Guide to the Paul S. Crane and Sophie Crane Papers

The Paul S. Crane and Sophie Crane Papers, 1867-1999, include subject files, slides and reports, research files, photograph albums and photographs, certificates, and other materials related to the work of the Cranes. The collection provides insight into the history of Presbyterian medical missions in the twentieth century. A small amount of the material in the collection pertains to the Crane family.

The collection is arranged into five series: Paul S. Crane, M.D., 1948-1989, bulk 1980-1989; Sophie Crane research files for A Legacy Remembered: A Century of Medical Missions, 1867-1998; Photograph albums and photographs, 1924-1960s, 1985-1986, 1999; Audio-visual materials, 1988, 1998-1999; and Certificates and other papers, 1897-1929, 1940s-1985, 1995-1998.

The Paul S. Crane, M.D. series is divided into two subseries: Subject files, 1973-1989; and Slides and reports, 1948-1988, bulk 1980-1988. The first subseries consists of subject files that include reports, minutes, agendas, correspondence, travel records, memoranda, printed matter, clippings, and ephemera primarily documenting Paul Crane's travels for the GAMB Division of International Mission. A portion of the materials are predominantly administrative in nature. Also included are several Presbyterian Border Ministry subject files from 1985 to 1989 that document the border ministry, the Presbyterian Border Ministry Corporation, and Paul Crane. Crane's personal reflections on and reactions to these travels can be found (along with photographic slides visually documenting the trips) in the "Slides and reports" subseries. Subject files are arranged chronologically by year.       

The second subseries contains photographic slides and reports that primarily chronicle Paul Crane's travels to international Presbyterian medical mission stations during the 1970s and 1980s. A small amount of the material relates to Crane's earlier work at the Presbyterian Medical Center/Jesus Hospital (PMC) in Chonju, Korea, and to family vacations or unidentified events. The bulk of the material documents the Presbyterian Church's late twentieth century medical missionary endeavors. Crane's reports include information about the geography and culture of the countries he visited; details about the operation of the medical mission stations in each country; and Crane's own reflections on the trips, the medical work, and the countries themselves. Crane's photographic slides depict medical workers, patients, hospital buildings, and the landscapes of the surrounding cities and/or rural areas; these images provide important context for Crane's words. This subseries is arranged chronologically.

The Sophie Crane research files contain interviews, personnel data, biographical information, printed matter, clippings, photographs, and letters that Crane used while writing her 1998 book, A Legacy Remembered: A Century of Medical Missions. While most of the materials are not unique to this collection, they provide researchers with an assemblage of materials that document the history of PCUS medical missions. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by country.

The third series includes eleven photograph albums and photographic prints. Five of the ten albums relating to Korea document the Presbyterian Medical Center during the 1950s and 1964. The 1980s and undated photographs grouped by country probably relate to the slides in the second subseries. Also included is PCUS medical missionary Margaret Lapsley Liston's album relating to the PCUS American Presbyterian Congo Mission (APCM), 1924-circa 1961. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically by type.

Audio and visual materials consist of three VHS tapes and an undated slideshow presentation with accompanying audio cassette recording. The 1988 Mission Yearbook for Prayer and Study video, "The Leaven in the Loaf," documents the border ministry conducted by Presbyterians in the United States and Mexico. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically.

The fifth series includes certificates, newspaper clippings, printed matter, letters, and ephemera. The 1960s certificates (in English and Korean) were presented to the Cranes during their missionary service in Korea. A small portion of the materials relate to the Crane family. Materials in this series are arranged alphabetically.