The Kirk Oratory Contest was established at Northwestern University in 1878 with a $100 award for 1st prize donated by Mrs. James S. Kirk, whose husband was a trustee of the University from 1878 until his death in 1886. The records of the Kirk Oratory Contest cover the years 1949-1970; records for the years 1953 and 1965 are missing. Each folder includes, when available: 1) lists of speakers; 2) judges' ballots; 3) judges' summaries, comments and evaluations, often detailed; 4) speeches and/or outlines of speeches (arranged alphabetically by orator's name); 5) announcements (rules, programs, posters, etc.); 6) correspondence (arranged by date). Included are also records pertaining to the Northern Oratorical League Contest for the years 1954-1958, 1970. The topics range widely from the threat of communism and the problem of President Eisenhower's health in the 1950s to civil rights issues in the 1960s.
