The collection consists of professional records created by Jack Kole while working for the Milwaukee Journal. The earliest item is a press release dated 1948, but the majority of the records date from approximately 1960 to 1989, and thus they primarily document his career with the Washington, D.C. bureau. An exception to this concerns the coverage of Mayor Henry Maier during 1963 and 1964 while Kole was still in Milwaukee. Additionally the file entitled “Secrets in City Government” contains draft articles and a scattering of correspondence pertaining to the period 1961-1962, when Kole was the Milwaukee Journal's city editor. The collection also includes draft articles written by other members of the bureau staff: Frank A. Aukofer, Laurence “Con” Eklund, and Ira Kapenstein.
The Kole Papers are arranged as an alphabetical subject file. The contents of each file is fairly consistent: bylined and unbylined clippings from the Milwaukee Journal, the Milwaukee Sentinel, and other newspapers; press releases and background research material; notes; and draft copies of articles.
The draft articles are an important and unusual part of the collection because the drafts offer insights into the way in which a story was edited for eventual publication. Much of the copy itself consists of drafts as they were wired to the copy desk in Milwaukee. Typewritten notes are often attached. In some cases these are random notes, but in others the notes document interviews conducted for the articles. The majority of the drafts are annotated with corrections and proofreader's marks. (A Milwaukee Journal stylebook included with the papers [Box 4, Folder 8] helps to interpret those marks that are from the early 1970s.) The presence of drafts written by Aukofer, Eklund, and Kapenstein in addition to articles by Kole indicated in the Contents List of their initials.
Correspondence and memoranda are scattered throughout the collection, with the majority consisting of letters to the editor forwarded to Kole, memoranda to and from Dick Leonard, Joe Shoquist, and Sig Gissler; and occasional exchanges with political figures. The majority of the letters are comments on articles by Kole. Exchanges with the editorial staff consist of gossipy news and discussion of the handling of particular stories.
The clippings in the collection are primarily from the Milwaukee Journal and the Milwaukee Sentinel. Until 1966, when the Milwaukee Sentinel established its own bureau, articles by Kole appeared in both newspapers. Unfortunately, many of these articles were not bylined, and so they cannot be conclusively identified. Perhaps the most interesting series of articles, clearly written by Kole for the Milwaukee Sentinel are several stories regarding David Rabinovitz, the Sheboygan lawyer nominated to the post of federal judge by President Kennedy but never confirmed because of Kennedy's assassination.
In general, Kole's coverage of national news and politics focused on the Wisconsin connection of a particular story. Thus, there is strong coverage of the Wisconsin congregational delegation and on issues that were important to Wisconsin and to members of the delegation such as Project ELF, the Ice Age Trail, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Milwaukee Road. Among the best covered Wisconsin politicians are John Gronouski, Robert Kasten, Melvin Laird, Gaylord Nelson, David Obey, Alvin O'Konski, Henry Reuss, Clement Zablocki, and in particular, Willam Proxmire. At one point, the Milwaukee Journal editors accused Kole of being biased toward Proxmire. In addition to the standard material described above, the Proxmire file includes two tape recorded interviews. Less well known individuals with Wisconsin connections include John Doar, David Keene, Robert Lewis, Sheldon Lubar, and Paul Weyrich.
