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W. Robert Smith papers, 1900-2023

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-Bio-5-2024

Content Description

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.

Dates

  • 1900 - 2023

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researcher use.

Biographical note

William Robert Smith, "Dr. Bob", was born on March 13, 1911 in Verona, Pennsylvania. Katharine "Kay" Stemm was born in 1909 in Zanesville, Ohio. They met at Muskingum College, where Bob studied political science and constitutional law, and Kay studied music, both graduating in 1932. Kay would continue performing concerts and teaching voice and piano during her life. Robert received a Bachelor of Theology in 1935 from Pittsburgh-Xenia Theological Seminary. Bob and Kay got married in 1935, and had five children: Roberta (Woodberry), Robert, Karl, Mark, and Elizabeth (Swedberg). Robert received his Doctorate of Theology from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kentucky while pastoring in Spring Hill, Indiana. He then became pastor in Monmouth, Illinois, and also taught philosophy and Bible at Monmouth College. Afterwards, he chaired the philosophy department at the University of Dubuque. In 1951, he began as faculty at Bethel, heading the Philosophy Department. For many years, he also served as a minister at large in the Officers' Christian Union, speaking around the world at military bases. While on sabbaticals, Bob taught at Haigazian College in Lebanon, Evangel Theological College in Hong Kong, and at San Jose, Costa Rica. He also spoke frequently at summer camps such as Forest Home, Campus by the Sea, and Mount Herman. Bob retired from Bethel in 1976. In 1993, they moved from Minnesota to California. Bob died in 1997, and Kay died in 2001.

Extent

12.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection was arranged during processing, the organization primarily decided by the archivist.

The Documents from dated envelopes series is kept in its donated order.

The correspondence were arranged by year during processing. The letters from the Stemms, Maxwells, and Aunt May were donated in files with the same names and kept together in their donated order.

The Previous acquisition series is arranged separately from the rest of the collection donated in 2024.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

The audio objects in this collection are on cassette, 7 inch audio reels, 5 inch audio reels, and CD-Rs. Videos are on VHS tapes. Audio formats are marked in the finding aid, unless the audio is on cassette. The History Center does not have the equipment to play the audio reels.

Custodial History

The W. Robert Smith papers were donated to the History Center in January 2024 by Robert Woodberry, grandson of Robert and Kay Smith.

The Previous Acquisition series was donated to the History Center at an unknown time prior to the donation of the rest of the collection in 2024.

Existence and Location of Copies

Digital audio files from CD-Rs were copied onto the Archivist drive. Several digital files from the Sermon Collection CD were unable to be opened, and are not listed on the finding aid.

Title
W. Robert Smith papers, 1900-2023
Author
Rebekah Bain, archivist
Date
February 2024
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

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