Eloise Bittel Cohen Processing plan

(created by Cat Holbrook, February 2016)

Collection Title:       Papers of Eloise Bittel Cohen

 Call Numbers:         MC 819

OVERVIEW OF CURRENT STATE

Size:

42.29 linear feet - 33 cartons, 2 HB, 1/2 HB 

Accession information:

2010-M27; 2010-M166; 2011-M35; 2011-M16; 2011-M180

How many accessions are there? 5

Is there an obvious order in any/all accessions? These 5 accessions are in alphabetical order by folder title, with correspondence and diaries in chronological order within the alphabetical order.

Are some accessions only A/V? No

Are there other accessions that have already been processed? No

Provenance: Stuart Cohen (son)

Did we approach the donor? Did she approach us? Is she dead? Stuart Cohen contacted us at the urging of Dr. June Howard  (from the University of Michigan were Wilbur  Cohen [husband] taught for a long time)

Is there a signed deed of gift? Does the donor want material back? Yes, signed DOG. Donor wants to be consulted regarding unwanted material.

 Restrictions:

What are restrictions from the deed of gift? No restrictions.

Have you noticed any kind of records during your survey that might be a problem outside of whatever the deed of gift says? [Client privileges, etc.] Memos from office of Congressman Weston Vivian re: cases of constituents (1960s).

 Biographical Sketch:    

Eloise Bittel Cohen was born on April 21, 1913 in Ingram, Texas, to Albert and Jennie (Pendley) Bittel. Eloise Cohen graduated from the Tivy High School in Kerrville, Texas, in 1928. She studied social service at the Mary Hardin-Baylor College in Belton, Texas (B.A. 1932). During her senior year at Hardin-Baylor  College Eloise Cohen was elected president of the Student Government Association.  After graduation, Eloise Cohen taught Spanish at the Schreiner Institute in Kerrville, Texas. In 1935, she worked for the Texas Child Welfare Division in Austin, Texas, before continuing her education at the University of Chicago's School of Social Service Administration. Later that same year, she returned to Austin, Texas, where she worked on the analysis of a United States Public Health Service Dental Survey that had been conducted in 19 states across the country. The survey consisted of two parts: house to house canvasses for the purpose of obtaining family histories of diseases, as well as the analysis of the records of sick benefit associations.

In 1936, Eloise Cohen moved to Washington, DC, for a job with the Bureau of Public Assistance, which was focusing on social security. A few months later, Eloise met Wilbur Cohen at a Bureau of Public Assistance Union meeting in Washington, DC. In the fall of 1937 Eloise, although she was dating Wilbur in Washinton, DC, enrolled at the New York School of Social Work.  While she was in New York City, Eloise Cohen lived in the Church of All Nations Settlement House.

Eloise and Wilbur Cohen were married on April 8, 1938, and three weeks later, left for  Europe on a grant from the Social Science Research Council to study the social security coverage for farmers in England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Czechoslovakia. Upon their return to Washington, DC, Eloise Cohen completed a survey of the Surplus Commodities program, and served as Assistant Supervisor of Tenant Selection for low-rent housing. The Cohen's rented an apartment for a short period of time in the former Rossdhu Castle in Chevy Chase, Maryland before and after their trip to Europe. The Cohens had three sons: Christopher (b. 1942), Bruce (b. 1944) and Stuart (b. 1946).

Eloise Cohen volunteered for multiple organizations while she was raising her children, including the Democratic Party, the League of Women Voters, the Goodwill Club, and International Neighbors Club. She also became the Library Committee chairman and Special events chair for the Women's National Democratic Club. During the 1960s Cohen worked in the Washington, DC, office of Congressman Weston Vivian, assisting his constituents in utilizing "Project Head Start," which was a national pre-school program for poverty-stricken neighborhoods.

The Cohen's moved from Washinton, DC, to Ann Arbor, Michigan, twice; first in 1956, and later in 1969, where Wilbur Cohen served both as professor at School of Social Work and as dean of the School of Education at the University of Michigan. The Cohen's traveled frequently to Israel, and two of their sons worked on the Kefar Blum Kibbutz during the 1960s. In 1961, the Cohen's returned to Washington, DC, after Wilbur Cohen was nominated as Assistant Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare for the Kennedy Administration.

In 1967, Eloise Cohen became involved with the Congress for Appalachian Development, which raised money for a community school for orphans in Pipestem, West Virginia, and a mountain institute for graduate students in Eastern Kentucky. Eloise Cohen also volunteered on the Sub-Committee of Montgomery County, the Maryland Commission on Aging, the International Neighbors Club, and was a sponsor of the Hospitality and Information Service for Diplomatic Residents and Families.

In November of 1968, Eloise and Wilbur Cohen traveled with First Lady Lady Bird Johnson on her final "This is our Country" trip to New Orleans, Louisiana, Denver, Colorado, and Eureka, California.

In August of 1988, Eloise Cohen traveled to Kenya with her son Bruce and his wife Rosemary and their children. Bruce Cohen served as a management training specialist for Kenyan agricultural workers. In 1994, the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor named Eloise Cohen an Outstanding Alumni for her many achievements in public service.

After Wilbur Cohen's death in 1987, Eloise Cohen divided her time between her homes in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Austin, Texas, when not visiting her three sons. During the late 1990s Eloise began to spend her days at an adult day care center, which was later named Eloise's House in her honor. In 1999, Eloise moved to a nursing home in Glencoe, Illinois, to be closer to her son Christopher.

Eloise Cohen suffered from Alzheimer's disease at the end of her life, and died in Deerfield, Illinois, on December 16, 2003. 

Wilbur Cohen was born on June 10, 1913 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to Aaron and Bessie Cohen. Wilbur Cohen graduated from Lincoln High School in 1930, and attended the Experimental College at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which was founded in 1927 by Dr. Alexander Meiklejohn for the purpose of reshaping the arrangements the study and teaching of freshman and sophomores. In 1932, Wilbur Cohen entered the University's Economics program (Ph.B 1934). After graduation, Wilbur Cohen traveled to Washington, DC, to serve as research assistant to his economics professor, Edwin Witte. Witte was the Executive Director of President Roosevelt's Committee on Economic Security, which drafted the Social Security Act in 1935. Wilbur Cohen served as research specialist and technical advisor to the Social Security Board, and was responsible for analyzing the Board's legislative proposals such as old-age insurance, public assistance, and unemployment insurance.

In 1946, Wilbur Cohen became Director of Research for President Truman's Advisory Committee on Universal Training, which investigated the idea of compulsory military training in the United States. Between 1946 and 1951 Wilbur Cohen also represented the United States at six international conferences on Social Security.

Although Wilbur Cohen left Washington, DC, in 1956 to become professor of public welfare at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, he continued to consult various agencies on public assistance and unemployment compensation. In 1961, President Kennedy named Wilbur Cohen as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW). In 1965, Wilbur became Under Secretary of HEW, and was confirmed as Secretary of HEW in 1968. In 1971, Wilbur Cohen was asked to serve on the Board of Governors for the University of Haifa.

In 1980, Wilbur Cohen left the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor again to become the Sid Richardson Professor of Public Affairs at the Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs in Austin, Texas.

Wilbur Cohen died during an aging and health symposium, which was being held in Soule, South Korea, on May 12, 1987.

In 1988, the Social Security Administration Building in Washington, DC, was renamed the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building

Scope and content:

The papers of Eloise Bittel Cohen include daily and travel diaries, personal and professional correspondence, family scrapbooks, photographs, calendars, address books, genealogies, guest books, congressional reports, financial and real estate records, school report cards, clippings, awards, invitations, drawings, 2 microcassettes, 8 VHS tapes, and 90 8mm films.

Appraisal and research strengths:

Why do we have this material? What does it document? How does it fit with the Library's holdings? Which parts of the collection have the most interest for researchers? Are there materials we have received that have little or no research value? Are there other archival collections of material about this person elsewhere?

This collection documents the personal and professional life of Eloise Bittel Cohen and her husband Wilbur Cohen. This collection reflects Eloise and Wilbur Cohen's dedication to the social welfare of those less fortunate than themselves, and how they fought to bring about reform in health care, support of the elderly, and other social reforms. Wilbur Cohen is often considered  the father of Social Security, and spent much of his professional career during the 1940s and 1950s traveling around the United States and the world lecturing on the topic of universal health care and social security. Eloise Cohen traveled with Wilbur when she could, and also spoke on the topics of social security and social reform. Wilbur Cohen served the Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, and Johnson Administrations, first on the Social Security Advisory Board, and later as Assistant Secretary, Under Secretary, and finally Secretary of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. This collection not only documents Wilbur Cohen's professional career in Washington, DC, but also gives a snapshot of the social lives of the politicians and cabinet members in Washington, DC, between 1961 and 1968. Eloise and Wilbur were invited to many of the social events held in DC during this time. They were personal friends of the Johnsons; President Johnson, the First Lady, and Eloise were all from Texas.

This collection also will give researches a glimpse into the married life of Wilbur and Eloise. During the 1940s and 1950s while Wilbur was traveling for the Social Security Board Eloise had to stay home to raise their three sons. Wilbur wrote to Eloise almost daily while he was traveling, and often commented on the lack of intimacy and warmth from Eloise in her letters. Beginning in the late 1940s, Eloise had an affair with a family friend. This affair almost ended their marriage. Wilbur wrote very frankly about his feelings regarding the affair, his marriage to Eloise, and how he still loved her. In 1950, Eloise ended her affair and began to repair the damage she had brought to their union, although Wilbur's letters give the impression that he was uncomfortable leaving Eloise behind while he was traveling. Eventually,they did manage to heal the break completely. After Wilbur's death  in 1987 Eloise wrote letters addressed to him. They are very poignant, especially the first which reads "You stopped breathing this morning but you will never stop being my husband, my lover, my best friend, my teacher."

This collection will also be valuable to researchers studying the effects of aging and memory loss. Eloise began to show symptoms of early Alzheimers in the 1990s, and often wrote notes to herself because she knew she was forgetting things.

Wilbur Cohen's professional papers are held at Cornell University, the New York State Library, University of Michigan, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, the Wisconsin Historical Society, and NARA.

Existing folders, description, order:

Does any of this exist? Is the material in folders? Are most of the folders titled? Will you use the donor's titles in the inventory, or put the donor's titles in quotation marks? Has the donor grouped material in any way you can discern (binders, colored folders, etc.)?

While you may create a container list or basic inventory for your own purposes while surveying, you do not need to include a container list of the collection as it currently is packed in the processing plan. This is also the place to put information about a/v formats that are often tracked separately – are there any? Are they listed in AV/DC Tracker? Does the person/org have a website? Are we already capturing it?

Are there born-digital files? Please take a preliminary look at them (if possible) while surveying the collection. Describe any order, titles, etc. and your thoughts about potential ways to describe and/or provide access. How do the born-digital files relate to the paper files? How do you imagine describing the digital files in the finding aid?

This collection is housed in folders with usable titles.  The family has created a spreadsheet of the folder titles, which will be concatenated into the FA. The collection is in alphabetical and chronological order, for the most part. There is overlap, as some of the people who have their own folders, also appear in Eloise's chronological run of letters. I believe that some of this collection should be re-sorted, as material related to both Eloise and Wilbur is housed with Wilbur's run of material.  There is a holliger box at the end of the collection that has not be sorted by the family.

There are two microcassettes from an oral history interview of Wilbur Cohen from May 1987, the month he died.

There are 90 8mm films that were transferred to 8 VHS tapes. These 8mm films are housed in boxes or film cans. They range in date from 1938 to the 1960s. Joanne and I have detected the faint smell of vinegar with some of the film. These films are not currently in AV/DC tracker.

ARRANGEMENT

Propose an arrangement for the collection. Make sure to include the general sizes of each series. Ideally, you should list the series with sizes, and then underneath provide a more complete description of what kinds of materials will go in each series.

In the general scope above, you may have said the collection contained correspondence. Here is the place to note that it contains extensive correspondence with Andrea Dworkin. (And you should be that specific). If you have only popped open the lids of cartons and looked at the folder titles, you are not ready to write a processing plan.

Please also give an indication of how material will be arranged in series.

EXAMPLE: Correspondence will be arranged chronologically.

 *Please Note: If you feel you cannot provide the level of depth necessary for this section without moving or sorting material, discuss with your team lead. The processing plan can be an iterative process, but this requires communication. 

Series I. Biographical and personal 1926-2004 3 cartons, 3 boxes

Series II. Diaries 1926-1995 6 cartons, ½ box

Series III. Correspondence 1926-1995 12 cartons

Series IV. Organizations 1935-1990 3 cartons

Series V. Wilbur Cohen 1924-1987 5 ½ cartons

Series VI. Bittel and Cohen families 1905-2000

    Subseries A. Bittel 1 carton

    Subseries B. Cohen ½ carton

Series VII. Photographs and audio visual 1938-1999 1 carton 1 box

Series I. Biographical and personal 1926-2004 3 cartons, 3 boxes

Includes calendars, speeches, articles by and about Cohen, passports, scrapbooks, recipes, financial records, real estate records, notes from classes taken by Cohen at the University of Michigan, writings from Turner clinic writing group in Ann Arbor for people over 60, poems, the baby book of Christopher Cohen with typed memories of his first year, and scrapbooks. This subseries also contains material related to the trip the Cohen's took with Lady Bird Johnson in 1968. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series II. Diaries 1926-1995 6 cartons, ½ box

Folders titled "Diary" often contain loose papers with diary entries; clippings; drafts of letters; notebooks with diary entries, lists, and excerpts from books, transcripts of phone conversations, and actual bound diaries. Eloise Cohen wrote her diary entries and letter drafts on any kind of paper she had to hand, including envelopes, hotel laundry bags, paper towels, glossy paper, back of reports, and computer paper. Almost half the diary entries are in shorthand, some of which have been transcribed either separately, or on same page. Some of these transcripts are not always dated so that matching the original shorthand with the transcript will be difficult. Diary entry topics include religious quotes and sayings, life at home with new babies, gas used on travel during WWII, health, housekeeping, excerpts from books, child-raising, family life, accounts of trips taken, and drafts of letters to Wilbur while he was away, lists, notes from Nixon's inauguration in 1969, entries of political meetings, Washington DC events with President Johnson and other cabinet members. It seems that Eloise talked to everyone she met about everything and then wrote it down. Eloise Cohen often commented on her faith through her life, and wrote frequently in her diaries about religion and faith. Travel diaries document the Cohen's extensive journeys around the world, including a trip to Russia in 1967 with prices of items in Russia, food eaten, and sightseeing. Other trips include Madrid, Paris, Denmark, Switzerland, Egypt, and China. Diary entries in the 1990s focus around her disbursal of her estate, and trouble she was having remembering things during the day. Eloise began to make lists of things to remember and questions to ask her niece Lynda who lived with her for a period of time. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series III. Correspondence 1926-1995 12 cartons

Includes correspondence with family, friends, colleagues, and others. Letters between Eloise and Wilbur include their courtship while Eloise was attending school in New York. They wrote about their future together, what the world would be like around them, possible social reforms, their families, Eloise's social work at the settlement house she was living in, and Wilbur's career in Washington, DC. Later correspondence includes the health of their children, marital problems, and the strain of Wilbur's constant travel. In the late 1940s Eloise began an affair with a family friend. During and after her affair Eloise saw a psychiatrist, possibly for depression, which Wilbur referred to as her "problem" in several letters. Letters written by Wilbur in 1950 give intimate details of Eloise's affair, Wilbur's feelings towards her, the man, their relationship, and his hopes for the future. He also encouraged her to talk to her therapist while he was away. Eloise's correspondence with many people often include Wilbur's continuing work on social policy, trips taken, visits to friends and family around the country, health issues of friends and family, deaths, and daily life. Many people sent condolence letters to Eloise after Wilbur's death. Former employees often wrote of Wilbur's candidness, warmth, and lack of bias. Correspondence with family includes discussions of her nephew Jim, who was paralyzed in a bicycle accident, her oldest sister Annette who committed suicide, stories from their childhood from her brother Julius, and the mental and physical health of her sister Anna who was in a nursing home for several years before she died. Letters with her three sons include letters from trips to Texas to visit Eloise's family, letters from camp, and later discussions of their careers, their wives, and their own children. Eloise and Wilbur were generous with their time and money, and many letters express thanks for that generosity. Eloise also received letters from her daughters-in-law, and eventually her grandchildren. Eloise often drafted copies of her outgoing correspondence in her diary entries, and also kept both chronological files of correspondence, as well as alphabetical files of her letters. Additionally, some correspondence between Eloise and Wilbur Cohen has also been filed separately within Wilbur's chronological files. Consequently, correspondence will overlap between Series II, Series III, and Series V. There are a handful of letters in Spanish. This series is arranged alphabetically and chronologically.

Series IV. Organizations 1935-1990 3 cartons

Includes correspondence, memoranda, reports, speeches, and other material related to the various organizations for which Eloise Cohen worked or volunteered, such as the Church of All Nations Settlement House, the League of Women Voters, the Goodwill Club, and the  International Neighbors Club. This series includes materials from Eloise role in Ann Arbor's local Democratic National Party where she managed campaigns for the Ann Arbor City Council, helped people register to vote, and raised campaign funds. Also found in this series are notes, memos, and reports from the ad hoc task force on agency services for the department of Child and Family Service of Washtenaw County, which Cohen served on in 1971. This subseries also includes documents from Eloise Cohen's work in Congressman Weston Vivian Washington, DC, office. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series V. Wilbur Cohen 1924-1987 5 ½ cartons

Includes correspondence, desk calendars, diaries, articles, awards, scrapbooks, reports, drawings, autobiographies and other personal writings, diaries, report cards, school work, curricula vitae, and financial records. Wilbur Cohen was very fond of improving himself, his family members, and the world around him. His correspondence with his family, friends, and colleagues reflects this, especially with his brother Darwin. During the 1930s Wilbur would return Darwin's letters to him with corrections in grammar and spelling. Wilbur was given to thoughtful analysis of thought and actions. This series includes a long document written by Wilbur, in which he attempts to understand how his childhood and his parent's relationship played a part in the disruption of his own marriage to Eloise. He writes about his feelings toward the marriage, Eloise's personality, and how after 15 years he still doesn’t understand her.

Wilbur also documented his reaction to the Kennedy assignation, and the transition of the Presidency into the Johnson Administration. This material also contains a memo regarding the FBI's investigation of Wilbur Cohen's actions in relation to connection between the Wagner Murray Dingell Bill, which dealt with health insurance, and socialized medicine in Japan after WWII. Wilbur received many letters of appreciation after his term as Secretary of HEW. Also included in this series are several sketches and water colors by Wilbur of still lifes, portraits, and landscapes.  Also contained in this series are several oral histories and interviews of Wilbur Cohen, including one conducted a couple of weeks before he died.  This series also includes material from the dedication of the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in 1988. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series VI. Bittel and Cohen families 1905-2000

Subseries A. Bittel family 1905-1995 1 cartons

This subseries includes family genealogies and histories, writings, maps, and a scrapbook. The Bittel family included Eloise Cohen's parents Jennie and Albert Bittel; her oldest sister Annette "Sister" Bittel, her brother Julius "Brother" Bittel, and her other sisters: Anna Bittel Riley; Vivian Bittel Becker; Patricia "Hattie Mae" Bittel Carson; Alberta "Gladys" Bittel King; and Vivian Bittel Becker. This subseries contains the scrapbook of Jennie Bittel. This subseries also includes material from a book draft of Julius Bittel's letters on memories of their childhood on the Texas ranch that Eloise Cohen was attempting to have published. This material also contains Vivien Decker's account of the limo company she founded. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Subseries B. Cohen family 1924-2000 ½ carton

This suberies includes family genealogies and histories, articles, writings, and a scrapbook. The Cohen family included Wilbur Cohen's parents Aaron and Bessie Cohen, his step-mother Ann Cohen, and his brother Darwin Huxley. Darwin Huxley, who served in WWII, changed his last name from Cohen to Huxley during the war due to the anti-Semitism he encountered. This series is arranged alphabetically.

Series VII. Photographs and audio visual 1938-1960s 1 carton, 1 album + photos from rest of collection

Includes photographs from throughout the collection of Eliose and Wilbur Cohen and their families.

90 8mm films which were transferred to 8 VHS tapes. Family sent handwritten index to VHS tapes. These VHS tapes are labeled tape 1 tape 2, etc. with times.

PROCESSING LEVEL and other MPLP issues

 This collection is currently housed in letter-size folders, but there is material that is larger than the folders currently are.

WORK SUMMARY

• Since this collection is alphabetical and has a database, the small amount of sorting will be simple. There is one box at the end which is a "where will this go" box.
• Segregate letters that need to be unfolded
• Have student unfold and folder letters
• Have student sort, check for dups, and refolder the Bittel and Cohen family histories and genealogies
• Break spreadsheet up into series
• Concatenate spreadsheet into FA
• Refolder and describe seven series using the 3 cartons per week/ 28.5 hours per week of processing metric
  • Series I, 3 cartons, 3 boxes should take an estimated 33 hours
  • Series II, 6 cartons, ½ box should take an estimated 58 hours
  • Series III, 12 cartons should take an estimated 114 hours
  • Series IV, 3 cartons should take an estimated 28.5 hours
  • Series V, 5 ½ cartons should take an 52.25 hours
  • Series VI, 1 ½ cartons should take 14.25 hours
  • Series VII cannot be estimated until number of photos to be cataloged is known.
• Have Joanne's intern Elizabeth watch the VHS tapes while comparing content to handwritten index provided by the family
• Have Elizabeth create spreadsheet of films?
• Have Elizabeth check 8mm film for vinegar syndrome and watch film with converter if possible
• Have Elizabeth re-house film if needed.
• Schedule photo meeting
• Have student start photocopying
• Meet with Amanda re: the scrapbooks, one appears to be moldy. Others have loose pages, but perhaps can just be stabilized. Also consult Amanda re: large bible school diploma which is very stained
• Complete photo / AV series in FA
• Remove photos to be catalogued and place  into photo folders
• Make sure photocopying is complete
• Finish FA

DURATION

Estimate how much time the collection will take to process. One model rate of processing suggests refoldering/describing at a rate of 3 cartons per week. However, you may feel the collection will take more or less time than this. Explain. Also take into account any vacations or other activities (exhibits, etc.) you may have that may affect this.

Mainly this is to give the processor and their team lead an idea of when the work may be done, as well as help plan for any future meetings or check-ins. It is merely an estimate.

• 3 cartons per week/ 28.5 hours per week of processing metric
  • Series I, 3 cartons, 3 boxes should take an estimated 33 hours
  • Series II, 6 cartons, ½ box should take an estimated 58 hours
  • Series III, 12 cartons should take an estimated 114 hours
  • Series IV, 3 cartons should take an estimated 28.5 hours
  • Series V, 5 ½ cartons should take an 52.25 hours
  • Series VI, 1 ½ cartons should take 14.25 hours
  • Series VII cannot be estimated until number of photos to be cataloged is known.

 SUPPLIES

PRESERVATION

What kinds of things did you notice in your survey? Is there mold? Does anything need special housing? Are there flaking scrapbooks?

There are 15 scrapbooks found in this collection including bound scrapbooks, magnetic photo albums as scrapbooks, and three ring binders as scrapbooks. The items in many of these are loose. One appears to be moldy. There is also a 1926 Sunday school diploma in rough shape, fragile and stained.

STORAGE

Anything out of the ordinary?

There are large wall or desk calendars that have been folded into fours to fit into the letter sized folders.

There is a large map of Bittel ranch in Texas, currently folded.

PRINTED MATERIAL

Is there any? Is any of it notable for any reason? Is any of it worth keeping and/or tracing ownership because of its importance as being part of the person's library? What kind of holdings does the Library already have of this person/organization? Are there related newsletters? If there is a lot, particularly of an ephemeral form like pamphlets, you could consider asking if it is worth keeping in the collection but cataloging separately (like pamphlets etc.).

 There are congressional reports included in some of the scrapbooks.