Dates

• Majority of material found within 1960 - 1976

Extent

6 boxes Linear Feet (Dr. John Rankin Sahli (May 1, 1910-February 27, 1976) was a Professor of History from 1946 until his retirement in 1975 at Indiana State Teachers College (ISTC), which became Indiana State College (ISC) in 1959, and achieved university status as Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) in 1965-1966. John Sahli was born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and his parents were Ada Knowles Sahli (March 14, 1875-August 21, 1961) who came from Derbyshire, England, and Augustus Sahli (August 26, 1873-August 1941) who was born in Harmony, Pennsylvania. John Sahli earned his undergraduate degree from Geneva College, and went to the University of Pittsburgh for his graduate degrees in History. After teaching history at Beaver Falls Junior High School for several years, Dr. Sahli earned his PhD from the University of Pittsburgh in 1941. John Sahli married Betty McClane (April 4, 1915-January 29, 1996) on June 4, 1939, and she was the daughter of F.W. and Anna Laura Smith McClane of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania. Dr. John R. Sahli first taught in the Keith Laboratory School (see Record Group 19) at Indiana State Teachers College (ISTC) in 1946, and later he taught history in the Social Studies Department and the Department of History at ISTC. He was a Professor of History from 1957 to 1975, and he served as assistant chair of the Department of History during his tenure. Moving to Indiana in 1946, John and Betty Sahli were active members of the community and belonged to Grace Methodist Church. Betty Sahli also belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star. Dr. John Sahli was involved in Freemasonry, the Indiana County YMCA, Kiwanis Club, Phi Delta Kappa, and the Republican Party. Dr. Sahli was also a founding member of the Pennsylvania Council for Social Studies (PCSS), see Manuscript Group 88. The Dr. John R. Sahli Collection includes lecture notes, teaching plans, timelines and maps, bibliographies, and graduate papers on topics in Pennsylvania history. Most of the material dates from the 1960s and 1970s. See Manuscript Group 23: Dr. John R. and Betty Sahli Collection (20 boxes) for additional lecture notes in Box 1, and publications including commercial catalogs that were collected by the Sahli family. This collection was donated to the IUP Special Collections and University Archives from the estate of retired IUP History Professor John R. Sahli by his wife Betty McClane Sahli. Additional materials were also donated by their daughter Dr. Nancy Sahli.)

Language of Materials

English