The collection consists of Case’s Biographical Materials; Correspondence; Diaries; Date Books (mostly addresses); his Degrees; Class Record Books; Publications and Thesi, an Account Book; and Photographs and Maps of topics he researched, such as Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and Beaver Island, Michigan. Also included are his Genealogical Materials and Family Photographs. Most of the collection except for his research materials and Genealogical Materials date from 1919 to 1982.
Biography:
Dale Edward Case was born on July 17, 1905 in Comstock, Michigan, the son of Edward and Sarah (Gammet) Case. He was the brother of Hazel Simmons and Maggie (Mitchell) Salomon. He graduated from eighth grade at Kalamazoo Public Schools in June 1919 and the Commercial Course at Kalamazoo High School in 1923. From 1924 to 1927 he attended Western State Normal School, from which he earned a B.A. (1931). In 1927, Case taught in the public schools of Muskegon, Michigan. He attended the University of Chicago, 1932-1938, where he earned a M.S. His thesis was titled, Beaver Island: a study of insular land utilization (1938).
On August 17, 1942 Case was drafted into the U.S. Army. He earned the rank of Sergeant and functioned as a Cameraman and Motion Picture Technician. Case was honorably discharged on December 19, 1945.
In 1947, Case came to Nebraska Wesleyan University and reorganized the Department of Geography and Geology. He was hired without his doctorate based on his high quality teaching record at Muskegon Junior College and the universities of Wisconsin and Cincinnati. He also led students in a very active interest and study of international relations.
From 1951 to 1953, Professor Case attended the University of Tennessee where he earned a Ph.D. (1955). His Ph.D. thesis was titled, Oak Ridge, Tennessee: a geographic study.
Case studied Post Graduate classes at Clark University and the University of Southern California. He taught at Fresno State College. In 1956, Case taught in the Geography Department of State Teachers College, now West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He also taught as a professor of Geography at Central Michigan University, 1956-1959. Case resigned in 1959 because he had to have surgery.
In May 1958, Case wrote an article, titled, Supplementary reading material for high school geography courses, which was widely circulated. He then worked for Denoyer-Geppert as a cartographer, 1959-1968, helping teachers use maps and globes more effectively in classrooms. Case never married. He died on September 20, 1982 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. (This information is from the collection.)
