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Kim Williams Papers, 1940-1986

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Williams, Kim, 1923-1986
Title
Kim Williams Papers
Dates
1940-1986 (inclusive)
Quantity
12.75 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 218 (collection)
Summary
Kim Williams was a writer, naturalist, teacher, and radio commentator. Materials are divided into eight series: biographical information, diaries, general correspondence, financial records, speeches and writings, subject files, clippings and photographs.
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.

Languages
English
Sponsor
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

Kim Williams was born Elizabeth Ardea Kandiko on September 21, 1923, in Hudson, New York, to Hungarian immigrant parents. Kim was the fourth of seven children (six girls and one boy), and grew up on a farm in Gallatin Township, New York. She graduated from Hudson High School in 1940, then attended Cornell University where she received a degree in human ecology--home economics, food, and nutrition--with a minor in botany, in 1944. After graduation she worked for a variety of publications, including a stint as a copy girl for the Los Angeles Examiner, and in New York at Flower Grower magazine. She also wrote poetry and about personal experiences.

She met and married Mel Williams in 1951. His career as a mining engineer took them to Santiago, Chile, where they lived for 20 years. While in Chile, Kim wrote numerous poems, plays, short stories, wrote a newspaper column, taught English at the Catholic University of Chile, and wrote and published two books: High Heels in the Andes and Wild Animals of Chile.

After Mel's retirement in 1971, they returned to his native state of Montana and settled in Missoula. An ardent convert of the women's movement, Kim returned to school and received her Master's degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Montana in 1981. A Radio/TV class project evolved into a local radio show on plants. This, in turn, led to a ten-and-a-half year career as a commentator for National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" giving folksy advice and observations on herbs. She was the longest running guest commentator on NPR.

While in Missoula, she published two more books, Eating Wild Plants and Kim Williams' Book of Uncommon Sense: A Practical Guide With 10 Rules for Nearly Everything. She was an occasional instructor at the University of Montana, taught classes on edible wild plants, gave wild flower tours, and wrote a newspaper column for the Missoulian. Beneath her folksy humor was a message of greater importance, "I'm very serious about the fact we have to change our way of, living in order to live a more gentle way with the earth," she said. Kim was elected to serve on the 1974 City Government Study Commission, and ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Montana House of Representatives in 1978.

After refusing any extraordinary measures to prolong her life, Kim Williams died of cancer on August 6, 1986. Her death was mourned nationwide, with commentaries in Time Magazine, the New Yorker, and numerous newspapers. The Kim Williams Trail along the Clark Fork River in Missoula, was named for her in 1987, and the Kim Williams Graduate Fellowship was begun to fund journalism students at The University of Montana.

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Content Description

The collection contains material collected and produced by Kim Williams. Materials are divided into eight series: biographical information, diaries, general correspondence, financial records, speeches and writings, subject files, clippings and photographs. There is also a demo tape. The records include material related to living and traveling in South America and Europe, women, nutrition, botany and environmental issues.

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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. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

[Name of document or photograph number], Kim Williams Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana--Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The collection is divided into eight series:

Series I: Biographical Information, 1 folder, undated

Series II: Diaries, 0.5 linear feet, 1958-1970

Series III: General Correspondence, 1.0 linear feet, 1953-1986

Series IV: Financial Records, 1 folder, 1970-1978

Series V: Speeches and Writings, 6.5 linear feet, 1940-1986

Series VI: Subject Files, 4.5 linear feet, 1948-1986

Series VII: Clippings, 0.25 feet, 1969-1986

Series VIII: Photographs, 5 photographs, circa 1982

Custodial History

Materials in this collection remained with the Williams family until donation to the Archives shortly after Kim William's death in 1986.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Mel Williams, 1986.

Processing Note

The actions of the original processors are unknown. In December 1997, the collection was substantially rearranged and more thoroughly described. Five photographs of Kim Williams originally submitted with collection materials were incoporated inot the Archives general photograph collection during original processing. In 2003 these photographs were reintegrated into the manuscript collection and assigned new reference numbers reflecting this organization. General photograph collection numbers were retained for cross reference to original processing.

Separated Materials

A Cornerstone demonstration tape was transferred to the Oral History collection, and a book, Every Night at Five by Susan Stamberg, was transferred to the Mansfield Library general book collections.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Finding aid prepared by Robert Applegate and Jodi Allison-Bunnell
1998

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

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