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Elmer Rusco papers

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS 748

Overview

Elmer R. Rusco, a Kansas native and graduate of the University of Kansas, was an activist, author, and professor of political science, specializing in the civil rights movement, at the University of Nevada-Reno. This collection is comprised of material related to Rusco's participation in the civil rights movement as well as research regarding minority rights, conducted for the completion of his master's thesis.

Dates

  • Creation: 1941 - 1969

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of Elmer Rusco

Elmer R. Rusco (May 6, 1928-July 10, 2004) was an activist, author, and professor specializing in the civil rights movement.

Rusco was born on May 6, 1928 at Wichita, Kansas, where he grew up and graduated from North High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1948 from the University of Kansas (KU), and went on to complete his master's there in 1951. While a student at KU Rusco worked with local and campus organizations to further the cause of civil rights both at the state and national levels, demonstrated by his service as president of the Lawrence chapter of the Chicago-based group Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and his participation in other like organizations.

After completing his studies, Rusco went to Reno, Nevada in 1963 and became a professor of political science at the University of Nevada-Reno, where he earned Emeritus status. During his tenure, he authored several books on race issues, and the Civil Rights Movement.

Together with his wife, Mary, Rusco had one son, Frank, and one daughter, Kathy. He died on July 10, 2004, in Arlington, Virginia.

Extent

1.5 Linear Feet (3 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The collection documents Elmer R. Rusco's participation in organizations promoting civil rights, as well as his thesis research conducted while a student at the University of Kansas. The material is arranged alphabetically by organization name or document form, with five folders of notes and miscellaneous material filed at the end of the sequence.

Physical Location

RH MS 748

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, Elmer Rusco, 1993

Title
Guide to the Elmer Rusco Collection
Subtitle
Elmer Rusco papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by bkm,2006; Finding aid encoded by bkm, 2006
Date
2006
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in <language encodinganalog="language">English</language>
Sponsor
Support for the processing of this Collection was provided by the Dana and Sue Anderson African American Collecting Program Endowment Fund.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/8907849881
Preferred citation
Elmer Rusco Collection, Kansas Collection, RH MS 748, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas Libraries

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334