BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

Richard J. Meister was born September 22, 1938. He received his B.A. from St. Joseph's College in 1960, his M.A. from the University of Notre Dame in 1962, and his Ph.D. from Notre Dame in 1967. He began teaching at Indiana University in 1962, and from 1967 to 1969 he served as an instructor and assistant professor at Xavier University.

In 1969, Meister joined the History Department of the Flint campus of the University of Michigan as an assistant professor, where his special teaching and research interests were urban and ethnic studies. He was granted tenure and elevated to associate professor in 1971, and promoted to professor in 1976.

While at the University of Michigan-Flint, Meister served in various leadership roles on campus, chairing various committees, and directing several programs, among them the Urban Studies Program, the Summer Program, and the Masters of Liberal Studies in American Culture Program. As director of this latter project, Meister helped develop the first graduate program at the University of Michigan-Flint. He was a founder and the first president of the campus chapter of the American Association of University Professors. He chaired the History Department from 1973 to 1976.

Dr. Meister's interest and involvement in the world outside the academic walls is also noteworthy. From 1976 to 1980 he served on the Humanist Team, an advisory committee to the Beecher Project, which was an effort by the residents of a deteriorating community just outside the northern city limits of Flint to improve their quality of life.

Several of Meister's scholarly papers reflect his interest in the Flint area as well. "The Rise of Industrial Cities: A Comparative Study of Gary, Indiana and Flint, Michigan" was written in 1971, "Flint: Frontier Community to Industrializing City" was written in 1978, and "Henry Howland Crapo: the Man and His Significance" was published in 1978.

Dr. Meister left the University of Michigan-Flint in 1980. He was later named Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at DePaul University.

FOLDER LIST

BOX 1

American Association of University Professors
        Collective Bargaining, 1970-1972
        Personal Files, 1970-1972
Biographical
Correspondence, 1976
Presentations and Scholarly Papers
        "Flint: Frontier Community to Industrializing City," 1978
        Lecture on Henry Howland Crapo, 1978
        "The Rise of Industrial Cities: A Comparative Study of Gary, 
          Indiana and Flint, Michigan," 1971
Beecher Papers, 1977-1980
        DeWaters Proposal
        History
        Humanist Team
        Incorporation
                Block Grant
                Gluck's Report
                Information
                Minutes
                Reports
                Water District
        Joint Needs Assessment Committee: Agenda, Code, Minutes,
Statistics
        Letters, Memoranda
        Members
        Michigan Council for the Humanities, 1977
                Drafts, 1977
                Proposal, November 1977
        Needs Assessment
                Center for Cultural Training
                Final Report
                Information Packet
        News Articles, Newsletters, Pamphlets
        Other Committees: Minutes
        Proposals
        Reports and Evaluations
        Task Forces
Genesee County Census Project
        Code Book
        Computer Print-out, 10 June 1981