Skip to main content

Lewis R. Alderman papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Ax 473

Scope and Contents

The collection contains, scrapbooks, speeches, radio talks on education, correspondence and documents on adult education in the Navy, writings, manuscripts, and publications about adult education, and an autobiography.

The autobiography includes several versions and personal autobiographical data includes awards, certificates, commendations, appointments, news stories, family and personal scrapbooks, and letters.

The scrapbooks concern adult education in the southern highlands in the 1930s.

U.S. Navy material includes correspondence documents concerning the first adult education program within the Navy.

Writings include speeches, radio talks, and other addresses and mostly concern adult education.

Published works contain reports and articles on adult education. There is one manuscript/publication titled The History of Education in Portland, from a WPA adult education Project (1937).

Dates

  • Creation: 1928-1943

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.

Biographical / Historical

Lewis R. Alderman (1872-1965) Lewis Alderman was born in Dayton, October and graduated from University of Oregon in 1898.

"In 1900 Alderman was back in Yamhill County, as principal of one of McMinnville's schools; at the end of the year he was their school superintendent. Then in 1904 he was elected county school superintendent for Yamhill County and he instituted one of the many innovative things that marked his life; a juvenile county fair, with more than 4,000 exhibits and 17,000 people attending. In 1906 he became Superintendent of Schools for Eugene, then a University of Oregon faculty member and in January, 1911 he became Superintendent of Schools for Oregon.

He resigned in 1913, to become Portland's Superintendent of Schools. Benson Tech and night schools for foreign and native born citizens were put into effect. Then a myriad of activities on the national level: working in an education program for our military left in Europe after the 1918 armistice, which resulted in his appointment as Director of Education of the enlisted men in the Navy; in 1924 a leave of absence from the U.S. Navy to assist in making a survey of New York City Schools, which developed into his becoming Chief of the Service Division in the USO Office of Education.

His lifetime of work included everything from assisting children in their learning habits to rehabilitative training of felons, concluding with an adult education program whereby over a million people learned to read and write.

Married to Alice Barber the year after university graduation, they had a daughter and two sons. Mrs. Alderman died when they were living in Washington DC in 1920. Four years later he married Lola Lake, then secretary to one of the U.S. Civil Service Commissioners. Dr. Alderman returned to Dayton in 1942. He died January 31, 1965."

[Source: City of Dayton Oregon Official Website: http://www.ci.dayton.or.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC={4A21CC8E-F897-4694-AA53-43F8F33F6A33}&DE={D40F22A9-0FFA-4ED5-B4E5-8A6C9480FDA6}]

Extent

1.5 linear feet (1 container) : 1 record storage box

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Lewis R. Alderman (1872-1965) became a prominent and influential educator, first as a principal and school superintendent in McMinnville, then as superintendent in Yamhill County and Eugene, a University of Oregon faculty member, Superintendent of Schools for Oregon, Director of Education of enlisted men in the Navy, and Chief of the Service Division in the USO Office of Education. The collection contains, scrapbooks, speeches, radio talks on education, correspondence and documents on adult education in the Navy, writings, manuscripts, and publications about adult education, and an autobiography.

Arrangement

Material within this collection is minimally arranged. Any arrangement is either derived from the records' creators or custodians or from staff at the time of initial processing. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.

Other Finding Aids

Paper finding aid with additional information is available in Special Collections & University Archives.

Processing Information

Collection processed by staff, 1970s.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal organization and rehousing.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents.

Title
Guide to the Lewis R. Alderman papers
Status
Complete Description
Author
Tanya Parlet and Kira B. Homo.
Date
2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English
Sponsor
Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).

Repository Details

Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA