The Library of Congress >  Researchers >  Search Finding Aids  >  Roger L. Stevens papers, 1863-2002
ContainerContents
BOX 241-258, 398-399, 406-408, 413-415, 423-424, 426-427, 433-435 Personal Papers, 1863-2002 (bulk 1926-1990)
This series documents the early life, family history, and personal activities of Roger L. Stevens and his wife, Christine Gesell Stevens. Material types include biographical information, family correspondence, memorabilia, passports, photographs, school records, and wills and estate planning documents.

Organized as two subseries.
BOX 241-252, 398-399, 406-408, 413-415, 423-424, 426-427, 433-435 Roger L. Stevens, 1863-2002 (bulk 1926-1990)
Biographical information in this subseries summarizes Stevens's extensive career and includes an unpublished biography by John Ehle. Stevens's birth certificate, passports, and documentation of his brief service in the United States Navy are found here, as are materials on personal club memberships, and leases and correspondence connected to the Stevenses' residences in Ann Arbor, New York City, and Washington, D. C. Also found here are several items of memorabilia given to Stevens. A folder on paintings records the Stevenses' ownership of a Rouen Cathedral painting by Claude Monet as well as other works of art they owned. The Stevenses' financial records are organized within Office Files. Several folders contain cards and letters sent to Stevens while he was convalescing after his triple bypass heart surgery in 1981. Carbon copies of Stevens's responses are attached to the correspondence. Material on Stevens's memorial service includes the invitation, attendee lists, guest books, and planning documents.

Stevens's correspondence with his family includes letters from his older brother Larry, Larry's wife Sally, his younger brother Harlow, his daughter Christabel, and his wife Christine. For letters from Stevens to Christine, see the Christine G. Stevens subseries. Family papers also hold business papers and correspondence from his parents Stanley G. and Florence O. Stevens. Stanley's papers document real estate and other business activities while Florence's papers consist of personal correspondence, financial records, and school records. Roger Stevens's school records are also found in the subseries documenting his time at Choate School and the University of Michigan. Material types include assignments, correspondence, ephemera, and report cards.

Photographs consist of snapshots of Stevens in his youth and his family, formal portraits, and images of Stevens with others at both formal and casual events. This subseries contains photographs of Stevens with every United States president and first lady from John and Jacqueline Kennedy to Bill and Hillary Clinton. Others pictured with Stevens include figures from the political world such as Cecil D. Andrus, David K. E. Bruce, Hubert Humphrey, Philip M. Klutznick, Imelda Marcos, and Walter Mondale; prominent figures in the arts such as Frederick Brisson, Placido Domingo, Charlton Heston, Carlo Mazzoui-Clementi, Marianne Moore, Leontyne Price, Richard Rodgers, Rosalind Russell, and Isaac Stern; and, members of Washington, D. C. society such as Gwendolyn Cafritz and Catherine Filene Shouse.

Programs included in this subseries document productions Stevens attended. For programs of productions that were produced or otherwise financially backed by Stevens, refer to the Theatrical Production Files.

Arranged alphabetically by material type or subject matter.
Biography
BOX-FOLDER 241/1 Architectural Digest feature, 1985-1986
BOX-FOLDER 241/2 Biographical sketches, 1952-1998
BOX-FOLDER 241/3 Life magazine profile, 1957
BOX-FOLDER 241/4 Memoir correspondence and examples, 1979-1991
BOX-FOLDER 241/5 Who's Who publications, 1960-1999
BOX-FOLDER 241/6-7 "World Mover" by John Ehle, 1998
Includes: Unpublished biography
BOX-FOLDER 241/8 Birth certificate, driver's licenses, and miscellaneous records, 1910-1987
Clubs and memberships
BOX-FOLDER 242/1 The 1925 F Street Club, 1965-1991
BOX-FOLDER 242/2 Ann Arbor Golf and Outing Club, 1957-1961
BOX-FOLDER 242/3 Cosmos Club, 1988-1995
BOX-FOLDER 242/4 International Sportsmen's Club, 1956-1958
BOX-FOLDER 242/5 Lotos Club, 1969-1994
BOX-FOLDER 242/6 Miscellaneous clubs, 1922, 1958-1988
BOX-FOLDER 242/7 National Capital Democratic Club, 1956-1966
BOX-FOLDER 242/8 The Pilgrims of the United States, 1965-1992
BOX-FOLDER 242/9 Racquet and Tennis Club, 1952-1996
BOX-FOLDER 243/1-3 Convalescent correspondence, 1979-1981 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 243/4 Diary, 1922
Family
BOX-FOLDER 243/5 Gough, Christabel Stevens, 1957-1977 and undated
Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens
BOX-FOLDER 243/6-7 Gough, Christabel Stevens, 1951-1994
Personal papers
BOX-FOLDER 243/8 Stevens, Christine, 1936-1956 and undated
Correspondence to Roger L. Stevens
Stevens, Florence O.
BOX-FOLDER 243/9 Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens, 1926-1955 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 413/3, 426/7 Diplomas, 1896, 1929, 1936
BOX-FOLDER 244/1-2 Personal papers, 1926-1957 and undated
Includes: Correspondence from Belle Kearney
BOX-FOLDER 244/3 Stevens, Harlow, 1936-1990
Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens
BOX-FOLDER 244/4 Miscellaneous family papers, 1958-1988
BOX-FOLDER 244/5 Stevens, Sally, 1958-1985
Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens
BOX-FOLDER 244/6 Stevens, Stanley G., 1925-1966
Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens
BOX-FOLDER 244/7-8 to 245/1-2, 426/7 Stevens, Stanley G., 1896-1966, 1983
Personal papers
BOX-FOLDER 245/3 Stevens, Stanley L. "Larry," 1928-1975
Correspondence with Roger L. Stevens
BOX-FOLDER 245/4 Health, 1960, 1969-1970, 1991, and undated
Homes
BOX-FOLDER 245/5 Ann Arbor, Michigan - 60 Underdown Road, 1950-1956
BOX-FOLDER 245/6 Miscellaneous homes, 1958, 1965-1971, and undated
BOX-FOLDER 245/7-8 New York City - 50 East 77th Street, 1952-1990
BOX-FOLDER 246/1 Washington, D. C. - 1686 34th Street NW, 1972-1992
BOX-FOLDER 246/2 Washington, D. C. - 3406 R Street NW, 1964, 1970-1971
BOX-FOLDER 246/3 Life insurance policies, 1940-1994
Memorabilia
BOX 406 Ambassador for the Arts lapel rosette, undated
BOX 433 American Theatre Wing lapel pin, circa 1944
BOX-FOLDER 398/1 Artwork: "A seasonal portrait," 1962
Signed MV
BOX 414 Artwork: portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964
Note: Features metal plate engraved as follows: The President's Club, 1964 / Roger L. Stevens / Best Wishes Lyndon B. Johnson
BOX 408, 423 Artwork: portraits of Roger L. Stevens, undated
Unsigned
BOX 433 City Entertainment Corporation medallion, 1957
BOX 406 Empire State Building address book commemorative box, undated
BOX 406 Medal celebrating 1,300th anniversary of Bulgaria, circa 1985
BOX-FOLDER 246/4 National Theatre (Washington, D.C.) seat plate and number, undated
BOX 407 Novelty license plate: "Roger," undated
BOX-FOLDER 398/2 Theatrical broadside for Arch Street Theatre, 1863, 1989
Framed and inscribed by Ralph E. Becker
BOX 434 Watch, undated
BOX 435 Wooden bowl undated
Memorial service
BOX-FOLDER 246/5-6 Attendees, 1998
BOX-FOLDER 246/7 Guest books, 1998
BOX-FOLDER 246/8, 424/1 Invitation and planning, 1998
BOX-FOLDER 247/1, 398/3 Obituaries, 1998
BOX-FOLDER 247/2 Paintings, 1958-1985
BOX-FOLDER 247/3 Passports and visas, 1936-1993
Photographs
BOX-FOLDER 4 Album, 1915-1918
BOX-FOLDER 247/4-5, 413/4 Family and youth, 1913-1990 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 247/6 "Koshare" production still, 1966
Note: Inscribed by Louis W. Ballard
BOX-FOLDER 399/1 NASA Apollo-Soyuz mission, 1975
Note: Signed by American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts
BOX-FOLDER 247/7, 399/2, 424/2 Portraits, circa 1955-1989
BOX-FOLDER 248/1 Roger, Christine, and Christabel, 1937-1982 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 413/5 Roger and Christine portraits by Cecil Beaton, circa 1955
BOX-FOLDER 248/2 Snapshots, 1947-circa 1996
BOX-FOLDER 248/3-5, 399/3-8 United States Presidents and Vice-Presidents, circa 1963-1996
BOX-FOLDER 248/6 to 249/1, 399/9, 424/2 With others, circa 1953-circa 1995 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 249/2 to 251/1 Programs, 1942-1997
School
Choate School
BOX-FOLDER 251/2-4 "The Choate Brief," 1926-1928
BOX-FOLDER 413/6 "The Choate News," 1927-1928
BOX-FOLDER 399/10 Diploma, 1928
BOX-FOLDER 252/1 Assignments, ephemera, and report cards, 1927-1929
BOX-FOLDER 252/2 Miscellaneous school papers, 1921-1928 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 252/3, 413/7 University of Michigan, 1928-1931
BOX-FOLDER 415/1 Scrapbook, 1917-1926
BOX-FOLDER 415/2-5 Scrapbook, 1953-1973
BOX-FOLDER 427/1-2 Scrapbook, 1966-1988
BOX-FOLDER 252/4 United States Navy, 1943-1945, 1952
BOX-FOLDER 252/5 Wedding anniversary, 50th, 1987-1988
BOX-FOLDER 252/6-7 Wills and estate documents, 1949-1991, 2002
BOX 253-258 Christine G. Stevens, 1932-2001
Christine Gesell Stevens was born on March 10, 1918, in St. Louis, Missouri, the only child of Robert E. Gesell (1886-1954) and Cora Lees Gesell (1883-1976). The family moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1923, when Robert Gesell became chair of the Department of Physiology at the University of Michigan. A folder of Robert Gesell's personal correspondence and papers is included in this subseries. Christine attended the University of Michigan and later studied at the Society of Arts and Crafts in Detroit. Several of her drawings are collected here, although some of the sketchbooks may contain the work of her daughter Christabel. Christine drew the Stevens' annual Christmas card, many examples of which are housed here. Also present is correspondence with and between her mother and daughter and letters from her in-laws, Stanley and Florence Stevens. One full document box consists of condolence letters and cards sent to Christine Stevens after her husband's death in 1998.

In 1951, Christine Stevens founded the Animal Welfare Institute and remained a lifelong advocate for the fair and ethical treatment of animals. Detailed logs of AWI's first decade are found in this subseries, as is correspondence with fellow animal rights activist Madeline Bemelmans. Business papers and financial records document some of Christine Stevens's investments in her husband's real estate endeavors. Both Christine Stevens and her mother were listed as individual investors for several projects, and their names appear throughout the Real Estate Files. Christine Gesell Stevens died on October 10, 2002, in Washington D. C.

Arranged alphabetically by material type or subject matter.
BOX-FOLDER 253/1 to 254/3 Animal Welfare Institute logs, 1953-1961
BOX-FOLDER 254/4 Bills and receipts, 1952-1956
BOX-FOLDER 254/5 Business papers, 1951-1992, 2001
BOX-FOLDER 254/6 Christmas card designs, 1998 and undated
BOX-FOLDER 254/7 Christmas lists, 1955-1978
BOX-FOLDER 255/1-18 Condolence cards and letters, 1998
Correspondence
BOX-FOLDER 256/1 Bemelmans, Madeleine, undated
BOX-FOLDER 256/2 Best, Geoffrey and Marigold, 1954-1964
BOX-FOLDER 256/3 Bohland, Gustav, 1955-1958
Photographs
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