Rusk, Howard A. (1901-1989), Papers, 1937-1991 (C3981)

The Correspondence series is arranged alphabetically by the sender’s name. In cases where the sender represented an organization such as the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, the correspondence is filed under that name instead of the writer of the letter. The correspondence spans the 1930s to the 1990s.

This series includes correspondence from presidents, bureaucrats, fellow doctors, supporters, and those seeking advice from Rusk. The letters cover topics ranging from public health, international cooperation in health care, the Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine, new ideas for self-help devices for the disabled, and legislation for the disabled. The correspondence documents the rise of rehabilitation as the “third phase of medicine,” as Rusk liked to put it, and the efforts of Rusk and others to change attitudes and public policy regarding people with disabilities.

The Photographs series consists of photographs of Rusk and his colleagues as well as photo essays on individuals and programs at the Institute. Several photographs depict special events at the Institute such as holiday celebrations, groundbreaking ceremonies, and visits by prominent individuals such as Edith Bolling Gault Wilson, Bernard Baruch, and Eleanor Roosevelt. This series also contains photographs of the Army Air Force Convalescent Training Program Rusk began during World War II, autographed portraits of such Air Force officers as Hap Arnold, James Doolittle, and Lauris Norstad, and autographed photographs of presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, and Ford.

The photographs from Rusk’s travels, particularly those from his trip to Korea in 1953, help document international cooperation in providing rehabilitation services to underdeveloped and war torn nations.

These photographs also depict the struggles and triumphs of the disabled persons treated at the Institute and of the evolution of rehabilitation services from the 1940s through 1970s.

The photographs are arranged according to a number scheme developed by Rusk’s support staff, a copy of which is included at the end of the finding aid.

The World War II series documents Rusk’s early work with rehabilitation in the Army Air Force and is arranged topically. Publications, publicity clippings, and photographs from various convalescent centers make up the bulk of this series, but other items would also be of interest to those studying World War II, such as Rusk’s diary from the Potsdam Conference which includes his descriptions of London, Paris, and Germany in 1945, and his impressions of Josef Stalin and others involved in the conference.

Other interesting items in this series include booklets handed out to patients at the convalescent centers explaining the types of programs offered and a book detailing the accomplishments of those individuals who were awarded the Distinguished Service Medal during the war, including Rusk.

The Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine series contains materials on fundraising and dedications at the Institute as well as information on some of its better known patients like Roy Campanella. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.

The Organizations series consists of correspondence, reports, and publicity clippings regarding Rusk’s involvement in various organizations, most notably, the American-Korean Foundation, National Council on the Handicapped, and World Rehabilitation Fund. Most of these records reflect Rusk’s interest in international cooperation in health services and the role of the United States in assisting other nations in need of support.

This series is arranged alphabetically by organization name.

The Appointment Books series comprises Rusk’s appointment books from 1948 through 1969, arranged chronologically. The books, especially those from the early years, reflect his tireless efforts to promote the field of rehabilitation through a seemingly endless series of lectures and presentations to individuals, physicians, civic organizations, and government officials.

The Books subseries contains book projects Rusk was involved with either as author, co-author, or contributor. In some cases, he only wrote a chapter or the introduction to the book.

The Articles subseries contains nearly all the articles Rusk wrote for both scholarly journals and popular magazines and covers a wide variety of topics concerning rehabilitation, including rehabilitation in paralyzed, cardiovascular, stroke, and cancer patients, employment for people with disabilities, and psychological aspects of having a disability.

Rusk’s staff numbered each article and they are generally arranged chronologically. A bibliography of all the articles, with their corresponding number is included at the beginning of this series. A few of the articles are missing.

This series also includes the articles Rusk wrote for the Medical World News and New York Times. The articles from the Times were to have been microfilmed with other fragile items from the collection, so the folder numbers in this series do not run sequentially.

The Other Writings subseries contains book reviews, poetry, an unpublished manuscript on the Army Air Force Convalescent Training Program, and other writings of Rusk’s not listed in the bibliography. Chapters 7, 10, and 17 are missing from the Army Air Force Convalescent Training Program manuscript. Also included in this series are the reviews, publicity clippings, and correspondence relating to Rusk’s autobiography, A World to Care For.

The Publicity series contains magazine and newspaper clippings and other promotional materials concerning Rusk and his work as well as publicity from his various media appearances. Rusk actively sought publicity for rehabilitation medicine, public health, international health, and improvements in public accommodations, better health services, and employment for the disabled and aged. In addition, he often spoke out against mandatory retirement ages and inactivity in the elderly.

Some of the clippings are in scrapbooks that are arranged both chronologically and by topic. The series is arranged chronologically where possible.

The Speeches series contains announcements, publicity, correspondence, and photographs documenting to many of the speeches Rusk gave during his career. Rusk usually spoke extemporaneously so there are only a handful of his speeches in this series. However, the testimony he gave before Congress on several occasions about rehabilitation and public health legislation is included here.

The materials are arranged chronologically with a list of Rusk’s speaking engagements provided at the beginning of the series.

The Travel series consists of correspondence, publicity clippings, and photographs relating to Rusk’s medical missions and fact-finding tours. Of special interest are the photograph scrapbooks of a children’s rehabilitation institute and recreation camp in Poland given to Rusk during his trip there in 1951, as well as photographs from his trips to Korea in 1953 and 1956.

This series is arranged alphabetically by country name.

The Awards series contains award certificates, publicity clippings, correspondence, and photographs from award ceremonies honoring Rusk. The series also includes the nomination papers submitted for Rusk to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. While he never won the Nobel Prize, he was honored with the first Pacem in Terris Award, the Karen Horney Award, and the renaming of the Institute of Physical Medicine to the Howard A. Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation Medicine.

This series is arranged chronologically with a list of his awards included at the beginning of the series.

The Subject Files series contains miscellaneous information on Rusk and some of his activities and includes biographical and genealogical materials, a transcript from an interview he conducted with Hap Arnold, information on the Rusk Rehabilitation Center in Columbia, Missouri, and accounts of Winston Churchill’s visit to the New York Times office in 1949.

This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.

The Audio/Visual Material series consists of audio and video tapes and cassettes. The audio tapes mostly comprise radio programs. Several tapes concern the problems of returning veterans and most likely date to the mid-1940s.

The bulk of the audio cassettes contain Rusk’s reminiscences about his career. Others include his eulogies at the funerals of colleague Donald Covalt and longtime supporter, Alva Gimbel.

The video tape and cassettes contain vignettes of Rusk and the Institute as well as news accounts of the renaming of the Institute in his honor.

These materials are arranged chronologically within each media type.