Neva Henrietta Radell Papers
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials created and collected by Neva Henrietta Radell and her sister Inez Eleanor Radell, who attended the Iowa State Teachers College, (ISTC, now the University of Northern Iowa or UNI) from 1913 through graduation in 1917. The Collection has been arranged into eight series groupings. Series one, Biographical and Genealogical Information, contains various biographical information relating to the sisters and their family, including a eulogy for their father and obituary information for Inez. Series two, Correspondence, contains letters sent to Neva or Inez covering a wide range of topics. Of note are letters sent to Neva from her time as a faculty member at Columbia University signed by then University President Dwight Eisenhower. Also included in this series are Christmas letters that the sisters sent to friends detailing all that occurred during the past year.
Series three, Photographs, includes photographs related to their summer home in New Jersey and other personal photographs. Series four, Clippings, contains numerous news articles written about the sisters, such as Inez’s donation of her rare teacup collection to the UNI Museum, but there are some articles included that were written by Neva herself. Series five, Publications, include books used by either Neva or Inez, which can be found in Box 3, and books and pamphlets written by Neva, found in Folder 7 of Box 1. Topics within this series includes books about Gregg Shorthand (and also written in Gregg Shorthand), The Palmer Method, and Financial Planning. Series six, Programs and Ephemera, contains materials related to graduations (such as diploma certificates), donations, events, and achievements. Of note is a print by Herb Hake presented to Neva for a generous donation that she gave to the Ice House Fund Drive in 1977. Series seven, Artifacts, contains memorabilia relating to UNI and other interests of the sisters that were either given to or collected by them. One such item is a portion of brick from the original Gilchrist Hall that was destroyed by fire in 1972.
The final series, Miscellaneous, contains materials pertaining to an organization of UNI alumni and former students living at the Friendship Village Retirement Community here in Cedar Falls, and material related to the Cedar Falls Women’s Club. Materials reflect the sisters’ academic and professional careers in teaching from 1913 to 1981 as well as their family history.
Dates
- 1913 - 1981
Creator
- Radell, Neva Henrietta, 1895- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions. Materials are open for research.
Physical Access
Materials in Graduation Information folder in Box 1 and Box 5 are fragile and require gloves for handling. Items stored in Box 2 are rolled up and require special handling with the assistance of library staff.
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
Dr. Neva Henrietta Radell (1895-1991), who went by both Neva and Henrietta, graduated from Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC, now the University of Northern Iowa or UNI) with a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Business Education in 1917. Neva taught at high schools in Minnesota, Iowa, and Oklahoma after she graduated until 1922, then she worked for one year at ISTC before moving to New York with her sister. Neva went on to receive her masters degree from the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York in 1929, and in 1938 she earned her doctorate from New York University. Neva worked in the Business Administration Department at Drexel Institute (now Drexel University) from 1927 to 1935. She was the Head of the Business Administration Department at Adelphi College (now Adelphi University) from 1935 to 1941. Throughout her career Neva worked with students in home economics, food service, accounting, research, and more. She authored three books of her own and contributed to many other books and articles. The sisters stayed in New York until 1970 when they moved back to Cedar Falls and made their home at Friendship Village.
Inez Radell earned her Bachelor's degree in Home Economics from ISTC in 1916. She was then a faculty member of ISTC’s Home Economics department from 1925 to 1928. In 1929 she received her master’s in Home Economics from the Teachers College at Columbia University in New York. Inez passed away in 1981.
The sisters were generous donors to UNI and the Cedar Falls community. They provided scholarships to high school seniors who chose to go to UNI. In 1972, Inez donated her Demitasse Cup Collection to the UNI Museum which included many rare tea cups and saucers. In 1984, Neva donated 4 custom cabinets to the UNI Department of Home Economics in recognition of Inez’s service. Neva donated $50,000 to the Wisconsin Historical Museum in 1986 to sponsor the J.C. Radell Family Gallery. In August of 1986 Neva was made a Life Member of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. Obituaries for Neva and Inez can be found on the SC&UA website.
Extent
7.23 Linear Feet (7 boxes)
3.58 Linear Feet (oversize folder)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
- Series 1: Biographical and Genealogical Information
- Series 2: Correspondence
- Series 3: Photographs
- Series 4: Clippings
- Series 5: Publications
- Series 6: Programs and Ephemera
- Series 7: Artifacts
- Series 8: Miscellaneous
Processing Information
Processed by Gerry Peterson,1971. Updated by Student Research Assistant Elizabeth Schechinger, May 2018; Jaycie Vos and Elizabeth Schechinger, September 2018. Elizabeth Schechinger, February 2019; Elizabeth Schechinger and Archival Processor and Reference Associate Tessa Wakefield, March 2019; and by Tessa Wakefield, April 2020.
- In 2012, archivist Gerald Peterson deaccessioned many items from the collection due to their condition.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin