Macdonald-Kelce Library: Archives & Special Collections: Research

University Records

The University Archive preserves the institutional memory of the University of Tampa through the collection of official university records and related materials. The collections are rich sources of information regarding academics, administrative concerns, student life, and the development of the university. Materials include the university presidents’ papers, course catalogs, yearbooks, music recitals, theatre programs, The Minaret and other publications, along with the Public Information Office Photograph Collection.

Permanently valuable university records may be stored in the University Archives. Storage space is reserved for records of historic interest or with an enduring research value. Examples include: departmental publications and reports; administrative and academic committee records; historical files documenting development of departments or offices; student and faculty organization files; institutional budget materials; student publications; photographs, slides; memorabilia; and other ephemera.

The collection guides below are keyword searchable PDFs that provide insight into what each collection holds. In addition, many university publications can be found in our digital collections.

UA-01 University of Tampa Subject Files Collection
UA-01 University of Tampa Subject Files Collection contains various official and unofficial, documents, records, and other materials related to the history of the University of Tampa and its precursor institution the Tampa Junior College.
UA-02 University of Tampa Office of Public Information Photograph Collection
UA-02 UT Office of Public Information Photograph Collection contains photographs generated by, and documenting the history of, the University of Tampa (UT). A majority of the images in the collection were created by the UT Office of Public Information or any of its precursor offices.
UA-03 David M. Delo Papers
Collection details the life and career of David M. Delo who served as the President of the University of Tampa from 1958 through 1971.

Manuscript Collections

Special Collections and Archives' Manuscript Collections are primary source materials documenting the local history of the City of Tampa and the regional legacy of the Tampa Bay area. The collection guides below are keyword searchable PDFs that provide insight into what each collection holds.

MS-01 Guy Becknell Papers
MS-01, Guy G. Becknell Papers: Guy Gaillard Becknell was a founding faculty member of the University of Tampa in 1931 and taught physics at the university for thirty years. The collection herein primarily comprises material related to his avocational research into the Baconian theory of Shakespearian authorship and centers around code Becknell claims to have found within the First Folio.
MS-02 George B. Howell Papers
MS-02, George B. Howell Papers: This collection consists of correspondence and other documentation created and collected by George B. Howell pertaining to the University of Tampa (UT), George Howell, a Tampa area banker and businessman, was one of UT’s original board of trustees members and was instrumental to the university's early success.
MS-03 Tampa Post Card Collection
MS-03, Tampa Postcard Collection: The Tampa Postcard Collection is comprised of approximately 500 postal and souvenir cards depicting the Tampa, Florida area and to a lesser extent the state of Florida. Most of the cards stem from the “white border,” “linen” and “photochrome” eras of postcard production (1915-Present). There are cards however that pre-date 1915 and go back to the late 19th century. The linen cards especially are incredibly colorful, detailed, and chronicle the architecture, parks, beaches, highways, etc. of Florida life during the 20th century.
MS-04 Edward Fleck Historic Newspaper Collection
A collection of newspapers detailing several notable events from the 1960s through the 1970s, including the John F. Kennedy assassination, the moon landing, Watergate, et al. Most of the dailies included are from Miami, FL; Charleston, SC; and Boston, MA
MS-05 Francis Gillen--Harold Pinter Collection
In 1987, University of Tampa professor of English, Francis X. Gillen, and fellow Harold Pinter scholar, Steve Gale, published the first edition of the Pinter Review. It was one of the first scholarly journals to examine seriously the work of English playwright, Harold Pinter. In time, Pinter began regular correspondence with journal editor Frances Gillen, sending him unpublished plays and screenplays expecting intelligent comments on the work in return. Over time, the two became friends, as is evidenced in the correspondence that makes up a portion of this collection.
MS-07 Randy Moore-Art Direction-Script Collection
Randy Moore grew up in the Tampa, Florida area, graduating from Plant High School in 1968. Upon graduating from Ohio University, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the film industry. He landed his first film job in the legendary Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). For the next 40 years Randy Moore worked as an art director for a number of blockbuster motion pictures, including Halloween, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and many others. He was nominated for two Emmys for Outstanding Art Direction including one for the miniseries Stephen King’s Rose Red.
MS-08 1893 Chicago World's Fair Glass Slide Collection
This collection consists of 101 souvenir color and black and white glass slides (3 ¼” x 4”) documenting the 1893 Chicago Columbian Exposition and World’s Fair. Created at the time of the exposition by Edward Breed (Chicago), it is thought that the slides were produced from images taken by official exposition photographer, Charles Dudley Arnold.
MS-09 Donald Marinelli, Ph.D., "TIno" Martinez Baseball Card Collection
Through baseball cards, this collection documents the career of Major League Baseball player Tino Martinez from his time in college through the second to last team for which he played, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
MS-10 Tampa Scenes Photograph Collection
This collection contains four large photographs, (photographer unknown) of various scenes around the city of Tampa, FL in the early to mid-twentieth century.
MS-11 Burgert Brothers Photograph Collection
This collection contains sixteen matted 8x10 photographs of famous Tampa area photographers, the Burgert Brothers. These images mimic a matching collection that were on display at the Marine Bank and Trust, c. 1966. The photos in this collection primarily document the Tampa Bay Hotel and the surrounding area between 1898 and 1926.
MS-12 Local History Photograph Collection
This collection contains 88 8x10 (primarily) black and white and color photographs and/or negatives. The collection’s subject matter focuses primarily on the City of Tampa and its surrounding area, and to a lesser extent other locales around the state of Florida. Photographers and studios represented in this collection include the Burgert Brothers, Robertson and Fresh, and a host of University of Tampa photographers.
MS-13 Rosario Ciccarello WWII Collection
The Rosario Ciccarello WWII Collection primarily documents Tampa native Rosario Ciccarello’s time in the U.S. Navy from 1944-1946. It consists of photographs, along with other ephemera and memorabilia of Mr. Ciccarello’s time at Floyd Bennet Field in Brooklyn, NY and the U.S Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, MD.
SC-01 Tony Ippolito Football Reminiscences
In addition to a scanned team photograph of the UT football team, c. 1946-1950, this small collection consists of a transcript of Mr. Tony Ippolito’s personal reminiscences of his time playing football at the University of Tampa.
SC-02 UT Football Ticket Stub vs. Villanova, 1971
Collection consists of one ticket stub from a football game on October 23, 1971 between University of Tampa and Villanova University.
SC-03 General George E. Pickett Letter
Collection consists of one envelope and a three-page letter from George Pickett titled “His Report Mar 29 – 65 to surrender”