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[Identification of item], Alan K. Manchester Papers, University Archives, Duke University.
The Alan K. Manchester Papers were received by the University Archives as a transfer in 1983-1984.
Processed by University Archives staff
Completed November, 2002
Encoded by Jill Katte, November 22, 2002
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.
Educator, historian, cultural affairs liaison and consultant, and administrator. Born in Camden, New Jersey on July 2, 1897. Married Mary Elizabeth Onderdonk on June 28, 1922. Received A. B. from Vanderbilt University (1920), M. A. from Columbia University (1922), and Ph. D. from Duke University (1930). Positions held prior to employment at Duke: Instructor of English, Oklahoma University (1920-1921), Director, Moore Institute, Campinas, Sao Paolo, Brazil (1925-1927). Joined Duke faculty as an instructor in the History department (1929-1935). Eventually became an assistant professor (1935-1942), associate professor (1942-1950), and full professor (1950-1967). Eventually held a Distinguished Service Professorship at Duke. Administrative positions held at Duke include Assistant Dean of Trinity College (1934), Dean of Freshmen (1935-1949), Dean of Undergraduate Studies (1949-1956), and Dean of Trinity College (1956-1964). Retired in 1967. Other activities outside Duke University included cultural affairs officer at the United States Embassy in Rio de Janeiro (1951-1952), specialist for the U. S. State Department's International Exchange Service Program (Summers of 1954-55) and consultant (1956-1958). Died July 31, 1983 in Durham, N.C.
Collection consists of correspondence, clippings, photographs, slides, and diaries, bulk 1929-1970. Records prior to 1929 pertain to Manchester's childhood and consist of old report cards, school programs, and correspondence. Later records reflect Manchester's activities as a historian, Foreign Service officer, and administrator
These and related materials may be accessed under the following subject headings in the Duke University Libraries online catalog.
These records contain letters congratulating Manchester on his appointment as Dean of Undergraduate Studies, retirement correspondence, and letters of appreciation usually from former students or their family members. Article clippings often concern Manchester's visits to various Latin American countries as either a Cultural Affairs Officer (1951-1952) or as a State Department Specialist (1954 and 1955). Some of these clippings are in Spanish and Portuguese. Also included are photographs of Manchester at various stages of life, construction on Duke's West Campus, and South America. Other papers consist of some of Manchester's personal writings and documents (such as passports and report cards), administrative and professional records (such as student course evaluations, reviews, and the functions and origins of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies), and civic and cultural activities and engagements.
Arranged according to container number, the slides are images of Portugal, Spain, Europe, Latin America, Canada, New England, and various parts of North Carolina. The Latin America slides may have been taken while Manchester served as a Cultural Affairs Officer in Brazil (1951-1952) or as a Specialist for the State Department's International Exchange Service program. The Canadian slides were most likely taken when Manchester visited many Canadian universities and colleges while attending a Commonwealth Studies Conference in the summer of 1956. In addition to the slides, there exist logs for most of the slides and diaries of many of the trips. The logs contain codes for specific images on the slides, and the diaries are informal records of expenditures, miles covered, and activities.