Dr. Ted Ligibel, a professor in the Historic Preservation department at Eastern Michigan University, served in the department from 1991-2017 and was the program director from 1999-2017. He phased into retirement starting in the 2017-18 academic year with the intent to retire in 2020. The Ted J. Ligibel papers include the following series: Academic Tenure/Promotion, Corrrespondence, Graphic Materials, Historic Preservation Program Development, Research, Scholarship, Service, Teaching, and Travel Guide Books, Brochures, Maps, Postcards.

The Academic Tenure/Promotion series contains annual activity reports from 1991-2015, applications for promotion including 1995-96, and applications for initial tenure in 1992-93. The annual activity reports detail the classes, research, and outside scholarship that Dr. Ligibel participated in for a given year. The promotion and tenure applications detail Dr. Ligibel’s longevity within EMU’s Historic Preservation program. These files also detail the applications for tenure and obtaining higher positions within the department. The majority of files in this series are the annual activity reports.

The Correspondence series details files between Dr. Ligibel and others that did not easily fit within other series listed in the collection. These materials are divided into correspondence files, memos, and miscellaneous documents. The correspondence files are dated from 1996-2011.

The Graphic Materials series includes diskettes, slides, photographs, video cassettes, and realia illustrating Ligibel's travels, research, field school projects, and other interests.

The Historic Preservation Program Development series details the growth of the HP program and highlight Dr. Ligibel’s role as Program Director from 1999-2017. Materials include student outreach, overview of HP courses, and highlights of the HP program under Dr. Ligibel’s tutelage.

The Research Files series contains materials related to traavel and tourism, National Register documentation and forms, heritage conservation, preservation methodologies, files related to EMU's campus, Nprthern Michigan files, and publications arranged by state and then Michigan counties. A large number of these publications are focused on city/town bicentennial celebrations.

The Scholarship series details research and published works from Dr. Ligibel. Materials in this series include finished published materials from Dr. Ligibel and research documents that he used. Examples from this series include Lights Along the River: The Story of the Maumee River Valley in Landmark Architecture by Ted Ligibel. Materials from this series are dated from 1985-2012.

The Service Files series is divided into two subseries; ‘presentations, talks, and workshops,’ and the ‘Fayette worksite field school.’ The presentations, talks, and workshops primarily highlight works that Dr. Ligibel did outside of his primary employment with EMU from 1985-2017. The Fayette field school subseries details documents and research highlighting the project attempting to get Fayette, Michigan onto the National Register of Historic Places. This series is dated from 1985-2017.

The Teaching Files series is divided into numerous subseries, evident of the number of courses that Dr. Ligibel taught over his tenure. These files are organized by course number, then by year. Materials in this series include teaching materials, photographic slides, and student works. The series covers Dr. Ligibel’s teaching career at EMU from 1991-2017.



This collection is a comprehensive collection of a long-standing faculty member at Eastern Michigan University whose involvement made a huge impact on the Historic Preservation Program.