Richard M. Long Collection
Collection Summary
| Title: | Richard M. Long Collection |
| Call Number: | MS 96-04 |
| Size: | 5.0 linear feet |
| Acquisition: | Purchased from Robert Hiezey 9-8-1995, and Leo Rasmussen, 10-16-1995 |
| Processed by: | DMB, 12-1995; JEF, 12-23-1998; MN, 12-6-2002; MN, 1-2015 |
| Restrictions: | None |
Literary Rights
Literary rights were not granted to Wichita State University. When permission is granted to examine the manuscripts, it is not an authorization to publish them. Manuscripts cannot be used for publication without regard for common law literary rights, copyright laws and the laws of libel. It is the responsibility of the researcher and his/her publisher, to obtain permission to publish. Scholars and students who eventually plan to have their work published are urged to make inquiry regarding overall restrictions on publication before initial research.
Content Note
This collection consists of numerous photographs and publications, obtained by Richard Long while in the process of writing his 1969 book, Wichita Century: A Pictorial History of Wichita, 1870-1970. Drafts of the book's manuscript are included as well as extensive research notes involving two Wichita murder cases from 1938 and 1950. Personal College, Long was a longtime newspaperman with the Wichita Eagle, serving in many capacities ranging from delivery boy to managing editor during his 49-year career.
Biography
Richard M. Long was born in Wichita, Kansas, in 1898. He began his employment with the Wichita Eagle newspaper as a delivery boy in 1914. One year later, he became a proofreader and continued in that position until he graduated from high school. After graduating from Fairmount College in 1921, he joined the staff as a reporter. He specialized in business and political reporting until 1934.
For the next five years of his life, Long was the executive secretary for U.S. Senator George McGill. He returned to the Wichita Eagle as the news editor in 1939. In 1946, he was appointed the managing editor of the evening edition and of the Wichita Morning Eagle in 1950. In 1958 he was appointed the managing editor of both newspapers. Long retired from the newspaper in 1963.
Long was a director of the Kansas Historical Society from 1950-1958 and its president in 1958-59. He was a director of the Wichita Historical Museum and one of the founders and president of Historical Wichita, Inc. That organization created Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum. He was also a member of the Wichita Library Board and chairman in 1950. Finally, Mr. Long was the editor of Wichita Century, the city's centennial book that was published in October 1969.
After a long illness, Long died on December 20, 1971.
For the next five years of his life, Long was the executive secretary for U.S. Senator George McGill. He returned to the Wichita Eagle as the news editor in 1939. In 1946, he was appointed the managing editor of the evening edition and of the Wichita Morning Eagle in 1950. In 1958 he was appointed the managing editor of both newspapers. Long retired from the newspaper in 1963.
Long was a director of the Kansas Historical Society from 1950-1958 and its president in 1958-59. He was a director of the Wichita Historical Museum and one of the founders and president of Historical Wichita, Inc. That organization created Wichita's Old Cowtown Museum. He was also a member of the Wichita Library Board and chairman in 1950. Finally, Mr. Long was the editor of Wichita Century, the city's centennial book that was published in October 1969.
After a long illness, Long died on December 20, 1971.
Detailed Description: Series Listing
| Series 1 | Box 1 | Personal and professional papers. This series includes a miscellaneous assortment of Long's personal correspondence and professional interests. |
| Series 2 | Box 2-Box 3 | Photographs. This series includes photographs, obtained from several sources, by Long while conducting research for his book, Wichita Century. The themes of the photographs are arranged in alphabetical order. |
| Series 3 | Box 4 | Printed materials. This series includes pamphlets, books, historical documents and yearbooks about Wichita. |
| Series 4 | Box 5 | Oversized photographs. This series contains oversized photographs. |
Detailed Description: Box and Folder Listing
Series 1 ‒Personal and Professional Papers
| Box 1 | FF 1 | Letters written from Robert “Bob” Long to his parents, during his enrollment at Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri. Contains letters from 1950-1952. |
| Box 1 | FF 2 | Spiral notebook containing “Wichita Historical Panels,” which include articles written by Dick Long and sketches drawn by Ben Hammond. The series was published in the Wichita Eagle. The notebook includes panels from 1940-1943. |
| Box 1 | FF 3 | Original drafts of the Wichita Century book, authored by Long. |
| Box 1 | FF 4 | Descriptions and photographs included within the Wichita Century book. |
| Box 1 | FF 5 | Poetry: “The Legend of Chief Wichita” and “Wichita’s Beginning,” authored by Clifford E. Sutton. |
| Box 1 | FF 6 | Newspaper articles |
| Box 1 | FF 7 | Personal and professional papers |
| Box 1 | FF 8 | Photographs and documents related to the Bruce Gibson Smoll murder case and the subsequent conviction of the accused,Ernest L. Hoefgen. Mr. Smoll was killed in 1938 and the trial was conducted in 1944. Letters from various sources involved in the case are included. |
| Box 1 | FF 9 | Newspapers articles of the Bruce Gibson Smoll murder case;from the initial disappearance of Smoll to the hanging of the convicted murderer, Ernest L. Hoefgen. Included are articles written about the arguments for against the death penalty. |
| Box 1 | FF 10 | Documents relating to the Carolyn Louise Stoddard 1950 murder case. Included are newspaper articles, depositions, police interviews and letters from newspaper readers showing concern about the police investigation. |
Series 2 ‒ Photographs
| Box 2 | FF 1 | Aerial scenes |
| Box 2 | FF 2 | Aviation |
| Box 2 | FF 2a | Aviation |
| Box 2 | FF 3 | Aviation pioneers |
| Box 2 | FF 3a | Banks; National Bank of Commerce |
| Box 2 | FF 4 | Bridges |
| Box 2 | FF 5 | Businesses |
| Box 2 | FF 6 | Churches |
| Box 2 | FF 7 | Cody, William F. |
| Box 2 | FF 8 | Coleman Company, Inc. |
| Box 2 | FF 9 | Cowtown Museum (Old Cowtown Museum) |
| Box 2 | FF 10 | Domestic laundry |
| Box 2 | FF 11 | Fire scenes |
| Box 2 | FF 12 | Fire department |
| Box 2 | FF 13 | Flood scenes |
| Box 2 | FF 14 | Historicial maps and documents |
| Box 2 | FF 15 | Homes (private) |
| Box 2 | FF 16 | Hospitals |
| Box 2 | FF 17 | Hotels |
| Box 2 | FF 18 | Innes, George & Co. -- Building and employees |
| Box 2 | FF 19 | Kansas Gas & Electric Company 1953 building before final demolition, 1914 and 1935 service trucks |
| Box 2 | FF 20 | Long, Richard M. |
| Box 2 | FF 21 | Masonic building |
| Box 2 | FF 22 | Mathewson, William |
| Box 2 | FF 23 | Mayors of Wichita |
| Box 2 | FF 24 | Murdock family |
| Box 2 | FF 25 | Muster roll (1868 and 1869) |
| Box 2 | FF 26 | National Baseball Congress |
| Box 2 | FF 27 | Native Americans |
| Box 2 | FF 28 | Oil exploration |
| Box 3 | FF 1 | Parades |
| Box 3 | FF 2 | Parks |
| Box 3 | FF 3 | People, identified |
| Box 3 | FF 4 | People, unidentified |
| Box 3 | FF 5 | Police |
| Box 3 | FF 6 | Public buildings |
| Box 3 | FF 7 | Railroad stations |
| Box 3 | FF 8 | Salvation Army |
| Box 3 | FF 9 | School children and buildings |
| Box 3 | FF 10 | Sedgwick County jury |
| Box 3 | FF 11 | Steffen's Bakery |
| Box 3 | FF 12 | Steffen's Ice Cream & Breitch Ice Company |
| Box 3 | FF 13 | Stockyards |
| Box 3 | FF 14 | Street scenes |
| Box 3 | FF 15 | Theaters |
| Box 3 | FF 16 | Transportation |
| Box 3 | FF 17 | U.S. Presidents |
| Box 3 | FF 18 | Wichita businesses |
| Box 3 | FF 19 | Wichita Country Club |
| Box 3 | FF 20 | Wichita Eagle |
| Box 3 | FF 21 | Wichita Museum paintings |
| Box 3 | FF 22 | World War I |
Series 3 ‒ Printed Materials
| Box 4 | FF 1 | The Great Way to the Great Southwest. Pamphlet. Publisher A. Owen Jennings, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 2 | “Wichita’s Victory Arch.” Program printed for the May 16, 1919 dedication of the arch. |
| Box 4 | FF 3 | Wichita’s Story. Historical booklet providing a sketch of the city, published in 1968 by Wichita Public Schools. |
| Box 4 | FF 4 | Wichita Magazine. Issue dated July 19, 1945, commemorating the city’s 75th anniversary. Official publication of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce. |
| Box 4 | FF 5 | The Flood. July 7, 1904. Souvenir pamphlet containing photographs of the Wichita flood. |
| Box 4 | FF 6 | Guide Book of Wichita Cowtown 1869-1872, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 7 | Trails. Pamphlet documenting the history of the Santa Fe and Oregon trails in Kansas, n.d. Wichita. Pamphlet documenting the history of Wichita. n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 8 | Sales brochure and handout explaining the contents of the book,Wichita Century, published by the Wichita Historical Museum Association. |
| Box 4 | FF 9 | Wichita Illustrated History 1868-1880. Book compiled and written by The Daughters of the American Revolution, October 1914. |
| Box 4 | FF 10 | Wichita. Color booklet produced by The Wichita Area Chamber of Commerce, 1970. |
| Box 4 | FF 11 | The Story of Water in Wichita. Color booklet produced by the Wichita Department of Water and Water Pollution Control, n.d.. |
| Box 4 | FF 12 | Wichita Report, A Letter from the Gang You Left Behind, Coleman Company, Inc. World War II newsletter. Designed to provide information to the employees, within the Armed Services, about their company back home, c.1943.; “Thirty Thousand Yesterdays,” an unpublished history of The Coleman Lamp and Stove Company and a biography of the company’s president, W. C. Coleman, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 13 | Souvenir History of The Wichita Fire Department 1872-1911. Booklet published by the Fireman’s Relief Association, 1911. |
| Box 4 | FF 14 | Wichita People. Guide book to the city of Wichita, published by the Wichita Chamber of Commerce, 1946. |
| Box 4 | FF 15 | Golden Anniversary, 1870-1920, booklet about the first fifty years of Wichita Lodge No. 99 A.F. & A.M.; and Symbolic Lodge Class Roster, 1914 yearbook of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite, Wichita, Kansas. |
| Box 4 | FF 16 | Wichita In The Seventies, 40th anniversary pictorial booklet of Wichita, 1908; Wichita, illustrated booklet published by Fred Harvey, 1914; Souvenir of Wichita, published by Hyde and Humble, Stationers, n.d.; Album of Wichita, Kansas, photo album published by Ward Brothers, Columbus, Ohio, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 17 | The Story of Wichita. Photocopy of an article written by John T.Neville, Detroit Editor of the magazine Aviation, illustrating Wichita’s influence in the aviation industry, 1930. |
| Box 4 | FF 18 | Published drawing of William Mathewson’s residence, Wichita,Kansas, n.d.. |
| Box 4 | FF 19 | Photocopies of Souvenir of Wichita and Wichita, The City of Opportunities |
| Box 4 | FF 20 | Wichitans in Cartoon. Photocopy of book that includes a series of cartoons of business and professional men of Wichita. The cartoonist is A. G. Allen who collaborates with the biographer and humorist Charles Bigelow, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 21 | Wichita Eagle newspaper annual report, 1958; “Editorially Speaking,” Wichita Eagle brochure to its advertisers. Print date undetermined; Found in the Files of The Wichita Eagle, booklet illustrating the seventy-one year history of the newspaper, c.1943. |
| Box 4 | FF 22 | 1914 and 1915 Wichita High School yearbooks. |
| Box 4 | FF 23 | 1916 and 1917 Wichita High School yearbooks. |
| Box 4 | FF 24 | Photographic copy prints of images published in the photo gravure section of the Wichita Eagle showing Wichita in its infancy. Many are from collection of W. S. Rogers. |
| Box 4 | FF 25 | One page advertisement for The Lee Investment Company, n.d. |
| Box 4 | FF 26 | Original certificate of election presented to Mayor William Greiffenstein in 1879; original receipts for annual subscriptions to the Wichita Beacon newspaper, 1878 and 1879. |