Featured Items
Cite this collection
This is a suggested citation. Consult the appropriate style guide for specific citation guidelines.
[Identification of item], Ragsdale Family Papers, MSS-451, Arizona State University Library.
Ragsdale Family Papers
The Ragsdale Family Papers house photographs, correspondence, articles, clippings, interviews, and other materials documenting Lincoln and Eleanor (Dickey) Ragsdale and their families; businesses run by Ragsdale family members, including the Ragsdale Mortuary, the Universal Memorial Center, and the Valley Life Insurance Company; Lincoln Ragsdale’s service with the Tuskegee Airmen; and Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale’s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and various civic organizations in Phoenix.
The audio recordings present consist primarily of Sunday morning religious radio programs hosted by Austin Coleman and sponsored by the Ragsdale Mortuary and the Valley Life Insurance Company. Many of these programs were recorded to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Broadcasts feature Christian and gospel music, advertisements for the Ragsdale mortuary and insurance businesses, and political and social commentary by Lincoln Ragsdale, Eleanor Ragsdale, and many others. Of particular note is a recording of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Religious Witness for Human Dignity.”
Browse Collection