Joseph and Nancy Ellin Freedom Summer Collection

Dr. Joseph Ellin was born in October 1936, in Brooklyn, New York, the only child of Dr. Martin, D.D.S., and Lillian Ellin. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 1957 and a Doctorate from Yale University in 1962. He is a professor of philosophy at Western Michigan University. Nancy B. Ellin was born in Bronxville, New York, in May 1936, the eldest of two daughters born to Drs. Arthur and Norma Bowles. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Swarthmore College in 1958. Joseph and Nancy Ellin met at Yale University, and were later married. They have a son, David, and a daughter, Jane. They currently live in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

During the summer of 1964, Joseph and Nancy Ellin served as Freedom School teachers in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Joseph worked at Priest Creek Baptist Church in Palmers Crossing. Nancy worked at True Light Baptist Church in Hattiesburg, and spent much of the summer setting up the Freedom Library on Mobile Street. The Ellins first attended the SNCC orientation session held June 21 - 27 at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, where they learned of the disappearance of Schwerner, Chaney, and Goodman. After orientation they drove with another volunteer in their car to Hattiesburg, arriving on June 29 and returning to Kalamazoo the end of August. While the Ellins were in Hattiesburg, two WMU students Susan Pfeiffer and Diane Woods stayed in their Kalamazoo home and cared for their cats.

The Ellins' host and hostess in Hattiesburg were Mr. and Mrs. King David Patton, who lived at 1022 Dewey Street, across from True Light Baptist Church, where Nancy taught in the Freedom School. Mr. Patton owned a barbershop nearby at 403 Mobile Street, the main street of the black community. Mrs. Vassie Patton was the midwife of both black and white Hattiesburg. Both were Civil Rights activists. Mrs. Patton had successfully registered to vote after many attempts, but Mr. Patton had not yet succeeded.

While in Hattiesburg, Joe and Nancy wrote letters containting their observations and concerns to Susan and Diane in Kalamazoo for transmittal to a wider Michigan audience, to Joe's parents in Brooklyn, and to the Editor of the Kalamazoo Gazette.