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Fall 2021

This issue revisits botanist and women’s equality champion Louisa Reed-Stowell, whose achievements couldn’t shield her from repeated discrimination at U‑M. It traces how the Detroit Observatory technology transformed a small campus hill—and the state’s future. And it dives into controversial mid-1960s Michigan UFO sightings.

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Selected Stories

A selection of stories of this issue. Please download PDF to read all content.

Michigan’s Moderates

by Terrence J. McDonald, Director

The legacies of three long-serving political giants will be the topic of scholarly debate for years to come. But as their Bentley papers show, they were all similarly "moderate."

We Demand Education

by Madeleine Bradford

Louisa Reed-Stowell was a brilliant botanist who fought tirelessly for women’s equality, especially in education. Despite her prestigious contributions in the field, U-M would discriminate against her time and time again.

What Time Is It Now?

by Andrew Rutledge

A visionary academic, a knowledge-loving businessman, and new technology to plot the stars would converge on a small hill at U-M, changing Detroit—and the campus—forever.

Flying Saucers and Swamp Gas

by Lara Zielin

A rash of UFO sightings across Michigan in the mid-1960s launched investigations by the highest levels of the U.S. government. What was happening in the skies? Was it spaceships or swamp gas? The answer may depend on whose papers you peruse.