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Preliminary Inventory of the Benjamin C. Willis Papers
82064
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Table of contents
Title: Benjamin C. Willis papers
Dates: 1921-1982
Collection Number: 82064
Creator: Willis, Benjamin C.
Collection Size:
361 manuscript boxes, 6 oversize boxes
(146.8 linear feet)
Repository:
Hoover Institution Archives
Stanford, California 94305-6010
Abstract: This collection is comprised of the office and personal files of Benjamin Coppage Willis, documenting his activities as superintendent
of Chicago schools and as a major figure in public education from 1953 to 1969, represented in the form of minutes and verbatim
transcripts of meetings, reports, correspondence, speeches, printed matter, photographs, sound recordings, motion picture
film, and memorabilia.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Archives
Languages:
English
Collection is open for research.
The Hoover Institution Archives only allows access to
copies of audiovisual items. To listen to sound recordings or to view videos or films during your visit, please contact the Archives
at least two working days before your arrival. We will then advise you of the accessibility of the material you wish to see
or hear. Please note that not all audiovisual material is immediately accessible.
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Archives.
[Identification of item], Benjamin C. Willis papers, [Box number], Hoover Institution Archives.
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Archives in 1982.
Materials may have been added to the collection since this finding aid was prepared. To determine if this has occurred, find
the collection in Stanford University's online catalog at
http://searchworks.stanford.edu/ . Materials have been added to the collection if the number of boxes listed in the online catalog is larger than the number
of boxes listed in this finding aid.
Lawrence G. Derthick papers, Hoover Institution Archives
Samuel Miller Brownell papers, Hoover Institution Archives
Samuel Halperin papers, Hoover Institution Archives
Edward Wynne papers, Hoover Institution Archives
| December 23, 1901 | Born, Baltimore, Maryland |
| 1920s | Bachelor of Arts, George Washington University |
| Masters, University of Maryland | |
| 1930-1934 | Principal, Catonsville High School, Maryland |
| 1947-1953 | Superintendent of public schools in Yonkers and Buffalo, New York |
| 1953-1966 | Superintendent of public schools in Chicago, Illinois |
| 1961 | Proposal to purchase aluminum portable classroom units approved by Chicago Board of Education |
| 1962-1963 | Protested by Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders for using portable classrooms, or "Willis Wagons" as they were called by protesters, to relieve overcrowding at schools in Chicago's South Side |
| 1963 | Helps develop the federal Vocational Education Act |
| 1965 | Helps develop the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act |
| 1968-1972 | Works as an independent educational consultant |
| 1970-1972 | Superintendent of schools in Broward County, Florida |
| 1972 | Retires from education |
| August 27, 1988 | Died, Plantation, Florida |
Scope and Content of Collection
This collection is comprised of the office and personal files of Benjamin Coppage Willis, documenting his activities as superintendent
of Chicago schools and as a major figure in public education from 1953 to 1969, represented in the form of minutes and verbatim
transcripts of meetings, reports, correspondence, speeches, printed matter, photographs, sound recordings, motion picture
film, and memorabilia.
The majority of Willis' papers focus on his meetings, interactions, and engagements with the Chicago Board of Education, its
members and critics. Minutes and verbatim transcripts from meetings, correspondence, reports, and conference materials
are included in this portion of the collection and focus mainly on the topics of curriculum development; enrollment figures;
grants; school budget and finances; mobile classrooms; teacher education; and collective bargaining.
The sound recordings of Board of Education meetings in the collection were originally aired on Chicago public radio from 1962
to 1966. Some of the programs include a segment featuring Willis called "Dr. Willis Reports." Materials relating to Willis'
symbolic (and temporary) resignation from the Board of Education in 1963, spurred by the Board's decision to alter the student
transfer policy, are included in the collection in the form of correspondence, public statements, superintendent contract
files, photographs, and printed matter.
Accompanying these materials are Willis' research findings, reports, ledgers, correspondence, speeches, and photographs from
conferences on the advancement of vocational education programs in urban cities. As a major proponent of vocational education,
Willis helped found the Great Cities School Improvement project, which later changed its name to the Research Council of the
Great Cities for School Improvement Program. The group held conferences across the U.S., collaborated with administrators
and Board of Education members from major U.S. cities, and participated in congressional hearings to advance education policies,
standards, and sources of funding. Conference materials include reports and presentations on topics relating to teacher education,
grants and funding, and the special needs of children in urban schools.
Other materials in the collection include correspondence, daily planners, yearbooks, and printed matter from Willis' early
career in education, as well as reports, speeches, conference materials, and correspondence from Willis' time in the AASA
and as superintendent of schools in Broward County, Florida.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Education--Illinois--Chicago.
Education--United States.
Board of Education of the City of Chicago.
Public schools--Illinois--Chicago--Administration.
Motion pictures.
Phonorecords.
Phonotapes.