Doby, Velma, Papers

Finding Aid

IHRC

Descriptive summary

PROVENANCE

Collection acquired from Velma Doby of Wisconsin in 1980-1990.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Velma (Hakkila) Doby (b. 1923 ) was born in Brule, Wisconsin, of Finnish immigrant parents active in the Finnish American cooperative movement and in community organizations. She attended the Central Michigan University and Wayne State University, and graduated from the University of Minnesota. Doby has worked for the Peace Research Institute (Washington, D.C.), Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan), the Minneapolis (Minnesota) public schools, and the Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minnesota). She has maintained an interest in Finnish American history and inter-ethnic relations, and has been active in Finnish American organizations, especially the Minnesota Finnish-American Historical Society, Finn-Fest U.S.A., and the Finnish Genealogy Section of the Minnesota Genealogy Society.

DESCRIPTION OF THE COLLECTION

Papers of Velma (Hakkila) Doby (b. 1923) consist of materials on Finnish Americans and Finnish American life. Included are newspaper clippings concerning Finnish American scholars and also articles written by e.g. Michael Karni and Carl Ross; clippings concerning Finntowns, notorious Finnish Americans and Finnish Americans in general; Raivaaja's reports about the "Making of Finnish America" conference held at the University of Minnesota in 1991; four issues of Finnish Emigrant Studies Series published by the Finnish American Historical Society of the West (Portland, Oregon); newsletters of Finnish American organizations; source information on genealogical research; material about Finnish celebrations, Finnish music, Finnish American cultural and organizational activities (e.g. co-ops), Finnish language and Finglish; issues of Finnish American newspapers (e.g. Raivaaja, Naisten Viiri); miscellaneous photo clippings, photographs, and poetry. Also minutes of Finnish Ethnic Studies Committee, correspondence and other papers of the Ethnic Cultural Center, and papers concerning the planning of Finnish Ethnic Studies in Minneapolis Public Schools; papers concerning the foundation of Salolampi Finnish Language Village (minutes, correspondence, lists of staff and students, proposals for financing, news releases and news clippings); newsletters (Seuranlehti) of Minnesota Finnish American Historical Society and FACA (Finnish American Cultural Activities); papers on FinnFest USA 1983-1994 (mostly on FinnFest 1992) including correspondence, newsclippings, mailings, biographies of lecturers, and programs; papers of United Fund for Finnish American Archives; grant applications for an oral history project on the 2nd generation Finnish Americans; papers of Family History Project; and Suomi Conference Yearbook 1991. Also papers written by Doby for college classes at the University of Minnesota; a dossier; a background study of Finnish American women; interviews with Mary Hakkila and Kaisu Maki; a translation of Helmi Mattson's autobiography; a poem; and miscellany. 1 passport, in Finnish and Russian.

ORGANIZATION OF MATERIALS

Collection organized in four series: 1) Clippings 2) Correspondence 3) Photographs 4) Cartoons

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS

Personal materials restricted. Contact the IHRC curatorial staff for further assistance.

OWNERSHIP & LITERARY RIGHTS

The Doby, Velma collection is the physical property of the Immigration History Reseach Center, University of Minnesota.

For further information regrading the copyright, please contact the IHRC.

CITE AS

The Doby, Velma Papers, Finnish American Collection, Immigration History Research Center, University of Minnesota

RELATED COLLECTIONS

Timo Riippa Papers

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