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Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Office of the Assistant to the Chair of the Corporation and to the President, records of Walter L. Milne

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: AC-0250

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The collection consists of files created by Walter Milne while he was assistant to the chair of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Corporation and assistant to the president of MIT, a period during which he acted as MIT's principal liaison with the Cambridge, Mass., community. Records include correspondence, development proposals, press clippings, and transcripts of hearings that document MIT's purchase and attempts to develop an area of Cambridge once occupied by the Simplex Wire and Cable Company. This plan resulted in a prolonged controversy with the City of Cambridge and neighborhood groups throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Other materials include correspondence and minutes documenting the Institute's efforts to work with the Cambridge community by extending use of facilities to organized groups and through the Community Service Fund, established in 1968 to provide financial support to MIT volunteers engaged in community service and action projects. Also included are files relating to shareholder responsibility issues, especially regarding proposals that MIT divest stocks in companies doing business in South Africa or promoting sales of infant formula in Third World countries; housing issues; animal experimentation issues; and environmental hazards.

Dates

  • Creation: 1962 - 1990

Creator

Access note

This collection must be reviewed to identify any restricted material before access can be granted. Please submit your requests at least ten business days before your desired visit to allow time for this review. An archivist will respond within five business days to let you know whether your requested material is open. For complete information on this policy, see our Statement on Accessing Institute Records.

Conditions Governing Use

Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.

Extent

145.8 Cubic Feet (145 record cartons, 2 manuscript boxes, 1 half manuscript box)

Language of Materials

English

Location

Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.

Other Finding Aids

Additional description for the collection is available to staff in the collection control file, including a content list for box 72, partial content list for box 75, and a subject list created by a member of Milne's staff for boxes 104 through 120.

Appraisal note

Needs review. Much of the collection is unprocessed.

Processing Information note

Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.

Title
Preliminary Inventory to the Records of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Office of the Assistant to the Chairman of the Corporation and to the President
Subtitle
Records of Walter L. Milne
Status
Staff Use Only
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2023 February 27: Revised by processing archivist Chris Tanguay in February 2023 to update access notes and enhance description.

Repository Details

Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository

Contact:
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307 US