Records of The Kirk Oratory Contest

The records of the Kirk Oratory Contest cover the years 1949-1970; records for the years 1953 and 1965 are missing. Folders are chronologically arranged by year. Each folder is internally arranged by type of material and includes, when available: 1) lists of speakers; 2) judges' ballots; 3) judges' summaries, comments and evaluations, often detailed; 4) speeches and/or outlines of speeches (arranged alphabetically by orator's name); 5) announcements (rules, programs, posters, etc.); 6) correspondence (arranged by date). These records are a mixture of handwritten originals (judges' ballots and comments), original and carbon copied typescripts, and mimeographed copies.

Included are also records pertaining to the Northern Oratorical League Contest for the years 1954-1958, 1970. These follow the Kirk Contest folders and have a similar chronological internal arrangement.

Speeches found in the Kirk Contest records provide a reflection of the concerns of the era in which they were written. The topics range widely from the threat of communism and the problem of President Eisenhower's health in the 1950s to civil rights issues in the 1960s.