Guide to the Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer interview recordings
circa 1990-1999
Collection number: HMC-1273.
Creator: Strohmeyer, Nancy Jordan.
Title: Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer.
Dates: circa 1990-1999.
Volume of collection: 0.2 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Materials in this collection are in English.
Collection summary: Interviews conducted by an author and journalist.
Biographical note:
Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer was born in 1923 in Boston, MA. She attended Boston University where she began writing for newspapers. In 1949, she married John Strohmeyer. The Strohmeyers moved to Bethlehem, PA where Mrs. Strohmeyer became the director of the news bureau for Moravian College. In 1987, the Strohmeyers moved to Anchorage, AK. Mrs. Strohmeyer then joined the staff of the Anchorage Times as a theater reviewer and arts writer under the name Nancy Jordan. Mrs. Strohmeyer later became a copy editor for Alaska Newspapers Inc. and adjunct professor of journalism at the University of Alaska Anchorage. In 1996, her book, Frontier Physician: The Life and Legacy of Dr. C. Earl Albrecht, was published by Epicenter Press. John and Nancy Strohmeyer also owned the publishing company Cascadia Press. Mrs. Strohmeyer died in 2000.
Collection description:
The collection contains interviews on microcassettes conducted by Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer. Interviews with Dr. C. Earl Albrecht, Dr. Frank Pauls, Kitty Gair, and other Alaska nurses were conducted for her book, Frontier Physician. The collection also includes interviews with dancers from St. George, people from St. Paul, and Bob Atwood for other research purposes.
Arrangement: The collection is arranged in no discernible order.
Digitized copies: Selected audio cassettes have been digitized, some of which are available on Alaska’s Digital Archives. Other digitized copies of collection materials are not available online. However, they are available to view in the Archives Research Room. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Digitization was made possible by a Recordings at Risk grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR). The grant program is made possible by funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Technical requirements: A microcassette recorder is needed in order to listen to the cassettes in this collection. One will be provided by an archivist.
Rights note: Archives does not hold copyright to materials in this collection.
Preferred citation: Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer interview recordings, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Works used in preparation of inventory:
Staff. “OBITUARIES,” Anchorage Daily News (AK), September 23, 2000: B11, accessed December 18, 2017, http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/0F793D73EAD7270F?p=AWNB.
Related materials: Archives and Special Collections also holds the following collections: HMC-1073: John Strohmeyer papers; HMC-0375: C. Earl Albrecht papers; HMC-0489, Frank Pauls papers; and HMC-0989, Atwood family papers. The Kitty Gair collection is available at the Alaska State Library Historical Collections.
Custodial history: Upon the death of Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer, the materials in this collection were in the custody of her husband, John Strohmeyer. When John Strohmeyer died, the collection was transferred to Sylvia Broady, who married John Strohmeyer after Nancy Jordan Strohmeyer’s death.
Acquisition note: The collection was donated to Archives and Special Collections by Sylvia Broady in 2015.
Processing information: This collection was described by Veronica Denison in 2017. Additional description was added by Becky Butler in 2019.
| Box/Folder | Description | Date |
| 1/4 | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Margery Albrecht and Dr. C. Earl Albrecht. Topics discussed include: finding a new hospital in Sitka, Dr. Roy Lyman Sexton, how Margery met Earl, Dr. Albrecht’s first wife Blanche Smith, his children, his work in the Matanuska Valley, why he became a doctor and came to Alaska, his work in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and as the Commissioner of Health in Alaska, mental health and tuberculosis in Alaska, the building of the Alaska Native Medical Center, circumpolar health initiatives, his work with Russian physicians, Ernest Gruening, Dr. Albrecht’s work with Dr. Joseph H. Romig, Dr. Albrecht’s work in Palmer, the Matanuska Valley colony, the emergency use of a reed as a catheter, Kitty Gair, Dr. Albrecht’s influence on young doctors, the search for the first commissioner of health in Alaska, and the logistics of writing “Frontier Physician: The Life and Legacy of Dr. C. Earl Albrecht.” | circa 1993-1996 |
| 1/5/A | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing former public health nurse Kitty Gair. Topics discussed include: how Gair met Dr. C. Earl Albrecht, her work in hygiene in Akutan, Southeast Alaska, along the Bering Sea, the Seward Peninsula, and St. Lawrence Island, the Red Cross, Dr. C. Earl Albrecht’s career, health care and conditions in rural Alaska between 1930 and 1950, tuberculosis and polio among Alaska Natives, nursing in Alaska, and Gair’s opinion of Dr. Albrecht as the Alaskan Commissioner of Health. | circa 1993-1996 July 8 |
| 1/5/B | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Dr. Frank Pauls. Topics discussed include: health care in Alaska prior to having a Commissioner of Health, the creation of an Alaskan health department, health care education in Alaska, military “90-day Wonders,” tuberculosis, sanitariums in Alaska, the survey of rural Alaskan tuberculosis cases by steamship, railroad, place, and dog sled, George Hayes, the military’s cold weather test laboratory at Ladd Field in Fairbanks, public health nurse centers, microbiology services in Alaska, and Dr. Pauls’ World War II service and work in Texas. | circa 1993-1996 July 13 |
| 1/6/A | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Dr. Frank Pauls. Topics discussed include: Dr. C. Earl Albrecht’s work as an administrator and in collecting tuberculosis tests, Dr. Albrecht’s relationship with the medical society and Dorothy Whitney, Dr. Albrecht’s work in mental health care in Alaska and Ohio, the Alaska Psychiatric Institute and its predecessor in Valdez, Dr. Albrecht’s skill as a debater, D. Albrecht’s military service and marriages, Dr. Albrecht’s work in the American Society for Circumpolar Health and the Arctic Health Research Center, and Dr. Albrecht’s research interests. | circa 1993-1996 July 13 |
| 1/6/B | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Diane, an Australian former community health aide, and an Aleut dance group. Topics discussed include: St. George, St. Paul, and the Pribilof Islands, indigenous dance in the Aleutian Islands, dance regalia and masks, high schools in the Aleutians, Australian Aboriginal dance, substance abuse in St. George, and Aleut dance history. | undated |
| 1/7 | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing former public health nurses. Topics discussed include: pregnancy and delivery in rural Alaska, the removal of ribs to treat tuberculosis, the collection of tuberculosis tests, Dr. Albrecht’s delivery of lambs, Dr. Albrecht’s first surgery, the Matanuska Colony, and nursing in rural Alaska. | circa 1993-1996 |
| 1/8 | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Dr. John Middaugh. Topics discussed include: the American Society for Circumpolar Health, Dr. Middaugh’s career in public health, how telecommunication advances impacted health care in Alaska, Dr. C. Earl Albrecht and Dr. Frederick Milan’s contributions to health in Alaska, the International Union for Circumpolar Health, the influence of the military on Alaskan public health, the need for U.S./Arctic science policy, tuberculosis in Alaska, the 1954 Parron Report, and international Arctic health research. | circa 1993-1996 July 25 |
| 1/9/A | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing a group of unidentified business strategists for an article in Alaska Business Monthly. Topics discussed include: modeling business markets, Carrs, Holland America, corporate litigation, the men’s time working with the Air Force, client relations, and business strategies. | circa 1990-1999 |
| 1/9/B | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer testing her tape recorder. | undated |
| 1/10 | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing Margery Albrecht and Dr. C. Earl Albrecht. Topics discussed include: patient appreciation for Dr. Albrecht, the donation of Dr. Albrecht’s papers to the archives at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Palmer hospital, the passage of a Congressional bill to fund Alaskan public health, E.L. “Bob” Bartlett, Dr. Phillip Moore, Dr. Albrecht’s legacy and love of music. | circa 1993-1996 |
| 1/11 | Audio cassette tape: Recording of Strohmeyer interviewing a group of school-aged dancers from St. Paul. Topics discussed include: indigenous dance on St. Paul, dance regalia, Aleut dance tradition, a dance performance with drumming, and the Aleut language. Recording quality is poor. | circa 1990-1999 October 13 |