Collection of Amelia Earhart Related Materials, 1928-2004
| Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections


The collection is organized into 7 series:
1. Newsletters and Clippings, 1928-2004 (0.8 cubic feet). This series includes Amelia Earhart Society newsletters and various journal issues that feature Earhart. There is also an extensive collection of articles pertaining to Earhart’s connection to Purdue. It appears that these were gathered by Keith Dowden, Helen Schroyer and Katie Markee, former heads of Purdue Special Collections. Some of the copies are old and of poor quality. There are some articles about other famous aviatrices.
2. Books, Publications, Manuscripts, and Correspondence. 1928-2002 (0.4 cubic feet). This series is comprised of a variety of items, with a focus on several informative memoirs written by those that knew Earhart; “Sound of Wings,” a memoir about Earhart’s time at Purdue, written by Alice Price, resident nurse in Women’s Residence Hall when Earhart lived there, 1935-1937; “A Flying Acquaintance,” by Mrs. F.K. Sparrow; and “I Helped Make Her Maps,” by Laurel H. Johnson.
3. Earhart Genealogy, 2002 (0.4 cubic feet). The Earhart genealogy was compiled by Charles Farrell Ehrhart and Linda Kaye Kirkpatrick. Contained in the binder is information on the “Ehrhard – Erhard – Ehrhardt – Earhart – Ehrhart Families, from Germany to America, Descendants of Hanss Michael Ehrhard/Ehrhardt.”
4. Audio Visual, 1928-2002 (0.8 cubic feet). Within this series are VHS™ tapes about Earhart’s time at Purdue; several produced by Purdue University Relations; “Amelia Earhart Program,” “Dorothy Stratton Remembers Amelia Earhart,” and “Amelia Earhart Collection Dedication Ceremony.” Also included are cassettes from the 1982 Amelia Earhart Symposium, photographs of Earhart and other aviatrices (some signed) and “Amelia Earhart negatives used in 1997 publication, Amelia Earhart World Flight 1937 – World Flight 1997 – Linda Finch, Richard Danne & Associates, Eastham, MA, 1997.” Due to the varied nature of this series, please see the listing of items below for a detailed description.
5. TIGHAR, 1990-1997 (0.4 cubic feet). This series contains some of the published reports of TIGHAR: The International Group for the Historic Aircraft Recovery – The Earhart Project, compiled by Richard E. Gillespie, Executive Director, TIGHAR, edited by Patricia R. Thrasher, President, TIGHAR. There is also one issue of TIGHAR TRACKS: The Journal of the International Group for Historical Aircraft Recovery, which features an Earhart cover story.
6. Artifacts, 1928-2003 (1.4 cubic feet). Among the artifacts is a piece of Amelia Earhart brand luggage and the accompanying brochure, several Earhart collectible dolls, and various first day cover stamps, including a binder containing a first day cover from Earhart’s 1928 “Friendship Flight,” signed by Earhart, Wilmer Stultz (co-pilot) and Lou Gordon (mechanic). Also included is various memorabilia, including programs from Purdue events, and a series of “Amelia Earhart: The Purdue Years,” postcards, © Purdue Research Foundation. Please see the detailed listing for all items contained in the series.
7. Oversized, 1929-2003 (0.5 cubic feet). This series is comprised of oversized photographs, newspapers, and other printed material which have been separated for preservation purposes. Some of the items include front-page news stories featuring Earhart and other famous aviatrices, from 1929-1937. One paper is devoted to Ruth Nichols. Other items include advertisements featuring Earhart, and Earhart luggage, and a copy of the purchase agreement for her Lockheed Electra from 1936. Also included are articles about Earhart from more recent times, which feature Purdue events and speculation on her disappearance.




20120104 (2 photographs) donated by Dulcie A. Devitt.
20131201 (1 DVD) donated by Anne Fliotsos.
MSF 450, Amelia Earhart at Purdue University collection:
Correspondence, photographs, notes, press, printed material, and ephemera relating to Earhart's activities at Purdue University, 1935-1937. Includes numerous telegrams handwritten by Earhart while at Purdue.
MSP 79, Zelda Gould collection of Amy Otis Earhart correspondence
Letters from Amelia Earhart's mother, Amy Otis Earhart, to Zelda Gould. Includes several framed photographs of Amelia Earhart.
MSP 38, Wilmer Stultz papers:
https://apps.lib.purdue.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=9&q=stultz
The papers document Wilmer Stultz’s role as pilot in the 1928 transatlantic flight Aboard the “Friendship” Fokker airplane. Types of materials in the papersinclude a flight plan, photograph, contract, letter, and Stultz’s pilot’s license.
UA 2.06, Edward C. Elliott papers:
https://apps.lib.purdue.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=26&q=elliott
Amelia Earhart Book Collection: Over 100 books relating to Earhart, including first editions of the three books written by her and a wide selection of children's books located in the Karnes Archives & Special Collections Research Center, Purdue University Libraries
20120104 and 20130319.2 added 2/13/2017
20131201 added 4/10/2017
The Collection of Amelia Earhart Related Materials (1928-2004, 4.7 cubic feet) is a collection of Amelia Earhart related materials collected by the Purdue Archives over the years as a supplement to the George Palmer Putnam collection of Amelia Earhart papers. There are numerous articles about Earhart, including information about her relationship with Purdue University and activities held in her honor. The collection also contains firsthand accounts of encounters with Earhart written by those who knew her while she was employed by Purdue or at other times during her career. Other material includes reports by TIGHAR: The International Group for the Historic Aircraft Recovery – The Earhart Project, compiled by Richard E. Gillespie, Executive Director. This information includes some findings on their search for the remains of Earhart, Fred Noonan and/or her Lockheed Electra.
Also among the material is genealogy information on the Earhart family. The Earhart genealogy was compiled by Charles Farrell Ehrhart and Linda Kaye Kirkpatrick. Contained in the binder is information on the “Ehrhard – Erhard – Ehrhardt – Earhart – Ehrhart Families, from Germany to America, Descendants of Hanss Michael Ehrhard/Ehrhardt.” The audio visual material includes VHS™ tapes featuring Earhart; several produced by Purdue University Relations; “Amelia Earhart Program,” “Dorothy Stratton Remembers Amelia Earhart,” and “Amelia Earhart Collection Dedication Ceremony.” Also included are cassettes from the 1982 Amelia Earhart Symposium, photographs of Earhart and other aviatrices (some signed) and “Amelia Earhart negatives used in 1997 publication, Amelia Earhart World Flight 1937.
The collection is rounded out by various artifacts including, a piece of Amelia Earhart brand luggage and the accompanying brochure, several Earhart collectible dolls, and various first day cover stamps, including a binder containing a first day cover from Earhart’s 1928 “Friendship Flight,” signed by Earhart, Wilmer Stultz (co-pilot) and Lou Gordon (mechanic). Also included is various memorabilia, including programs from Purdue events, and a series of “Amelia Earhart: The Purdue Years,” postcards, © Purdue Research Foundation. The oversized material includes front-page newspaper articles from the late 1920s to early 1930s that feature Earhart and other aviatrices of that era. There are also some advertisements that feature Earhart.
Types of materials include: advertisements, artifacts, cassettes, clippings, correspondence, first day covers, genealogy, manuscripts, memorabilia, negatives, newsletters, papers, photographs, reports, and VHS™ tapes.
Series 1: Newsletters and Clippings, 1928-2004
Series 2: Book, Correspondence, Memoirs, Publications and Miscellaneous Material, 1928-2002
Series 3: Earhart Genealogy, 2002
Series 4: Audio Visual, 1928-2002
Series 5: TIGHAR, 1990
Series 6: Artifacts, 1928-2003
Series 7: Oversized Material