Martin D. Schwartz papers

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MSS-242

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection documents the business and personal activities of Martin D. Schwartz. The business records series details Schwartz’s business activities and includes correspondence, planning documents, ledgers, meeting minutes, daily planners, and newspaper clippings spanning 1879-1993.

The collection also includes a number of planning documents, correspondence, ledgers, financial planning documents and calendars, for numerous Humanities and Jewish Organizations that Mr. Schwartz was involved in from 1941 to 2014. Most notable are the Humanities Council/Indiana Committee for the Humanities; Hebrew Union College; the Union of American Hebrew Congregations; and the creation of the Indiana University Jewish Studies Program and Helen and Martin Schwartz Lecture Series at the Indiana University Bloomington campus.

The personal papers series includes materials related to a number of personal activities, including correspondence, planning documents, publications, newspaper clippings, class notes, receipts, speeches, and awards from 1930 to 2004. The documents cover Schwartz's work with the American Veterans (AMVETS), including his receipt of the Ray Sawyer Award for Outstanding and Distinguished Service for his work with the Americanism Program; his tenure as a Harvard College student; the building of the house on Devon Street; the birth and activities of his four daughters; his military career and service manuals collected while on active duty and serving in the Naval reserves; and his involvement in Temple Beth-El in Muncie, Indiana.

The professional affiliation papers series includes financial records, correspondence, travel receipts, conference notes and brochures, and catalogues that relate to Schwartz’s professional activities that spanned 1948 to 2012. This includes extensive records from his participation in the World Business Council.

There are also a number of financial records, donation receipts, correspondence and meeting minutes associated with Schwartz's philanthropic and political activities from 1955 to 2015 including his continued support of Ball State University, Harvard College, and the United Way of Muncie, Indiana. Among his political activities, Schwartz’s association with the Democratic Central Committee and his service as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention of 1964 in Atlantic City, N.J. stand out.

The collection also includes a number of newspaper clippings, books, government publications, tool catalogues, and product manuals which are included in the Subject Files which span 1937 to 2004. Several audiovisual recordings including 33 1/3rd records, reel to reel, small tape cassette, audiocassettes, videocassettes, and DVDs are also included. Finally, included in the collection are a number of artifacts from Schwartz’s businesses and personal collections, many of which are undated.

Dates

1879-2011

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. Commercial audio recordings in Series 10 may be subject to additional copyright restrictions.

Biographical Note

Martin David Schwartz was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on March 27, 1917. Schwartz was raised in Muncie, Indiana and attended Jefferson Elementary School and Muncie Central High School. Schwartz graduated cum laude in government from Harvard College in 1938. In 1962, Schwartz received a Master’s degree in Social Science from Ball State University.

In 1940, Martin married Helen Frances Berger. Together they had four daughters, one of whom died in 2002. The couple resided in Muncie for a short time, then moved to Virginia while Martin served in the Navy during World War II. After the war, they returned to Muncie where they would remain.

Schwartz’s professional activities centered on a number of business ventures. After graduating from Harvard, he began working for the Schwartz Paper Company; a company that his parents started in 1921. In August 1941, Schwartz moved to Washington, D.C. where he headed the Coarse Paper Distribution Unit in the Office of Price Administration (OPA) and contributed to the development of maximum price regulations for products produced by the kraft paper industry. In January 1943, Schwartz left the OPA and entered active duty in the United State Navy. After serving in the Bureau of Ships in Washington, he was sent overseas and became executive officer of the naval amphibious base at Plymouth, England where he remained until the end of the war. Upon his return from active duty in 1945, Schwartz organized and started a number of businesses in Muncie, as well as other cities throughout Indiana. Over the course of his career, Schwartz served as president of each of the businesses he helped to create.

Additionally, Schwartz participated in a number of community activities. Highlights of these activities include serving as president of the Muncie Civic Theater Association; board service to the Muncie Boys Club, Muncie Chamber of Commerce, American Red Cross, Junior Achievement, and Muncie Symphony; and serving 14 years as trustee of the Muncie Public Library. Schwartz had a number of interests that sparked his involvement with numerous community organizations and clubs. Among these, Schwartz was very involved in the Indiana Committee for the Humanities (now the Indiana Humanities Council). His lifelong interest in the American Jewish experience led to his involvement in the Muncie Jewish community and Union of American Hebrew Congregations. Schwartz retired from the Young Presidents Organization in 1966 and subsequently became a founding member of the World Business Council.

For several years, Schwartz was a part-time faculty member in the Department of Political Science at Ball State University. He traveled extensively throughout the world and frequently lectured on social, business, and religious topics. In 1984, he and Ball State University faculty colleagues created a program of informal discussion among local business/professional and academic communities called “Town & Gown Conversations.” This program brought in experts in various fields to speak and became an important part of the cultural scene in Muncie.

Martin Schwartz died on June 20, 2017 in Muncie, Indiana.

Extent

50.9 Cubic Feet (58 boxes, 5 oversize folders, 1 rolled item)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Arranged in the following series and subseries:

Series 1: Martin D. Schwartz Humanities Council records, 1970-1999, 2005-2014

Subseries 1.1: Federation of Public Programs in the Humanities records, 1975-1997

Subseries 1.2: Federation of State humanities Councils records, 1977-1997, 2008-2009

Subseries 1.3: General Humanities Related Organizations papers, 1972-1991

Subseries 1.4: Indiana Committee for the Humanities records, 1970-1999, 2005-2014

Subseries 1.5: Muncie and Fort Wayne Humanities Organizations records, 1958-1998

Subseries 1.6: National Endowment for the Humanities records, 1973-1985

Subseries 1.7: State Humanities Planning Committee records, 1974-1981

Series 2: Martin D. Schwartz Jewish organizations papers, 1950-1998, 2001-2008, 2016

Subseries 2.1: Hebrew Union College records, 1977-1997, 2005-2008

Subseries 2.2: Indiana Jewish Community Relations Council papers, 1951-1984

Subseries 2.3: Indiana Jewish Historical Society papers, 1961-1996, 2005-2006, 2016

Subseries 2.4: Indiana University Jewish Studies Program papers, 1982-2009

Subseries 2.5: Middletown Jews Project papers, 1982-1997, 2002-2006

Subseries 2.6: National Community Relations Council correspondence, 1950-1961

Subseries 2.7: Other Jewish Organizations papers, 1941-1998

Subseries 2.8: Union of American Hebrew Congregations records, 1966-1995, 2001

Series 3: Martin D. Schwartz business records, 1879-1993, 2005

Subseries 3.1: 1724 Massachusetts Ave Association records, 1966-1978

Subseries 3.2: Allen Industries records, 1961-1982

Subseries 3.3: American National Bank records, 1970-1994

Subseries 3.4: Borle-American records, 1972-1978

Subseries 3.5: Daily planners, 1952-1974

Subseries 3.6: General Business papers, 1879-1989, 2005

Subseries 3.7: HBS, Incorporation records, 1969-1990

Subseries 3.8: Intech records, 1967-1994

Subseries 3.9: M and D Realty records, 1954-1984

Subseries 3.10: Marsh Supermarkets records, 1954-1983

Subseries 3.11: McMurtry-Martin Papers, Incorporated records, 1956-1984

Subseries 3.12: Montserrat Building Society records, 1964-1990

Subseries 3.13: Office of Price Administration records, 1937-1956

Subseries 3.14: Paper Associations papers, 1941-1983

Subseries 3.15: Ronimpex records, 1961-1987

Subseries 3.16: Schwartz Paper Company records, circa 1890-1993

Subseries 3.17: Taylor Martin Papers, Incorporated records, 1948-1984

Series 4: Martin D. Schwartz personal papers, 1930-2004

Subseries 4.1: AMVETS papers, 1954-1980

Subseries 4.2: Ball State University papers, 1938-1939, 1956-2008

Subseries 4.3: Community Activities papers, 1922, 1938-19391949-2009

Subseries 4.4: Correspondence, 1930s-2009

Subseries 4.5: Education papers, 1934, 1941-1978, 1992-1995

Subseries 4.6: Family papers, 1925-1927, 1939-2004

Subseries 4.7: Financial records, 1950s-2000

Subseries 4.8: Harvard University papers, 1930-1997, 2003

Subseries 4.9: Military records, 1940-1975, 1985, 1996, 2002

Subseries 4.10: Temple Beth El papers, 1922, 1956-1996

Subseries 4.11: Travel papers, 1939, 1954-1979

Subseries 4.12: Writing and publications, 1930-1995, 2008

Series 5: Martin D. Schwartz philanthropic records, 1941, 1963-2015

Series 6: Martin D. Schwartz political papers, 1939, 1950-1993

Series 7: Martin D. Schwartz professional affiliation papers, 1939, 1948-1999, 2005-2012

Series 8: Martin D. Schwartz subject files, 1937-2004

Series 9: Martin D. Schwartz artifacts, 1940-1976, 2013

Series 10: Martin D. Schwartz audiovisual recordings, 1968-2012

Subseries 10.1: Martin D. Schwartz audio recordings, 1968-1985, 1993-1996, 2007

Subseries 10.2: Martin D. Schwartz video recordings, 1985-2012, undated

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Martin D. Schwartz on 2004/06/14.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Related Archival Materials

Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:

MSS.266: Helen B. Schwartz papers

P.255: Schwartz family photograph collection

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2009/02/19 by Bridget K. Hahn. EAD finding aid created 2010/12/30 by Bridget K. Hahn. EAD finding aid updated 2014/04/28 by Rebecca Marangelli and 2016/05/31 by Brandon Pieczko. Addition processed by Alexis Robertson on 2017/03/22. Addition processed by Cody Sprunger on 2018/01/26.