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A Guide to his Papers at the Indiana University Archives

Elia Van Lith
Electronic finding aid encoded by Beth Benda

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
Wildermuth, Ora L.

Collection No.
C130

Extent
2.3 cubic feet

Language
Materials are in English.

Abstract
Ora L. Wildermuth was an Indiana University alumnus and trustee; a lawyer and judge; and a library trustee in both Indiana and Florida. He was also one of the first residents of Gary, Indiana. The papers of Judge Ora L. Wildermuth includes correspondence, diaries, speeches, lectures, and both published and unpublished writings. A great deal of genealogy information can be found in the Wildermuth Family Association series.

Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research.

Advance notice is required.

Biographical Note

Ora Leonard Wildermuth was born on his father’s farm near Star City, Indiana, on October 15, 1882 and entered Indiana University in 1902, thus beginning a close relationship with the University that would continue until his death on November 16, 1964.

Upon receiving his LL.B in 1906 he moved to the new town of Gary, Ind., becoming one of its first citizens. He then proceeded to serve as Gary’s first school teacher, Sunday school teacher, municipal judge (1910-1914), librarian, and first president of the Gary Bar Association (1908). He also opened Gary’s first library in his law office, Lucas, Clifford and Wildermuth.

In 1907, he married Cordelia W. Wilds, and in 1909 they welcomed the birth of a daughter, Maxine Elizabeth. Cordelia passed away in 1941, and in 1942 Judge Wildermuth remarried, wedding Mae R. London.

He served on the Indiana University Board of Trustees for 27 years from 1925-1952 and further distinguished himself as vice president of the Board from 1936-1938 and president from 1938-1949. Among Wildermuth's triumphs while he was on the Board were the building of the fieldhouse and the advancement of the library.

Wildermuth did not limit his activities to Indiana University. He was a lifelong supporter of public and academic libraries, serving as president of the Gary Public Library Board of Trustees and on the Board of Trustees for the Florida Library Association, and holding various offices with the Indiana Library Trustees Association and the American Library Association. He also served on the editorial committee for A Handbook for Library Trustees (1955) and authored a handbook for Florida Library Trustees. In 1939 he was elected president of the Association of Governing Boards of State Universities and Allied Institutions and was vice president and director of the Barnes Ice & Coal Co. of Gary (1910-1914).

His second wife Mae passed away in 1952, and in 1955 he married for a third time to Mildred Z. Polak.

In 1954, the Gary Public Library honored the Judge with the dedication of the Ora L. Wildermuth Branch Library, and in 1971 Indiana University followed suit with the renaming of the fieldhouse as the Ora L. Wildermuth Intramural Center.

Arrangement

Organized into nine series: Correspondence; Writings; Speeches; Eulogies; Indiana University; Social organizations; Professional papers; Personal papers; and Wildermuth Family Association.

Scope and Content Note

The collection is organized into nine series: Correspondence, Writings, Speeches, Eulogies, Indiana University, Social organizations, Professional papers, Personal papers, and Wildermuth Family Association. Most of the materials in the collection relate to Indiana University and Wildermuth’s career as a lawyer and judge.

The Correspondence series spans the period from 1925-1963 and is arranged alphabetically by surname. This is the largest of the nine series and consists primarily of personal correspondence and correspondence with members of his immediate and extended family. Correspondence related to Indiana University, his professional career, social organizations and his family association can be found Indiana University, Social organizations, Professional papers, and Wildermuth Family Association series.

Writings span the period from 1938-1949 and are arranged chronologically. They consist of articles, musings and remembrances spanning almost every aspect of his life, from his role as a library and university trustee, to a friendly encounter on a train, to his views on patriotism. Two handbooks he wrote/co-wrote on library trusteeship can be found in the Social organizations series.

Speeches span the period from 1927-1960 and are also arranged chronologically. They consist of speeches given primarily in connection with Indiana University, including many campus building dedications and the inauguration of H. B Wells as University President. The series also includes speeches stemming from his work with the Gary Public Library and from his role as president of the Association of Governing Boards of State Universities.

Eulogies, spanning the years 1932-1933, is a small series consisting of writings that pay tribute to the lives of some of his friends and professional colleagues. Some of the eulogies were read by Wildermuth at the memorial services. The series is arranged alphabetically.

Series number five, Indiana University, spans the years 1901-1964 and is further organized into four subseries: Student materials, Administration, Alumni materials, and Correspondence. The subseries are in chronological order with the records within each subseries arranged alphabetically by folder title. This diverse series includes datebooks from his student days, files on planned university expansions in Calumet County, Gary, and Ft. Wayne, correspondence, and records of the Board of Trustees and alumni associations. The meeting minutes of the Board of Trustees are not very extensive and consist primarily of material from his last board meeting. Notable correspondents include William Lowe Bryan, Alexander Campbell, and Agnes and Herman B Wells. Some material relating to I.U. can be found in the Notebook located in the Personal papers series. Press clippings have been transferred to Wlidermuth’s clippings file.

The sixth series, Social organizations, spans 1925-1964 and is further organized into nine subseries: Association of Governing Boards of State Universities, American Library Association, Gary Public Library, Midwest Inter-Library Center, American Library Trustees Association, Florida Library Association, and Naples (Florida) City Council. The subseries are in chronological order with the records within each subseries arranged alphabetically by folder title. Prominent types of records within the series include meeting minutes, correspondence, manuscript drafts, and press clippings from various organizations, primarily library organizations, in which Judge Wildermuth participated. It also includes drafts of and correspondence concerning two handbooks he wrote for library trustees. Some material relating to this series can be found in the Notebook located in the Personal papers series.

Professional papers is the seventh series and spans the period from 1925-1963. It is organized into three subseries: Datebooks, Legal material, and Correspondence. The subseries are in chronological order with the records within each subseries arranged alphabetically by folder title. This series consists primarily of material chronicling Wildermuth’s career as a lawyer and judge. Of particular interest are files on the Alien Enemy Hearing Board dating from WWII. Press clippings have been transferred to Wildermuth’s clippings file.

Personal papers span the period from 1908-1963 and are arranged chronologically. This is also a diverse series, containing notes on the poet James Whitcomb Riley, press clippings, files on property he owned, invitations to parties and events, and biographical materials. Of note is a folder of letters from students at the Union Street School thanking Judge Wildermuth for talking to their class about the founding of Gary and the construction of their school.

The ninth series is entitled Wildermuth Family Association. This series spans the years 1750-1962, is arranged chronologically and consists of material dealing with his family’s Association. Founded in ca. 1945 with articles of association and a Board of Trustees, the Association was strong and vital during Wildermuth’s lifetime, at one time having as many as 400 names on their mailing list. The series consists of genealogical materials, the articles of association, family reunion notices, press clippings, and correspondence among many members of the Association. Much of the correspondence chronicles the Association’s fund-raising efforts to relocate, renovate and maintain the historic family church built by their ancestors. In 1957 it was discovered that then Vice President Richard Nixon was related to the Wildermuths by marriage, and there is a photocopy of a letter Nixon wrote and other secondary materials on this topic. A family tree printed by the Association in 1963 can be found in the clippings file.

• Indexing Terms

• 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.

• • Names
  • Wildermuth Family Association --History --Sources.
  • Wildermuth Family Association --Records and correspondence.
  • Wildermuth Family Association --Archives.
  • Wildermuth Family Association --Genealogy.
  • Indiana University. Trustees --History --20th century --Sources.
  • Indiana University --History --20th century --Sources.
  • Gary Public Library --History --20th century --Sources.
  • Wildermuth, Ora L. --Archives.
  • Wildermuth, Ora L. --Correspondence.
  • Wildermuth, Ora L. --Diaries.
  • Wildermuth, Ora L. --Family.
• • Topics
  • Wildermuth family --Archives.
  • Wildermuth family --Correspondence.
  • Judges --Indiana --Gary --Archives.
  • Judges --Indiana --Gary --Correspondence.
  • Judges --Indiana --Gary --Diaries.
  • Library trustees --Indiana --Archives.
  • Library trustees --Indiana --Correspondence.
  • Library trustees --Indiana --Diaries.
  • Library trustees --Florida --Archives.
  • Library trustees --Florida --Correspondence.
  • Library trustees --Florida --Diaries.
  • College trustees --Indiana --Bloomington --Archives.
  • College trustees --Indiana --Bloomington --Correspondence.
  • College trustees --Indiana --Bloomington --Diaries.

Separated Material

Photographs have been transferred to the Photographs Collection.

Administrative Information

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Series: Speeches, 1927-1960,   undated 

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Box 1 Opening of radio station WJKS on Thanksgiving, 1927 

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University Fieldhouse dedication, 1928  View item(s)

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Presentation of leather medal to William Black: Press Club annual banquet, 1930 

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Box 3 Gary Bar Association: Memorial meeting, 1931  

(oversize)

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Box 1 Daughters of the American Revolution: Pottawatomie Chapter, 1933 

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Box 3 Role of colleges and universities in preparing youth for government service, 1936  

(oversize)

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Box 1 Administration Building dedication, 1937 

---

Conferring of LL.D. on Dr. William Lowe Bryan, 1937 

---

First Gary school site dedication, 1937 

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Box 3 Honoring William Lowe Bryan at Chicago Alumni Association, 1937 

(oversize)

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Box 1 Foundation Day address, 1938 

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Inauguration of H.B. Wells, 1938 

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Box 3 "The Trustee and Public Relations" ALA Midwinter Meeting, 1939 

(oversize)

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Box 1 Honoring James A. Woodburn: Read by Pres. H.B. Wells, 1940 

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"Legal Status of American State Universities" 1940 

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University Auditorium dedication, 1941 

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"Role of Universities in the War Effort," 1943 

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"The Gary Public Library" : Read at Gary Lions and Rotary Clubs, 1944 

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Public library dedication on Memorial Day, ca. 1945 

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Wildermuth Memorial Church Education Wing Dedication, 1960 

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On American civilization: incomplete, undated 

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To the American Legion, undated 

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Box 3 “Financing the Public Library”, undated 

(oversize)

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Box 1 Parent-Teacher meeting, undated 

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Presentation of the gavels: AGSU, undated 

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Presentation of gavel to Meritt H. Perkins: Regent, University of Colorado, undated 

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“A Public Library”, undated 

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Regarding the founding of Gary, undated 

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"Role of a Governing Board in University Administration," undated