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Robert C. Sims Collection on Minidoka and Japanese Americans, 1891-2014

Overview of the Collection

Title
Robert C. Sims Collection on Minidoka and Japanese Americans
Dates
1891-2014 (inclusive)
Quantity
39.5 linear feet, (67 boxes, 1 oversize folder)
Collection Number
MSS 356
Summary
The Robert C. Sims Papers contains material relating to his life-long research of Japanese Americans in World War II. This includes government reports and files, personal narratives and letters, interviews, articles and other media resources, books, photographs, and other materials. This collection also contains Sims' personal files, such as correspondence, speeches and presentations, published articles and reviews, and awards he received throughout his academic and personal career.
Repository
Boise State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
1910 University Drive
Boise ID
83725
Telephone: 2084263990
archives@boisestate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is available for research.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Robert (Bob) Sims taught at Boise State University for thirty years (20th Century U.S. History and American Ethnic Studies) and served as Dean of the College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs before retiring in 1999. Raised in Oklahoma, he received his Ph.D. in American History from the University of Colorado (1970) and was an NEH Fellow in Ethnic Studies at Columbia University (1977-78).

His career at Boise State was marked by his commitment to scholarship and to the support and encouragement of students, even as Professor Emeritus during his retirement. A colleague said of him, "He helped to shape the college and was an effective and compassionate leader. He also had a reputation as a tireless advocate for faculty in the college and was praised by students as a conscientious mentor."

Soon after his arrival at BSU, Bob discovered documents related to the World War II Minidoka Relocation Center for Japanese and Japanese Americans, located near Eden, Idaho. (Because the U.S. Post Office there was named Hunt, it became known as Hunt Camp.) This was the beginning of his life's work and passion: researching, documenting, writing and lecturing about life in the incarceration centers in general, but particularly Minidoka. He developed strong personal relationships with members of the Japanese American community throughout the Pacific Northwest, whose lives, experiences and stories touched him deeply.

Bob's prolific research and scholarship contributed to the establishment of the Minidoka Internment National Monument as a unit of the National Park Service Monument in 2001 (now Minidoka National Historic Site). He served as a key member and subject area expert for the National Park Service for over five years during the development of the Minidoka General Management Plan. He also served on the board of the Friends of Minidoka. In 2011 Bob received a National Park Service "Partnership Excellence Award" for his work as a founding member of the Minidoka Civil Liberties Symposium. This annual event, which offers college and continuing education credits, focuses on current issues regarding civil liberties and constitutional rights and is a part of the Site's educational program

For over 40 years, he traveled throughout Idaho and the Northwest speaking at conferences and to groups large and small about the Japanese American experience during World War II. He covered topics as varied as medical care, governance, education, art, the response of local communities, the bitter ironies of U.S. military service of internees, loyalty requirements, as well as the businesses, careers, and homes that were left behind during incarceration. He became the historian for all matters relating to Minidoka. Bob's style of blending personal stories and scholarly presentations brought this unique American story to life and connected it to current events.

Additionally, Bob served on the Idaho Humanities Council (IHC) for four years and participated in many projects funded by the NEH and the IHC. In 2004 he received the Outstanding Achievement in the Humanities award, given annually by the IHC. Other recognitions include the Idaho Historical Society's Esto Perpetua award for contributions in preserving Idaho's history (2009), and the Boise City Department of Arts and History honor for Contributions to History Education (2009).

Bob died in May 2015. It is the wish of his family that his writings and research will serve to continue his commitment to social justice and the public good.

[Biography written by Betty and Sarah Sims.]

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Content Description

The Robert C. Sims Papers contains material relating to his life-long research of Japanese Americans in World War II. This includes government reports and files, personal narratives and letters, interviews, articles and other media resources, books, photographs, and other materials. This collection also contains Sims' personal files, such as correspondence, speeches and presentations, published articles and reviews, and awards he received throughout his academic and personal career.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[item description], Robert Sims Collection on Minidoka and Japanese Americans, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donated by Betty Sims in 2015.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Processed by Bethany Owens and Cheryl Oestreicher
2016

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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