This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, and other items related to Merrill Ross' education career in Topeka, Kansas and to his time with the Tuskegee Airmen training program during World War II.

The Pamela Johnson-Betts collection includes awards, laminated newspaper clippings, correspondence, speeches, and a few personal items. Johnson-Betts was the first African American social worker to be hired by the Topeka Public Schools, served on the cabinet of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as the Secretary of the Department on Aging, and is the executive director of the Topeka Public Schools Foundation.

The papers of Forrest Slaughter consist of personal and professional records pertaining to his career as an African American jazz musician, music therapist, and school district administrator. Included are minutes of the Topeka Committee for Better Minority Education, which he established.

The papers of Joe Douglas, an African American Kansan, document his career with the Topeka, Kansas Fire Department and his active civic involvement. It ranges from correspondence to newspaper clippings to certificates that Mr. Douglas has received. Also included are Douglas's many photographs of the Fire Department and of other Topeka organizations and events, as well as photographs of other Douglas family members and the damage from the 1966 tornado in Topeka.

R.E. "Tuck" Duncan was a member of the Unified School District (USD) 501 School Board (Topeka, Kansas) from 1985-1989. This collection consists of records reflecting his activity on the Board. Papers from Duncan's time as the chair of the Topeka, Kansas Housing Authority in the 1990s-2000s can also be found in the collection.