Alice Ayler was one of the last few orphans to ride the Orphan Train west from New York. As a long time resident of Oklahoma City and a Distinguished Former Student of UCO Alice has donated her Orphan Train Collection to the Archives & Special Collections. Included in her materials are a autobiography documenting her life as an orphan who rode the rails west in hopes of finding a new and loving home; interviews with other orphan train riders that include photographs, video tapes, books, newspaper articles, awards and memorabilia including a 63 year-old doll that was one of the only possessions Alice took with her when she rode the Orphan Train in 1930.

The files of longtime Edmond resident Sidney C. Bray, Regional Director of the U.S. Savings Bond Program from 1942-1965, provides insight into U.S. efforts to mobilize the citizenry and finance our involvement in WWII.

A WWI veteran, Bray was also in sales management with General Motors prior to his post in the U.S. Treasury department, and was an active member of the Edmond Kiwanis Club for a number of years after he retired. The Oklahoma town of Bray is named after Sidney's father.

Included in the Bray donation are World War II financing records, promotional materials, scrapbooks, photographs, federal publications, press releases, and special memorabilia.

More biographical information

See Bray Collection

Included among the items in this small but interesting collection are a letter to Governor William "Wild Alfalfa Bill" Murray and reply regarding the completion of Highway 77, a WWII rations book, the 1908 Edmond Post Office record, and comments on the year 1908.

The Drummond papers are a rich resource of information on early cattle ranching and the development of the oil industry in Oklahoma. Alfred Alexander Drummond was a ranger and entrepreneurial oil landsman in Osage County and the Madill area.

Born in the Osage Nation when it was a part of Indian Territory, he grew up in Hominy where his father was a trader for the Osage Nation. Drummond began as a cattle rancher but eventually amassed huge land holdings and widened his business interests to include oil and gas exploration and production.

The typed, printed, and handwritten materials in this collection include business and personal correspondence, legal, and financial documents, newspapers, maps, photographs, audio tapes, and personal memorabilia. The cassette tapes are interviews conducted by Terry Hammons from 1978-1980 in preparation for his book on Drummond.

Late professor of the UCO Theater Department for 14 years, Don Getzoff mentored many students and dedicated many hours to the elaborate set designs for which he was known on campus. He was very instrumental in Shakespeare in the Park, doing all the scene work for many years. His collection consists of architectural drawings of his sets, notebooks on how to construct the sets, scripts, slides and video of major UCO and Shakespeare in the Park productions from 1992-2006.

William Edgar Gill, former Chief Administrator of the Regional Veteran’s Administration office in Muskogee, was born in Kentucky but grew up in Milburn, Oklahoma and died in Tishomingo. Gill served two terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives (1937-1940), was a WWII veteran, and held degrees from East Central University and Oklahoma State University. The former Johnston County educator and legislator kept abreast of political/legislative issues and was considered by some of his colleagues in state government to be an authority in the fields of political science and history. He authored two books Johnston County in the Thirties and Oklahoma in the 1920s.

Both these books on Oklahoma and other titles relating to Oklahoma, the Civil War, and U.S. Presidential histories are included in the extensive library Gill donated. The personal papers of William E. Gill include correspondence from his legislative year, research notes and book drafts, manuscripts, campaign materials dated between 1930-1934 and special political issues of newspapers. Among the political figures represented in these papers are William Murray, Jack Walton, Lyle Boren, and Leon Phillips.

Dr. Green was a member of the University of Central Oklahoma History & Geography faculty from 1969-1990 and served as Chair of the department from 1982-1990. He has written several books on Oklahoma and Southwestern history, has been the recipient of numerous awards, and has been very active in public and professional organizations.

Dr. Green's papers include personal correspondence, professional correspondence, class notes taken by him as a student at the University of Oklahoma and Texas Tech University, academic papers written by students of his courses, several archaeological journals, and various office files.

The Lucy Jeston Hampton papers provide valuable information on the early years of UCO, particularly the origins and development of the Laboratory of History Museum. Ms. Hampton (1887-1965) was a professor of history at UCO from 1910-1958. She was born in Grayson County, Virginia but raised in Wichita County, Oklahoma. She was founder of the University’s History Society and curator of the Laboratory of History Museum from 1915-1958, was a public lecturer, and a charter member of the League of Nations Association.

Hampton also has the distinction of being asked to run for Governor of Oklahoma in 1933, which she declined. She was named posthumously to the Edmond Historic Hall of Fame in 1982.

Her papers, which include personal correspondence, course development materials, speech drafts, correspondence from her many speaking engagements, and lecture notes, chronicle her many achievements.

Noted author and UCO Artist-in-Residence in the English Department for 7 years, Marilyn Harris authored 20 books that have been published in several languages. She is best known for her seven-novel series Eden, an historical saga about the Eden family of England. She was also the author of the bestselling novel Hatter Fox, adapted into the 1977 CBS Movie, A Girl Called Hatter Fox.

Among the awards Harris has recieved are the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, Oklahoma Writers Hall of Fame Award, O. Henry Award, and the University of Oklahoma Literary Award. Her collection consists of the original drafts of all 20 books, correspondence with publishers and editors, galleys, fan letters, cover art for her book, research used in the writing of her books as well as a complete collection of her works in paper, hardback and foreign language titles.

Dr. Joe Jackson was a UCO History professor, Dean of Colleges and eventually Academic Vice President until his retirement in 1976. Dr. Jackson continues to teach courses on Oklahoma History at the Friday School of Continuing Education conducted for senior adults at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church.

The papers of this former history professor include documents used in his doctoral dissertation written on the history of education in Eastern Oklahoma.

Ruth King was a news columnist from Poteau, Oklahoma. Her collection includes letters, photographs, news column clippings on Edmond, and other interesting articles and histories of many Oklahoma towns and counties.

The donation of Dr. Levy includes letters, handouts from meetings, and documents from State Directors Conferences on the establishment of the Oklahoma Medicare/Medicaid programs.

Lloyd E. Rader, Director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, was one of the most powerful men in Oklahoma government. He served under eight governors from 1951-1982 as Welfare Director, beginning with Johnston Murray and ending with George Nigh.

The papers of Lloyd Rader (1906-1986) include genealogical information and family history, photographs, diaries, news clippings, memorabilia, scrapbooks, letters, plaques and awards, a history of Hinton County, Oklahoma, cassette tape interviews, and a video biography of Rader with his friends and co-workers assembled by CSU-TV. (See also Oklahoma Department of Human Services Records)

Rankin earned his B.A. degree from the University of Central Oklahoma, then Central States Teacher's College, in 1926 and his M.A. in Economics from the University of Oklahoma in 1931. He served as a UCO faculty member from 1924-1941 during which time he taught courses in economics as well as other subjects.

After spending three years as a instructor at Ashbury College of Kentucky, Rankin became Economist and Assistant Director for the Wage Stabilization 8th Regional War Labor Board in Dallas from 1943-1946. Returning to Edmond in 1946 he was an associate with the Great Southern Life Insurance Company until 1982. Rankin was inducted into the Edmond Hall of Fame in 1983.

The personal manuscripts and published items of Guy Rankin include letters, editorials, essays and speeches, the bulk of which address political and economic issues.

C.H. Spearman had a distinguished career as a student of UCO in the early 1950s, serving in student government and winning national recognition as a debate champion. He received his law degree from the University of Oklahoma in 1952 and served four terms in the Oklahoma House of Representatives from 1965-1972.

Spearman played a significant role in the 1971 name change of Central State College to Central State University. He was a practicing attorney in Oklahoma City for many years, and was appointed to the Commission on State Reform in 1984 by Governor George Nigh.

Spearman's papers contain correspondence, reports, rules, campaign materials, publicity, debate speech materials, and some awards and recognition memorabilia from his years of service in Oklahoma state government. While the materials reflect the background and training of Spearman in the 1950s, the majority represents his years in the House of Representative.

This collection includes news clippings, photographs, and handwritten manuscripts about Guthrie history, including a letter from A. Jennings regarding the removal of the seal from Guthrie to Oklahoma City.

Writer and poet Winona Morris Nation was born in Dryden, Oklahoma, in 1919. She received a B.A. in 1972 and a M.A in 1974 from the University of Central Oklahoma and would eventually teach creative writing courses in the English department. As a student Nation would place third in the National Collegiate Poetry Contest, behind poets from Princeton and Yale. As a professional writer she received the Lasky Literary Award, and has been chosen as one of the top twenty poets in America by Atlantic Monthly. Her poems have been widely published in such magazines as The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, and Ebony.

Her papers include typed and handwritten manuscript materials. A collection of her poems was posthumously published in a book entitled If I Still Hold Earth As Dear.