Guide to the Orry C. Walz Papers, 1931-1993

Overview of the Collection

Repository:
Special Collections & Archives
McIntyre Library
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
P.O. Box 4004
105 Garfield Ave.
Eau Claire, WI 54702-4004
(715)-836-2739
http://www.uwec.edu/Library/archives/info.htm

Reference Code: USGZE AS250

Accession Number: 82-96, 82-97, 86-199, 94-83

Collection Number: Archives Series 250

Creator: Orry C. Walz

Title: Orry C. Walz Papers

Dates: 1931-1993

Quantity: 0.8 linear feet (2 archives boxes)

Location of Collection: D10/2e

Languages: Collection materials are in English.

Summary: Orry Walz was a faculty member of the Sociology department at UWEC. This collection includes personal correspondence to his parents and various senators and congressmen among others. Includes correspondence about a collection dealing with the Ifugao of the Philippines. Also contains works written by Walz, such as poetry, short stories, and articles about early Eau Claire.

Biographical/Historical Note

Orry C. Walz was born in western Kansas on January 24, 1907. After graduating from high school in 1924, he passed the county teachers’ exam the following year and taught at a local school for several years. In 1927, Walz enrolled at the University of Kansas (KU) where he majored in philosophy and psychology. In 1933, he accepted a fellowship at the University of Chicago. He married Lua Banks that same year and together they had a son, David, in 1935 before the couple divorced in 1938. During World War Two, he served as a Red Cross field director in Curacao, Trinidad, and Cuba.

Following his marriage to Betty Payne in 1947, he decided to go back to KU and do graduate work in sociology. In order to get his doctorate in sociology, he was required to take classes at a different university for a year which he did at UW Madison in 1950. He would graduate with a Ph.D. in Sociology from KU in 1954. He went on to teach sociology at East Central State College in Oklahoma and Mankato State College in Minnesota before coming to UW-Eau Claire in 1962. Walz served as the chairman of the Sociology Department at UW-Eau Claire from 1963 to 1965 and would remain a Sociology professor there until he retired in 1972. He was greatly involved with the university as he served on numerous faculty and Sociology department boards and committees during his time there.

Outside of being a professor, Walz wrote many poems, short stories, book reviews, and essays as well as conducting several research projects. One of his most known works is a publication about the early history of Eau Claire which is featured in this collection. He also held a long time interest in the Ifugao people of the Mountain Province of Luzon in the Philippines, having visited them during a trip in 1964. He created an Ifugao exhibit for UW Eau Claire, built a scale model of a Ifugao house for the Field Museum in Chicago, and built two scale model Chippewa lodges for the Chippewa Valley Museum. In retirement, Walz and his wife, Betty, volunteered often at the Chippewa Valley Museum. In addition, he continued to be involved with the Sociology Department at UWEC. Orry Walz died on December 31, 1992 in Eau Claire at the age of 84.

Content Description

This collection features personal correspondence, articles, essays, and poetry written by Orry Walz as well as various documents written about his life. Also included are material Walz used to help in writing these various documents including other people’s articles, letters, and essays in addition to poetry and stories that he collected from different writers.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: Acquired prior to March 2006.

Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public.

Use Restrictions: Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. Copyright owned by the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire.

Processing Note: Processed by Stephanie Much in November 2021.

Arrangement: Flat arrangement.

OCLC #: 28552827

Subjects

University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire--Faculty
University of Wisconsin—Eau Claire--Sociology

Detailed List of Contents