Special Collections and University Archives Highlights
Over the last year, in addition to processing over 50 linear feet of University Archives material, 9 manuscript or personal ephemera collections were processed for a total of 112.93 linear feet of material. Reflecting the diverse nature of the holdings in Special Collections, these range from Everglades history and preservation to the political and social aspects of Caribbean nations, with a few detours through U.S. politics and Naval history.
A special mention regarding our student assistants, interns and part-time employees, Sebastian Casallas, John Valencia, Bo Rodgers, Leslie Porras, Johnathan Zines, and Giulietta Toval. If not for their efforts, many of these collections would not have been processed and available for research. It should also be noted that summer internships were supported by the Wolfsonian Public Humanities Lab and Professor Julio Capó. Please visit https://archives.fiu.edu to search all of the collections.
Finding Aids for Collections 2022-2023
Franklin Adams Collection
Franklin Adams has been a prominent conservationist and champion for the Everglades since the 1960s. He was also a friend and ally of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas. Mr. Adams served in a number of environmental interest organizations such as the Isaac Walton League of America (IWLA), The Florida Water Task Force, and the Florida Wildlife Federation, to give but a few examples. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/107
Cesar Becerra Logging Industry Collection
The Cesar Becerra Logging Industry Collection tells the story of this little-known part of Florida Everglades history. It was extensively documented in 1994-1995 by South Florida filmmaker and historian Cesar Becerra. This collection represents his work and research that has subsequently been used in exhibits and at least one court case. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/103
Maks Dikarev Naval Cover Collection
SPC’s “oddball” collection of the fiscal year must be the Maks Dikarev Naval Cover Collection. The materials represent two time periods: The late 1920s through the beginning of the Second World War, and the early Cold War period through the 1970s. The former consists of naval covers from ships assigned to the U.S. Asiatic Fleet. The latter portion of the collection represents communications to or from shipyards and submarine bases. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/108
Michael Heinl Collection
The Michael Heinl Collection includes photographs, print materials, and artwork from the late eighteenth century through to the late twentieth century. The photograph series contains images of Haiti from two periods: the U.S. occupation (1915-1934) and 1957-1971. Both sets have a strong focus on matters of military and diplomatic interest. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/101
Elena Kurstin Cuban Memorabilia Collection
The Elena Kurstin Cuban Memorabilia Collection provides a glance at Cuban life and culture in the years prior to 1959. This collection contains assorted pieces of ephemera that depict the lives of average Cuban people. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/84
Timothy Long Collection
The Timothy Long Collection contains the tape-recorded notes compiled by Timothy Long during the production of "Escape to Dreamland: The Story of the Tamiami Trail," a documentary about the stretch of US Highway 41 that was cut through the Everglades. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/112
Melodie Moorehead Papers
The materials in this collection reflect Melodie Moorehead's participation in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) activism and interest in psychotherapy for the LGBT community. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/111
Reno Family Papers
By far the largest collection processed this fiscal year was that of the Reno Family Papers. Henry Reno and Jane Wood Reno were newspaper reporters in Miami during the rapid growth years of the mid-twentieth century. The materials in this collection represent the Reno family's service as journalists as well as their love of South Florida. These materials are the private and public writings, photographs, and ephemera of the family and provide biographical background and context to multiple figures, including Attorney General Janet Reno. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/109
Robert Marius Reno (Rasmussen) Danish Postcard Collection
Found within the Reno papers were some materials that amounted to a smaller and separate collection. Robert Marius Reno, Henry Reno’s father, was a photographer in Denmark, Wisconsin, and Miami. He created and collected postcards, and this collection documents his work as a photographer and postcard artist/collector in early 20th century Denmark and Wisconsin. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/110
University Archives Collections
The University Archives are being processed and rehoused in order to make searching more efficient and to save physical space. As of July, 2023, this project has removed 25 banker boxes (27.08 linear feet of material) from the Office of the President files. https://archives.fiu.edu/repositories/2/resources/46
