By Mary A. Sego, 2009
Title: James Blakesley Collection on the Class of 1950
Predominant Dates:1946-1950
Primary Creator: Blakesley, James (1924-)
Extent: 5.0 Cubic feet. More info below.
Arrangement: Type of material
Date Acquired: 11/19/2009. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Purdue University, Purdue University--Alumni and alumnae, Purdue University--Students
Forms of Material: Annual reports, Artifacts (object genre), Black-and-white photographs, Color photographs, Dance cards, Negatives (photographic), Playbills, Programs, Sound recordings
Languages: English
James Blakesley was a member of the Class of 1950 and also the class president. He was a part of Purdue University for nearly 50 years. His time at Purdue began with undergraduate studies and part-time employment compacted into three years. He spent the bulk of the remaining half-century serving under the basic broad guidelines of President Hovde to apply industrial engineering management concepts to Purdue in a fair and equitable way.
As recorded in the May 21, 1999 Purdue Board of Trustees minutes, President Beering recommended to the Board that James F. Blakesley be designated Emeritus Director of Space Management and Academic Scheduling.
Dr. Beering pointed out that Mr. Blakesley had been at Purdue University his entire professional career and had almost single handedly built Purdue's Space Management and Academic Scheduling office into one of the best functioning operations in the United States. He was decades ahead of his colleagues in using computers to assist in matters of class scheduling and in the assignment of space for classrooms, research laboratories, and office functions. His work on preparing statements of need along with planning for new facilities is legend on campus. Jim devoted his entire life to Purdue and brought much distinction upon himself and the University.
James Blakesley officially retired from Purdue on January 4, 1999. The Trustees unanimously approved Blakesley's designation of emeritus status.
James Blakesley gathered and organized the materials found in this collection from his fellow 1950 classmates. Tom Wilhite, who also contributed many items to the collection was the editor of the Debris in 1950.
Repository: Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections
Alternate Extent Statement: 3 c.f. boxes, 1 large flat box, 1 large artifact
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Acquisition Source: James Blakesley
Acquisition Method: Donation
Preferred Citation: MSA 28, James Blakesley Collection on the Class of 1950, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries
Finding Aid Revision History: Revised 2/25/2010
Other URL: http://collections.lib.purdue.edu/fa/pdf/blakesley_james.pdf
Box 1 Contents
Printed Material – Small Box
Item
1. Dance Cards and Invitations, 1948-1949
2. Military Ball, 1948
3. P-Men’s Blanket Hop, 1948-1949
4. Snowflake Fantasy, undated (circa 1948-1949)
5. WRH Club, Winter Waltz, 1948
6. Zeta Chapter of Phi Kappa, Annual Pledge Dance, 1948
7. Beta Theta Pi, Orchid Formal, 1948
8. Skull and Crescent’s Class of 1950 Sophomore Cotillion, 1948
9. Inter-fraternity Ball, 1949
10. Class of 1950 Junior Prom, 1949
11. Purdue Chapter of Delta Upsilon, Annual Rose Ball, 1949
12. Purdue Reamer Club’s 25th Anniversary Dance, 1950
13. Kappa Sigma, Spring Dance, May 14, 1949
[green ribbon]
Folder 1 Entertainment, programs and playbills, 1947-1950
Item
1. Recorded Activities Album, Intercollegiate Recording Association, 1950
2. Purdue Playshop programs, circa 1947-1950
3. Purdue Musical Organizations and Purdue Convocations programs, 1947-1950
4. Hall of Music programs, 1947-1950
5. Victory Varieties programs, 1947-1949
6. Varsity Varieties programs, circa 1947-1949
7. Varsity Varieties cast and staff passes, 1949
8. Theatre Guild program, circa 1940s
9. Purdue Convocations schedule for 1948-1949
10. Purdue Penny Carnival program, 1949
11. Map of Lafayette and West Lafayette showing Purdue campus, undated
[drawn by Pauline Harlan, adapted with permission from a map by
C. M. Draper]
Folder 2 Bleacher Crash, newspaper clippings, 1947
Item
1. 2 Dead, 200 Hurt in Cage Game Crash: Bleachers Fall at Purdue as Crowd
Boilermakers’ Team [no publication information available]
2. Tragedy Disrupts Purdue Basketball Game, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Tuesday,
February 25, 1947
3. 2 Dead, 250 Hurt In Collapse Of Bleacherstands At Purdue U.: Seats Crash at
Basketball Game –Panic Averted—Two From This Area Injured – Fieldhouse
Sealed Pending Inquiry [no publication information available]
4. Stands Buckle When 4000 Give Ovation: Co-Eds Among Crowd Tumble to Floor
Of Basketball Field [no publication information available]
5. After Collapse Of Spectator-Jammed Gym Bleacher [photo] 2 Killed, 200 Hurt
As Gym Bleacher Fall At Purdue U. [no publication information available]
6. Purdue Bleacher Crashes: 3,400 Hurled to Floor; 1 Dies, Scores Hurt, Chicago
Daily Tribune, Tuesday, February 25, 1947, front page.
7. Fieldhouse Bleachers Collapse During Halftime; 2 Students Killed, Many Injured
Catastrophe, Purdue Exponent, Tuesday, February 25, 1947, front page
8. Onlookers Give Account Of Terror And Bravery, Purdue Exponent, Tuesday,
February 25, 1947
9. Bleachers Crash Victim Describes Sickening Fall, Panic Aftermath, Purdue
Exponent, Tuesday, February 25, 1947, front page
10. Hospital List, Purdue Exponent, Tuesday, February 25, 1947, front page
Folder 3 Photographic Material
Item
1. Packet of photographs and negatives of student life at Purdue, circa 1949
[bridge, students playing in the snow, James Blakesley in derby, Purdue
band on football field and parade]
2. James Blakesley in front of “One Brick Higher” poster, circa 1950’s
Artifacts
1. Alpha Phi Omega hat [blue and gold, 1940s]
2. Gold Pepper hat [belonged to Ros Griney, President of the Gold Peppers, 1949-50]
3. Skull and Crescent hat, 1940s
4. “G” hat [unidentified, Gimlet?]
5. Green beanie [freshman hat ?]
6. Kit of tools for creating engineering tools [drafting instruments in case, circa 1900-1950]
Audio-Visual Material
Item
1. Package of Record Albums, “Our Voices Raise…A Year at Purdue On Record,”
Intercollegiate Recording Association, 1949-1950
[includes recordings of pep rallies, football games, cord parade, Varsity
Variety shows, Glee Club, dances, etc.]
Box 2 Contents
Artifact
1. Coin [fare token, Lafayette Transit Co., Inc.]
2. “P” Horse [black and gold, 1940s]
3. 1950 black and gold sweater [circa 1950]
4. Slide rule [in case, belonged to Tom Wilhite]
5. Slide rule [unidentified, circa 1940s]
6. Gimlet Club pledge paddle [belonged to Tom Wilhite]
7. Skull and Crescent paddle [belonged to Tom Wilhite]
8. Pi Tau Sigma paddle [belonged to James Blakesley]
9. ME-50 paddle [Mechanical Engineering, Class of 1950, belonged to James Blakesley]
10. Figurine [man wearing Purdue Boilermaker sweater, holding slide rule and pipe,
1940s]
Item
1. Box/Cardboard Trunk – used to send laundry home, circa 1940s
[Item belonged to Tom Wilhite]
