Harvey August Riebe Papers
Scope and Contents
The Harvey August (H.A.) Riebe papers contain records created and used by Riebe during a portion of his time at the Iowa State Teachers College. They date from 1942 to 1952. The vast majority of the collection consists of scripts and correspondence related to Riebe’s radio broadcast, “The Student in War Service.”
“The Student in War Service” broadcast materials date from 1942 to 1945. The program scripts provide basic news about ISTC students serving in the war, general war news, and typically move into a dramatized sketch / performance based on news received from the students. Topics touched on as related by ISTC current and former students include Normandy, the North Africa and Italy campaigns, WAVES and Air Corps Cadets on the ISTC campus and more. Many of the scripts contain handwritten annotations and notes. A handful of “What About the War” broadcasts (Spring 1943) are included. This broadcast focused on specific war-related topics as part of a six part series.
The other portion of materials related to “The Students in War Service” consists of correspondence written between the current and former ISTC student servicemen and women to Riebe and his colleagues, including Carl Erbe, Paul Bender, and Dr. Kurtz. The letters came from all across the United States, Europe, and East Asia. The service members detailed their experiences, such as training, how they spent their days, and combat, in addition to reminiscing on their time at ISTC. There are also numerous letters of recommendation from ISTC faculty for former students seeking to enter officer training programs. Some of the letters were bundled together; they were kept as bundles and are organized as such.
Finally, the collection includes a handful of correspondence about the ISTC radio program more generally, with the letters often between Riebe and director Herbert Hake.
Dates
- Creation: 1942 - 1945
Creator
- Riebe, Harvey August (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions. Materials are open for research.
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Many items housed in the Rod Library Special Collections & University Archives, including unpublished images and manuscripts, may be protected by copyright, publication rights, trademarks, or model release rights which the library does not own and for which the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
Harvey August (H.A.) Riebe was born in Onalaska, Wisconsin, in 1892. He graduated from the LaCrosse State Teachers College (then the LaCrosse Normal School) before attending the University of Wisconsin, where he received his Ph.B., Ph.M., and Ph.D., degrees, all by 1929. Riebe then taught and served as superintendent in Wisconsin and Minnesota public schools before his appointment as chairman of the State Teachers College (Mayville, North Dakota) Department of Education.
In 1925, Riebe joined the Iowa State Teachers College (ISTC, now the University of Northern Iowa) faculty as an assistant professor of education, before rising to associate professor (1932) and professor (1938). Riebe created ISTC’s first Visual Education course in Summer 1939; that course later became Audio-Visual Education in 1945. His work in this area helped establish many of the audiovisual services / courses at ISTC / UNI.
During World War II, Riebe served as the campus’s military advisor, especially for those male students entering military service. He edited the mimeographed letter “Campus to Khaki” (later called “Khaki to Campus”) which was a newsletter produced on campus and distributed, including to current and former Teachers College students on active military duty.
Also during World War II, Riebe created and broadcast the ISTC radio program “The Student in War Service” which consisted of military news and dramatizations of war-related events sourced from letters Riebe and his colleagues received from current and former students serving in the war. It was first broadcast on July 28, 1942.
Riebe was involved in other areas on campus as well, including the Commencement Committee, Student Welfare Committee, Senate, and Athletic Board. He was also a member of outside organizations such as the American Association of University Professors, National Society of College Teachers of Education, Phi Delta Kappa, and more.
Riebe died on April 12, 1970.
Extent
0.63 Linear Feet (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Processing Information
Finding aid created by Library Associate Dave Hoing, August 2017. Updated by Dave Hoing, January 2018 and April 2018. Collection reprocessed and finding aid updated by Archival Processor Tessa Wakefield, October 2023.
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin