Charles H. Monson papers

Collection

Identifier: MS 0609

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Charles H. Monson papers (1924-1981) reflect the academic and teaching career of Charles H. Monson Jr. (1924-1974), a well-known authority on the subject of philosophy. Included are correspondence, day books, resumes, news articles, lecture notes and outlines, essays, reports, pamphlets, programs, and manuscripts for published writings, among other papers. The collection has been divided into three sections.

The first section, Correspondence and Personal Materials, comprises boxes 1-8 and dates from 1924 to 1981. The correspondence fills boxes 1-7 and is mostly professional in nature, although some personal letters are also present. These boxes are arranged chronologically and include letters to Monson's wife, Vivian, after his death. The personal materials in box 8 include those documents that, for the most part, do not relate to Monson's academic or teaching career. Biographical information, certificates and diplomas, documents relating to his death, financial items, news articles, and some miscellaneous papers are included in this box.

The second section, Teaching and University of Utah Materials, dates from 1949 to 1977 and spans boxes 9-17. These materials were put together into one section because a great deal of Monson's teaching career was at the University of Utah. He continued to teach there while also holding various administrative positions. His teaching files are in boxes 9-14 and are listed alphabetically by class and/or subject. Boxes 13-14 contain reference cards, also listed alphabetically by subject, that Monson seemed to have used for his classes but were probably also used as reference points for his books, essays, and articles. The cards have remained in the same groupings kept by Monson and have also retained their original subject titles. papers concerning the University of Utah in general are in boxes 15-17. These files relate to the various committees, positions, groups, and programs of which Monson was affiliated. General university or education subjects he was interested in are also included. These files are also alphabetized.

The third section, Writings, dates from 1944 to the 1970s and comprises boxes 18-25. The bulk of this section focuses on writings by Monson, published and unpublished. Manuscript drafts, typescript drafts, as well as notes, can be found in these boxes. Boxes 18-21 contain Monson's writings that were published and/or were well-known. Box 22 holds his short essays on various subjects. Miscellaneous drafts and notes for his other writings, many of them unidentified, are in boxes 23-24. The last box contains writings by others collected by Monson.

Dates

1924-1981

Creator

Monson, Charles H. (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.

Conditions Governing Use

The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library’s Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.

Biographical Sketch

Charles H. Monson Jr. was born in Salt Lake City to Charles Horald and Ortencia Merrill Monson on 13 May 1924. He married Vivian Turley in October 1947 and received his bachelor's degree the following year from the University of Utah. His master's degree was obtained a year after that, also from the University of Utah. His doctoral work, however, took him to New York and Cornell University. He received his Ph.D. in philosophy in 1952.

It took Monson several years and a couple of teaching positions before returning with his family to Utah. He was an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Nevada from 1952 to 1956 and then held the same title at Chico State College in California from 1956 to 1958. He was awarded an associate professor of philosophy position from the University of Utah in 1958, which he accepted. Monson held that position for two years until he was made an administrative intern for the American Council of Education. This took him away from Utah for a year and back to Cornell University. He returned to the University of Utah in 1966 as the deputy academic vice president. Monson remained at the university from that point on.

Throughout the time Monson held administrative positions at the University of Utah, which lasted from 1966 until his death in 1974, he remained cognizant of the student body's needs by serving as a professor on top of his administrative duties. Most of the classes he taught were in philosophy and he received wide recognition for his dedication to teaching and higher education in general. He was awarded the Distinguished Teaching Award in 1970 for his outstanding teaching abilities. The numerous articles and papers he wrote were also widely distributed and his knowledge of teaching and education was often called upon, as seen by his involvement with various groups and committees. Monson was involved with the Association of California State College Instructors, the Mountain-Plains Philosophical Conference, the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, the United States Office of Education, and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.

As an administrator, Monson was able to initiate many major programs at the University of Utah. Some of these included programs for improving the status and effectiveness of teaching assistants, programs for disadvantaged students (including minority groups), and programs for women. He also established departmental advisory committees, departmental chairman leadership programs, and helped maintain the Repertory Dance Theatre, a modern dance company on campus.

Charles H. Monson Jr. died on 23 October 1974 in Salt Lake City as a result of a massive pulmonary embolism.