Vernon Bowyer papers [manuscript], 1919-1960, bulk 1922-1954

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

This collection is open for research use.

Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Gift of Paul Bowyer (M1979.0041).

Vernon Bowyer papers (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Reports, project proposals, correspondence, speeches, newspaper clippings, articles, teaching materials, tests, student papers, statistical data, and other papers of Vernon Bowyer, an educator who worked for the Chicago Board of Education and the Work Projects Administration (WPA) Adult Education Project. Materials pertain to Bowyer's career, especially to his work in the areas of adult education and Americanization of immigrants. Also present are materials related to his studies and reports on teacher salaries, school expenditures, and the relationship between educational spending and economic progress.

Vernon Bowyer (1889-1975) was an educator employed for many years by the Chicago Board of Education. Bowyer began his teaching career in his home state of Ohio and later acted as administrative assistant with the St. Louis Public Schools (ca. 1923-1925). Bowyer started working for the Chicago Board of Education in 1925, serving as principal at the Mark T. Skinner School, an elementary school located at 1070 West Jackson Street, and later as Director of Adult Education and Director of Americanization. Bowyer also worked for the Work Projects Administration (formerly known as the Works Progress Administration; WPA) Adult Education Project and authored numerous articles on the topic of education.

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include transcripts of radio broadcasts (1947-1948) arranged by Vernon Bowyer (F38PV .C4E5); the Chicago Public Schools, Radio Council collection; the Carole R. Nolan papers and works written by the Writers' Program of the Work Projects Administration in the State of Illinois, cataloged separately.

• Subject
  • Bowyer, Vernon, 1889-1975--Archives
  • Adult education--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Education--Missouri--Saint Louis--20th century
  • Education--United States--Statistics
  • Education, Elementary--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Educators--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Educators--Missouri--Saint Louis--20th century
  • Immigrants--Education (Continuing education)--Illinois--Chicago
  • Radio in education--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Radio programs--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Teachers--Salaries, etc.--United States
  • Veterans--Education--Illinois--Chicago
• Names
  • Chicago (Ill.). Board of Education
  • Chicago Public Schools
  • Saint Louis (Mo.). Board of Education
  • Skinner School (Chicago, Ill.)
  • St. Louis Public Schools (Saint Louis, Mo.)
  • United States. Work Projects Administration
• Geographic Coverage
  • 1070 West Jackson Street (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Chicago (Ill.)--Social conditions--20th century
  • Near West Side (Chicago, Ill.)
  • Saint Louis (Mo.)--Social conditions--20th century

The collection is arranged in five series.

Series 1. Chicago Public Schools and related material, 1919-1960 (bulk 1924-1935) (box 1-2)

Series 1 consists of reports, correspondence, speeches and other papers primarily related to Bowyer's work as administrative assistant with the St. Louis Public Schools and administrator with the Chicago Public Schools. Included are reports, some of which are authored by Bowyer, on topics such as teacher salaries, school expenses, and the relationship between educational spending and economic progress. Also present are drafts of speeches and radio talks given by Bowyer, and copies of speeches given by others at meetings attended by Bowyer. Some materials pertain to Bowyer's involvement with professional educational associations such as Phi Delta Kappa, and groups such as the Chicago Pedagogical Club.

Series 2. Adult education, 1936-1954 (bulk 1941-1949) (box 2-3)

Series 2 consists of reports, project proposals, correspondence, memos, and other papers mostly pertaining to Bowyer's work with the WPA Adult Education Project, and as Director of Adult Education and Director of Americanization with the Chicago Public Schools. Topics include teacher salaries, education of veterans, Americanization of immigrants, childcare programs during World War II, and continuing education for nurses. Also included are drafts of radio talks given by Bowyer on stations including WCFL and WBEZ; some radio talks were part of a series related to the Men's Teachers Union and the Chicago Teachers Union. Included are graduation programs from the Division of Americanization, Chicago Public Schools.

Series 3. Publications, 1922-1957 (box 3-4)

Series 3 contains newspaper clippings, articles, pamphlets, and brochures on subjects including teacher salaries, teaching aids, science, and education. Included are articles written by Bowyer and published in the Elementary School Journal and copies of the Phi Delta Kappan periodical.

Series 4. Teaching material, 1934-1950 (box 4-5)

Series 4 consists of teaching materials, such as guides to class instruction and lesson plan creation, posters, and tests. Tests include the Stanford Achievement Test, the Iowa Tests of Educational Development, English and foreign language examinations, and others. Also present are some student test results.

Series 5. Statistical data, undated (box 5-7)

Series 5 consists of charts containing statistical data and computations. Data represents subjects including teacher salaries by state; financial support for schools by state; the relationships between economic advantage and financial support for schools, vocational education and economic development, and teacher salaries and student race; and non-educational data, such as crime statics, per capita wealth of states, and population under the age of 15.