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Martha Louise Wright Shirtum Collection

 Collection
Identifier: RH-A-3150

Scope and Contents

This collection is composed of calendars, 3-year appointment books, and a 1951 Lansing Public Schools memo from Martha Louise Wright Shirtum (1928-2015) who lived in Lansing, Michigan. The items date from 1963-1989, and 1951.

The calendars and day planners in folders 1-6 belong to Martha Louise’s father’s, Robin Wright (1894-1974). On the day planners, it has his name embossed on the cover. Robin Wright was a mechanic for much of his life, until sometime in the 1950s. He also served in the army in World War I. The calendars and day planners are mainly about his farming in Paw Paw, Michigan. The calendars and day planners detail daily life, such as the weather. There are gaps in the entries when the family is on vacation or when he is hospitalized. He recorded in his calendars and his day planners up until about three or four days before his death in 1974.

Notable entries in calendars and planners include President Kennedy’s assassination and funeral and the blizzard in January of 1967.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951, 1963-1989

Creator

Biographical / Historical

Martha Louise Wright Shirtum (1928-2015) was born in January 1928 in Paw Paw, Michigan, to Martha Bertha Louisa Wright (Nee Stopher and Day) (1899-1995) and Robin Joseph Wright (1894-1974). Martha married Earl Shirtum in 1953.

Extent

.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Physical Description

The collection is comprised of approximately .5 cubic feet of material. The first 7 folders contain Robin Wright’s and Martha Bertha Wright’s annotated calendars and 3-year appointment books dating from 1963-1976, and 1989. The calendars and appointment books are all separated from their bindings and collected in folders according to years. The text is legible, pages are intact, and the items are in good condition. The calendars and appointment books are approximately 11x8.5 inches in width and length and approximately 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick. In folder 8, there is a letter-sized memorandum addressed to Teachers of the Lansing Public Schools from the Superintendent of Schools, dated April 24, 1951, and it is intact and readable. The memorandum details a computation of salary for a public school teacher in the Lansing Public Schools for Martha Wright for the 1951-52 school year. It lists the salary range for contract teachers. It lists Martha’s salary as $3000.00. The calendar in Folder 7 from 1989 appears to belong to Martha Bertha (Martha Louise’s mother). In that calendar, there are fewer annotations; mostly it has appointments and Martha Louise’s notations of errands and visitors.

Cultural context

Genre / Form

Title
Martha Louise Wright Shirtum Collection finding aid
Status
Completed
Author
Car Arver, Stephanie Chapman
Date
2023-07-25
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