Skip to main content

Joseph Bodmer Records

 Collection
Identifier: RH-A-4328

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials related to the Allied Paper Corporation of Kalamazoo, MI and one of its supervisors, Joseph Bodmer (1882 – 1975).

Dates

  • Creation: 1920’s - late 1930’s

Creator

John Bodmer Biography

Joseph Bodmer was born in 1882 and worked as a supervisor at the Allied Paper Corporation in Kalamazoo, MI. The majority of the materials in this collection are inter-office memos he received regarding the workers at the papermill and means of increasing production. He died in 1975.

Allied Paper Corp. Biography

The Allied Paper Corporation was founded in Kalamazoo in 1921 under the name Allied Paper Mills. The company was formed from three smaller paper mills and became one of the largest producers of book-paper in America during the 1920’s and 1930’s. The company was later acquired in 1967 by Smith Corona Marchant (SCM) Corporation but would continue to employ over 1,300 people in Kalamazoo. The company would change hands many more times until, in 1988, the company became defunct.

Extent

.25 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The materials in this collection came from the Kalamazoo Valley Museum.

Physical Description

The materials in this collection amount to 0.25 cubic feet. The materials were mostly letter-size, white paper. The pages had ink from a typewriter and, occasionally, a signature in ink. The materials were tri-folded within envelops, leaving creases through some of the papers. There are also some pay stubs for addressed to Bodmer printed on greenish paper with black ink. A pamphlet with the title “Joy of Color,” approximately 7 x 4 in., contains pictures of homes, paint color samples, and text about interior design. The cover has some brownish staining and weather around the corners but the contents are in excellent condition.

The collection also contains a black leather binder, held together with two brass pins. The cover of the binder has a golden title emblem with “Profitable Talks to Supervisors: Progress Comes with Him Who Learns from Others.” The pages in the binder were printed in black ink by a typewriter. The pages have come yellowing and wear on the edges but are still in good condition, with their writing perfectly legible.

Subject

Source

Title
Joseph Bodmer Records finding aid
Status
Completed
Author
Stephanie Chapman
Date
2022-12-01
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Western Michigan University Archives & Regional History Collections Repository

Contact:
Charles C. and Lynn L. Zhang Legacy Collections Center
1650 Oakland Drive
Kalamazoo MI 49008-5307 US
(269) 387-8490