. Ward Gray Biddle served as
the first and only Comptroller because in 1942 the university underwent a reorganization
and the Comptroller's duties were assumed by other positions. The collection consists of
2 cubic feet of University Comptroller records spanning 1935-1942.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Administrative History
Ward Gray Biddle was born on March 23, 1891 on a farm in Madison County, IN, to Charles
W. and Nellie (Gray) Biddle. He graduated from Pendleton High School, in Madison County,
in 1909 and immediately entered Indiana University that summer. His studies were
prolonged over a five year period due to his employment as a teacher in Adams Township,
where he taught in the same schoolhouse in which his mother had taught. This helped him
earn the money which financed his university education. As a student Biddle actively
participated in extra-curricular activities and held many prestigious student positions
such as: treasurer of the Indiana Union Board, business manager of the Arbutus, and
president of his social fraternity, Sigma Nu, to name a few. It was not until 1916 that
he graduated with an A.B. degree in economics and began working in the banking business.
A year later, on June 3, Biddle was married to Dona Ruth Roberts with whom he had 2
daughters: Elizabeth Ruth, born June 2, 1918; and Nancy Ward, born July 18, 1920.
In 1923, Biddle left the banking business and returned to IU to serve as manager of the
university bookstore. Within two years of becoming manager of the bookstore he was able
to prove its worth as a useful service enterprise and relocate the bookstore from the
basement of the library, then located in Franklin Hall, to a separate, temporary
structure between Maxwell and Owen Halls that would facilitate the growing needs of the
students. He also sought interaction and cooperation with other university bookstores
and was instrumental in organizing the National Association of College Bookstores. He
served as president of the N.A.C.B. from 1930 to 1931, later serving as director in
1933. Between 1931 and 1932 the university bookstore moved into its permanent location
at the newly constructed Indiana University Memorial Union Building. Since the bookstore
had made such a substantial contribution to the memorial fund, Biddle was able to secure
an entire wing of the new building for the bookstore’s operations. It was Biddle himself
who did much of the designing and planning of the new bookstore wing of the Memorial
Union and, when finished, it was called “the most beautiful college bookstore in the
country” by the New York Times. Within ten years Biddle had transformed the bookstore
from an unsightly, cramped three-room bookstore relegated to the library’s basement to
one of the premier university bookstores in the country. Aside from the bookstore’s
highly efficient operation, it also included such services as a post-office branch, a
central ticket office for campus attractions, and check cashing as well as niceties such
as a “Fireside Bookshop” where students could browse shelves of books and even discuss
them with others over a cup of tea. Being a life-long appreciator of fine art, Biddle
was able to schedule some of the best art exhibits to be displayed on the bookstore’s
mezzanine floor.
By achieving such success with the university bookstore, Biddle was elected as the first
Director of the new Union Building in 1932 in addition to his other duties as manager of
the bookstore. He strived to make the new Union Building the cultural and social center
of campus, not by just decorating its walls with oil paintings, but by inspiring an
environment of hospitality, democracy, and community amongst its visitors. Biddle
directed the operations of the Union in the same productive, efficient manner in which
he managed the bookstore. With the retirement of Ulysses Howe Smith in 1936, who served
as the University Bursar, the Board of Trustees created the new administrative position
“University Comptroller” to manage the university’s financial operations. Biddle’s
achievements with the bookstore and the Union were recognized by the university
administration when he was elected to serve in this newly established administrative
position.
When the Trustees established the position of Comptroller, they set out amongst his
duties: business manager of the university; preparation of a university budget;
operation and control of the budget; keeping of books of account; audit of university
accounts; membership on the Board's investment committee; handling of student loan
funds; collection of student fees; collection of gifts and bequests; insurance;
purchasing; general charge of the physical plant; ticket sales to all events; inventory
of all properties; signing of checks; supervision of the business administration of all
self-supporting enterprises of the university, such as the Union, bookstore, food
department, athletic department, and printing plant; and supervision of the financial
affairs of the Medical Center in Indianapolis.
As he had done with the bookstore and Union, Biddle directed the office and operations
of the Comptroller in a highly productive and efficient manner. In addition to his
duties as Comptroller, he was elected “Secretary of the Board of Trustees” in 1937. He
served as university Comptroller and Secretary of the Board of Trustees until 1942 when
the university was reorganized and he was named Vice President and Treasurer. As Indiana
University Vice President and Treasurer, his duties were: direct supervision of
buildings & grounds, purchasing, service enterprises, non-academic personnel,
new construction & remodeling, cashier & ticket manager, medical center
business office, accounting & auditing, real estate & rentals,
insurance, safety, and publications. During his service as Vice President and Treasurer,
he oversaw the construction phase of the 1930s in which buildings such as Forest Hall
and the School of Music were erected to be followed by another building phase in the
1940s when buildings such as Swain, Sycamore, and Beech Halls were erected.
What is widely considered as Biddle’s crowning achievement in regards to his lasting
social, cultural, and educational impact on the university was his active role in the
planning and construction of the Auditorium, which is widely considered one of the
finest structures of its kind in the country. He was instrumental in bringing some of
the greatest musicians and theatrical performers in the world to perform at the
Auditorium including the Metropolitan Opera Company which had never previously performed
at a college or on a university campus.
Another achievement of his which would have long term positive implications for the
university and the surrounding state was his active involvement in the organization of
the I.U. Foundation in 1936. He later served as a member of its Board of Directors and
Executive Committee in 1937.
Biddle received many awards for his service to the university, most notable being the
“Leather Medal for Service to Indiana University” awarded to him by Sigma Delta Chi in
1938-39 for “the most outstanding service to the University by a member of the
administrative staff or faculty for that year.” He was also named National Vice Regent
of Sigma Nu fraternity in 1939 as well as being a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, an
honorary scholastic Business fraternity.
Aside from his accomplishments at IU, Biddle was active in many local Masonic
organizations, holding such esteemed positions as that of 23rd degree Mason. He was also
able to fulfill many of his political ambitions by being elected in 1930 to serve as a
state representative from Monroe County and the following year he was elected to the
state senate from Brown, Green, and Monroe counties. He served on numerous House
committees, having been appointed Chairman of the Committee on Education as well as
Chairman of the Finance Committee when he was in the senate.
After a prolonged illness, Ward Gray Biddle died on May 28, 1946 at Robert W. Long
Hospital in Indianapolis.
Scope and Content Note
The Committee files series is arranged alphabetically by committee name. Included in
these files are committee minutes, agendas, resolutions, reports, and related
correspondence. The Subject files series is arranged alphabetically by subject. These
files contain documents related to the Comptroller’s involvement in the various business
operations of the university. Files concerning Biddle’s tenure as University Vice
President and Treasurer may be found in the Wells presidential records.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into two series: Committee files and Subject files. Each
series is arranged in alphabetical order.
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Indexing Terms
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The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online
catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the
catalog using these terms.
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Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accessions 0958, 0211, and 0291.
Usage RestrictionsCopyrights for records originating with Indiana University administrative units, departments, and other offices are held by
the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information, please contact the Indiana University Archives staff.
The Indiana University Archives respects the intellectual property rights of others and does not claim any copyrights for
non-university records, materials in the public domain, or materials for which we do not hold a Deed of Gift. Responsibility
for the determination of the copyright status of these materials rests with those persons wishing to reuse the materials.
Researchers are responsible for securing permission from copyright owners and any other rights holders for any reuse of these
materials that extends beyond fair use or other statutory limitations.
Digital reproductions of archival materials from the Indiana University Archives are made available for noncommercial educational
and research purposes only. If you are the copyright holder for any of the digitized materials and have questions about its
inclusion on our site, please contact the Indiana University Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Indiana University Comptroller records, Collection C124, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Processing informationProcessed by Thomas J. Malefatto
Re-processed by Christopher S. Eaton
Completed in 2002.
Series:
Committee Files 1937-1942
Box 1
Athletics Committee, 15 Sep 1939 -
28 May 1942
Campus Conference Committee, 29 Jan 1940 - 6
Nov 1941
Campus Drives, Committee on, 5 Feb 1942 - 18
Jun 1942
View item(s)
Commencement Committee, 11 Sep 1939 -
11 May 1942
Foundation Day Committee, 3 Feb 1942 - 14
Mar 1942
Halls of Residence Committee,
(folder 1 of 3), 20 Oct 1939
- 26 Sep 1940
(folder 2 of 3), 1 Oct 1940 -
19 Jun 1941
(folder 3 of 3), 19 Aug 1941
- 23 Jun 1942
Inter-American Affairs Committee, 18 Feb 1941 -
12 Mar 1942
Junior Prom Selection Committee, 2 Mar 1937 - 3
Nov 1939
LaVerne Noyes Scholarship Committee, 26 Aug 1938 -
23 Jul 1940
Law School Centennial Committee, 29 Nov 1941 - 4
Mar 1942
Library Survey Committee, undated
Mother’s and Dad’s Day Committee, 10 Apr 1940 -
12 Apr 1940
National Youth Administration (N.Y.A.) Employment Committee, 13 Jul 1938 - 9 Jun 1939
Personnel Committee, 25 Jun 1939 - 6
Jan 1942
Publications Committee, 25 Apr 1941 - 6
Jun 1942
Radio Committee, 30 Dec 1937 -
19 Oct 1939
Religion, Committee on, 9 Jun 1938 - 30
Aug 1941
View item(s)
Scholarship Committee,
(folder 1 of 2), 30 Apr 1940
- 28 Aug 1941
(folder 2 of 2), 15 Oct 1941
- 27 Jun 1942
Self-survey Committee-material asked for from other universities,
18 Feb 1938 - 7 Mar 1938
Statistics Committee, 11 Dec 1940
Student Employment Committee, 9 Sep 1941 - 28
Apr 1942
Series:
Subject Files 1935-1946
Box 1
Accounting Systems and Procedure, 27 Jul 1937 - 1
Feb 1938
Alumni Association, 22 Dec 1936 -
11 Jan 1941
Alumni Association-Audit, undated
Athletics-Prof. Zora G. Clevenger, 28 Sep 1936 -
23 Sep 1937
Buildings & Grounds, 25 Mar 1937 -
14 Feb 1941
Bureau of Teacher Recommendations,
(folder 1 of 3), Dec 1936 - Dec 1937
(folder 2 of 3), Jan 1938 - Dec 1938
(folder 3 of 3), Jan 1939 - 11
Feb 1941
Burnett, Guy-Bankruptcy, 17 Apr 1939 - 8
Feb 1940
University Business Office-Procedures, Bylaws, and Organizational Flow
Charts, 1 Jul 1936 - Sep 1942
Box 2
Business Administration, School of, 9 Nov 1936 - 10
Nov 1937
Business, School of, 8 Aug 1939 - 5
Dec 1939
Carson Law Suit-Floors, 1935 - 1941
Coal Sales Correspondence, 17 Sep 1936 - 8
Jul 1937
Comptroller-Duties, 7 Apr 1936 - 14
Nov 1941
Comptroller’s Reports,
(folder 1 of 3), 1 Oct 1936 -
17 Sep 1937
(folder 2 of 3), Nov 1941 - 18
Feb 1942
(folder 3 of 3), Nov 1941 - 18
Feb 1942
Evansville College, 16 Nov 1938 - 2
Jun 1939
Faculty Lists, 1936 - 1939
Federal Aid on IU Campus, 1937 - 1938
Fire Protection Engineering Report, Sep 1935
Indiana Memorial Union, 25 Feb 1937 -
23 Jan 1939
Indiana University Foundation, 28 Dec 1936 -
15 May 1941
Insurance-Indiana University, 29 Sep 1936 -
11 Dec 1937
Law, School of, 1938 - 1939
Medicine, School of, 1937 - 30 Jun
1940
Music School-Analysis and Survey, 16 Mar 1937 -
23 Aug 1937
News Bureau, 13 Dec 1938 - 23 Jun 1941
Notices-Faculty, Faculty Club, Departmental, etc., 11 Jun 1945 - 24 Jun 1946
Publicity Department, 2 Mar 1936 - 18
Dec 1937
Purchasing Department, 16 Nov 1936 -
28 Jun 1941
P.W.A. Invoices, 14 Oct 1939 - 4
Jun 1940
Repairs to Old Buildings Appropriations, 18 Mar 1939 -
22 Apr 1939
Retirement Study, 20 Mar 1937- 1
Apr 1937
Service Enterprises, 26 Jul 1940 - 8
Jan 1941
Student Employment Requests, 3 Feb 1941 - 17
Sep 1941
Student Guidance, 1940
Student Health Service, 6 Jan 1939 - 8
Nov 1940
Suggestions from Comptrollers,
(folder 1 of 2), 14 Apr 1936
- 27 Apr 1936
(folder 2 of 2), 27 Apr 1936
- 23 Jul 1936
Telephone Co. Survey-Dorms,
(folder 1 of 3), 19 Nov 1938
- 22 Mar 1939
(folder 2 of 3), 1 Jun 1939 -
28 Jul 1939
(folder 3 of 3), 3 Aug 1939 -
18 Sep 1944
University Publications, 26 Sep 1936 - 8
Aug 1941
University School, 1938 - 1941