Guide to the John E. Manders sound recordings
1951-1959
Collection number: HMC-0386.
Creator: Manders, John E., 1895-1973.
Title: John E. Manders sound recordings.
Dates: 1951-1959.
Volume of collection: 1.0 cubic feet.
Language of materials: Collection materials are in English.
Collection summary: Speeches and interviews recorded and collected by the former mayor of Anchorage.
Biographical note:
John E. Manders was born in Denver, Colorado in 1895. He attended the University of San Francisco and the San Francisco Law School (1912-1918) and was admitted to the California Bar in 1918. He practiced law in San Francisco until 1941, when he moved to Alaska. He was admitted to the Alaska Bar in 1941 and began a law practice in Anchorage which he maintained until his death. He served as mayor of Anchorage (1945-1946) and as a member of the Anchorage Utility Board (1949-1954). He was a candidate for United States Senate in 1958. He died in Anchorage in 1973.
Collection description:
The collection consists of 25 reel-to-reel sound recordings of speeches by and interviews with John Manders from 1951-1955, as well as recordings that Manders collected of other Alaskan and national public figures from 1951-1959. Recordings by Manders in the collection include his speeches for Alaska Day in 1952 and the 165th anniversary of the United States Constitution in 1954, a 1952 speech on United States Secretary of State Dean Acheson and communism in U.S. government, an interview he gave in 1955 for the “Alaska Press Conference of the Air” concerning statehood for Alaska, among other topics. Other recordings in the collection include reminiscences by early Kenai resident “Moose Meat John” Hedberg, a series of advertisements made by John Butrovich for Bob Reeve’s 1952 campaign for Alaska territorial delegate to Congress, a 1953 “Alaska In Review” interview with Bob Atwood concerning statehood for Alaska, a 1951 speech by General Douglas MacArthur, testimonials on the death of Senator Robert A. Taft, and a 1959 speech by Herbert Hoover on communist relations with the west, and other recordings of and concerning Alaskan politicians and politics.
Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized. For information about obtaining digital copies, please contact Archives and Special Collections.
Rights note: The Archives holds copyright to all collection items created by John Manders but may not hold rights to items created by others in the collection.
Preferred citation: John E. Manders sound recordings, Archives and Special Collections, Consortium Library, University of Alaska Anchorage.
Acquisition note: The collection was presented to the archives by Kay DuBois as a representative of Henrietta Manders in 1991. A deed of gift was signed in 1991.
Processing information: This collection was arranged and described by Carolyn Bowers in 1993. The guide to the collection was revised by Megan K. Friedel in 2010.
Container list:
| Tape number | Description | Date |
| 1 | John Manders, Anchorage election for Councilman. Pre-election speech by John Manders concerning democracy and the Anchorage Council. | 1951 October 1 |
| 2-7 | John Manders, “Pink Dean” No. 1, 1952 election, KENI. Speech by John Manders concerning Dean Acheson, U.S. Secretary of State, and communism in the State Department. Tapes 4-7 are duplicates of Tapes 2-3. Last fourth of Tape 2 contains a portion of an “Old Fashioned Revival Hour” program. Last third of Tape 3 contains a news broadcast by Sam Hayes, sponsored by the Alaska Salmon Industry. Last half of Tape 7 contains a portion of a program concerning Anchorage road construction, and a portion of an American Federation of Labor “get out the vote” advertisement on the Mutual Don Lee Broadcasting System. | 1952 October 13 |
| 8 | John Manders, Alaska Day address. Last third of the tape contains a portion of a “True Stories” program. | 1952 October 18 |
| 9 | John Manders, Constitution Day address. Speech concerning democracy and freedom given by Manders on the 165th anniversary of the United States Constitution. | 1954 |
| 10 | John Manders, Commonwealth, KBYR at Westward Hotel. Recording of the 10th edition of the “Alaska Press Conference of the Air.” Includes interviews with John Manders by Cliff Sarenek, managing editor of the Anchorage Daily News; Jess Clark, radio station KFQD; George Anderson, editor and publisher of the Spotlight; Carl Armstrong, of radio station KBYR; and moderator, Bill Lomen. The interview concerns the issue of commonwealth versus statehood for Alaska. | 1955 April 8 |
| 11 | Moose Meat John (John Hedberg) reminiscences.
Side 1: John Hedberg (1865-1951) talking about his life and activities in the Kenai area. Made by Elmore Whitehorse, Anchorage, Alaska. Side 2: Louis Odsather, personal recollections of stories told by John Hedberg. Included with the tape is a letter from Louis Odsather to John Manders concerning the tape and Odsather’s recording of his personal recollections of Hedberg. The letter is dated 1962 November 6. |
undated |
| 12-15 | John Butrovich campaign advertisements. John Butrovich campaign advertisements for Bob Reeve’s campaign for territorial delegate to Congress, concerning land and private industry, government corruption in the Palmer Airport Deal, and federal control of Alaska’s resources. The end of Tape 12 contains a portion of a Frank Edwards news broadcast on the Korean War, and a “get out the vote” ad by the American Federation of Labor. Tapes 13-15 contain duplicate portions of Tape 12. | 1952 |
| 16 | Juneau Democratic Party, Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner.
Side 1: Includes speeches by Vern Metcalfe, candidate for territorial house of representatives; Mark Wilson, former mayor of Douglas and candidate for the territorial senate; Morgan Reed, former mayor of Skagway and candidate for the territorial senate; Neil Moore, candidate for territorial auditor; Robert (Bobbie) Sheldon, candidate for the territorial house of representatives; and Jerry Williams, candidate for the territorial house of representatives. Side 2: recording of a child’s piano practice (faster recording speed). |
1952 |
| 17 | Bob Atwood, “Alaska in Review.” Recording made of an “Alaska in Review” program with Al Owen and Russell Young, featuring an interview with Bob Atwood, chairman of the Alaska Statehood Commission. The interview concerns statehood for Alaska and the statehood hearings. | 1953 April 9 |
| 18-19 | FB-1523, tape No. 1, MK-PK Ramstad. Report by Dewey Dewar concerning his examination of field notebooks and reports from project No. DA-236 MK-PK, Project 1583, Ramstad Construction Co., to investigate charges of improper work and fraudulent and falsified reports and drawing from road construction on four roads by Ramstad Construction Co. during the 1951, 1952, and 1953 construction seasons. Recorded on both sides. | 1955 January 4 |
| 20 | Carl Sandburg interview with Edward Stanley on Abraham Lincoln. | undated |
| 21-22 | General Douglas MacArthur speech at the celebration of the centennial of the city of Seattle. | 1951 November 13 |
| 23 | Testimonial by Fulton Lewis on the death of U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft (1889-1953), MBS. | 1953 July 31, 1953 August 3 |
| 24 | Memorial to U.S. Senator Robert A. Taft (1889-1953), American Broadcasting Company (ABC). Includes clips of speeches by Taft. Side 2 contains partial recording of a “Breakfast Club” program. | circa 1953 August |
| 25 | “The Manion Forum” radio broadcast. Clarence Manion interview with former president Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) on communist relations with the western world. | 1959 May |