John D. Baskerville Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection arrived in a fairly organized state, with most folders already labeled, but not arranged in chronological order. Dr. Baskerville kept records of his academic life since the late 1980s, when he was studying at the University of Iowa. Therefore, most of this material is related to his classwork, thesis, and dissertation there, and later, to his teaching at UNI.
Where possible, we have tried to remain consistent with his labeling. He used the terms “African-American” and “black” interchangeably, and we have retained those terms as he wrote them.
Rather than filing all his correspondence in the same folder, we have left it in its original context, whether it concerned his employment, studies or teaching. This means his letters are scattered throughout the collection. Wherever correspondence is included in a folder, we have noted it on the finding guide below.
There was not a wealth of personal material. Much of what could be considered personal also fell within his areas of academic interest, and could as easily have been filed with his student or teaching materials. One example is a small collection of photographs of African Americans from early twentieth-century Iowa. It was unclear if these people were ancestors of Dr. Baskerville, or if they were part of the migration of African Americans to Iowa and other parts of the Midwest. The photographs may have simply been for use in his classes. However, since they were neither labeled as such nor filed with his teaching materials, the decision was made to put them with his personal and biographical material.
Similarly, there was a great deal of research material of a social, political, and cultural nature. These were very likely used in conjunction with his classes and his scholarly writing. Again, though, they were not labeled that way, nor were they filed with folders Dr. Baskerville had clearly labeled as teaching material. Thus, his research material has been kept separate from his teaching material.
Finally, Dr. Baskerville both attended and taught some classes with the same title. “History of Black Music” is one example. He took the class as a student at Iowa and taught it as a professor at UNI. If a date could be determined, the materials were separated and placed in their proper category. If not, we used our best guess.
Dates
- 1988-2015
Creator
- Baskerville, John D. (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Conditions Governing Access
Most materials are open for research. Materials related to the confidentiality of personnel, student, medical, and other legally protected records are CLOSED to researchers for 70 years from the date of creation. Consult the archivist with any questions or concerns. See the Inventory for details.
Technical Access
Some of the material has been recorded on audiocassettes and floppy disks, which have not been digitized.
General Use, Reproduction, and Copyright Policies
Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the library cannot grant permission or licensing. Materials currently under copyright are usually still available for research and limited reproduction under Fair Use laws. However, it is the sole responsibility of the patron to determine whether or not their use of a given material falls within Fair Use guidelines and to obtain permission for said use from the rightful copyright owner.
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy or similar laws, and the Iowa Open Records Law (see Iowa Code § 22.7). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of Northern Iowa assumes no responsibility.
Biographical / Historical
Grandparents: Walden A. Baskerville, Sr. (September 15, 1895-June 20, 1973); Lena Coles Baskerville (July 4, 1902-May 26, 1989) Parents: Lester E. Beaman [stepfather] (June 6, 1915-August 29, 1992); Clarissa Baskerville-Beaman (December 25, 1922-December 28, 2003) Siblings: Julie Thomas, Evelyn DeKoster, Brian Long, Lester Beaman, Jr. [stepbrother], and Ethel Taylor [stepsister] Spouse: Hiltje Vierow Baskerville Children: Marissa Lena Baskerville and Aja Rose Baskerville
John Douglas Baskerville was born April 21, 1962, in Waterloo, Iowa. He graduated from East Waterloo High School in 1980. On May 26, 1984, he married Hiltje Christine Vierow. The couple had two daughters, Marissa and Aja.
Dr. Baskerville had a lifelong interest in music, as a listener, performer, and teacher. After graduating from high school, he attended Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, where he received an associate's degree in music. He then moved on to Tarkio College in Missouri to pursue a bachelor's degree in secondary education and music education and performance. While at Tarkio he served as assistant director of student services. He was also an assistant in the music department, and taught an introductory music class.
Continuing his education at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, he earned both his Master's degree in African-American World Studies and his Ph.D. in American Studies. He was a graduate instructor and lecturer for the African-American World Studies Program.
In 1993 he became an assistant professor of history at the University of Northern Iowa, and was later promoted to associate professor. At UNI he taught a number of African-American studies classes and seminars, as well as Iowa history, U.S. history, black music history, and music appreciation.
In addition to his teaching duties, Dr. Baskerville served as co-host of the radio program "Community Rhythms" for KBBG. He had a special interest in early twentieth-century African-American migration from the South to Iowa and other points north. To help preserve the history of African-Americans in Waterloo, he volunteered his time as a board member of the African-American Museum.
Never straying from his musical roots, Dr. Baskerville also performed as a professional musician for more than thirty years in various bands. Most recently he was the bassist for Checker and the Bluetones of Cedar Falls. He died on March 3, 2015.
Extent
10 Linear Feet (8 boxes)
Arrangement
The boxes are arranged as shown below, with a more detailed list following. BOX 1 – 1) Biographical and Personal; 2) Academic work BOX 2 – Academic Work BOX 3 – 1) Academic Work; 2) Employment BOX 4 – 1) Employment; 2) Teaching BOX 5 – Teaching BOX 6 – 1) Teaching; 2) Publications and related materials BOX 7 – Social, political, and cultural interests and research BOX 8 – Social, political, and cultural interests and research
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection was donated to SC&UA a few months after Dr. Baskerville’s death, c. 2015.
Processing Information
Collection inventoried and processed in September 2015 by Library Associate Dave Hoing. Updated October 2017 and April 2018 (dh).
- Title
- John D. Baskerville Papers
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script