Richard Shea Photograph collection

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: OU-HISTORY-SHEA

Staff Only

Scope and Contents note

The Richard Shea Photograph collection contains black and white photographs (negatives and contact sheets), as well as personal photographs digitized by the donor. These images document student experiences on Oakland University’s fast-growing campus in the mid-1960s. There are numerous images of students’ recreational activities, the dorms, campus grounds, the Meadow Brook estate, and buildings under construction, among other topics. Along with the images are detailed comments by Rick Shea identifying their contents. A few artifacts are also included.

Dates

1961 - 1970

Access and Use note

The Richard Shea Photograph collection is open for research.

Copyright

Materials in Series One (Work Photographs): Copyright held by Oakland University. Materials in Series Two (Personal Photographs): Copyright held by Rick Shea; researchers are responsible for seeking copyright permissions before publishing items from this series.

Biographical note

Rick Shea was a student at Oakland University between 1964 and 1967. The first year, he was a commuter and then became a resident of “Dorm Phyve” (the future Van Wagoner House) in Fall 1965, then Vandenberg Hall after it was completed. He started working for the Oakland Observer and the yearbook in Fall 1965. He also worked for the Meadow Brook Music Festival and other OU entities, taking photos with OU cameras as well as his own.

Rick left OU after being summoned for his draft physical examination at Fort Wayne in 1967. He was sent to Vietnam, volunteering for the Air Force. He was stationed at Can Tho and briefly wrote about his experience in the Oakland Observer. After his return to the United States he did not go back to OU except to visit a friend in 1970.