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1908

 File — Box: 4, Folder: 2

Content Description

From the Collection:

The W. Robert Smith papers span nine boxes and date between 1900 and 2023.

The Documents from Dated Envelopes series holds the letters, travel documents, and other materials donated in dated envelopes. Many of these materials are international letters from the Smiths' trips, or from missionaries and members of the Officers Christian Union. Places include Cambodia, Costa Rica, Germany, Hong Kong, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Pakistan, and Spain. The Montagnards photo scrapbook has photographs of a mission in Southeast Asia.

The Education folder holds written assignments from school, report cards, and examinations. Most of these materials deal with Robert Smith's early education, but a few of the documents are from other family members. The yearbooks from Zanesville High School in Ohio are from Kay Stemm. The Harding High School yearbook from Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, is from Robert Smith's senior year in 1928. The folder Muskingum College holds material from Kay and Bob's time at the school in Ohio between 1928 and 1932. The Black and Magenta was Muskingum College's student newspaper. Two yearbooks from Muskingum College date to 1930 and 1931.

The Wedding book dates to May 23, 1935, when Robert married Katherine Stemm in Zanesville, Ohio. It contains written congratulations and J.R. Miller's The Wedded Life, published by the Presbyterian Board of Christian Education in 1931.

The Monmouth, Spring Hill folder holds documents from Smith's time as a pastor at United Presbyterial Church in Spring Hill, Indiana, and First United Presbyterian Church in Monmouth, Illinois. The folder dates between 1935 and 1953. This folder holds a bulletin for the 1945 church service for use at the End of Hostilities in Europe.

The University of Dubuque folder holds materials from Bob Smith's employment there, and dates between 1945 and 1951. This folder also holds musical programs featuring Kay Smith. The Cue was the student newspaper from the University of Dubuque.

The Bethel folder dates between 1952 and 1995. It holds employment agreements, the Clarion student newspaper, Founder's Week programs, and retirement information. The Bethel certificate of Professor Emeritus dates to 1976.

The Officers' Christian Union folder holds newsletters, conference programs, reports, directories, and correspondences from this military organization, with which Smith worked as a minister. The book More Than Conquerors: A History of the Officers' Christian Fellowship of the USA, 1943-1983 was written by Robert W. Spoede in 1993. Fourteen issues of Command, the OCU magazine, date between 1965 and 1998, containing articles by or about Robert Smith.

The Conferences folder holds programs for various conferences, many of which featured Robert Smith. Two Bulletins and Programs folders hold various church bulletins, commencement bulletins, and concert programs.

The Health folder holds health information for Robert and Kay, as well as a family booklet from the Division of Tuberculosis Sanatoria. None is protected under HIPAA.

The Deaths folder holds memorial service bulletins and obituaries for Robert and for Kay, Robert's will and death certificate, as well as estate information and funeral bulletins from other family. One of the Last Will and Testaments of Smith was wrapped around a ten dollar note from the Confederate States of America, kept in the folder with the will.

The Alcohol folder holds temperance materials, such as anti-alcohol pledges and newspapers, such as The National Voice, and The Message by the Woman's Christian Temperance Union of Indiana.

The Creation/ Evolution folder holds documents on the origin of life, newspaper clippings, and handwritten notes on the topic.

The Documents stored in cardboard box folder contains a variety of papers from Smith family history.

The Household Inventory Record dates to 1992 and is a spiral notebook with extra sheets of paper, created during the move from St. Paul to Duarte, California.

The Newspapers folders hold full newspapers and clippings. Some newspapers include the Aliquippa Gazette, Augustana Observer, McGill Daily, and Sunday Times-Signal of Zanesville, Ohio.

The Travel folders contain documents from the Smiths' travel around the world, and include airline tickets, financial information, correspondence, and souvenir brochures. Places traveled to include Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Lebanon, South Vietnam, Thailand, and Turkey. One folder holds the itineraries of the various trips.

The Calendars date between 1945 and 1982, with some loose caledar pages located in a corresponding folder.

The three Writings and Lectures folders hold Smith's writings, such as "The Dynamic of Convictions", "Can We Trust the Bible?" "A Christian View of History", "Communicating Values", "Vignettes of a Pastors Life", and "The Mature Man in Christ." The Publications By or About Bob Smith folder holds articles such as "Keeping In Touch with Dr. Bob", "With Dr. Bob at the Firs", "How Christian is your Family Life?" "How Can Christian Youth Be Interested in Church Attendance?" "And We Beheld His Glory", and "The Goal of History." The Publications Kept by Bob Smith folder were not written by Smith, but kept in his files. These include "The Roots of Disposition and Character", "Partnership in Missions: Reality or Illusion" regarding Zaire, "Let God Explain Himself", "Lebanon: What's the Problem", and "The Bible and Mormon Doctrine." The Materials Kept by Bob Smith folder hold other materials not published kept by Smith.

Three folders of Handwritten Notes contain notes taken by Smith, primarily on religious subjects, possibly lecture or sermon notes.

The Men's Bible Class folder contains a series of lectures on ministry.

The Correspondence series dates between 1900 and 2023. The majority of these correspondences are letters between Bob and Kay, particularly prior to their marriage. Some letters are from missionaries. Many of the later letters after Kay's death were amongst the Smith's children and grandchildren. The Letters from the Stemms are mostly letters from Kay's mother. The Letters from the Maxwells are primarily from Libby Maxwell, Kay's sister. The Letters from Aunt May mostly date to the 1940s. The Email folders date between 1999 and 2001, mostly between Kay and family, including daughter Roberta Woodberry serving as a missionary in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

The Theological Notebooks date to the 1920s and 1940s, are are likely from Robert Smith's father, a Presbyterian minister. One notebook is from William Woodburn at the Theological Seminary in Allegheny, Pennsylvania.

The Family History folders hold documents from the Smith and Stemm families, as well as genealogical notes. Kay's autobiographical account is included in this series. One notebook is labeled "Quotations Pearl Mathews, Class of 1903," and another is Pearl Mathew's elocution essay.

An Address Book kept by Kay dates to her time in California.

A blue Memo notebook contains various notes, including notes about experiences in Beirut, "things to remember", medical reminders, and other thoughts.

A medallion from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena is kept in a small box.

Five folders of photographs contain headshots, family photos, travel pictures, and one from Princeton Seminary. One folder holds negatives.

The Media series is made up of cassettes, 7 inch audio reels, 5 inch audio reels, and VHS tapes. These are primarily recordings of sermons and talks given by Robert Smith. The Gansu, Inc. VHS features William Conrad, who talks about the history of the missions to bring eyecare to Gansu, China. The two other VHS tapes hold memorial services for Bob Smith in 1997, one at Bethel, and the other at Westminster Gardens.

Much of the Previous Acquisition series has similar media of audio recordings of Bob Smith's talks, mostly on cassette, but some on CD. Another VHS tape of his Bethel memorial service is held in this series. Three folders of Writings are also included in this series, primarily on theological subjects.

The Summer 2024 Acquisition series holds material sent from the Woodberrys in August. The General folder holds a variety of ephemera, such as handwritten music from Kay, pamphlets on the Quran and Islam, a pamphlet for the Mission Ledgo: Center for Alzheimer's Care, where Robert Smith died, travel material, including vaccination information and passports, meeting minutes from the First United Presbyterian Church in Illinois, and information from Kay's last years. Several correspondence folders date between the 1930s and late twentieth century. The Writings and Speeches folder contain some handwritten speeches or published articles by Robert Smith. On Muskingum's Hill is a bulletin from Muskingum College in 1933. Two yearbooks from the University of Dubuque are called the Key and date to 1947 and 1951. The Clinic on Marriage were compiled lectures from the Greater Minneapolis Association of Evangelicals from 1963, one of which was given by Bob Smith. The Bethel Class Reunion Book for the class of 1960 from 1990 is from Homecoming Weekend. The Declaration of Trust of W. Robert Smith and Katharine Stemm Smith dates to 1995. Two scrapbooks were from the Association for Christian Conferences, Teaching and Service from the Officers' Christian Fellowship.

Dates

  • 1900 - 2023

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researcher use.

Extent

From the Collection: 12.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

From the Collection: English

Creator

Repository Details

Part of the The History Center: Archives of Bethel University and Converge Repository

Contact:
3900 Bethel Drive
Arden Hills MINNESOTA 55112 United States