Dates: 1925-1996
The papers of Reathel Odum consist of appointment calendars, correspondence, handwritten notes, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, itineraries and schedules, diaries, photographs and scrapbooks related to her personal life, the Truman family, her secretarial work for Mr. and Mrs. Truman, and her career after the Truman administration.
Size: 5 linear feet, 3 linear inches (about 9,600 pages).
Access: Open.
Copyright: Reathel Odum donated her copyrights in these materials to the United States of America. Documents created by U.S. government employees in the course of their official duties are also in the public domain. Copyright interest in other documents presumably belongs to the creators of those documents, or their heirs.
Processed by: Dennis E. Bilger (1985, 1987, 1990, 2002); Martina Smith (2010).
The creation of this online resource was made possible in part by funding from the William T. Kemper Foundation - Commerce Bank, Trustee.
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1908 (September 29) |
Born, Benton, Illinois |
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1926 |
Graduated from Benton High School |
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c. 1926-1927 |
Clerk, Franklin County Title Company |
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c. 1927-1933 |
Clerk, First National Bank of Benton |
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1933-1934 |
Secretary to Vice President, First National Bank at East St. Louis, MO |
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1934-1936 |
Assistant to President, Federal Reserve Bank in St. Louis, MO |
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1936-1945 |
Secretary to Senator Harry S. Truman |
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1945 |
Secretary to Vice-President Harry S. Truman |
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1945-1953 |
Personal Secretary to Mrs. Harry S. Truman |
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1949-1951 |
Accompanied Margaret Truman on her concert tours |
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1951 |
Accompanied Margaret Truman to Europe |
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c. 1953-1954 |
Secretary to Senator Stuart Symington |
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1954-1985 |
Secretary to John W. Snyder |
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c. 1960-1975 |
Secretary, American Coke and Coal Chemical Institute |
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2006 (June 6) |
Died, Benton, Illinois |
The papers of Reathel Odum consist of appointment calendars, correspondence, handwritten notes, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, itineraries and schedules, diaries, photographs, and scrapbooks related to her personal life, the Truman family, her secretarial role during the Truman administration, and her career after the administration. The collection is organized into a single Subject File, arranged alphabetically by folder title.
The collection primarily consists of Reathel Odum’s personal appointment books and calendars during the Truman Presidency, personal and professional correspondence, and clippings related to herself, the Truman family, and Washington politics. Included is personal correspondence with Bess, Harry, and Margaret Truman, both during the Presidency and after.
The collection also contains a 1945 appointment book for Vice President Truman and Mrs. Truman, an address book and itineraries from Margaret Truman’s concert tours, and Reathel Odum’s personal diary and scrapbook from her 1951 European trip with Margaret. Audiovisual materials, including a recorded interview with John W. Snyder and photographs, have been transferred to the Truman Library audiovisual collection.
Related materials at the Library include Odum’s oral history interview, the oral history interview of Matthew Connelly, the Records of Guggenheim Productions, Inc., the Greta Kempton Papers, and the Harry S. Truman Papers (Papers as U.S. Senator and Vice President, Official File, White House Office of Social Correspondence Files, and White House Social Office Files).
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Container Nos. |
Series |
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1-12 |
SUBJECT FILE, 1925-1996 Appointment calendars, correspondence, handwritten notes, itineraries and schedules, memorabilia, newspaper clippings, photographs, printed materials, and scrapbooks. Arranged alphabetically by folder title. |
Box 1
- Address Books
- Appointment Book, 1946 [1 of 3]
- Appointment Book, 1946 [2 of 3]
- Appointment Book, 1946 [3 of 3]
- Appointment Book, 1947
Box 2
- Appointment Book, 1948
- Appointment Book, 1951
- Appointment Book, 1952
- Appointment Book, 1953
Box 3
- Appointment Calendar, 1945
- Appointment Calendar, 1947
- Appointment Calendar, 1948
- Appointment Calendars, 1949
- Appointment Calendars, 1950
- Audiovisual
- Benton High School Yearbook, 1926
- Books
- Calling Cards and Place Cards
- Christmas Cards, B-E
- Christmas Cards, F-K
- Christmas Cards, S-W
- Christmas Cards, Truman Family
- Christmas Tags
- Christmas Tags, Truman Family
- Clippings, No Date
Box 4
- Clippings, 1925 – 1950
- Clippings, 1951 – 1995
- Clippings, Bess W. Truman
- Clippings, Harry S. Truman, No Date – 1951
- Clippings, Harry S. Truman, 1952 – 1995
- Clippings, Margaret Truman Daniel
- Congratulatory Letters
- Correspondence, A-C
Box 5
- Correspondence, D-G
- Correspondence, H-L
- Correspondence, M-P
- Correspondence, R-W
- Correspondence - Democratic National Convention
- Correspondence - Ferrell, Robert
- Correspondence – Fleming, Thomas
- Correspondence – Helm, Edith
- Correspondence – Horton, Drucie Snyder
- Correspondence – Kempton, Greta
- Correspondence - Mclean, Evelyn Walsh
- Correspondence – McNeese, Mrs. O. W.
- Correspondence – Mesta, Perle
- Correspondence – Salsbury, Lt. Harry J.
- Correspondence – Snyder, John W.
- Correspondence – Thompson, Melvina C.
- Correspondence – Truman Family
Box 6
- Correspondence – Truman Library
- Correspondence – Wallace Family
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Inaugural Ball Invitation, 1957
- European Trip, 1951
- Form Letters and Stationery
- “Give ‘Em Hell, Harry!”
- Guest Lists and Itineraries
- Harry S. Truman Scholarship Awards, 1989
- Heads of State, Visits to U.S.
- Harry S. Truman Inauguration Program, 1949
- Interview Questions
- Invitations, A-B
- Invitations, C-F
- Invitations, G-L
- Invitations, M-S
- Invitations, T-W
- Invitations – White House, 1945-1951
Box 7
- Invitations – White House, 1952-1983
- Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, 1948
- Jimmy Carter Inauguration Information Packet, 1977
- John F. Kennedy Inauguration Information Packet, 1961
- John F. Kennedy Inauguration Programs, 1961
- Lyndon B. Johnson Inauguration Information Packet, 1965
- Memorabilia
- Parks, Lillian Rogers
- Passports
- Personal
- Philately
- Photographs
- Printed Materials, No Date
- Printed Materials, 1948 – 1955
Box 8
- Printed Materials, 1956
- Printed Materials, 1963
- Printed Materials, 1970-1985
- Programs, No Date
- Programs, 1943-1948
- Programs, 1949-1950
Box 9
- Programs, 1957-1965
- Programs, 1971-1992
- Ration Book, 1943
- Richard M. Nixon Inauguration Guide, 1973
- Scrapbook, 1935-1944
- Scrapbook, 1939-1947
- Scrapbook, 1945-1946
Box 10
- Scrapbook, 1945-1947
- Scrapbook, 1951-1954 [1 of 2]
- Scrapbook, 1951-1954 [2 of 2]
- Sheet Music and Lyrics
- Snyder, John W.
- Symington, Stuart
- Tickets and Passes
- Truman, Bess W. – Birthday Celebration, 1995
- Truman, Bess W. – Clubs and Organizations
- Truman, Bess W. – Correspondence, No Date
- Truman, Bess W. – Correspondence, 1945-1952
Box 11
- Truman, Bess W. – Correspondence, 1953-1977
- Truman, Bess W. – Engagements, 1945-1949
- Truman, Bess W. – Inauguration Dresses, 1949
- Truman, Bess W. – Interview Questions
- Truman, Bess W. – Press Releases
- Truman, Harry S. – Appointment Book, 1945
- Truman, Harry S. – Correspondence, No Date
- Truman, Harry S. – Correspondence, 1936-1971
- Truman, Harry S. – Diamond Jubilee, 1959
- Truman, Harry S. – Engagements and Itineraries
- Truman, Harry S. – Greta Kempton Portrait
- Truman, Harry S. – Philadelphia Trip, 1948
- Truman, Harry S. – Press Releases
- Truman, Harry S. – Staff Directories
- Truman, Harry S. – Stationery
- Truman, Margaret – Concert Tour, 1949-1951
- Truman, Margaret – Correspondence, No Date
Box 12
- Truman (Daniel), Margaret – Correspondence, 1945-1985
- Truman, Margaret – Engagements and Itineraries
- Truman, Margaret – Inaugural Dresses, 1949
- Truman, Margaret – Invitations
- Truman, Margaret – Press Releases
- Truman, Margaret – Singing Engagements
- “Upstairs at the White House”
- Vaughan, Harry H.
- White House
- Women’s National Press Club, 1946-1959