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Shelly and Mary Louise Grossman papers, 1956-1998

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Grossman, Shelly.; Grossman, Mary Louise.
Title
Shelly and Mary Louise Grossman papers
Dates
1956-1998 (inclusive)
Quantity
52 cubic feet (149 boxes)
Collection Number
06225
Summary
Papers of a husband and wife who published books on ecology and birds of prey, and produced documentaries and tv series, on environment and protection of wildlife during the 1960s and 1970s.
Repository
American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming
American Heritage Center
University of Wyoming
1000 E. University Ave.
Dept. 3924
Laramie, WY
82071
Telephone: 3077663756
ahcref@uwyo.edu
Access Restrictions
Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes, and the collection is open to the public.

Languages
English
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Historical Note

Shelly Grossman (1928-1975) was a commercial photographer, conservationist, and motion picture producer who worked together with his wife, Mary Louise, who did research and writing for their books and films. In 1967 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, they established Shoshoni Productions, Inc. through which they produced their documentary films such as "Black Coal, Red Power" which aired on PBS in 1972. This documentary examined coal strip mining on Indian reservations in northwest Arizona. With the assistance of John Hamlet, a Florida naturalist, they wrote "Birds of Prey of the World" (1964) and "Our Vanishing Wilderness". (1969) from which they produced a television series. Shelly Grossman contributed to the "Life Nature Library Series" and the American Heritage series "Guide to the United States", 1962-1964, and also wrote three juvenile books: "The Struggle for Life in the Animal World" (1967), "Understanding Ecology" (1970), and "How and Why Wonder Book of Ecology" (1971). The Grossmans had collected dried flowers in the United States and Europe and done research for a book, "Our Flowering World" when Shelly died unexpectedly before completing the work.

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Content Description

The collection contains the photographic, motion picture, and manuscript materials of the collaborative work of Shelly and Mary Louise Grossman, along with John Hamlet. Included is 16 mm footage of wildlife and conservation subjects, some of which may have been used in their documentaries, produced through Shoshoni Productions, Inc. Reel-to-reel audio tapes and film out-takes are also included. Original materials for the planned book, "Our Flowering World" include layout sheets, transparencies, slides, logs and notebooks, and a small amount of correspondence are included. Audio tapes and some transcriptions of the extensive interviews taken for "Black Coal, Red Power" and the "Vanishing Wilderness" series are contained here as well as many other films and photographs representing Shelly Grossman's life work. Scrapbooks and scripts are also included.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Copyright Information

The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.

Preferred Citation

Preferred Citation

Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Collection Name, Collection Number, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.

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Administrative Information

Preservation Note

System Requirements

Wildlife and conservation subjects -- film -- 16 mm.

Interviews -- reel-to-reel audio tapes.

Out-takes -- film -- 16 mm.

Related Materials

Related Materials

There are no known other archival collections created by Shelly and Mary Louise Grossman at the date of processing.

Acquisition Information

Acquisition Information

The collection was received from Mary Louise King, 1976-1998.

Processing Note

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Alexandra Cardin in August 2017.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Container List

Processed by Alexandra Cardin
2013

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

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