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Howard F. Bennett (1911-1974) Papers

 Collection
Identifier: 12/1/4

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

The Howard F. Bennett Papers comprise 27 boxes of material spanning the years 1929-1974. The Bennett papers have been arranged into eleven general categories: Biographical Materials, Undergraduate and Graduate Materials, Correspondence, Department of Business History, Course Materials, Syllabi, and Lecture Notes, Northwestern-Related Activities, Northwestern Institute for Management, Nation Defense Education Act Summer Program, Non-Northwestern Activities, Publications and Unpublished Manuscripts and Restricted. The following materials were removed from tie collection and placed in the appropriate series: Northwestern Institute for Management, 2 boxes; Graduate School of Management, 2 boxes; Board of Student Publications, 1/2 box; National Defense Education Act Summer Program, 2 boxes; Leadizing Company Records, 5 boxes; and Graduate School of Management Case Studies, 5 boxes.

The Biographical Materials include vita, awards, clippings, press releases; Dunhill Fertilizer correspondence, from a small cooperative organized by Bennett; and personal correspondence, almost entirely with his wife and relatives.

The Undergraduate and Graduate Materials include Bennett's notes, exams and term papers from Amherst and Harvard; also included are his research notes for his dissertation and three copies of his dissertation manuscript. The notes and exams are arranged chronologically by folder, and by subject within each folder.

The Correspondence is divided into two sections: General Correspondence, arranged chronologically, and Subject Correspondence, arranged alphabetically by folder title. The General Correspondence includes, in the main, short-term, routine correspondence. The Subject Correspondence, being more substantive and prolonged, includes correspondence with professional societies, publishers, former students, and Northwestern administrators. Correspondence directly related to other categories has been retained within those categories.

The Department of Business History material includes departmental correspondence, teaching schedules and room assignments, personnel correspondence, resumes, and appointment books.

The Course Materials, Syllabi, and Lecture Notes include tests, lecture schedules, handouts, lecture notes, and students' papers for each course Bennett taught. Business History C40 and C43 are listed together because C43 was only a change in course number.

The Northwestern-Related Activities include almost exclusively committee notes and minutes. The exceptions are folders on the Graduate History Club and Faculty Meeting Notes. The committees are divided into two sections: school-related and universities related, and are arranged chronologically within each section.

The Northwestern Institute for Management materials are divided into three sections: General Materials, Background Materials for Specific Case Studies, and General Background Materials for Case Studies. The General Materials include correspondence, course notes, curriculum proposals, and annotated case studies. The Background Materials are listed alphabetically by folder title and include material used in developing case studies for Northwestern. The General Background Materials were assembled for general reference and are listed alphabetically by folder title.

The National Defense Education Act Summer Program material includes correspondence with government officials, course materials, and notes for developing course materials.

Non-Northwestern Activities is divided into three sections: U.S. Naval Reserve, Project for Nelson's Encyclopedia, and the A.T. & T. Summer Executive Training Program. The Naval Reserve material includes official correspondence, travel vouchers, and training orders, and miscellaneous non-dated notes from various training programs. The Nelson's Encyclopedia material includes several drafts of entries prepared for this publication. The A.T. & T. material includes correspondence, notes for the preparation of teaching materials, and several articles written specifically for the program.

The Publications and Unpublished Manuscripts material is divided into four sections: speeches, book reviews, Precision Power material, and World Book Year Book material. The speeches include miscellany, speeches for the Illinois Bell management conferences, final speeches for the Northwestern Institute for Management, and “The Lady or the Tiger”, a speech about profits and social responsibility. The book reviews are divided into two categories: typescripts and printed copies and are arranged chronologically. The Precision Power material includes correspondence with the publisher and the Bodines, the owners of the company, financial records of the project, and the bibliography with accompanying notes. The World Book material includes drafts and proof sheets for the map overlay projects.

Additions

Certificates and Diplomas:

Phi Beta Kappa, March 14, 1933

B.A. in History, Amherst College, 1933

M.A. in History and Teaching, Harvard University, 1939

Ph.D. in History, Harvard University 1951

Dates

  • 1929-1974

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.

Extent

27.00 Boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

After a time in the U.S. Naval Reserve which interrupted his studies, Howard Franklin Bennett returned to Harvard in the spring of 1946. The following autumn he accepted a position as Assistant Professor of Business History at Northwestern University. Bennett re-enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1951 and served on active duty until 1953 , then in reserve as Commanding Officer of the Naval Air Intelligence Unit at Glenview, Illinois. Bennett attained the rank of Captain in 1960 and retired from the reserve in 1969. After resuming his academic position at Northwestern in 1953, Bennett began work on a history of the Bodine Electric Company, which was published in 1959. Bennett began teaching courses for the Northwestern Institute for Management in 1961, and subsequently served on the Institute curriculum committee. The Bennett papers have been arranged into eleven general categories: Biographical Materials, Undergraduate and Graduate Materials, Correspondence, Department of Business History, Course Materials, Syllabi, and Lecture Notes, Northwestern-Related Activities, Northwestern Institute for Management, Nation Defense Education Act Summer Program, Non-Northwestern Activities, Publications and Unpublished Manuscripts and Restricted.

Arrangement Note

The Bennett papers have been arranged into eleven general categories: Biographical Materials, Undergraduate and Graduate Materials, Correspondence, Department of Business History, Course Materials, Syllabi, and Lecture Notes, Northwestern-Related Activities, Northwestern Institute for Management, Nation Defense Education Act Summer Program, Non-Northwestern Activities, Publications and Unpublished Manuscripts and Restricted. Within the Undergraduate and Graduate Materials, the notes and exams are arranged chronologically by folder, and by subject within each folder. General Correspondence is arranged chronologically, while Subject Correspondence is arranged alphabetically by folder title. Within the Northwestern-Related Activities series, the committees are divided into two sections: school-related and universities related, and are arranged chronologically within each section. Within the Northwestern Institute for Management materials, the Background Materials are listed alphabetically folder title. The General Background Materials are listed alphabetically by folder title. Within Publications and Unpublished Manuscripts the book reviews are arranged chronologically.

Method of Acquisition

The Howard F. Bennett Papers were donated to the Northwestern University Archives by Professor Bennett's widow, Elizabeth Bennett, November, 1975.

Separated Materials

45 photographs.

Processing Information

W.T. Covington, January 1978.

Title
Guide to the Howard F. Bennett (1911-1974) Papers
Author
W.T. Covington
Date
01/01/1978
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
eng

Library Details

Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository

Contact:
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635