Alphonse Henry Clemens was born to James and Mary (Wolff) March 26, 1905 in St. Louis, Missouri. Educated at St. Louis University, he received his A.B. in 1926, an A.M. in 1936 and a Ph.D. in 1940. He married Bess Wulfers on June 4, 1936 and had two children, Mary and John. He held several academic positions throughout his career including ones at Fontbonne College, head of the economics and sociology departments, 1936-1946; St. Louis University, lecturer in economics, 1939-1946; and The Catholic University of America, professor of sociology, 1946-1970. Clemens was a member of the American Economic Society, the Catholic Economic Society and the American Catholic Sociological Society for which he served as president, 1945-1946. In addition, he was involved in the National Catholic Family Life Conference, 1943-1945, the Advisory Council of the National Conference on Family Life, 1945-1947, and in the 1930s edited the journal Holy Family (New Orleans) and was a member of the editorial staff of The Catholic Herald (St. Louis). Clemens retired from CUA in 1970. In September, 1977, he died at his home in Bethesda, MD.
The Alphonse H. Clemens Papers reflect a teaching career spanning fifty years in the fields of economics, sociology, and marriage counseling. The collection is particularly strong for the years Clemens spent at CUA (1946-1970), specifically in regard to research topics, course structure, and lecture notes. There is very little on Clemens' personal life and nothing from the years before and after his teaching career.
Series 1 is Personal Papers, 1936-1975, in box 1. This contains correspondence, wedding invitations and announcements, copies of curriculum vitae, and other general personal records such as voter registration cards and a date book.
Series 2 is Publishing and Writing, 1940s-1967, and undated, in box 1. This series contains drafts and published copies of Clemens' books and journal articles, as well as book reviews and publisher contracts.
Series 3 is Marriage Counseling, 1931-1975, and undated, in boxes 2-3. This includes correspondence and planning materials concerning the establishment and operation of the Marriage Counseling Center at CUA (1950-1968). These include forms to be used by the counseling center, referrals to outside counselors, and sample case studies. Primary contents are training materials for counselors, arranged by subject.
Series 4 is Cana Movement, 1945-1965, and undated, in box 4. This contains programs and planning materials for Cana, Pre-Cana, and Naim conferences from across the country and especially Washington, DC. Includes correspondence about Dr. Clemens' time as a member of the National Committee of the Cana Conference Movement (1947-1953) and as Director of Cana Conferences in Washington, D.C. (1946-1953).
Series 5 is USAF Chaplains, 1962-1967, and undated, in boxes 4-5. These files contain lecture materials, programs, and planning correspondence for USAF Chaplain training workshops led out by Clemens at CUA (1962-1967), in Alaska (1962), and in Alabama (1967-68). These include speaker lists, course evaluations, flyers and worksheets, and travel information for the Alaska and Alabama workshops.
Series 6 is Teaching, 1935-1970, and undated, in boxes 5-10. This is the largest series, divided into five subseries: Administrative, Exams, Student Papers, Lecture Notes and Related Materials, and Case File: DeBlanc's Dissertation. The first contains book orders, grant award letters, course catalogs, and workshop programs. The second has drafts and finished copies of exams, including a few exams completed by students. The third has student research papers and dissertations arranged by date from a variety of classes. The fourth consists of folders of research material and handwritten lecture outlines arranged by subject. Class notes and material by subject primarily contain newspaper and magazine clippings, article reprints, and bibliographies of related reading. The fifth is a single folder containing correspondence concerning a student's dissertation (1969).
Series 7 is Photographs, 1950s-1960s, and undated, in box 10. The photographs include headshots of Clemens at the beginning and end of his career, as well as publicity pictures taken at the USAF Chaplain training seminar (1962) and other workshops (undated).
Series 8 is Notecards, and undated, in box 11. Box 11 is a record center box containing mostly 3x5 cards typed and handwritten, stored in small archival boxes. The note cards contain bibliographic information and selected quotations arranged by subject and miscellaneous.
Series 9 is Oversize, 1926-1970, and undated, in box 12. Box 12 is an oversize scrapbook box with large documents including curriculum vitae, working drafts of Clemens' publications, family genealogical information, a vinyl record, and St. Louis University diplomas (1926, 1935).
The Alphonse H. Clemens Papers consists of nine series:
Two folders in the Exams subseries, Marriage and the Family Final Exams and Marriage Counseling Exams, contain completed exams with grade marks. They are restricted in accordance with FERPA. The rest of the collection has no access restrictions.
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Acquired from John Clemens in 1978.
Processing completed in 2012 by Katy Van Arsdale. EAD markup completed in 2012 by Katy Van Arsdale.
Materials include records of personal interest such as correspondence, curriculum vitae, children's report cards, voter registration card, day planners, and Dr. Clemens' wedding invitation and announcement.
Edited drafts of articles and books; publisher correspondence and payment records; published copies of articles; book reviews.
Materials related to the establishment of the Marriage Counseling Center at CUA; various forms used at the center, some written by Dr. Clemens; reference resources for counselors, arranged by topic.
Programs, planning materials, and information packets describing courses and training offered by Cana Conferences. Includes correspondence about Dr. Clemens' time as a member of the National Committee of the Cana Conference Movement (1947-1953) and as Director of Cana Conferences in Washington, D.C. (1946-1953).
Materials related to United States Air Force (USAF) Chaplains' training conferences lead by Dr. Clemens; conference programs and speaker information; Dr. Clemens' travel records; course evaluations.
Notes, drafts, source materials, exams, and student papers from classes taught at The Catholic University of America (CUA).
Photographs of Clemens at various stages of his career, mostly publicity photos taken during workshops or conferences.
Note cards, mostly typed, arranged in three small boxes. The cards are almost all bibliographic information and selected quotations arranged by subject and miscellaneous, probably used for research and class preparation.
Mostly 3x5 inches, typed and handwritten
Mostly 3x5 inches, typed and handwritten
Mostly 3x5 inches, typed and handwritten
Contains book drafts, student papers, resumes, diplomas, and a vinyl record from Clemens' 1962 Alaska trip.
Inscribed to A.H. Clemens by Doris Quick