Elizabeth "Bes" Kimberly Papers

The Elizabeth "Bes" Kimberly Papers are housed in four archival boxes and are arranged in seven series. Series have been designated for (I) Departmental Activities, (II) Drama Alumni Activities, (III) Costume Design, (IV) Programs, (V) Personal Activities, (VI) Scrapbooks, and (VII) Photographs. The papers include photographs and scrapbooks of CIT/CMU Drama events, notes and scrapbooks on costume design, programs from the Studio Theatre (1981-1990), a set of memoirs by CMU/CIT Drama instructor, Fred Millett (1919-1923), and personal travelogues of her trips abroad.

The collection relates primarily to Mrs. Kimberly's activities as a drama alumni coordinator, with the bulk of the material from 1934-1989. The collection is mostly programs, clippings, and articles related to CIT/CMU alumni, including correspondence and articles from dramats Hardie Albright, Steven Bochco, Jack Brown, Robert Gill, Ann Henderson Hayes, and Coe Norton. She maintained memoirs of drama faculty Chester Wallace, Iden Payne, and Fred Millet, and research related to the publication of the History of the Drama Department, 1914-81. Also prominent in the collection is material relating to Kimberly's activities as a costume designer, including designs for The Golden Crucible, a performance commissioned for Pittsburgh's Bicentennial Celebration.

Items are arranged chronologically in series 1 to 6. For some of the material it was difficult to determine if the item related to Kimberly's personal records or those of the departmental or alumni activities. There may be overlap among the records in these series. It was also difficult to determine if the photographs and memorabilia were included for institutional or personal reasons. This collection provides significant evidence of the strong personal and professional ties Kimberly nurtured and maintained with her students from the Carnegie Drama Department. Extensive preservation photocopying (will be) completed for the Kimberly collection.