Ardith Westie Family papers, 1931-2018, and undated

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Central Michigan University Clarke Historical Library

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Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA

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Restrictions:: Ardith Westie Family papers are open for research.

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Summary

Creator:: Westie, Ardith.
Abstract:: The collection includes papers (series) of Ardith Westie, Charles Westie, combined papers Ardith and Charles Westie, and papers of John E. Westie.
Extent:: 8 cubic ft. (in 9 boxes, 1 Oversized folder)
Language:: English
Authors:: Collection processed and finding aid created by Marian Matyn

Background

Scope and Content:

The collection includes papers (series) of Ardith Westie, Charles Westie, combined papers Ardith and Charles Westie, and papers of John E. Westie. The collection is in good condition and is organized by series, size, alphabetically and chronologically.

The first series consists of the papers of Ardith Westie, about 2.5 cubic feet (in 3 boxes) which is split into five sub series: Biographical, Community, Personal Correspondence, College Years, and CMU. The series documents her outstanding high school years, very active college years at CMU, her later career at CMU, her personal friendships, and her social community interests and activities

Ardith’s Biographical materials sub-series, 1933-2000 (scattered), undated, includes photographs of her throughout her life, high school materials.

Her Community papers sub-series documents her activities and interests including mother interest groups and GAP, Mount Pleasant’s Group Action for People, as described in her biographical section.

Her Personal Correspondence sub-series, 1931- 2013 (scattered), undated, includes, in many cases, 70 years of friendship with female college friends, including Jane Yost Stone, who was Ardith’s college roommate for three years, as well as some of their boyfriends and male friends, and with her family. The young men wrote in the 1940s of waiting to be drafted, of training and serving, and missing friends. Elmer White was also associated with the Michigan Press Association. Some v-mail examples are in the men’s war correspondence. The women’s correspondence reflects the evolution from their college interests, through marriage and work, raising and caring for children, to grandchildren, losing spouses, to living as seniors. The baby announcements in the Lucy Booth Bradley and Gladyce Ellis folders are adorable. Most of this correspondence is to Ardith. During her college years she wrote at least weekly to her family, usually her mother, but also to her twin sisters, Carmen and Janice, and received an equal amount of mail in return. They sent mostly letters and postcards, as well as holiday and birthday cards. Ardith wrote about her classes, expenses ($6 was sufficient for her to survive for two weeks with money to spare), clothing needs, friends, her CMLife work, and of her feelings. After she and Chuck married, he sometimes wrote or typed within her letters to her family. Her mother and sisters wrote about the family’s health, social and farm activities, finances, her sisters’ classes and social life, church events, and news of extended family and friends. The few references to World War II mainly concern men being drafted or dying. One of the interesting letters is in April 1942 where Ardith notes she was studying for exams when Chuck burst in and announced he had to report for the draft on April 30.

Within the Family Correspondence are two examples of commercially produced greeting cards with racist depictions of African American children. The first is on a January 4, 1940 New Year’s card, and features a naked black child inside a barrel. The second is on a February 19, 1942 birthday card and has a black girl hanging laundry, bent over, showing her patched underwear.

Ardith also corresponded less frequently with friend and fellow War Years alum, Senator Robert P. Griffin with clippings (copies) documenting the visit of President Gerald R. Ford to CMU to inaugurate the Robert P. Griffin Endowed Chair.

Ardith’s College Years sub-series, 1938-1942, document her very involved life as a CMU college student, as a member of multiple groups, including Kappa Delta Pi and Masquers (the CMU dramatic club), her homework, notes, and essays, clippings, accounts, dance books with pencils, diaries, some correspondence, and her 1942 valedictorian address. Her commencement program is in her Personal Correspondence to/from Family.

Her CMU sub-series, 1945-1993, and undated, documents Ardith’s work and leadership with the CMU Alumni Association, Housing Committee, Summerfest, CMU 75th and Centennial celebration including history and awards, and the creation and dedication of the Peace Grove, 1995.

The Ardith and Chuck Westie Papers, approximately .5 cubic foot, include personal and CMU materials, including CMU projects and other projects they worked on together, and people with whom they both corresponded, 1940s-2015, and undated, including the CMU War Years Gatherings or Reunions and the CMU Peace Grove Memorial in honor of the CMU students who died while serving their nation in World War I and II. Lists of these students are in the related correspondence. They corresponded with many friends including fellow CMU alums Norm Johnston, a prison history author, and Robert E. McCabe, the architect of the Detroit Renaissance Center. Both Westies researched and documented the history of the First United Methodist Church of Mount Pleasant, of which they were members.

Charles “Chuck” Westie’s Papers, approximately 3 cubic feet, are divided into the sub-series of Biographical materials, College Years, and CMU materials from when he was a professor at CMU

His Biographical Materials sub-series, 1937-1981 (scattered) and undated, includes photographs of Charles, 1937-1993, undated, while a student and professor, and his Personal Correspondence, from family and friends, 1937-1940s, undated. There are examples of his correspondence to Ardith and her family in her Personal Correspondence to/from Family folders 1940 and forward. Charles strongly questioned the WWII before he was drafted. He later wrote letters of support for men seeking conscientious objector status, 1969-1972. Charles wrote powerfully about his attitude about war in an untitled [anti-Viet Nam] article, 1969, referring to his experience at Normandy and how he witnessed many American soldiers and friends die. There is a letter and poem to Ardith about his thoughts about the death of his dear friend John Evans after viewing John’s wedding photographs, July 1944. Related to this is 1946 correspondence to/from Ed Slavinsky’s family. Ed and Charles met in the Percy Jones Hospital when Charles was recovering from losing his leg and Ed was suffering from “battle fatigue,” later called post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

His College Years sub-series, 1937-1943, include: Charles’ Central Michigan College of Education B.S. degree and commencement materials, 1945; his academic transcript, 1943, his commencement invitations, and program, 1945; English papers, plays and poems he wrote or participated in; correspondence to friends, mainly his then girlfriend, Lillian Hunt, Masquers (dramatic club) materials, and photographs of his college buddies and girlfriends; a CSTC (Central State Teachers College) pennant and Chippewa Pledge. An oversized photograph album with wooden covers, with a front cover carved by Chuck with an image of an Indigenous man and pinecone, includes images before and during his college years. Photographs which became loose from the volume are in a large envelop boxed with the album.

The majority of Charles’ CMU materials sub-series focuses on his academic career, committee work, and interests while at CMU. Well documented in his papers are his efforts to form and the early years of the CMU Faculty Association (FA). which began as the Mount Pleasant Chapter of the American Association of University Professors. There are correspondence, memos, reports and newsletters, and oversized reports of Committee Z, which investigated and reported on CMU faculty salary compensation compared to faculty nationally. This subseries documents the hostility between the faculty and the administration, and evidence of faculty who were fired or whose tenure, promotions, and salary increases were delayed or denied in retaliation for their complaints and union activity by the administration. Charles communicated with administrators, faculty, professors, Michigan and national union officials, and politicians, including Senator Guy Vander Jagt.

His papers document the Sociology Department and its successor, the Sociology and Anthropology Department, with meeting minutes, memos, reports, and examples of Charles’ tests. There is documentation of committees or topical projects or CMU units he helped create or in which he actively participated. The major projects and committees in his papers include: the CMU Centennial, Art Gallery, the Honors Program, the Museum, the Peace Grove, Veit Woodland, Lem Tucker scholarship, Indigenous education, and the all Ojibwa Boy Scout Troop 606, handicapped and non-traditional CMU students, foster children, and Korean orphans supported by CMU.

Also documented in his papers are CMU student protests and related activities including Jane Fonda speaking at CMU, 1970; President Boyd’s reaction to the community at CMU, and the suspension of CMU African American students in 1970.

Ardith and Chuck corresponded with or documented significant CMU people including presidents Abel, Anspach, Boyd, and Foust, Norval Bovee, D. Louise Sharp, Rolland H. Maybee, and Senator Robert P. Griffin.

There is one box of legal-size materials of Charles’ related to his CMU career and interests, There is also one Oversized folder which includes: a Bicentennial Declaration of Human Rights for Handicapped Persons, by the CMU Office of Career Development for Handicapped Persons [1976]; a poem about Sigma Kappa, undated; and a handmade poster advertising the 1969-1970 classics film schedule.

The Papers of John E. Westie, 1957-1973, undated, .5 cubic foot (in 1 box) is the last series in the collection. With the exception of his C.P. [College Preparatory] high school English papers, 1964-1965, and two brief notes (copies) from President Anspach, 1957, 1960, his papers focus on his successful fight to have the government classify him as a conscientious objector during the Viet Nam War. His correspondence and paperwork with the Isabella County draft board, Selective Service, his lawyer, and between he and his wife, Sandy, and his parents, demonstrate his efforts and the difficulties he overcame. This series includes publications from or by the government about the selective service process, and more from or by religious organizations that advocated for conscientious objectors, the Central Mennonite Committee and the United Methodist Church, the Midwest Committee for Draft Counseling and its Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, and the National Interreligious Service Board for Conscientious Objectors. Newspaper clippings (copies) about the draft or conscientious objectors, 1965-1972, undated, complete the series.

Researchers may also be interested in other collections in the Clarke documenting the history of CMU, the Faculty Association, Mount Pleasant, and other topics in this collection. Charles’ World War II material is in the state Archives of Michigan.

Processing Note: 31 cubic feet of duplicate publications, miscellaneous materials, most envelopes, blank forms, drafts, vitas, information with social security numbers, and peripheral materials were withdrawn from the collection. Very acidic materials and poor-quality photocopies were photocopied and only the new copies were retained in the collection. 68 Michigan postcards were added to the Clarke’s Michigan Postcard Collection. 20 monographs and 10 issues of magazines re: CMU history and conscientious objectors were separately cataloged. Envelopes were retained if that was the only way to identify the address of the sender. The postal date from the envelope was added in pencil to undated correspondence. Whenever possible, undated correspondence without envelopes was dated from the letter’s contents and context.

Biographical / Historical:

Biography:

Ardith Westie:

Ardith Wingeier was born on February 19, 1922, the daughter of May V. and Carl L. Wingeier, farmers of Fenwick, Michigan. Ardith had younger, twin sisters, Carmen and Janice.

On September 20, 1941 Ardith married Charles “Chuck” Westie. Together, Chuck and Ardith had four children: John Evans (named for a dear friend killed in WWII), Mrs. Kennard Judith, who married Kennard Weaver, Elizabeth (Libby), who married Joel Brettin, and Susan, who married James Hilton.

Ardith graduated from Central Michigan College of Education (CMCE) in 1942. Until 1941 the college was called Central State Teacher College (CSTC). In 2023 it is known as Central Michigan University (CMU). To avoid confusion in the biographical and scope notes sections of the finding aid, the college will be referred to as CMU. Ardith was her class valedictorian. She was highly active in multiple college organizations. She, Charles, and their close friends all worked at CMLife, including Laura Shelby, Gladyce Ellis, and Lewis C. Fay. Ardith maintained decades long relationships with her friends.

From 1950 to 1970, Ardith served on or chaired the Academic Homecoming Committee. She served on the Alumni Association Program committees and Awards committee, 1965-1985. She also helped edit Centralight in the 1940s and edited the CMU Bulletins, 1970-1980. Ardith also wrote CMU history articles for the 75th Anniversary of CMU, published in Centralight issues 1966-1967.

She was an active force in the local community working in committees and organizations to help the disadvantaged in life as well as those of interest to mothers. One of these groups was GAP, Mount Pleasant’s Group Action for People, 1964, 1968, which found rooms in town for CMU African American and international students to live in when CMU did not provide them with campus housing. During the late 1960s and early 1970s she educated herself to become a draft counselor and helped her son, John, fight to obtain conscientious objector status. In 2015 Ardith lived in Traverse City, Michigan. She died on January 12, 2018 in Traverse City.

Both Charles and Ardith participated in organizing reunion gatherings of “War Years” CMU graduates. Ardith was also active as an advisor to Sigma Kappa.

Charles M. "Chuck" Westie:

Charles Westie was born at Houghton, Michigan, on November 27, 1919, the son of Elmer and Anna Westie. During World War II (WWII), Charles served as a staff sergeant in a combat engineer's unit in the U.S. Army, and was wounded in the Allied Invasion of Normandy, eventually resulting in the loss of one of his legs. [His WWII records are in the State Archives in Lansing.] His wartime experience and loss of a dear friend, John Evans, led to him being a staunch advocate of Viet Nam conscientious objectors, including his son. After WWII, Chuck completed his B.S. degree at CMU in 1945, and later earned a M.A. and a Ph.D. both in Sociology from The Ohio State University in 1949 and 1953, respectively. He taught as a professor in the College of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work and the college’s predecessor units at CMU, 1956-1976.

While president of the American Association of University Professors CMU chapter, he became a leader of the CMU faculty desiring changes in the governing structure and bodies of the university and in policies and procedures. These actions resulted in a Senate investigation and the formation of the Faculty Association, the first faculty union in Michigan and second in the nation.

Charles was also a leader in establishing the Honors Program and the Museum at CMU. He was active in campus committees and organizations which worked to help the disadvantaged in life, including the handicapped, conscientious objectors, and minorities, specifically the Indigenous in the Mount Pleasant community. He authored a Bicentennial Bill of Rights for Handicapped Persons in 1976. Charles spoke at the CMU Viet Nam Moratorium. He orchestrated bringing Jane Fonda to campus to speak in 1970, arranging for a CMU student to drive her to and from the airport. Ardith and Charles worked together to establish the CMU Peace Grove which honors CMU veterans from World War II. To sum up his career at CMU, he was a feisty “mover and a shaker.”

As noted in Ardith’s biographical section, on September 20, 1941 Charles married Ardith Wingeier, with whom he had four children. He died on June 5, 1994 in Mount Pleasant and was survived by his wife, children, their spouses, and two siblings. (This information is from the collection, Charles’ obituary, and communications with his daughter, Libby.)

John E. Wesite:

John Evans Westie is the only son of Charles and Ardith. His parents named John in honor of a dear college friend of Chuck’s who died during WW II. In1966 when John Westie was a CMU student he received a draft notice. In 1967 he transferred to Olivet College. John employed a lawyer, Marc Stickgold, in Detroit to get the Isabella County Draft Board and Selective Service to recognize him as a conscientious objector through the standings of the United Methodist Church, of which he was a member, and because his and his father’s staunch beliefs. John hoped to teach instead of serving in Viet Nam. His legal suit finally succeeded in May of 1972. Meanwhile, John had married Sandy, another teacher, and they moved to Canada, briefly, and later to California.

Acquisition Information: