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Stan Healy Photographs and Papers, 1890s-1990s (bulk 1940s-1970s)

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Healy, "Stan" (Edward), 1918-1996
Title
Stan Healy Photographs and Papers
Dates
1890s-1990s (bulk 1940s-1970s) (inclusive)
Quantity
11.25 linear feet (approx. 4,050 images)
Collection Number
Mss 430
Summary
Edward "Stan" Healy was a Missoula, Montana, newspaper and freelance photographer and city council member. His collection includes news-oriented and other photographs taken in and around Missoula, mostly in the 1940s through the 1970s, as well as a small amount of personal photography, correspondence, and materials related to his time in the Army Air Force during World War II.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana--Missoula.

Photos of scenes involving murder and crime victims, which Healy covered on several occasions, have been restricted by the Archives until 2056 due to the nature of the content.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for creating this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historic Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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Biographical Note

Edward "Stan" Healy was born in Missoula, Montana, on July 19, 1918 to Edward and Emma Healy. He attended Whittier Grade School and graduated from Missoula County High School. In 1941, he graduated from the University of Montana with a bachelor's degree in journalism.

During World War II, Healy served in the U.S. Army from 1941 to 1945. In 1946, he began his career at the Missoulian as a reporter and photographer. He worked there until 1961, when he transitioned to freelance writing and photography. He worked primarily from Missoula but also traveled to other parts of the country to sell pictures to papers. He completed photo-based stories about Memphis, Tennessee, and the steel mills of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Healy served on the Missoula City Council for seventeen years, representing Ward 2, the Northside Neighborhood. When Interstate Highway 90 was developed, the government demanded demolition of many Northside homes. Healy challenged the highway department to save his childhood home and others in the neighborhood. He was also interested in automobiles, cameras, electronics, and non-conforming modes of gender expression.

Healy suffered a heart attack in 1979, prompting his move to a nursing home. He died on March 27, 1996 in Missoula.

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Content Description

The Stan Healy Photographs and Papers consist primarily of photographs and materials from Healy’s career as a photo journalist and Missoula City Council member. The collection also contains a small amount of personal photography and correspondence, notes from Healy’s time at the University of Montana and his Army Air Force training during World War II, and materials related to his interest in cross-dressing.

Healy's photographs document Missoula, Montana, mostly from the 1940s through the 1970s. As a news photographer, he tended to document local news events, including automobile and railroad accidents, fires, and other tragedies. He also photographed changes in Missoula's built environment, including building construction and demolition and street work. Other favored subjects are parades, law enforcement, fire protection personnel, and the University of Montana. Several sweeping views and aerials of Missoula document the change and growth of the city.

Surrounding western Montana towns, including Bonner and Taft, are also documented in the collection. There are a considerable number of images of Northern Pacific Railway and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad engines.

The collection contains a number of images taken by other photographers. Some predate Healy and may have come from the Missoulian photo morgue or from the studio of Frank Ingalls. Others are from fellow photographers John Forssen, Charles F. Buls (Healy’s maternal grandfather), A. Baker, H. English (of Wallace, Idaho), John Swartz, J.W. Meier, R.V. Nixon, R.H. McKay, and Norma Forsyth.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. In 1961, Healy acquired copyright to all the images he produced for the Missoulian. Copyright not transferred to the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Stan Healy Photographs and Papers, Archives and Special Collections, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in three series:

Series I: Accession 1990-016 Photographs, circa 1890s-1970s, 6.5 linear feet (2,700 images)

Series II: Accession 2021-048 Photographs and Papers, circa 1930s-1990s, 4.0 linear feet (1,313 images)

Subseries 1: Negatives and slides, circa 1938-1960s

Subseries 2: Prints, circa 1930s-1990s

Subseries 3: Papers, 1935-1984

Series III: Charles F. Buls Family Photographs, circa 1890s, 0.75 linear feet (37 images)

Custodial History

The photographs in Series I were held by Stan Healy and his trust before they were purchased by the Friends of the Library in 1990. Most of the items in Series II were held by Kathleen Kimble, a family friend, until they were donated to the University of Montana in 2021, with the exception of one photograph, which was purchased by collector Tim Gordon who later resold it to the University of Montana. Custodial information about Series III photographs is unknown.

Acquisition Information

Stan Healy donated one photo to the University of Montana in June 1983. The Friends of the Library, a nonprofit organization, purchased the bulk of the photos in Series I in June 1990 from Stan Healy’s trust. In October of 2001, the University of Montana purchased an additional Healy photo from Tim Gordon. On April 26, 2021, Kathleen Kimble signed a deed of gift transferring additional Stan Healy photographs and papers to the University of Montana. Acquisition information about Series III photographs is unknown.

Processing Note

The original processors described the purchased photographs in Series I in 1990 and 1995, which were assigned photo numbers in the Archive’s general collection. In 2004, the collection was processed as Mss 430. In 2021, materials donated by Kathleen Kimble were described and added to Mss 430. Some photos and certificates were removed from frames. Photos of scenes involving murder and crime victims, which Healy covered on several occasions, have been restricted. The Charles F. Buls Healy photographs were also added to Mss 430 in 2021.

Most materials are described at the item level.

Separated Materials

Additional Healy photographs and some of Healy's personal papers are held by Tim Gordon of Missoula.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Fire fighters--Monatna -- Missoula--Photographs
  • Fires--Montana -- Missoula--Photographs
  • Law enforcement--Montana --Missoula--Photographs
  • Locomotives--Montana -- Photographs
  • Parades--Montana -- Missoula--Photographs
  • Photojournalism--Montana --Missoula.
  • Railroad accidents -- Montana--Missoula--Photographs
  • Traffic accidents -- Montana--Missoula--Photographs

Corporate Names

  • Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul, and Pacific Railroad Company
  • Northern Pacific Railway Company
  • University of Montana--Missoula--Alumni and alumnae
  • University of Montana--Missoula--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • Bonner (Mont.)--Photographs
  • Missoula (Mont.)--Buildings, structures, etc. -- Photographs
  • Missoula (Mont.)--Photographs
  • Taft (Mont.)--Photographs

Form or Genre Terms

  • Photographs--Montana -- Missoula

Occupations

  • News photographers -- Montana--Missoula
  • Photographers--Idaho --Wallace
  • Photographers--Montana --Missoula

Other Creators

  • Personal Names

    • Baker, A.
    • Buls, Charles F.
    • English, H.
    • Forssen, John A., 1916-1995
    • Ingalls, F. M. (Frank M.), 1861-1934

Finding aid prepared by Jodi Allison-Bunnell and Kristin Gates
2004

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

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