inventory |
Years this material was
created: 1960-1990; bulk
dates 1961-1988
Quantity: 68
linear shelf feet (in 67 record storage boxes/document cases)
Arranged and described
by Todd Ellison and Jill Scheel (revised August 20, 1993)
© 1998 by Fort
Lewis College Foundation, Center of Southwest Studies account
Links to contents
Introduction/ Scope and Contents
M 034
DAN NOBLE COLLECTION
1960-1990, bulk dates
1961-1988
68 linear
shelf feet (approximately 68,000 items, in 2,450 folders in 67 record storage
boxes/document cases)
This collection contains the historically significant records retained from Dan Noble's sixteen years in the Colorado state legislature. The predominant group of materials are subject files pertaining to the issues Senator Noble encountered during his years in the Colorado legislature. Of especial importance among these materials are records pertaining to Noble's primary legislative concerns: higher education, tax policy, highways, water, and natural resources.
Biographical note
Dan Noble (d. Nov. 9, 2002) was majority leader in the Colorado Senate from 1979 until his retirement in 1986. A resident of Norwood, Colorado, Noble represented eleven Western Slope counties for 16 years, starting in 1970.
Noble Hall, the only Fort Lewis College academic facility built between 1976 and 2001, was dedicated in his honor in 1986. Senator Noble had long been an influential supporter of the College and of quality higher education in general. Fort Lewis also honored Senator Noble by presenting him with the Distinguished Service Award at its 1984 commencement ceremonies.
Visit http://swcenter.fortlewis.edu/SWColoLeg.htm for a list of persons whom the voters of Southwestern Colorado sent to the Colorado legislature.
Administrative information
Acquisition of this collection: Senator Noble donated his congressional papers to the Center of Southwest Studies in September of 1991. They arrived in 113 large boxes: 170 cubic feet of reports, memos, correspondence, speeches, and other documents which he had carefully retained for the future use of researchers.
About the organization of this collection: Record Groups (shown in boldface in the series descriptions) and series within those RGs are numbered consecutively. The lower levels of organization is folder titles (only for the container listing, next section). Because we do not expect to add to this collection, the boxes are numbered in one single numbering scheme starting with 1.
Most record groups are organized from highest hierarchical level to lowest, or from most general to most specific. Items within each series (e.g., subject files, committee files) are arranged alphabetically and then chronologically, unless noted otherwise (notable exception: bill files, arranged by Senate Bill [SB] and House Bill [HB] number).
Processing information: In the Center's archival work on the Noble Collection, staff was guided by the Records Management Handbook for United States Senators and Their Archival Repositories (1992), which was written by Karen D. Paul, archivist of the U.S. Senate Historical Office. Staff also gained procedural insights from examining other archival institutions' guides to their processed collections of congressional papers. Work study students completed rough inventories of box contents between 1991 and the spring of 1993. The Center of Southwest Studies used its funds to hire Jill Scheel to process the Dan Noble Collection in the summer of 1993. Jill is a 1993 Fort Lewis College graduate who had recently taken the College's course in archives administration during the first year it was offered. Working under the supervision of the College Archivist, Jill went through the 113 boxes of materials, one by one. She then produced the initial draft of this inventory, ending in August, 1993. Html conversion work was by Jesse Davila and Debra Lehl in 1999. Todd Ellison edited the inventory several times, most recently in October, 2005.
Deaccessioning: Staff had to decide which records series to retain
permanently and which to deaccession. (Deaccession is the archivist's
jargon for sending materials elsewhere--the library, some other historical
repository, back to the donor, or into the trash--always with the donor's
consent. The Center deaccessioned fifty-nine large boxes of materials (listed below) which were not
germane to the collection or lacked historical research value or were
duplicates.)
Records sent elsewhere: (15
boxes)
*Colorado revised statutes,
House/Senate journal books, Session laws and bills (added to Center's law books
collections as needed)
*Published volumes including books, brochures and reports (added to the Center's library collection)
Records deaccessioned: (44
boxes)
*Declined invitations
*Duplicate paperwork and publications
*Housekeeping records that lost their administrative purpose after a specified period of time (memos scheduling staff meetings; working notes and background material; parking space assignments records; vouchers, invoices, receipts, statements, bills for routine expenses and travel documentation--but retained itineraries and trip reports; etc.)
*Issue mail, small volume, single issue, not important to the Senator
*Job applications for positions on the Senator's staff
*Legislative records in which the Senator was interested but not involved--only retained a summary of this legislation, filed by bill number
*Routine casework for constituent services
*Routine requests (for flags, printed materials, passes, pictures, biographies, or information about the state, etc.)
*Subject files of a mundane nature, lacking value for historical research
Series descriptions
Record Group 1: PERSONAL/POLITICAL/OFFICIAL RECORDS:
1.1 Appointment books, 1979-1984, 8 folders; chronological.
1.2 Appreciation letters, 1970-1981, 8 folders; chronological.
1.3 Awards and honors, 1978-1980, 1 folder.
1.4 Business cards, circa 1975, 1 folder.
1.5 Campaign files, 1970 1982, 8 folders; alphabetical.
1.6 Congratulatory letters, 1970-1982, 3 folders; chronological.
1.7 Daily schedule, 1984-1986, 3 folders; chronological.
1.8 Daily summary, 1977, 1 folder.
1.9 Desk calendars, 1970-1973, 4 folders; chronological.
1.10 Elective officials, 1980-1986, 1 folder.
1.11 Financial disclosure 1978, 1 folder.
1.12 Inaugural ceremony, 1979-1983, 2 folders; chronological.
1.13 Legislator of the year, 1982, 1 folder.
1.14 Majority leader, 1978-1985, 3 folders; chronological.
1.15 Meetings attended, 1969-1988, 18 folders, chronological. Also includes accepted invitations.
1.16 Miscellaneous, 1973, 1980 1 folder.
1.17 Questionnaire, 1970-1972, 2 folders; chronological.
1.18 Recommendations, 1971-1986, 2 folders; chronological.
1.19 Retirement, 1986, 1 folder.
1.20 San Miguel Bank, 1963, 1 folder.
1.21 School board members, 1983, 1 folder.
1.22 Senate/House districts map, undated, 1 folder.
1.23 Senator's area of interest, undated, 1 folder.
1.24 Senator's correspondence, 1973-1986, 35 folders; alphabetical.
1.25 State boards and commissions, 1985, 1 folder.
1.26 Transition letter, 1969, 1 folder.
1.27 White House correspondence, 1980-1985, 1
folder.
Record Group 2: LEGISLATIVE RECORDS:
2.1 Bill files, 1970-1987, 7 boxes; alphabetical.
2.2 Committee files, 1969-1986, 15 boxes; alphabetical. Includes Senate/House journals and other legislative session items such as Noble's session notes.
2.3 General legislative files, 1969-1986, 2 boxes; alphabetical.
2.4 Legislative Council files, 1970-1986, 3 boxes; alphabetical. Includes meeting agendas, minutes and reports published by this Council regarding the findings of other legislative committees.
2.5 Subject files, 1969-1988, 29 boxes; alphabetical.
Includes materials pertaining to issues at large which Noble received from
individuals, organizations and agencies, particularly of the Western
Slope.
Record Group 3: PRESS RELATIONS/MEDIA ACTIVITIES RECORDS:
3.1 Editorials, 1981, 1 folder.
3.2 Media contacts list, undated, 1 folder.
3.3 Newspaper clippings, 1978-1986, 2 folders; chronological.
3.4 Photographs, 1970-1983, 9 folders; alphabetical.
3.5 Press releases, 1970-1986, 10 folders; chronological.
3.6 Speeches, 1970-1983, 1 box; alphabetical.
Record Group 4: OFFICE ADMINISTRATION/ CONSTITUENT SERVICES RECORDS:
4.1 Office file manual, circa 1982, 2 folders; alphabetical.
4.2 Legislative procedures, 1985, 1 folder.
4.3 Legislative service, 1986, 1 folder.
4.4 Legislative systems, 1986, 1 folder.
4.5 Constituent mail, 1980-1986, 3 folders; alphabetical.
4.6 Statistical survey, 1986, 1 folder.
4.7 Telephone messages, 1981-1986, 1 folder. Samples.
4.8 Letterhead, undated, 1 folder. Noble's Senate Chamber letterhead.
Container list -- Guide to contents of this collection
Addendum: Legislative positions held by Colorado Senator Noble:
- Senate Majority Leader, 1979-1986 (appoints, supervises, coordinates Senate committees and responsible for the effective operation of legislation before the Senate)
- Senate Assistant Majority Leader, 1977-1978
- Audit Committee, Secretary, 1982
- Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Natural Resources (considers all water, mining, agricultural and oil shale legislation), circa 1986
- Committee on Appropriations (allocates tax dollars for the functions of the state year by year), member, 1977
- Committee on Banking, member 1973
- Committee on Budget Process, 1977
- Committee on Education (considers secondary and higher education concerns)
- Committee on Finance (acts on all tax proposals), member, 1977
- Committee on Land Use, member, 1973
- Committee on Legislative Procedures, Vice-Chair, 1977; member, 1978, 1982
- Committee on Local Government (hears matters concerning governing bodies in cities, towns and counties), Chair, 1977; member, 1978, 1981
- Committee on Mined Land, Chair, 1977-1978
- Committee on School Finance, member, 1978
- Committee on State and Local Finance, member, 1973
- Committee on State Affairs (handles legislation that affects the whole state's affairs, such as land use, governor's programs, campaign reform,, most constitutional amendments, election and voter proposals), Chair, 1974; member, 1977
- Committee on Water, member, 1973
- Legislative Council Committee, Vice-Chair, 1977; member, 1978, 1980, 1982
- Senate Policy Committee, circa 1986
Doing your own research: This description of a portion of the collections at the Fort Lewis College Center of Southwest Studies is provided to inform interested parties about the nature and depth of the repository's collections. It cannot serve as a substitute for a visit to the repository for those with substantial research interests in the collections.
This collection is located at the Center of Southwest Studies on the campus of Fort Lewis College. Researchers wanting more information about using this material at the Delaney Southwest Research Library at the Center may email the archivist at archives@fortlewis.edu or click here to use our E-mail Reference Request Form (or phone the archivist at 970/247-7126). The Center does not have a budget for outgoing long-distance phone calls to answer reference requests, so please email if you wish to receive a response from the Center. To request reproductions/copies, click here for instructions.