Finding Aids

A finding aid is a document containing detailed information about a specific collection of papers or records within an archive. Finding aids are used by researchers to determine whether information within a collection is relevant to their research. The finding aid for a collection is usually compiled by an archivist during archival processing.

The content of a finding aid may differ depending on the type of material it is describing. Usually, a finding aid includes a description of the scope of the collection, biographical and historical information related to the collection, and restrictions on use of or access to the materials. At the McKay Archives we include a detailed inventory that list contents. They may also include subject headings drawn from LCSH, AAT, or other controlled vocabulary.

Use the finding aid to help you determine if the collection meets your research needs. You will request materials from collections by specifying the box and folders you would like to view.

Check back as more finding aids are added, or contact the archivist with questions about other collections the archives holds.

Departments

Athletics Records consist of the various sports played at Florida Southern College from 1912 to 1935 and 1947 to present as well as departmental records.

Athletic Training Education Program records contains various materials from the Bachelor's degree program that was at Florida Southern College from 1996 to 2019.

Florida Southern College's Buildings and Grounds collection lists the built structures and features of the Lakeland campus, 1922 to present.

Cockroft Forum for Free Enterprise records consist of correspondence regarding the details of Forum events.

Campus Publications

The Southern Florida Southern College’s Student Newspaper Collection.

Faculty

Henry Green Barnett Papers Barnett was a faculty member of the English Department at Florida Southern.

L. Harold DeWolf Papers L. Harold DeWolf (1905-1986) was a Methodist minister, college professor, and theologian. He was the dissertation advisor for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and served as the Distinguished Theologian in Residence at Florida Southern College.

Dr. Boris Theodore Sokoloff was born in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1889. In 1947, he moved to Florida where he became the Director of the Cancer Research Institute at Florida Southern College where he researched bio-flavonoids and worked on a cure for cancer. The materials in the Sokoloff Faculty Papers concern his professional career as a scientist between the 1920's and 1970's.

Sue Stanley-Green is the former Director of Florida Southern College's Athletic Training Education Program who worked for the College from 1999-2019. Her Faculty Papers concern her time as both a Program Director and Faculty Member of the College.

Alumni

Gary L. Conner Newspaper Columns, 1958-1961 Conner was a FSC student campus correspondent for the Lakeland Ledger during the years of 1958-1961.

Eunice Pipkin Barnes Papers Eunice Pipkin Barnes was the daughter of Trustee L.N. Pipkin and one of multiple members of her family who attended Southern College. The collection contains materials from her time at Southern College and as a member of the Alumni Association.

The Pipkin/Barnes Reminiscences, 1994-2015 Dr. Zerney Burns Barnes, Jr., son of Eunice Pipkin, attended Florida Southern College in the 1940s and reminisces about he and his family members' time at the College.

Rosario Santiago attended Florida Southern College and was a members of Psi Chi (the psychology honorary society), Alpha Mu Sigma, the Student Education Association, and the Methodist Student Movement. In 1969, she was nominated to be Miss Southern by the Student Union Board.

Robert “Bob” Wardell is a Florida Southern College alumnus who attended from 1954 to 1958 and was the Secretary and Social Chairman of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Secretary of the Intramural Board, and a member of both Omicron Delta Kappa (Honors Society) and Future Teachers of America.

John Attaway Florida Freeze and Hurricane Research Files John Attaway was a citrus researcher who developed a program to define orange juice quality by the content of desirable components.

Dr. O.C. Bryan was a professor at the University of Florida who later was one of the founders and Technical Director of the Soil Science Foundation. The materials in this collection contain his research from his time at both the University of Florida and the Soil Science Foundation.

The Citrus Processors Meetings began in 1950 as part of the collaboration between the University of Florida’s Citrus Experiment Station (now known as the Citrus Research and Education Center) in Lake Alfred, Florida and the Florida Citrus Commission (now known as the Florida Department of Citrus). By 1999, the event had become known as the Annual Citrus Processors’ Day.

The Florida Canker Project, a multi-agency collaboration, was formed in 1985 in response to the 1984 outbreak of citrus canker. It was co-led by the Florida Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Agriculture who worked cooperativity with other government agencies, including the Florida Department of Citrus, in order to contain and eradicate this outbreak.

The Florida Citrus Mutual Minutes document Board decisions made between January 20, 1949 and January 4, 2011.

The Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle Newsletter spreads vital information to improve the overall citrus industry and has aided the growth of Florida growers, packers, and handlers. This collection contains issues from 1958 to 2006.

The Florida Citrus Processors Association (FCPA) began around 1926 as a loose affiliation of canning associations and companies under the guidance of Claude Everett “C.E.” Street of the Florida Grapefruit Canning Company. On December 7, 1931, the Florida Grapefruit Canners Association (FGCA) was officially established during its first meeting. In 1937, FGCA changed its name to Florida Canners Association (FCA). In 1941, the Citrus Processors Association (CPA) was formed, but by 1964, CPA and its activities were fully absorbed into the Florida Canners Association. On May 25, 1978, the Florida Canners Association changed its name to Florida Citrus Processors Association in order to better reflect the members of the organization.

The Florida Citrus Reporter newsletter was an independent citrus industry newsletter started by John D. “Jack” Gurnett on January 10, 1940. It provided an in-depth look at the industry and covered a range of topics including legislation, crop conditions, and scientific research relevant to the industry.

The Florida Citrus Showcase Papers detail festival planning in 1982.

James T. Griffiths Papers Griffiths founded the Citrus Growers Association and served in a variety of capacities in the Florida citrus industry.

The Haines City Citrus Growers Association was a grower-owned fresh citrus cooperative offering members grove care, harvesting, packing services, and marketing. HCCGA began operation in 1909 in Haines City, Florida and went inactive in 2022.

The Haskins Family collected and sold a variety of labels, including fruit and vegetable crate labels and cigar box labels. Harold Haskins, calling himself the “Florida Label Man,” and his wife Geraldine ran an antique shop for many years in Micanopy, Florida before moving to Tallahassee, Florida. Later, their daughter Mary also collected and sold labels as the “Florida Label Ma’am.”

The Hughes Memorial Foundation, Inc. was founded in 1961 as the Hughes Budwood Foundation by Lena B. Smithers Hughes in honor of her late husband Dr. Ausker E. Hughes. The foundation provided scholarships for undergraduate students in citrus and agricultural programs at both Florida Southern College and the University of Florida. In 2007, ownership of the Foundation was transferred to the Florida Citrus Nurserymen’s Association, and by 2008, the transfer process had been completed.

Dr. James R. Iley was the Technical Director of Applied Agricultural Research, Inc. (formerly Soil Science Foundation).

Dr. W. Bernard “Bernie” Lester is a former Executive Director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) as well as a former President of Alico, Inc. In 2012, Dr. W. Bernard Lester was inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame.

The Polk County Fertilizer Company was based in Haines City, Florida from 1936 to 1989.

Clifford Charles “Cliff” Rathbun was named the first Executive Secretary of the Florida Canners Association (FCA) in 1931. From 1951 to 1962, he also served as the Manager for the Citrus Processors Association after it became affiliated with FCA. In 1961, Rathbun was named Executive Vice President of FCA. C.C. Rathbun worked for FCA for 31 years until his retirement in 1962. 

The Soil Science Foundation was founded in 1939 to improve soil and fertilizer research. This collection contains both corporate records and reference materials used by the Foundation.

Frank Sullivan III owned Sullivan-Victory Groves, which began as Sullivan Packing Company in the 1930s. Multiple freezes in quick succession and the devastation citrus canker led to the closure of the packinghouse in 1991, but Frank Sullivan III continued his family business as a smaller mail-order gift fruit business with a smaller storefront until 2022.

C. Howard Sweatt was a leader in the Florida citrus industry, especially the citrus canning industry. He was involved with a number of companies and organizations including BESCO Products Company, the Florida Canners League, the Florida Canners Association, Golden Gem Growers, and Citrus Central Inc.

W.L. Thompson was a citrus entomologist involved in the study of citrus pests, particularly aphids and grasshoppers, from the late 1920s to 1960s. He worked at the University of Florida’s Citrus Experiment Station in Lake Alfred, Florida from 1927 - 1962. His work on controlling aphids was his most significant contribution to the citrus industry.

The Waverly Growers Association was an agriculturally based cooperative. It was a grower-owned fresh citrus cooperative offering members grove care, harvesting, packing services, and marketing. Founded in 1914 by a group of local growers, it was in continuous operation between 1915 and 2005 and managed by grower-members. 

The Winter Garden Citrus Products Cooperative was a co-op for turning juice into citrus concentrate.

Charles Oscar Youtsey (1929-2017) was a citrus researcher who focused on citrus budwood. In 1956, he began what would become a 38-year long career with the Florida Department of Agriculture. In 1977, Charles Youtsey became the Secretary/Treasurer of the Hughes Memorial Foundation, Inc. In October 1988, Youtsey also served as a consultant for the Mid-Yangtze Agricultural Development Project in China. Charles Youtsey passed away in 2017.

Charles E. Canady Papers Canady served as Lawton Chiles’ Chief of Staff in Washington D.C. from 1970 to 1989 and for a further two years for Andy Ireland.

James A. Haley Papers James Andrew Haley (January 4, 1899 – August 6, 1981) was a U.S. Representative from Florida.

Justice R. Fred Lewis Florida Supreme Court Papers, 1998-2018, was a Justice of the Florida Supreme Court.

Andrew P. Ireland Papers Andrew P. "Andy" Ireland was a U.S. Representative from Florida.

The Florida Bandmasters Association Records document the functions and activities of the Florida Bandmasters Association between 1936-2010.

Macasphalt Records, A. P.  The records of the Florida based paving company.

Polk Progress, authored by Dr. Carl C. Brown a former faculty member at Florida Southern, offers a detailed examination of the economy of Polk County, Florida and environs from 1983 through 2013.