ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

LEE BOHNET PAPERS

COLLECTION: OGL #1358

DATES: 1889-1999 (Bulk Dates 1980's-1995)

SIZE: 5.0 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The Lee Bohnet Papers were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Elaine Bohnet, Grand Forks, N.D. on March 18, 1998 (Acc.#98-2182).

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

RELATED PUBLICATIONS:
A Century of UND Sports by Lee Bohnet, 1994

HISTORICAL SKETCH

Leland "Lee" K. Bohnet was the first and long time sports information director at the University of North Dakota. He was born April 23, 1923, in Kulm, ND. He graduated from Kulm High School in 1942, and served in the U.S. Navy in World War II aboard the destroyer U.S.S. Wilkes. Active in the Pacific Theater, he separated from the Navy in May 1946 as a Water Tender 3rd Class.

In 1946, Bohnet enrolled at UND. He graduated in 1951, with a bachelor's degree in journalism. Upon graduation, Bohnet became a sports writer for the Fargo Forum. He worked there for a short time before he became the editor of the Hillsboro Banner. In 1953, Bohnet was hired as UND's first sports information director, at that point a part time position. In 1958, he was named full-time sports information director. Bohnet held this position for 35 years, before retiring in 1988. In 1994, Bohnet published his book, A Century of UND Sports.

Bohnet was named to the North Central Conference Hall of Fame in 1974, the UND Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981, and the College Sports Information Directors of America Hall of Fame in 1977. He received the UND Letterwinner's Club Honorary Award in 1976.

His first marriage was to Marjorie Vareberg in 1948; she passed away in 1975. They had two daughters: Patricia and Diane. In 1976, he married Elaine LeTourneau. He had three step- children: Daniel, William and Ann. Lee Bohnet passed away on August 8, 1999, in Grand Forks.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Lee Bohnet Papers consist of material related to Lee Bohnet's life, as well as the University of North Dakota. Much of the information in this collection was used by Bohnet in his book A Century of UND Sports.

His personal material and writings are arranged first, including obituaries, drafts of A Century of UND Sports and numerous program articles written for UND athletic publications.

Material regarding UND athletics follows; these materials are arranged alphabetically by sport, and chronological within a given sport. Information related to a specific persons will be found within the sport in which the person was affiliated. General athletic information is arranged last.

General University materials and miscellaneous items round out the collection.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1
Folder
Personal Information

1. Obituary,1999

Writings

2. UND Athletic History (pgs. 1-150)
3. UND Athletic History (pgs. 151-300)
4. UND Athletic History (pgs. 301-448)
5. UND Athletic History (pgs. I-100)
6. UND Athletic History (pgs. 101-200)
7. UND Athletic History (pgs. 201-300)
8. UND Athletic History (pgs. 301-400)
9. UND Athletic History (pgs. 401-500)
10. UND Athletic History (pgs. 501-600)
11. UND Athletic History (pgs. 601-700)
12. UND Athletic History (pgs. 701-800)
13. UND Athletic History (pgs. 801-888)
14. Alumni Review Article on Lee Bohnet's book
15. Book Sale 1994
16. Centennial Version-UND Athletic History (1983)
17. Draft: "A Century of UND Sports"
18. Draft
19. Speech Notes
20. "A Short History ND Swimming and Diving"
    "UND All-Time Men's Swimming Year-by-Year Results"
21. "Tenth North Dakota Interscholastic Field Meet" Program
22. Notes
23. Miscellaneous facts, writings, etc.
24. Program Articles 1988-89
25. Program Articles 1989-90
26. Program Articles 1990-91
27. Program Articles 1991-92
28. Program Articles 1992-93
29. Program Articles 1993-94
30. Correspondence

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA ATHLETICS

Baseball

31. UND Baseball

Box 2
Folder

1. 1993 Baseball

Basketball

2. Phil Jackson
3. Men's Basketball 1989-90
4. Men's Basketball 1990-91
5. Men's Basketball 1991-92
6. Men's Basketball 1992-93
7. Men's Basketball 1994-95
8. Men's Basketball
9. Women's Basketball 1991-92
10. Women's Basketball 1992-93
11. Women's Basketball 1994-95
12. Basketball Stats 1993-1994
13. Basketball: Newspaper Clippings 1993-1994
14. Basketball Clippings and Game Summaries 1988-89
15. Basketball General
16. All-time Basketball Stars

Football

17. John Williams Interview
18. Football 1962
19. Dave Osborn
20. Newspaper Clippings: 1988 Football
21. 1989 Football
22. 1990 Football: Game stories and summaries
23. 1990 Homecoming
24. 1991 Football: Game Stories
25. 1991 Homecoming
26. 1991 Homecoming: 40 year reunion for the class of 1951 local committee meeting agenda
27. 1992 Football
28. 1993 Football
29. 1994 Football
30. Football: General

Box 3
Folder

1. Potato Bowl: 1966-90
2. Homecoming Game Results and Listing of Homecoming Queens: 1916-92

Golf

3. Louis Borgan

Hockey

4. Hockey: 1928-29
5. Constitution of the Western Collegiate Hockey League: 1950
6. WCHA breakup and reorganization: 1957-59
7. Hockey Stats: 1966-68
8. Dr. Ralph Leigh: 1969-71
9. Hockey: 1988-89
10. Hockey: 1989-90
11. Gino Gasparini: June 1990
12. Hockey :1990-91
13. Hockey: 1991-92
14. Hockey: 1992-93
15. Hockey: 1993-94
16. Hockey: 1993-94 Newspaper Clippings
17. Gino Gasparini Uproar: April 1994
18. Dean Blais Hiring: May 1994
19. Hockey: 1994-95
20. Hockey Stats: various years
21. Hockey Rosters: various years
22. Hockey: General

Softball

23. Softball

Swimming

24. Swimming

Tennis

25. NCIAC Tennis Champs Team and Individual

Track

26. Track

Volleyball

27. Volleyball: 1993-94

General Sports

28. Alphabetical Letterwinners List "1889-present"
29. All-time All Americans at UND (through 1990)
30. Appointment of Athletic Director: 1975-76 and 1990
31. Athletic Board of Control (ABC) Meeting Minutes: Jan. 1942-June 1961
32. ABC Meeting Minutes: Sept. 1945-Dec. 1954
33. ABC Meeting Minutes: Jan. 1954-May 1961

Box 4
Folder

1. ABC Meeting Minutes: July 1961-Sept. 1964
2. ABC Meeting Minutes: 1964-1967
3. ABC Meeting Minutes: 1966-1967 and revised Constitution
4. ABC Correspondence: 1956-1960 UND Athletics Year in Review: 1988-89
5. Athletic History: Early
6. Athletic History Reference
7. Brothers Who’ve Lettered at UND
8. Early UND Athletic History
9. 50 year Letterwinners: 1986,1987,1988
10. Fighting Sioux Sports in Review: 1989-90
11. Fighting Sioux Sports
12. Fieldhouse Publicity
13. Game Program Forms
14. Hall of Fame: Constitution and By-laws
15. Hall of Fame: Constitution and By-laws and Meeting Minutes
16. 1988 Hall of Fame
17. 1989 Hall of Fame
18. 1990 Hall of Fame
19. 1991 Hall of Fame Biographies
20. 1991 Hall of Fame
21. 1993 Hall of Fame
22. 1993 Hall of Fame and Candidates List
23. Hall of Fame Members and Famous Personages
24. General Hall of Fame
25. Letterperson’s Club
26. C.D. Locklin
27. Multi-sport Athletes and Athletic Stars at UND
28. Newspaper Clippings: Individual Athletic Success Stories
29. Newspaper Clippings: Recruitments
30. Newspaper Clippings: SID Job/Candidates
31. Newspaper Clippings: UND Sports Articles
32. Newspaper Clippings: Team Successes
33. Newspaper Clippings: Weekly/Monthly Columns
34. News Releases
35. 1992: SID (Sports Information Director) Search Committee
36. 1993 Award’s Banquet Program
37. Press Releases: 1975-76
38. Press Releases: 1975-76
39. Sioux Booster Club
40. UND All-time Record (Bound Green Book)
41. UND All-time Record (Loose Materials)
42. UND Athletic Expenses: Feb.1927-Feb. 1928, undated
43. UND Athletics Year in Review: 1988-89
44. UND Dept. of Athletics and Physical Education
45. UND Sports General
46. UND Sports History
47. UND Sports Info Fax

General University Information

48. Financial Reports to Faculty Auditing Committee UND
49. Miscellaneous
50. N.C.C. Early Years: Organization, Constitution, Etc
51. Newspaper Clippings: Historical Articles
52. UND Historical Notes

SEPARATIONS RECORD

47 photographs were separated and placed in the Orin G. Libby Photograph Collection.

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