Finding Aid
John Ahern Collection, 1979 to 1991
UM-1
Size: .5 linear feet
Provenance: John Ahern, 1/27/82; 2/6/84; 4/21/88; 8/24/88; 2/14/94
Access: Open
Related Collections:
Processing Note:
Condition: Good
Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns. Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code. The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.
Completed by: B. Floyd, February 14, 1994
Historical/Biographical Sketch
John Ahern, a professor in early education at UT, and Joel Wurl, university archivist, intended to collect the personal experiences from students within the early education program at the University of Toledo. This project was an attempt to combine history with personal experience. By collecting the thoughts of students from 1979 on, future students could look back and feel assured that they are not alone according to history. Ahern and Wurl created questionnaires in order to direct students to answer useful and meaningful questions about themselves and their life at UT.
Overall, this idea succeeded in collecting the experiences of students from 1979 to 1991. However, the original idea of a time capsule was eventually lost. Ahern was a crucial part to this project because he was in charge of actually collecting the materials from his students. Within the collection, the student experience along with photographs, illustrate life in the early education program. Ahern and Wurl might not have made a full time capsule, but they were able to collect over 12 years of personal thoughts and insights to share with future students.
Scope and Content Note
This collection is a compilation of personal writings of students from the department of Elementary Education. The writings are the result of an assignment to the students to give some impressions of university life and major social/political issues of the day with the idea in mind that they are able to read them twenty years in the future.
Essays by students addressing personal, social, and University issues of the day are included. The essays represent a continuation of the original project. Another addition to the collection consists of personal reminiscences by students in the College of Education and Allied Professions’ field experience classes. Additions after 1984 also included these essays.
Collection is arranged in chronological order and in order that additions were given.
Folder List
Box |
Folder |
Item Description |
1 |
1 |
Ahern, John, 312:340 “Observations by Undergraduates in the College of Education in 1979” Bound Copy |
1 |
2 |
Collected by Ahern, John “Nineteen Eighty One 312:340 Teaching Learning IV Memories” Bound Copy |
1 |
3 |
1982, Jan-Oct. Collection for: “Observations by Undergraduates in the College of Education in 1982” |
1 |
4 |
1983- Collected Materials |
1 |
5 |
1984- Collected Materials |
1 |
6 |
1984- Questionnaires |
1 |
7 |
1985 312:340- Collected Materials |
1 |
8 |
Spring 1987 312:340 Collections |
1 |
9 |
|
1 |
10 |
1991- Collected Materials |