| Record Group | 013-04-16 |
| Department or Office: | Department of History |
| Title: | Samuel R. Mohler Papers |
| Dates: | ca. 1950s-1960s |
| Size: | 4 cubic feet |
| Arrangement: | Organized alphabetically by subject |
| History: |
Samuel R. Mohler (1900-1988), professor of history, spent his teaching career at Central Washington University. Professor Mohler, the son of Alice Roop Mohler and Jesse D. Mohler, was born in Missouri. He received his B.A. degree from Manchester College, Indiana in 1928. He attended Divinity School at Yale University and obtained his B. D. in 1931. After graduating, he came west and served as Director of Congregational Student Activities at the University of Washington. While working at the University of Washington, he obtained his M.A. degree in history and married Mary Bollinger in 1934. In 1937, they went to the University of Chicago and Sam received his Ph.D. in History in 1940. In 1941, Sam and Mary returned to the Northwest and Sam took a position as acting associate professor of Sociology and History at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Oregon.
In 1943, Mohler began teaching at Central as one of the colleges two history professors. During his twenty-seven years at Central, he organized and offered twenty-four different courses, with particular attention to Latin American, Early American, and Pacific Northwest History. Mohler wrote The First Seventy-Five Years: A History of Central Washington State College. He also wrote several articles and book reviews relating to Pacific Northwest History. He was active with the local historical society, the local chapter of the Association of University Professors and the Ellensburg City Library. He was the first recipient of ASCWUs (Associated Students of Central Washington University) Prominent Figure Award in 1985. He died at his home in Ellensburg in 1988. |
| Contents: | This collection contains the research notes and draft manuscripts for Samuel R. Mohlers The First Seventy-Five Years: a History of Central Washington State College. Included are research and drafts that did not make it into the final manuscript. The handwritten manuscript and typewritten manuscript pages are organized into the chapters that later appeared in the book. Chapters include names of faculty members, presidents, legislation affecting the college, and some chapters which were summaries of a particular time period (such as the Depression or World War II). The mostly handwritten research cards are organized into subjects, many of which did not appear in the book. This includes cards on the history of Ellensburg, which may have been used for his local history research. |
| Restrictions: | Open to public. |