B-5.4 Series 2-ESK Kerstein, Edward S., 1911- Papers, 1941-1997.

Biographical Note:  Edward S. Kerstein was born on the south side of Milwaukee in 1911, the tenth of twelve children of an Polish immigrant violin maker. He graduated with a B.A. in Journalism from Marquette University in 1934. While at Marquette, Edward was a member of the Press Club for four years, member and president of the Classical Club for three years, and involved with both the Marquette student newspaper, The Tribune, and the annual, The Hilltop. By his senior year, he was club editor for The Hilltop and managing editor of The Tribune. After graduation, he started his journalism career as editor of the Cudahy Reminder, and then joined the Milwaukee Journal staff in 1935 as a police reporter. Edward retired from the Journal in 1976 after spending forty years as its police and legal reporter.

Restrictions:  Access to these records is unrestricted. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of these records. Consult an archivist for further information.

Scope and Content:  This collection consists of records documenting Edward S. Kerstein's career as a writer for the Milwaukee Journal. Included are many letters he received from prominent Wisconsin and United States officials acknowledging pieces he had written. In 1945, Kerstein wrote one of the first books about Communist-era Poland, Red Star Over Poland. Publisher's information and letters of congratulations regarding this book are included in the collection. The collection also contains two scrapbooks. One documents Kerstein's award ceremony at the 1971 Pulaski Day Banquet in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The other contains articles Kerstein wrote for the Peshtigo Times about his 1982 trip to China. Photographs of that trip are also included in the collection.

Arrangement: photographs, scrapbooks

Separation Note:  Archivists arranged some items donated with the collection into more appropriate areas. Kerstein's senior yearbook was added to the Hilltop collection. Publications, including articles and a copy of Red Star Over Poland, were added to the Alumni Authors collection. Archivists replaced correspondence and photographs containing the signatures of historically significant individuals with photocopies on acid-free paper. The originals were placed in the collection case file.

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