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James W. Creasman Papers 1934-1989

MSS-207

Biographical Note

James W. Creasman ("Jimmie" to his family and friends) was born in Ducktown, Tennessee in 1914 but four years later relocated to Miami, Arizona. His family moved again, years later, to Phoenix, Arizona.

Creasman lived the rest of his life in Phoenix and became known as "Mr. ASU." He enrolled at Tempe Normal School and spent most of his life helping to build what is now Arizona State University. It was through his efforts as Chairman of the Name Change Committee that Arizona State College became Arizona State University in 1958. His life at Arizona State University, however, is only part of the story. "Jimmie" belonged to many charitable organizations, represented the Valley Bank in television commercials, and spent three years in Brazil with an Arizona State University sponsored Peace Corps program.

Prior to working at Arizona State University Creasman worked as a broadcaster for KTAR in Phoenix and then for the government sponsored radio program "Voice of America" in New York City. Like most of his generation, he served in the army during World War II. He belonged to the 42nd Infantry "Rainbow Division." In basic training he became an M-1 expert and sharpshooter but it was his journalistic skills that were put to good use. He was there to witness and document the liberation of the concentration camp at Dachau, Germany on April 29, 1945.

After the war was over Creasman returned to his broadcasting job in New York City until 1947 when, at the request of Grady Gammage, he returned to Arizona to take up the position of Alumni Association Secretary at Arizona State College. Retiring in 1984, he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree and the James W. Creasman Award of Excellence was established by the Alumni Association in his honor. At the time of his retirement he had known each ASU president since 1900. Although retired, "Jimmie" remained actively involved with both Arizona State University and community events and programs in the Phoenix area.

James W. Creasman died on August 30, 1999 at the age of 85. He was survived by his wife, Dorothy, two daughters and six grandchildren.

Scope and Content Note

The James W. Creasman Papers consists of 30 boxes and is comprised of correspondence, genealogical information, speeches, presentations, radio broadcast scripts, photographs, ephemera and personal artifacts.

Series I: Arizona State University contains 9 boxes of materials covering Jimmie’s university tenure both as a student and employee. The bulk of the series contains correspondence (ranging in dates from 1934-1985) with colleagues, university presidents and members of the community. These papers document his role in three very important milestones both in his career and for the college he so faithfully served: the beginning of the Alumni Association, the name change from Arizona State College to Arizona State University, and the building of the Memorial Union. Other items included are posters, fliers, and other university related ephemera along with many photographs of people, places and events.

Series II: Peace Corps contains 4 boxes of materials related to Jimmie’s role managing the ASU chapter of the Peace Corps in Mato Grosso, Brazil. This series contains business correspondence and status reports as well as personal correspondence to his family and friends. There are several photographs of the Mato Grosso area as well as many of the ASU students who were part of the volunteer program.

Series III: Personal Records contains 9 boxes of materials relating to Jimmie’s employment and community work both before and during his tenure at Arizona State University. It contains correspondence, speeches and photographs and ranges from 1936 (when he was the KTAR Radio Production Manager) to 1989 (when he was on the board of the Salvation Army). This series also includes correspondence and photographs from when Jimmie did regular advertisements for the Valley National Bank, scripts from his radio show in 1942, and personal correspondence and photographs from and to family and friends.

Series IV: Military Service contains 8 boxes of materials relating to Jimmie’s military service both during World War II and in the US Army Reserves. This series primarily consists of correspondence from and to family and friends while he was stationed in Europe from 1943 to 1946. It also contains reports, photographs and the unit newsletter he wrote describing the horrific conditions they found upon entering Dachau. The latter part of this series contains his promotions with his continued service through the Army Reserves and reunions with his World War II division, the 42nd Infantry "Rainbow" Division.

Arrangement

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Access to portions of this collection has been restricted by the Department of Archives and Special Collections in accordance with extant statutory restrictions. Contact the Department Head for information on access to restricted portions of this collection.

To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.

Copyright

The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.

Access Terms

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], James W. Creasman Papers, MSS-207, Arizona State University Library.

Provenance

The James W. Creasman Papers were received both from Dr. Christine Marin, who recognized their historical value, and Robert Miller, James Creasman’s grandson (ACC # 2000-02236).

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