Vsevolod Meyerhold

Spending time in Special Collections is always an exciting adventure for me. Just this week alone I was rewarded for just a few hours of cataloging and research with several treasures. A seemingly nondescript paperback, “Belogvardeiskii terror protiv SSSR,” reported on the trial of five people accused of “belonging to a monarchist terrorist organization and of entering Russia armed with intent to commit terrorist outrages and spy for foreign powers.” Not an unusual publication for 1928, but what was unusual is the signature inside, of general Aleksandr Kutepov, the leader of the anti-bolshevik Volunteer Army, who was kidnapped and executed two years later in 1930. He was mentioned in the book as someone who possibly orchestrated the “terrorist outrages.” Finds like this are always exciting, but there are also finds that start a real research adventure.

“Seventeen Portraits” by Iurii Annenkov is a very large and beautiful book of drawings. We’ve always known it was very rare and very special. Before this week I knew little about its story or the provenance of our copy, only that it has Annenkov’s bookplate in it, which probably means it belonged to him at some point. A recent interest in it by a graduate student prompted me to do a little research.

Leon Trotsky

The album contains two portraits of Trotsky (Marxist theorist and the founder of the Red Army), four portraits of Zinoviev (revolutionary and head of the Communist International), and portraits of Meierkhold (symbolist theater director), Radek (Polish-Russian international communist leader), Antonov-Ovsienko (Bolshevik leader and diplomat), Skliansky (Trotsky’s assistant), Voroshilov (Soviet military officer), Zof (politician), Muralov (Bolshevik leader and member of Left Opposition), Enukidze (member of the Central Committee), Roy (Indian revolutionary, delegate to the Communist International), and Lunacharsky (first Soviet People’s Commissar of Enlightenment, art critic, and journalist). At the time of the album’s publication, 1926, all these people were prominent Soviet leaders, important and deeply respected. However, Stalin’s purges began shortly after and focused on “old Bolsheviks.” With the exception of Voroshilov, all Annenkov’s models were denounced and only two survived the purges. Roy was able to flee the Soviet Union and returned to India. Lunacharsky was appointed the ambassador to Spain, but died on the way there in France. Annenkov himself moved to Paris before the book was published and was removed from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia and was denounced in the Soviet Union even by his friend Mayakovsky.

Ephraim Sklianskii

In his already riveting memoirs, Annenkov mentions the fate of the book. He recounts that two years after its publication, by order of Stalin, the album was removed from all libraries, bookstores, and even private collections. Not a small task given the size of the edition, there were 2,000 copies of it published. Because Stalin became a follower of Voroshilov, his portrait was removed from all copies and the rest of the book destroyed. With bitter sadness Annenkov remembers Lunacharsky’s introduction to the book, which promises the enjoyment of the edition by many generations. The book did not even survive to be enjoyed by even one generation. Annenkov also mentions that five copies of the book were given to him by the Soviet embassy in Paris upon publication, four of which he gave away to friends, keeping one for himself.

Grigorii Zinov’ev

This is where my adventure became really exciting, since our copy of the book has Annenkov’s bookplate in it, signifying it as his personal copy. Next he mentions an “American bibliophile,” who approached him right after “deStalinization” in 1956, offering to buy his personal copy of the album. Annenkov refused, yet we still have his personal copy. Was this American bibliophile André de Saint-Rat, who collected or procured for the University Libraries the majority of its Russian treasures? Did he finally convince Annenkov to sell his copy or did he have to wait for his death in 1974? Did any of the other copies survive? My adventure continues as I dig deeper into the provenance of our stunning treasure.

Klim Voroshilov, the only portrait in the portfolio that was not destroyed

With the many and varied resources in Special Collections, it’s always a challenge choosing which ones to focus on for exhibits and special events. This October we will be celebrating two fascinating collections and we hope you will join us.

On Homecoming Saturday, October 19, we’ll host a reception for our main exhibit this semester, Cradle of Coaches: A Legacy of Excellence. From 4 to 6 p.m. in the Special Collections Exhibit Gallery and Reading Room, and the adjacent room 320, all on the 3rd floor of King Library, we’ll celebrate the legacy of our coaching heritage with an extended exhibit, additional media, and refreshments. At 5 p.m., after a welcome from Interim Dean Jerome Conley, Nick Selvaggio, one of the original donors of the Cradle of Coaches Archive, will talk about the origin of the collection. Then Johnathan Cooper, the exhibit curator, will lead guests on a guided tour of the exhibit.

On the following Wednesday, October 23, at 4 p.m., Miami alumnus and former NBC vice president Rick Ludwin will give the inaugural Annual Special Collections Lecture. Each year this new lecture series will highlight one of our many special collections.

“STUDIO 14,” Miami University Television and Radio, 1966-1970, will highlight the Rick Ludwin Collection, which includes recordings of Miami radio and television productions made during Ludwin’s student days. The lecture is being presented in honor of Professor Emeritus William Utter, former faculty sponsor. It will be held in King 320 and will be followed by a reception at 5 p.m.

Both events are free and open to the public. Please join us to learn more about the amazing resources available here in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections.

Elizabeth Brice
Assistant Dean for Technical Services and
Head, Special Collections & Archives

L-R Rick Ludwin, Richard Hackney, Eric Goodyear. November 14, 1966.

With a heavy heart I write that Miami alumnus Paul Dietzel (Class of ’48) has passed away.  The Walter Havighurst Special Collections at Miami University would like to commemorate Dietzel’s life and accomplishments.

Paul Dietzel was born on September 5, 1924 in Fremont, Ohio to Clarence and Catherine Dietzel.  Growing up during the Great Depression Dietzel’s family moved around a lot while his father looked for work as a mechanic.  They would eventually settle in Mansfield, Ohio.  Dietzel played center on the football and basketball teams and threw the discus for the track team.  In 1938, Dietzel’s team, Mansfield High School tied Paul Brown’s legendary Massillon team, 6-6, allowing Mansfield to share the Ohio State Championship with Massillon.  Paul met his future wife Anne Wilson while in high school at Mansfield.  They were married on September 24, 1944.

After graduating from high school, Dietzel received a scholarship to play football and basketball at Duke, despite being recruited heavily by Denison’s assistant coach and future Hall of Famer, Sid Gillman.  Gillman eventually became head football coach at Miami University, while  Anne was a student and cheerleader.  Anne would relay messages from Gillman to Dietzel, encouraging him to transfer to Miami.

Dietzel as a player at Miami

However, this was during World War II and Dietzel enlisted in the Army Air Corps.  While in the Army, Dietzel was stationed all over the country and saw action in the Pacific and Japan.  Upon returning to the states he was allowed to leave the Army.  He then enrolled at Miami University in 1946.

Under Coach Gillman Dietzel played his old position of center on the undefeated 1947 Sun Bowl team.  He was also named 2^nd team All-American that year.  After Dietzel graduated in the fall of ’47, Coach Gillman offered him a graduate assistant position.  Dietzel, of course, accepted.  However, in a strange turn of events, Gillman was offered the offensive coordinator position at Army by the legendary Earl Blaik after Blaik visited spring practice.  He accepted the position and asked Dietzel to come with him.  While at Army, Dietzel coached the plebes (freshmen) in football and basketball.

After one season at Army, Gillman accepted the head coaching position at Miami’s rival, Cincinnati.  He offered Dietzel the position of defensive coordinator.  Dietzel accepted, to Coach Blaik’s chagrin.  Dietzel would stay in this position for two years.  In 1951 he was offered a position at the University of Kentucky under another future coaching legend, Paul “Bear” Bryant.  Moving to the Southeastern Conference (SEC) was a step up, professionally, and after much indecisiveness, he accepted.  Dietzel coached the offensive line for “The Bear.”

Dietzel coached at Kentucky for two years before going back to West Point in 1953.  Re-joining Blaik’s staff, Dietzel coached the offensive line.  After the 1954 season, all four varsity assistant coaches left Army for head coaching positions elsewhere, the last of them being Dietzel.  Paul Dietzel was named the head coach of the Louisiana State (LSU) Tigers in 1955, his first head coaching position.

Dietzel’s first three years at LSU were rebuilding years.  They hadn’t had a winning season since 1953, or won a bowl game since 1944.  In those first three seasons (1955-1957), LSU’s records were 3-5-2, 3-7 and 5-5, respectively.  Year four, 1958, was when Dietzel got the program turned around.  That year he led the Tigers to a record of 10-0 regular season and a SEC Championship.  They were invited to play in the Sugar Bowl against Clemson.  LSU was ranked #1 going into the game and Clemson #12.  LSU won the game 7-0 and bringing LSU its first National Championship in school history.  Dietzel was also named Coach of the Year.  He was the youngest coach ever to win the award and also won it by the widest margin ever.

The following year, 1959, LSU was the unanimous selection as preseason #1.  They started out that season winning their first seven games including a win over #3 Ole Miss.  This brought their winning streak to 19 games, the longest of Dietzel’s career.  In the eighth game of the year against Tennessee, LSU lost 14-13.  They ended the regular season 9-1 and running back Billy Cannon won the Heisman Trophy, the only person in LSU history to do so.  LSU was invited to play in the Sugar Bowl in a rematch against Ole Miss, a team they already defeated.  Dietzel did not want to accept, because he felt there was no reason to play a team you had already defeated; fearing the team would not “get up” for a game against a team they had already defeated.  Unfortunately, the athletic director felt otherwise and they accepted.  Dietzel proved to be right and LSU lost 21-0, ending the season at 9-2.

Dietzel with Sid Gillman

Dietzel had a few more successful years at LSU going 5-5 in 1960 and 10-1 in 1961.  In seven seasons at LSU Dietzel’s record was 46-24-3 (65%) and 35-7-1 (83%) from 1958 to 1961.  They won two SEC Championships (1958 and 1961) and one National Championship (1958).  After the 1961 season Dietzel was offered the head coaching position at Army.  He accepted and returned to West Point in 1962.

When he was named Army’s head coach, he became the first non-Army graduate to become head coach.  Dietzel was the head coach of Army for four seasons, 1962-1965.  In those seasons Army had records of 6-4, 7-3, 4-6 and 4-5-1, respectively, for an overall record of 21-18-1 (54%).  After the 1965 season Dietzel received a call from the President of the University of South Carolina.  Ultimately he was offered the position of head football coach and athletic director with the hopes of turning around South Carolina’s abysmal athletic program.

The athletic department was on probation and in serious debt.  Dietzel’s first few years coaching the South Carolina football team were rough.  From 1966-1968 South Carolina won 10 games, which was an improvement of the previous three years (9 wins).  However, in 1969 Dietzel’s team went 7-4 and finished first in the Athletic Coast Conference (ACC).  This was the first time that any team from South Carolina had won a conference championship.  They were invited to play in the Peach Bowl.  This was only the second time in school history they had played in a bowl game (the other in 1948).  Dietzel was named ACC coach of the year that year.  Ultimately, his time as head coach of South Carolina was disappointing, record wise; their record 42-53-1 (53%) in Dietzel’s nine years.  However, as athletic director he had turned around the program.  Season ticket sales for football increased from 3000 to 25000 a year, the department was out of debt and he tremendously upgraded the athletic facilities.

After the 1973 season Dietzel decided to retire as a football coach.  He wanted to coach for twenty seasons, and that is what he did.  He had wanted to retire from coaching but remain athletic director.  Unfortunately, the coach that was hired to replace him was given the athletic director position.  He was reassigned to the position of Vice President of University Relations.  He was unhappy in his new role and resigned.

Dietzel would not stay unemployed for long.  Through an old friend he became aware of a position as commissioner of the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC).  He interviewed for and was offered the position.  He accepted, but held the position for only one year, 1975.

While commissioner of the OVC he ran into a former colleague, basketball coaching legend Bob Knight.  Dietzel and Knight had been head coaches of their respective sports at Army.  Knight informed him that the athletic director position at Indiana University (IU) in Bloomington, Indiana, where Knight was currently coaching, was available.  Through Knight’s influence (IU had just won the National Championship in basketball) Dietzel was asked to come in for an interview.  He was offered the position and accepted.  He would remain in Bloomington for two years.

Dietzel with Anne in front of his Statue in the Cradle of Coaches Plaza

In 1978 LSU came calling.  Their athletic director had resigned and they asked Dietzel if he was interested.  The Dietzels had made a lot of friends in Baton Rouge, but he was a little worried that some people had not forgiven him for leaving in 1961.  Ultimately he accepted and returned to LSU in 1978.  Dietzel was the athletic director for LSU from 1978 to 1982.  Unfortunately, in 1982 he was reassigned to another position within the university.  He resigned shortly thereafter.

Upset with the way things happened at LSU, Dietzel and his wife moved to North Carolina.  He enjoyed skiing and they had visited their often.  During this time he worked in real-estate, as a ski instructor and as a fudge shop owner.  The shop was fairly successful and eventually it became too much work for one person and he sold it.

In 1983 he was asked by Samford University to create an athletic department.  He accepted the position of Vice President for Athletics.  He did not enjoy this work and when his two year agreement was up, in 1985, he retired.  After retirement Paul Dietzel and his wife moved back to Baton Rouge.  He spent his retirement painting and enjoying time with his wife, kids and grandkids.  Dietzel passed away on September 24, 2013 at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife Anne, daughter Kathie DuTremble, son Steve, and two grandchildren.

If you would like to know more about Paul Dietzel, his autobiography, Call Me Coach: A Life in College Football, is available at the Miami University library.

John Cooper
Visiting Librarian
Walter Havighurst Special Collecitons

This Saturday marks the 125th Anniversary of Miami football.  Back on December 8, 1888 Miami University played its very first football game and it was against none other than our “friends” down the road, the University of Cincinnati.  The game ended 0-0, but marked the first of what would be the second longest rivalry in division 1 football.  The only rivalry that predates Miami-Cincinnati is North Carolina-Wake Forest which was first played a few months earlier in 1888, on October 18.  The Miami-Cincinnati rivalry is also the 4th most played rivalry.  Below is a list of the rivalries with over 110 meetings between the teams.

Most played NCAA Division 1 Rivalries

Victory Bell after a Miami win

The game between Miami an Cincinnati is better known as the “Battle for the Bell” or the “Battle for the Victory Bell, with the winner receiving the Victory Bell and keeping it until the teams meet again the following year.  Since 1909, the game has been played every season with the exception of 1943 and 1944, when World War II was at its height.  As you can see from the chart above, Miami is currently winning the series 59-51-7, though Cincinnati has won the last seven meetings.  The tradition of the Victory Bell began in the 1890’s when a group of Cincinnati fans “borrowed” the bell from the original Harrison Hall on Miami’s campus. The bell went to the winner of the game over the next 30 years until it disappeared during the 1930’s. The original bell reappeared in 1946 but was retired and is currently being preserved. The current trophy is a replica of the original bell.

Series Facts
Longest Cincinnati Win Streak: 7 games (2006-Current)
Longest Miami Win Streak: 5 Games (1913-1917, 1971-1975)
Largest Cincinnati Win: 46 (1904 46-0)
Largest Miami Win: 41 (1998 41-0)
Series Record: Miami 59-51-7
Series Score: Miami 1884-1844

In addition to starting one of the most played rivalries in college football, that game in 1888 was also the start of Miami’s football program.  During these 125 years Miami has accomplished a lot.  They are currently tied for 24th (with Clemson) in all-time NCAA wins among the 125 Division 1 programs with 688 wins.  Other accomplishments in the first 125 years of Miami football: 

4 Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) Championships (1916-1918, 1921)

3 Buckeye Conference Championships (1932, 1933, 1936)

15 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Championships (1948, 1950, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1958, 1962, 1965, 1973-1975, 1977, 1986, 2003, 2010)

668 wins, 410 Losses and 44 ties

61.3 Winning percentage

24^th most wins in NCAA FBS (currently 125 teams)

18^th highest winning percentage in NCAA FBS

9 Bowl Game Appearances (1948, 1951, 1962, 1973-1975, 1986, 2003, 2004, 2011)

7 Bowl Victories (1948, 1951, 1962, 1973-1975, 2003, 2011)

10 College Football Hall of Famers (Earl Blaik, George Little, Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Bob Babich, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, Jim Young, Ed Sherman, Carm Cozza)

3 Professional Football Hall of Famers (Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman)

Johnathan Cooper

Given the myriad and ferocious debates over copyright and ownership in the news today, it is difficult to believe that anyone would ever not want to take credit for their work, and yet literary forgery has a long and strange history. It may well be as old a practice as writing itself, and incorrectly attributed works – intentionally or not – can be found in nearly every period of literature.

An early edition of the Ossianic cycle

When I first came to the Walter Havighurst Special Collections library seven months ago, I was taking some time to explore the stacks and get to know the collection. It was then that I came upon our editions of the Ossian poems, which represent a moment in literary history I have always found fascinating. In the middle of the 18th century, a Scottish poet named James MacPherson published his translation of the works of Ossian, said to be a bard from third century Scotland. The Ossianic poems are narrated by Ossian in his old age, recounting triumphs and tragedies surrounding his family, especially his father Fingal; the characters themselves are loosely connected to the Irish heroes Oisin and his father Fionn mac Cumhaill. This cycle of epic poetry rapidly became an international sensation and is credited as a major influence of both the Gaelic revival and the Romantic movement.

However, while the tales of Ossian had captured the minds and hearts of Enlightenment philosophers and Romantic artists, scholars of language and history (most famously Samuel Johnson) were not far behind in pointing out historical and linguistic inconsistencies of MacPherson’s supposed translation. Under increasing pressure, MacPherson was unable to produce the original Gaelic manuscripts for his translation and the Ossianic cycle has become known as one of literature’s most famous forgeries. In many ways, it is an even odder twist that its spurious origins are what the Ossianic cycle is now best remembered for. On its own it is a stunning work of literature, both in story and in style, and at its publication Ossian was widely hailed as a challenger to Homer’s crown as king of epic poets. Yet by some compulsion, MacPherson felt obligated to reject authorship of his own work in favor of a legendary figure of the past.

Frontispiece from a 1543 Italian edition of Dares and Dictys as well as other (generally spurious) works

He was not the first, either. In the late Classsical and early Medieval periods, a pair of works surfaced claiming to be eye-witness accounts to the Trojan War. Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis, both figures briefly mentioned in Homer’s epics, were respectively attributed with authorship of the De Excidio Troiae Historia (‘History of the Destruction of Troy’) and the Ephemeridos Belli Troiani (‘Chronicle of the Trojan War’), which enraptured European audiences with stories of the Trojan War more accessible than Homer’s Ancient Greek. To much of Medieval Europe, Rome was held as an ideal model of a state and individual nations sought national histories that connected them to or mirrored Roman history. Like Virgil’s Aeneid, many nations constructed legends beginning with the fall of Troy, and combined volumes of Dares Phrygius and Dictys Cretensis spread through the many languages of Europe as a basis for these new legends. Some six centuries before MacPherson, Geoffrey of Monmouth composed his Historia Regum Brittaniae (‘History of the Kings of Britain), which began with Brutus, a descendant of Aeneas and conqueror and first king of England. Like MacPherson, Geoffrey claimed to have been given a manuscript – ‘quendam britannici sermonis librum vetustissimum’ (a certain very old book in the British language) – from which he based his history. However, literary criticism was somewhat less rigorous in the twelfth century and the truth about this certain book remains unknown. The Trojan beginnings of his history, though, can likely be linked to the popularity of the pseudepigraphies of Dares and Dictys.

There is a fair amount of controversy surrounding Shakespeare’s signature, but I don’t think any of it involves whether or not he spelled his name ‘Willam’

Not all forgeries, however, have had spurred cultural movements or national identities. Another famous falsification was the so-called ‘Ireland Shakespeare forgeries’. Shortly after MacPherson, an Englishman named Samuel Ireland publicly announced that his son William had found a collection of four hitherto lost and unknown plays by William Shakespeare. As with the Ossianic cycle, controversy soon arose regarding these ‘newly found’ works of Shakespeare and, like MacPherson, Ireland was accused of forgery. Both MacPherson and Ireland pushed back against their accusers, producing new documents to defend their forgeries, although these new pieces did little to change skeptics’ minds. Eventually, William Ireland publicly confessed to have fabricated the documents he gave his father but even this was considered by many to be part of a grander scheme by William and his father Samuel. These controversies were extremely damaging to the Irelands and, lacking MacPherson’s talent, the Ireland Shakespeare forgeries are today only remembered for their scandal.

For reasons we can only guess at, throughout history there have been authors who have felt compelled to ascribe ownership of their own labor to others. Most curious are those such as MacPherson, whose works on their own were nothing short of masterpieces regardless of the author, yet they lived their lives in breathless denial of their own works. Here in the Walter Havighurst Special Collections we are fortunate to not only have many of these significant – if spurious – works, but also the subsequent criticisms and defenses. What do you think drove these writers? Stop by the library to read some of these bizarre moments of literary history and decide for yourself!

TRANSLATED FROM THE GREEK LANGUAGE BY
Marcus Ladd
Special Collections Librarian

Students in FRE 301 studying various early editions of Beauty and the Beast

This week we had the first of many classes visit Special Collections as part of their course curriculum.  Excellence in undergraduate teaching and research are hallmarks of the Miami experience and we’re always happy when we’re able to help facilitate those “special” moments of discovery and investigation for professors and their students.

Last academic year we had over fifty class sessions held in Special Collections, representing many subjects across the humanities and social sciences.  The classes come for a general introduction to resources in Special Collections that might be useful over the course of their semester, especially for their research assignments.  These sessions usually include instruction on how to use our non-circulating materials, including reading room policies and procedures.  As the primary instructor in Special Collections, my goal is always to make undergraduates feel like our rich collections are here for them to use and that we have a friendly and approachable staff available to help them use them.

Without a doubt, the most rewarding visits to Special Collections for students involve hands-on activities that require the students to literally turn the pages of our books and read the pages of the letters and diaries in our manuscript collections, to “interact” with our materials and discuss what they see.  Going beyond the traditional show and tell model for special collections instruction is always the ideal.  Last year class assignments using special collections materials included the following:

• comparing pre-1492 and post-1492 world maps for a Latin American Studies class
• a discussion of various early editions of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale
• comparing historical recipes over time
• in-depth research using our Shawnee-related sources
• using turn-of-the-century etiquette books to discuss social customs surrounding fashion
• bibliographic descriptions of 16th and 17th century Italian imprints
• exploration of early printed illustrations
• bibliographic descriptions and presentations on early printed books for a history of the book course
• and in-depth research and presentations on French travel narratives from the 17th through the 19th centuries

Many of these classes will be returning this year and I look forward to working with a new group of undergraduates this year and helping their professors meet the learning objectives of their classes by effectively using Special Collections materials.

Consider adding a visit to Walter Havighurst Special Collections to your syllabus this semester!  We have over 15 class visits already scheduled this semester and we look forward to adding more to our calendar!

To schedule a visit or to discuss how we can help you incorporate primary resources into your classes, please contact:

Kimberly Tully
Special Collections Librarian
513-529-2024
tullykk@miamioh.edu