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Dick Cole Ball Corp. and Metro Corp. designs collection

 Collection
Identifier: MSS-374

Scope and Contents

This collection includes correspondence, drawings, etc. collected by Richard "Dick" Cole in Muncie, Indiana from Ball Corporation and Metro Corporation ranging from 1955 to 1979 regarding glass jar designs.

Dates

  • Creation: 1900s

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

Richard "Dick" Cole is a long-time Muncie resident with a professional and personal investment in glass jars, especially those made by Ball Corporation. In 1971, Cole was hired at Ball Corporation as an environmental engineer. Around the time of his hiring, glass jar collecting was becoming popular, and Cole himself began to collect and study Ball jars in his personal time. During his time at Ball Corp., Cole became an authority on the subject of glass jars, and he collaborated frequently with other local glass jar enthusiasts such as Richard Roller and Philip Robinson. When Ball Corp. moved its headquarters to Boulder, Colorado in 1998, Cole chose to stay in Muncie after 27 years with the company. Not long after his departure from Ball, Cole became curator of industrial and business history at Minnetrista Cultural Center. Although Cole has since retired from Minnetrista, he still remains involved with the community of glass jar enthusiasts and collectors. He is a member of the Midwest Angique Fruit Jar and Bottle Club and continues to give speeches and interviews on the subject of glass jar collecting.

Extent

35 Cubic Feet (35 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

This collection is arranged by product number.

Custodial History

This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation.

Accruals

No further additions are expected.

Processing Information

Collection processing completed 2017/09/05 by Mackenzie Stahl.

Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Repository Details

Part of the Stoeckel Archives of Local History Repository

Contact:
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie Indiana 47306 USA