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Use
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Biographical Note
Scope and Content of Collection
Related Materials
Title: Benjamin C. Willis papers
Date (inclusive): 1921-1982
Collection Number: 82064
Contributing Institution: Hoover Institution Library and Archives
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
361 manuscript boxes, 7 oversize boxes, 4 motion picture film reels
(147.9 Linear Feet)
Abstract: Minutes and verbatim transcripts of meetings, statistics, reports, correspondence, speeches, sound recordings, and motion
picture film relating to public education in Chicago. Digital use copies of selected items also available.
Creator:
Willis, Benjamin C.
Physical Location: Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Access
The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual
or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.
Use
For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Acquisition Information
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives in 1982.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Benjamin C. Willis papers, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.
Biographical Note
1901 December 23 |
Born, Baltimore, Maryland |
1920s |
Masters, University of Maryland |
|
Bachelor of Arts, George Washington University |
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 |
Helped develop the federal Vocational Education Act |
1965 |
Helped develop the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act |
1968-1972 |
Worked as an independent educational consultant |
1970-1972 |
Superintendent of schools in Broward County, Florida |
1972 |
Retired from education |
1988 August 27 |
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 United States, 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.
Related Materials
Samuel Miller Brownell papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Lawrence G. Derthick papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Samuel Halperin papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Edward Wynne papers, Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes
Sound recordings
Motion pictures
Education -- Illinois -- Chicago