Universal Memorial Center: Sullivan, Rev. Dr. Leon Funeral, 2001

The Ragsdale Family Papers house photographs, correspondence, articles, clippings, interviews, and other materials documenting Lincoln and Eleanor (Dickey) Ragsdale and their families; businesses run by Ragsdale family members, including the Ragsdale Mortuary, the Universal Memorial Center, and the Valley Life Insurance Company; Lincoln Ragsdale’s service with the Tuskegee Airmen; and Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale’s involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and various civic organizations in Phoenix. Sets of identified and unidentified photographs that are potentially, but not definitively, related to the Ragsdale family are also present.

Series I: Ragsdale Family Papers includes photographs, correspondence, articles, clippings, interviews, and other materials documenting Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale and their family; Bill Dickey and the Dickey family; and businesses run by Ragsdale family members. Sub-Series A: Lincoln and Eleanor (Dickey) Ragsdale houses photographs, correspondence, articles, clippings, interviews, and other materials documenting Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale and their children, Elizabeth, Gwendolyn, Lincoln, and Emily. Of particular interest is a scrapbook illustrating Lincoln and Hartwell Ragsdale Jr.’s life in Ardmore, Oklahoma, including photographs of their parents, Hartwell and Onlia (Perkins) Ragsdale, and other individuals like Frank Coombs, J. Milton Grant, Cairo Collins, Charles Curry, Wallace Croomes, Theophilus Dinwiddie, Dr. O. H. Smith, John Henry Black, Sheriff Joe Sam Lively, and Sheriff Jennison. Also included are snapshots documenting the family, items showing Jesse Jackson’s 1964 presidential campaign, photographs taken at Jesse Owens’ funeral, and images showing a visit to Skywalker Ranch.

Sub-Series B: Lincoln Ragsdale Jr. consists primarily of photographs showing Lincoln Ragsdale Jr. and his family. Other materials document Ragsdale’s graduation from Cochise College and his appearance on KAET’s Horizon in late 1999. Sub-Series C: Dickey Family includes images showing William Dickey Sr., Fannie (Johnson) Dickey and her children, Estelle Dickey, and William Bill Dickey Jr. A copy of a history of one branch of the Dickey family is also present.

Sub-Series D: Funeral Businesses consists primarily of photographs, artifacts, and documents showing the Ragsdale Mortuary and the Universal Memorial Center. A significant portion of the photographs document the funerals of unknown individuals. To the largest extent possible, these images have been grouped by event. Cases where the deceased are depicted in an open casket have been marked on this guide as well as on the physical folders. Researchers sensitive to this subject matter are advised to avoid these folders.

Sub-Series E: Valley Life Insurance Company includes photographs, copies of the VALICO Reporter, advertising, and other materials documenting the construction and dedication of the Valley Life Insurance Company building, the company’s employees both in the office and in front of the building, and events held at the company. Sub-Series F: Other Businesses is composed of photographs, advertising materials, artifacts, and other items primarily documenting the Ragsdale Realty and Insurance Company. Home Security Finance Loans and ComputerWare MicroAge are also represented.

Sub-Series G: Radio Programs Sponsored by Valley Life Insurance Company and the Ragsdale Mortuary consists primarily of Sunday morning religious radio programs hosted by Austin Coleman and sponsored by the Ragsdale Mortuary and the Valley Life Insurance Company. Many of these programs were recorded to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Broadcasts feature Christian and gospel music, advertisements for the Ragsdale mortuary and insurance businesses, and political and social commentary by Lincoln Ragsdale, Eleanor Ragsdale, and many others. Of note is a recording of Martin Luther King Jr.’s Religious Witness for Human Dignity.

Series II: Tuskegee Airmen and World War II houses photographs, articles, official documents, and other materials showing Lincoln Ragsdale Sr.’s service with the Tuskegee Airmen. Among the subjects depicted are Ragsdale and his fellow airmen, airmen standing with their planes, Harwell and Onlia Ragsdale visiting Lincoln Ragsdale at Tuskegee Airfield, airmen training, and the Tuskegee Airmen National Conventions held in 1990 and 1993. A special order issued to Lincoln Ragsdale and his unit and Ragsdale’s Application for Settlement submitted after the war are also included.

Series III: Civil Rights and Community Involvement consists of flyers, correspondence, photographs, notes, and other materials documenting Lincoln and Eleanor Ragsdale’s participation in the Civil Rights Movement and involvement in various civic organizations in Phoenix. Of particular interest are materials documenting the Freedom March held in Phoenix on July 26, 1963 and items showing the living conditions of Black people in Phoenix in the 1960s.

Series IV: Identified Photographs is composed of photographs that are potentially, but not definitively, linked to the Ragsdale family. It has been divided into three sections: Sub-Series A: People and Groups, Sub-Series B: Events, and Sub-Series C: Businesses and Buildings.

Series V: Unidentified Photographs includes photographs that are potentially, but not definitively, linked to the Ragsdale family. It has been divided into three sections: Sub-Series A: People and Groups, Sub-Series B: Events, and Sub-Series C: Businesses and Buildings. Like photographs, for example images of the same individual or the same event, have been grouped together to the largest extent possible.