David Meeks papers
Scope and Contents
The collection includes correspondence, a daybook, newspaper clippings, a Holy Card, and publications from David Meeks in Muncie, Indiana ranging from 1899 to 1964 regarding David Meeks and his activities.
Dates
- Creation: 1899-1964
Language of Materials
Materials entirely in English.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections.
Biographical Note
David Martin Meeks was born in Muncie on June 19, 1910. After graduating from Muncie High
School in 1928, Meeks attended Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, and graduated from Yale University in 1930. He later attended Harvard Graduate School of Business Administration.
From 1937 to 1940, Meeks lived in Hawaii, working briefly for the Hawaiian Pineapple Company and then with Shell Oil Company in Honolulu. In 1940, he returned to Muncie to work in his family`s business, then known as Meeks and Sons Mortuary. The firm was started in 1844 by Meeks` great-grandfather, Robert, and Robert`s brother, Isaac, and is currently the oldest continuously operated business in Delaware County.
In 1943, at the height of World War II, Meeks received an appointment as a diplomatic courier with the U.S. State Department. He was responsible for delivering secret materials to U.S. missions around the globe. Following conclusion of the war, Meeks returned to Muncie and rejoined the family business, where he eventually became president. For nearly fifty continuous years as a mortician, Meeks was involved in arranging funeral services for thousands of local residents and those with family ties in east central Indiana.
Meeks was very active in the Muncie community and served in several organizations. He served as chairman of the Salvation Army and Mutual Savings Bank boards and as a member of the board of directors for the Muncie-Delaware Chamber of Commerce, Boy Scouts, Sheltered Workshop, YWCA, and the United Way. He was also a past president and member of the Muncie Rotary Club, and a member of the Muncie Club and First Presbyterian Church.
In addition to his business and community service, Meeks also had an avid interest in aviation. After receiving his private pilot`s license in 1934, Meeks became a member of the OX-5 Pioneers, a group of aviators founded to honor the famous aicraft engine. David Meeks died in 1992 at the age of 82.
Extent
0.6 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Arrangement
This collection is arranged by subject.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from David Meeks on 1981/11/11; 1988/09/22; 1991/06/21.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 1994/04/04 by M. Sears. EAD finding aid created 2011/06/09 by Bethany Fiechter.
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA
libarchives@bsu.edu