Elizabeth Miller Watkins Legacy Collection, 1909 ? 2010
Ms. Collection No. 843
- Introduction
- History
- Scope and Contents
- Contents List
- Related Records or Collections
- Bibliography
- Index Terms
- Additional Information for Researchers
Introduction
Abstract
Material relating to Elizabeth Miller Watkins & Frank C. Miller scholarship halls at the University of Kansas (Lawrence) and Elizabeth Miller Watkins & her husband. Includes a scrapbook, 1935-1939; an oral history, 2005; legal materials & court documents; newsletters & meeting minutes of the Kitchen-8 alumnae organization; information on Jabez B. Watkins, the Watkins Bank Building (Lawrence, Kan.), & Watkins Hall (University of Kansas, Lawrence); and collections donated by individuals & the alumnae organization. These donated collections include e-mail & other correspondence, reminiscences about living at the halls, financial records, photographs, and similar records. Many of the records date from the 1980s and 1990s.
Dates
1909-2010
Quantity
3 ft. (3 boxes + 1 oversize box)
Title
Elizabeth Miller Watkins legacy collection
Identification
- Ms. Coll. 843
- UID 44831
Language
Text is in English.
Notes
This finding aid describes materials held by the Kansas State Historical Society. Materials may be used in the State Archives and Library during regular research hours. Support for telephone, mail, and online reference and research is limited.
In a continuing effort to improve the completeness and accuracy of finding aids, revisions are made as more or new information becomes available. Consequently finding aids in paper format, on microfilm, and on the Society's web site may differ slightly.
Descriptions are often based on a preliminary inspection of the material. As such, they may contain misspellings or other inaccuracies based on folder headings and other sources within the materials. As the collections are arranged and as time permits, these finding aids are improved and corrected. If you spot an error, please feel free to report it to the reference staff or an archivist.
Repository
Kansas Historical Society (Topeka)
History
Many members of Kitchen-8, or K8, are alumnae of Watkins and Miller Scholarship Halls, both of which were built and donated by Elizabeth Miller Watkins and were the first of their kind in the nation. Watkins' first contribution was made in 1926 with the building of Watkins Scholarship Hall. She designed the hall so that the girls who lived there would be able to do all of their own housework and cooking, thereby greatly reducing the cost of living, and she established a scholarship to almost completely cover the rest of the cost.
Together, Watkins and her husband, Jabez, determined to follow Andrew Carnegie's method of contribution and vowed to help others not by giving them handouts but by giving them the opportunities to improve themselves.
After building Watkins Scholarship Hall, Watkins then built Miller Scholarship Hall, Watkins Memorial Hospital, Watkins Nurses Home, and Lawrence Memorial Hospital. She also donated to Lawrence the building that had housed the Watkins Land and Mortgage Company and is now home to the Elizabeth M. Watkins Community Museum and to the Douglas County Historical Society, at 11th and Massachusetts Streets.
K8 is a volunteer group of friends and beneficiaries of Elizabeth Miller Watkins, dedicated to assisting financially needy, academically talented undergraduate women attending the University of Kansas in Lawrence and preserving the story of Elizabeth Miller Watkins and her legacy.
Kitchen-8 had its beginnings n the 1980s when residents of Watkins and Miler solicited help from alumnae to get the deteriorating Halls repaired. Through the years, Kitchen-8 has been instrumental in getting upkeep and maintenance issues addressed and, initially, in getting Watkins and Miller Halls' rents reduced. When the alumnae learned that the residential scholarships had been greatly diminished by annual rent increases, K8 also began offering financial scholarships.
[Kitchen-8. "Welcome to K8," Kitchen-8, vol. 14, May 2005; University of Kansas. "Miller Scholarship Hall." http://groups.ku.edu/~miller/website/eliza.htm (accessed 3 November 2009)]
Scope and Contents
The collection includes a scrapbook compiled by Philomene Bourassa Hood from Topeka, Kansas, for the years she attended the University of Kansas,1935-1939 and an oral history with her conducted in 2005; legal materials, including copies of documents pertaining to scholarship endowment funds, the state of the scholarship halls, and other parts of the discovery and legal process concerning lawsuits, as well as court documents such as motions, appeals, exhibits, etc.; Kitchen-8 newsletters and meeting minutes; Information on Jabez B. Watkins, the Watkins Bank Building (Lawrence, Kan.), and Watkins Hall (University of Kansas, Lawrence); and collections donated by individuals including the alumni organization, Gayle B. Matchett, David Brown (attorney), Cayla Jo Witty, Karen Krueger, Nelita Benitz Scheffler, Mary Fran Poe Smith, Joyce Browder, and Andrea Waas. These small collections include e-mail and other correspondence, reminiscences about living at the halls, banking statements and other financial records, photographs, and other such records. Many of the records date from the 1980s and 1990s.
Contents List
Organization of the Papers
Organized into 2 series by content.
Contents: Ser. 1. Papers relating to the legacies of Elizabeth Miller & J. B. Watkins (box 1, folders 1-14) — ser. 2. Papers relating to Watkins and Miller scholarship halls (box 1, folder 15-box 4 [oversize]).
Series Descriptions
Ser. 1. PAPERS RELATING TO THE LEGACIES OF ELIZABETH MILLER & J. B. WATKINS, 1936-2004. 0.3 linear feet (Box 1, folders 3-14).
Materials on Elizabeth Miller & Jabez Bunting Watkins and their contributions to the University of Kansas (Lawrence) (KU) and the Lawrence community. Included are biographical sketches, wills, correspondence, descriptions, lists of contributions, legal documents, and finding aids & bibliographies of Watkins material in other repositories. Also includes information on Dick Williams, a prominent Lawrence banker and KU supporter.
Ser. 2. PAPERS RELATING TO MILLER AND WATKINS SCHOLARSHIP HALLS, 1909-2010. 3 linear feet (Box 1, folder 15-Box 4 [oversize])
Materials on Miller and Watkins scholarship halls at the University of Kansas (Lawrence). Included are correspondence, newspaper clippings, newsletters, reminiscences, oral histories, items collected for anniversaries, financial & annual reports, legal & court documents, forms, scrapbooks, and other items relating to the halls, individual alumnae, and alumnae organizations.
Container List
|
Box # |
Folder # |
Name/Title |
Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
1 |
Finding Aid – Elizabeth Miller Watkins Legacy Collection |
2010 |
|
1 |
2 |
Collection Accessions |
2006-2007 |
|
1 |
3 |
Associated Collections, Watkins Museum & University of Kansas Archives, Annotated Bibliographies |
1994 |
|
1 |
4 |
K8 Donation Accession Forms, |
2004-2005, |
|
1 |
5 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins (1861-1939), |
|
|
1 |
6 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins (1861-1939), |
|
|
1 |
7 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins (1861-1939), Benefactions and Legacy |
|
|
1 |
8 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins (1861-1939), |
1936 |
|
1 |
9 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins (1861-1939), Miller and Watkins Scholarship Halls * Includes deeds, transfer of authority from KU to KUEA, descriptions and floor plans of both halls. |
|
|
1 |
10 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins, Kitchen 8 Thank You |
2000 |
|
1 |
11 |
Jabez Bunting Watkins (1845-1921), Biographical Notes |
|
|
1 |
12 |
Jabez Bunting Watkins (1845-1921), Biography and Will |
|
|
1 |
13 |
Jabez Bunting Watkins, Businesses |
|
|
1 |
14 |
Dick Williams (1892-1970), Obituary |
1970 |
|
1 |
15 |
Photographs |
|
|
1 |
16 |
Correspondence |
1960s |
|
1 |
17 |
Correspondence |
1980s |
|
1 |
18 |
Correspondence |
1990-1992 |
|
1 |
19 |
Correspondence |
1994-1995 |
|
1 |
20 |
Correspondence (February-June) |
1996 |
|
1 |
21 |
Correspondence (July-December) |
1996 |
|
1 |
22 |
Correspondence |
1997 |
|
1 |
23 |
Correspondence |
1998 |
|
1 |
24 |
Correspondence |
1999 |
|
1 |
25 |
Correspondence |
2000 |
|
1 |
26 |
Correspondence |
2001-2003 |
|
1 |
27 |
Correspondence |
2004-2010 |
|
1 |
28 |
Newsclippings |
1909-1988 |
|
1 |
29 |
Newsclippings |
1990-1992, 1994-1999 |
|
1 |
30 |
Newsclippings |
2000-2004 |
|
1 |
31 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, Newsletters |
1988-2010 |
|
1 |
32 |
Watkins Hall Alumnae & Friends,
Watkins Hall Scholarship Fund |
1987-1988 |
|
1 |
33 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, Alumnae Reminiscences |
|
|
1 |
34 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, Oral History Project |
|
|
1 |
35 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, National Register of Historic Places Application |
1997 |
|
2 |
1 |
Miller Scholarship Hall, 50th Anniversary |
1988 |
|
2 |
2 |
Miller Hall Scholarship Fund |
1990 |
|
2 |
3 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, 65th Anniversary |
1991 |
|
2 |
4 |
Watkins Scholarship Hall, 70th Anniversary |
1996 |
|
2 |
5 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins Trust Fund, First National Bank of Kansas City |
1971-1973 |
|
2 |
6 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins Trust Fund, Boatmen’s Trust Company |
1992, 1994-1997 |
|
2 |
7 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins Trust Fund, NationsBank *Includes Childrens Home, Watkins & Miller Halls, Lawrence Memorial Hospital, and Oak Hill Cemetery Lot. |
1997-1998 |
|
2 |
8 |
Elizabeth Miller Watkins Trust Fund, Bank of America |
1998-1999, 2001-2002 |
|
2 |
9 |
The University of Kansas, Annual Reports |
1996, 1999 |
|
2 |
10 |
The University of Kansas, Annual Reports |
2000-2003 |
|
2 |
11 |
The University of Kansas, “Historic Mount Oread, A Catalog of KU’s Landmarks” |
2001 |
|
2 |
12 |
The University of Kansas, Residence Halls Financial Reports |
1957-1969 |
|
2 |
13 |
The University of Kansas, Residence Halls Financial Reports |
1969-1989 |
|
2 |
14 |
The University of Kansas, Residence Halls Financial Reports |
1989-1995, 1998, 2000 |
|
2 |
15 |
The University of Kansas, Scholarship Halls, Descriptions, Application Forms, Contracts |
|
|
2 |
16 |
The University of Kansas, Scholarship Hall Finances |
1926-2001 |
|
2 |
17 |
The University of Kansas, Scholarship Hall Financial Aids and Awards |
1939-1972 |
|
2 |
18 |
Court Documents |
1984 |
|
2 |
19 |
Court Documents |
1989 |
|
2 |
20 |
Court Documents |
1992 |
|
2 |
21 |
Court Documents |
1993 |
|
2 |
22 |
Court Documents |
1994 |
|
2 |
23 |
Court Documents |
1995 |
|
2 |
24 |
Court Documents |
1997 |
|
2 |
25 |
Court Documents |
1998 |
|
2 |
26 |
Court Documents |
1999 |
|
2 |
27 |
Committee for the Preservation of Watkins and Miller Scholarship Halls, Court Documents, Index and CD |
|
|
2 |
28 |
Discovery Documents, K8, For Use in 2000-2004 Lawsuit |
|
|
2 |
29 |
Court Documents (February – June) |
2000 |
|
2 |
30 |
Court Documents (July – December) |
2000 |
|
3 |
1 |
Court Documents (February – June) |
2001 |
|
3 |
2 |
Court Documents (August – November) |
2001 |
|
3 |
3 |
Court Documents (January – June) |
2002 |
|
3 |
4 |
Court Documents (July – August) |
2002 |
|
3 |
5 |
Court Documents (August) |
2002 |
|
3 |
6 |
Court Documents (September – December) |
2002 |
|
3 |
7 |
Court Documents (January – July) |
2003 |
|
4 |
oversize |
KU Jayhawker scrapbook (1939, Philomene B. Hood) and Elizabeth Miller Watkins Day poster (2003) |
1939, 2003 |
Oversize Notes
A "KU Jayhawker" scrapbook and a poster for Elizabeth Miller Watkins Day in 2003 are stored separately as oversize material.
Related Records or Collections
Other Collections
The Kansas State Historical Society has a large number of printed items relating to the University of Kansas (Lawrence) as well as manuscripts, photographs, and a few state records in its State Archives and Library holdings. Please consult card catalogs in the Reference Room and ATLAS, the electronic catalog, for specific references.
Bibliography
Kitchen-8. "Welcome to K8," Kitchen-8, vol. 14, May 2005.
University of Kansas. "Miller Scholarship Hall." http://groups.ku.edu/~miller/website/eliza.htm (accessed 3 November 2009)
Index Terms
Individuals
- Beal, Jane Dunham. (subject)
- Bogner, Jackie. (subject)
- Browder, Joyce Klemp. (subject)
- Child, Arlone Brown. (subject)
- Faucher, Ola Stover. (subject)
- Gambrell, Monica. (subject)
- Gartrell, Janice. (subject)
- Gross, Jeannette Lommasson. (subject)
- Hood, Philomene Bourassa, 1915- . (subject)
- Kueger, Karen. (subject)
- Martin, Dorothy Harkness. (subject)
- Matchett, Gayle Barry. (subject)
- McLean, Janice Ann. (subject)
- Niswonger, Iris McDonald, 1915- . (subject)
- Richards, Esther Hund Rickart. (subject)
- Scheffler, Nelita Benitz. (subject)
- Smith, Mary Fran. (subject)
- Speerschneider, Jane Reeves. (subject)
- Waas, Andrea. (subject)
- Watkins, Elizaberth Miller, d. 1939. (subject)
- Watkins, Jabez Bunting, 1845-1921. (subject)
- Williams, Dick, of Lawrence, Kan. (subject)
- Witty, Cayla Jo. (subject)
- Youngberg, Irving. (subject)
Corporate Names
- Committee for the Preservation of Watkins & Miller Scholarship Halls at the University of Kansas. (subject and co-author)
- Elizabeth Miller Watkins Scholarship Hall (University of Kansas) (subject)
- Kansas University Endowment Association. (subject)
- Kitchen-8 (Alumnae organization : University of Kansas) (co-author)
- Kitchen-8 (Alumnae organization : University of Kansas). Elizabeth Miller Watkins Hall. (subject)
- University of Kansas – Student housing. (subject)
- University of Kansas – Trials, litigation, etc. (subject)
- Watkins Community Museum. (subject)
- Watkins Hall Alumnae & Friends. (subject and co-author)
- Watkins Scholarship Hall Alumnae Committee. (subject and co-author)
Topical Subjects
- Student aid – Kansas – Lawrence.
Titles
- Elizabeth Miller Watkins Hall. (subject)
Occupations
-
Women college students – Kansas – Lawrence.
Additional Information for Researchers
Restrictions on Access
None
Restrictions on Use
Notice: This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code). The user is cautioned that the publication of the contents of this collection may be construed as constituting a violation of literary property rights. These rights derive from the principle of common law, affirmed in the copyright law of 1976 as amended, that the writer of an unpublished letter or other manuscript has the sole right to publish the contents thereof unless he or she affirmatively parts with that right; the right descends to his or her legal heirs regardless of the ownership of the physical manuscript itself. It is the responsibility of a user or his or her publisher to secure the permission of the owner of literary property rights in unpublished writing.
Preferred Citation
Elizabeth Miller Watkins Legacy Collection, no. 843, State Archives and Library, Kansas Historical Society, Topeka.
Source of Acquisition
Accessions 2006-278, 2006-378.01, 2007-183.01
Processing Information
Collection processed by Kate Rogge, 2010.
Accruals
Additional donations to this collection by alumnae are anticipated.
