Spring 2020

The newly arrived Zingerman’s collection puts founder Ari Weinzweig’s distinctive on-paper voice front and center. Papers from Michigan’s longest-serving governor reveal bipartisan leadership and environmental priorities that are rare today. And neuroanatomist Elizabeth Crosby’s letters show a devoted U‑M teacher who repeatedly tried to resign.

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Selected Stories

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

Out With the Mold, in With the New

by Lara Zielin

Bentley conservators have unique quarantining methods for mold. Learn how they fight its spread and keep collections safe.

Food at U-M: Then and Now

A U-M class uses Bentley archival materials to give students a first-hand look -- and taste -- of what meals were like on campus 100 years ago.

Diary of a Prisoner

by Lara Zielin

A rare Civil War journal documents a Union soldier’s capture by Confederates and his struggle to survive notorious prisoner of war camps.

“Our Handsomest Girls are Men”

by Cinda Nofziger

A class at the University of Michigan uses Bentley materials to teach students about U-M's history of female impersonators.

All Aboard!

by Lara Zielin

Michigan’s railroad history comes to life as we choo-choo-choose images from an extraordinary collection.

Eat Your Words

by James Tobin

Writer James Tobin goes deep into the newly arrived Zingerman’s collection to understand how co-founder Ari Weinzweig’s on-paper voice helped a fledgling eatery define itself and stand out.

Milliken in the Middle

by Robert Havey

Michigan’s longest-serving governor was a Republican renowned for reaching across the aisle to Democratic colleagues, and for making Michigan’s environmental health a priority. His collection at the Bentley reveals a breed of politician that’s nearly extinct.

No Resignation

by Lara Zielin

Renowned neuroanatomist Elizabeth Crosby was a brilliant researcher and a dedicated teacher who spoke of her many years at U-M with fondness. So what happened to make her attempt to resign numerous times over the course of her career? Letters in her collection may provide answers.

The Pond Brothers and Democratic Architecture

by Terrence J. McDonald, Director

The newly renovated Michigan Union highlights the remarkable lives of the building's architects, Irving and Allen Pond. But their vision for democratic architecture wasn't fully realized until long after they were gone.