Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Bellingham Herald collection on Charles H. Fisher, circa 1913-2001
Overview of the Collection
- Title
- Bellingham Herald collection on Charles H. Fisher
- Dates
- circa 1913-2001 (inclusive)19132001
1931-1939 (bulk)19311939 - Quantity
- 0.5 linear feet, (1 box)
- Collection Number
- XOE_CPNWS0332fisher
- Summary
- This is a collection of materials related to Charles Henry Fisher, former President of the Bellingham Normal College, who resigned from that post in 1939. The collection also contains resources about allegedly subversive activities and “radical” groups on campus and throughout the region in the 1930s.
- Repository
-
Western Washington University, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Goltz-Murray Archives Building
808 25th St.
Bellingham, WA
98225
Telephone: (360) 650-7534
cpnws@wwu.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open to the public.
- Languages
- English.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This is a collection of materials related to Charles Henry Fisher, former President of the Bellingham Normal College which subsequently became the Washington State College of Education and then Western Washington University. The majority of materials date from around 1931 through 1939 when Fisher resigned from the college.
The collection includes biographical information about President Fisher, including materials related to the 1968 dedication of the Fisher Memorial Fountain on Western’s campus. There is also biographical information about then-General Manager of the Bellingham Herald Frank Sefrit, including an obituary and tribute by Archie W. Shiels.
The collection also contains publications from the national branch of the Ku Klux Klan, as well as newspaper clippings related to local KKK activity. There is also correspondence and reference material on allegedly subversive activities and “radical” individuals and groups in the area.
The remainder of the collection comprises material related to the hearing and subsequent resignation of President Fisher, including statements and testimonies from various individuals, minutes from the hearing, and post-hearing press coverage.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Bellingham Herald collection on Charles H. Fisher, Center for Pacific Northwest Studies, Western Libraries Archives & Special Collections, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Related Materials
Western Washington University's Special Collections and the University Archives both house additional material related to President Charles H. Fisher.
Custodial History
The collection was originally property of the Bellingham Herald, then transferred to local historian Aaron Joy who subsequently gave the collection to Jospeh W. Lenz.
Acquisition Information
Donated by Joseph Lenz in July 2013.
Processing Note
Processed by Rozlind Koester in 2013.
Processing Note
About Harmful Language and ContentTo learn more about problematic content in our collections, collection description and teaching tools (including how to provide feedback or request dialogue on this topic), see the following Statement About Potentially Harmful Language and Content
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box-folder | ||
| 1/1 | Fisher biographical materials | circa 1920-1953 |
| 1/2 | Sefrit biographical materials | circa 1913-1950 |
| 1/3 | Correspondence | circa 1934-1951 |
| 1/4 | KKK material | circa 1920s-1930s |
| 1/5 | Lists of "radical" speakers, groups and books | circa 1930s |
| 1/6 | Publications about Communism and subversive activities | circa 1931-1935 |
| 1/7 | Statements and testimonies | 1935 |
| 1/8 | Minutes of Hearing Conducted by the Complaint Committee Before the Board of Trustees of the Bellingham State Normal School | 1935 May 22 |
| 1/9 | Post-hearing news | 1935 June 21 |
| 1/10 | Viking (WWCE student) newspaper clippings | circa 1934-199 |
| 1/11 | Newspaper clippings | circa 1928-1939 |
| 1/12 | TIME article | 1939 July 10 |
| 1/13 | Charles H. Fisher Memorial Fountain material | 1968 May 25 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Education, Higher--Washington (State)--Whatcom County--History--Sources.
Personal Names
- Fisher, Charles Henry, 1880-1964
- Sefrit, Frank I., 1867-1950
Corporate Names
- Western Washington University--History--Sources.
Geographical Names
- Whatcom County (Wash.)--Politics and government--History--Sources.
Form or Genre Terms
- Newspapers
- Records (Documents)
Finding aid prepared by Rozlind Koester.
2014
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
