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Oscar W. Ritchie papers (faculty-Sociology)
Special Collections and Archives
Oscar W. Ritchie papers (faculty-Sociology)
Special Collections and Archives
Oscar W. Ritchie papers (faculty-Sociology)
| Repository: | Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives. |
| Title: | Oscar W. Ritchie papers |
| Inclusive Date(s): | 1946-1979 |
| Bulk Date(s): | 1965-1967 |
| Author: | Finding aid prepared by Cara Gilgenbach, September 2021 |
| Creation: | Finding aid encoded by Cara Gilgenbach using the OhioLINK EAD Application in 2021 |
| Origination: | Ritchie, Oscar W. |
| Extent: | 1 cubic feet (1 record storage box) |
| Physical Location: | 10th Floor |
| Finding Aid Identifier: | OhKeUSC0211 |
| Abstract: | This collection includes selected personal and professional papers of Oscar W. Ritchie, professor of sociology at Kent State University from 1948-1967. |
| Language(s): | The records are in English |
Biography of Oscar W. Ritchie
Biographical Summary: Oscar W. Ritchie was the first Black faculty member appointed at Kent State University and the first to be appointed at a predominantly white state university in Ohio. He taught sociology from 1946 until his death, at the age of 58, on June 16, 1967. His areas of scholarship included juvenile offenders (at the time referred to as juvenile delinquents), juvenile justice and rehabilitation, services to children within social welfare systems, and vocational rehabilitation and manual arts programs within correctional systems. He was also involved with national, state, and local mental health organizations and was instrumental in establishing a family counseling and mental health center in Portage County, Ohio. Ritchie's excellence as a teacher, an in-demand speaker, and noted scholar made him one of the most prominent faculty members in Kent State University history. In 1977, the former Student Union was renamed Oscar Ritchie Hall in his honor and is currently home to the Department of Africana Studies, the Center of Pan-African Culture, the African Community Theater, the Uumbaji Art Gallery, and more.
Detailed Biographical Note: Oscar W. Ritchie was born in Hallendale, Florida, in 1909. While he started his collegiate education at Florida A & M from 1928 to 1930, financial circumstances brought on by the Great Depression forced him to delay completion of his undergraduate education at that time. While working as a member of a musical band, he moved to Illinois, where he met his future wife Edith Bowen. After their marriage, the Ritchies relocated to Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Massillon, Ohio, where Ritchie was employed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and afterward held other jobs, including at Republic Steel. He took night classes and eventually enrolled as a full-time student at Kent State University in 1943, earning his Bachelor of Science degree in 1946 and a Master of Arts in sociology in 1947. He was appointed as a graduate assistant in 1946, and as an instructor in 1947. He was the first Black faculty member appointed at Kent State University and the first to be appointed at a predominantly white state university in Ohio. Ritchie was also the first faculty member in sociology-anthropology to hold every academic rank from graduate assistant to full professor. In the summer of 1947, Ritchie received a scholarship for a special study institute on alcoholic studies at Yale University and, in 1948, he was awarded the prestigious Rosenwald Fellowship--the first Kent State graduate to receive this award. He earned his doctoral degree (PhD) at New York University in 1958. Ritchie was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and helped to establish a local chapter of the fraternity at Kent State. He also helped to establish and administer the national fraternity's education foundation. In 1959, Ritchie was appointed to the Educators' Advisory Committee of the Ohio Civil Rights Commission.
In April 1961, Ritchie was one of eight faculty members to compose and sign a letter to the editor of the Daily Kent Stater campus newspaper, decrying racial segregation of student housing in the city of Kent and the university's practice of maintaining separate housing lists for white and Black students. This letter, written in support of student activists working to end housing segregation in Kent, was generally met with indignation by university administrators, most notably President George Bowman who expressed his deep disapproval to the faculty members who wrote the letter. In the following weeks, a student demonstration occurred and a petition signed by 1,200 students was presented to President Bowman. Many campus and community members, including local landlords, supported Bowman's stance and opposed any change to the university's housing policy. However, later that spring, the Kent State Board of Trustees approved a policy revision that banned discrimination in university-approved housing.
Other notable achievements included being asked to serve on a governor-appointed State of Ohio Council on Vocational Rehabilitation charged with conducting a comprehensive study of the state's vocational rehabilitation services and needs in the state. Along with his Kent State colleagues Dwight L. Arnold and John Guidubaldi, he co-founded the Portage Family Counseling and Mental Health Center, serving all of Portage County. In 1964 his book, with co-author Marvin R. Koller, Sociology of Childhood was first published. He is also known for his work, with H. Ashley Weeks, entitled An Evaluation of the Services of the State of Ohio to its Delinquent Children and Youth. Ritchie was elected Acting Chair of the sociology-anthropology department in 1967, an appointment that was cut short by his untimely death in June of that same year. A Faculty Senate memorial resolution in his honor stated that "...Kent State University [had] lost a great leader, public servant, and member of the human race." In 1977, the former Student Union was renamed Oscar Ritchie Hall in his honor and is currently home to the Department of Africana Studies, the Center of Pan-African Culture, the African Community Theater, the Uumbaji Art Gallery, and more.
Scope and Content
This collection includes selected personal and professional papers of Oscar W. Ritchie. It is not a complete archive of his career at Kent State University. Many of the materials date from later in his life. Included are correspondence, publications, and subject files.
Statement of Arrangement
The collection has been organized into the following series.
| Series 1: Biographical | |
| Series 2: Correspondence | |
| Series 3: Publications | |
| Series 4: Speeches | |
| Series 5: Subject Files |
Separated Material
Selected publications and other works by Ritchie, including his masters thesis and doctoral dissertation, are shelved separately and cataloged in KentLINK.
Related Material
Additional biographical information on Oscar W. Ritchie is found in the Kent State University Academic Personnel records, the Kent State University Communications and Marketing records, and the University Photographs collection. Several digitized photographs may be found in the Kent State History: Digital Archive. See also the Daily Kent Stater Digital Archive for articles by and about Ritchie. Please contact Special Collections & Archives staff for assistance in locating related materials.
Preferred Citation
Oscar W. Ritchie papers. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.
Acquisition Information
The majority of the papers in this collection were donated to Special Collections & Archives by Edward W. Crosby. Other materials were accumulated and gathered by Special Collections & Archives from various sources.
Controlled Access Headings
The following are found in this collection:
| Subjects: | |
| Ritchie, Oscar W.--Archives | |
| Kent State University--History--20th century | |
| Vocational rehabilitation--Ohio--History--20th century | |
| Community mental health services--Ohio--Portage County--History--20th century | |
| Mental health services--Ohio--Portage County--History--20th century | |
| Functions: | |
| Sociology--Study and teaching | |
| Social advocacy | |
| Occupations: | |
| College teachers | |
| African American college teachers | |
| Sociologists | |
| African American sociologists | |
| Material Types: | |
| Business correspondence | |
| Correspondence | |
| Speeches | |
| Publications (documents) | |
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Biographical, 1946-1979
| Box 1 / Folder 1 |
| Biographical: Clippings, 1967-1979 |
| Box 1 / Folder 2 |
| Biographical: Commencement Program, August 29, 1947 |
| Biography or History | |
| This is the program for Ritchie's graduation with a Master of Arts degree. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 3 |
| Biographical: Diploma: Bachelor of Science, 1946 |
| Box 1 / Folder 4 |
| Biographical: Diploma: Master of Arts, 1947 |
| Box 1 / Folder 5 |
| Biographical: Memorial Plaque, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 6 |
| Biographical: Portrait by Ernest Pryor, 1977 |
| Physical Description: A black and white photograph of the portrait. |
Series 2: Correspondence, 1958-1967
| Box 1 / Folder 7 |
| Correspondence: Alpha Phi Alpha Education Foundation, 1967 |
| Box 1 / Folder 8 |
| Correspondence: General, 1958, 1964-1967 |
| Box 1 / Folder 9 |
| Correspondence: Letters of Recommendation, 1965-1967 |
| Scope and Content | |
| Includes numerous letters of reference and recommendation that Ritchie wrote on behalf of Kent State University students. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 10 |
| Correspondence: Sociology of Childhood (book), 1959-1966 |
| Box 1 / Folder 11 |
| Correspondence: White, Robert I., 1965-1966 |
Series 3: Publications, 1948-1960
| Box 1 / Folder 12 |
| Publications: Abstracts, 1958, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 13 |
| Publications: Book Reviews, 1959-1960 |
| Box 1 / Folder 14 |
| Publications: "Crime, Race, and Race Relations", undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 15 |
| Publications: "Does Our Treatment of Juvenile Delinquents Tend to Promote Criminality?", undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 16 |
| Publications: "The Impact of an Industrial School Upon Juvenile Delinquents", undated |
| Physical Description: 2 typescripts of same paper. |
| Box 1 / Folder 17 |
| Publications: "Ohio Penology: Its Improvement Through Public Awareness", undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 18 |
| Publications: "Ohio's Program Evaluated", 1955 |
| Scope and Content | |
| Notes on page 1: "Paper delivered at Annual Meeting, National Council for the Social Studies, New York City, November 1955." and "Based on An Evaluation of the Services of the State of Ohio to its Delinquent Children and Youth, H. Ashley Weeks and Oscar W. Ritchie, published by the Bureau of Educational Research, The Ohio State University, Columbus, 1956." | |
| Box 1 / Folder 19 |
| Publications: "The Role of the Federal Government in the Handling of Juvenile Delinquency", undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 20 |
| Publications: "A Sociohistorical Survey of Alcoholics Anonymous", 1948 |
| Box 1 / Folder 21 |
| Publications: "Structure and Dynamics of Prison Riots", undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 22 |
| Publications: "Thoughts Upon an Impact Study of an Industrial School for Male Delinquents", 1960 |
| Scope and Content | |
| Included are a typescript and a reprint from The Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science, Vol. 50, No. 5, February, 1960. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 23 |
| Publications: Student Papers, 1952, undated |
| Scope and Content | |
| Includes two papers written by Ritchie while a doctoral student. | |
Series 4: Speeches, 1964-1966
| Box 1 / Folder 24 |
| Speeches: "Human Relations, Democracy, and Education", October 5, 1964 |
| Biography or History | |
| Address delivered by Ritchie, Youngstown Diocesan Teachers' Institute. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 25 |
| Speeches: "Another Road Paved with Good Intentions", February 8, 1966 |
| Physical Description: Three variant typescripts are in file. |
| Biography or History | |
| Delivered by Ritchie at the College of Arts and Science Lecture Series, Kent State University. | |
Series 5: Subject Files, 1956-1968
| Box 1 / Folder 26 |
| Subject Files: Institute on Corrections, 1963-1965 |
| Box 1 / Folder 27 |
| Subject Files: Institute on Special Educational Problems Occasioned by School Desegregation: Proposal, 1966-1967 |
| Box 1 / Folder 28 |
| Subject Files: Institute on the Crisis Cycle of the Child in the Institution of Social Welfare: Proposal, 1964 |
| Box 1 / Folder 29 |
| Subject Files: Masters Theses Advisees, 1965, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 30 |
| Subject Files: National Association for Mental Health, Ohio Division, Portage County Chapter, 1963-1968 |
| Related Material | |
| See also Portage Family Counseling & Mental Health Center file below. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 31 |
| Subject Files: Ohio Council on Vocational Rehabilitation (folder 1 of 2), 1966-1967 |
| Biography or History | |
| Ritchie was a member of this Governor-appointed council "composed of governmental, professional, business, labor, and civic leaders from throughout Ohio." The council was charged with conducting a "comprehensive study of the state's vocational rehabilitation services and needs in the state." | |
| Box 1 / Folder 32 |
| Subject Files: Ohio Council on Vocational Rehabilitation (folder 2 of 2), 1966-1967 |
| Box 1 / Folder 33 |
| Subject Files: Ohio Mental Health Association Award, 1964 |
| Box 1 / Folder 34 |
| Subject Files: Portage Family Counseling & Mental Health Center, 1958-1965 |
| Related Material | |
| See also the National Association for Mental Health file above. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 35 |
| Subject Files: Prison Rehabilitation Programs, 1964, 1966, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 36 |
| Subject Files: Program: 16th Street Junior High School Visit, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 37 |
| Subject Files: Proposal for the Correction System, Chicago, IL, August 6, 1965 |
| Box 1 / Folder 38 |
| Subject Files: Rehabilitation Counseling Program, Kent State University, undated |
| Box 1 / Folder 39 |
| Subject Files: Retreat: The University & the Student, December 2-3, 1966 |
| Box 1 / Folder 40 |
| Subject Files: Sociology 477: Student Papers on Richard Wright, 1966 |
| Scope and Content | |
| Grade information is not included on the papers. | |
| Box 1 / Folder 41 |
| Subject Files: Sociology Periodicals in the Kent State University Library, 1956 |
| Box 1 / Folder 42 |
| Subject Files: Staff Institute on Group Services in a Children's Institution, 1963 |
| Box 1 / Folder 43 |
| Subject Files: Wrangler's Club, Kent, OH: Annual Booklet, 1965-1966 |
| Biography or History | |
| Ritchie is listed as President of the club. | |
