Stefan S. Anderson papers
MSS.350
This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit
May 28, 2015
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Alexander M. Bracken Library
2000 W. University Avenue
Muncie, Indiana, 47306
765-285-5078
libarchives@bsu.edu
Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Table of Contents
Summary Information ................................................................................................................................. 3
Biographical Note.......................................................................................................................................... 4
Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 5
Arrangement...................................................................................................................................................5
Administrative Information .........................................................................................................................5
Related Materials ........................................................................................................................................ 6
Controlled Access Headings..........................................................................................................................6
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements..................................................................................7
Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 8
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014...............................................................................8
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015........................................... 11
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Summary Information
Repository
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Creator - Collector
Anderson, Stefan S.
Creator
Delaware Advancement Corporation. (Muncie, Ind.)
Creator
First Merchants Bank. (Muncie, Ind.)
Creator
Merchants National Bank. (Muncie, Ind.)
Title
Stefan S. Anderson papers
Date [bulk]
Bulk, 1974-2005
Date [inclusive]
1914-2015
Extent
2.1 Cubic feet (6 boxes)
Language
English
Preferred Citation
Stefan S. Anderson papers, Archives and Special Collections, Ball State University Libraries
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Biographical Note
Stefan S. Anderson was born in 1935 near Madison, Wisconsin to Ted and Siri Stolen Anderson. His
father practiced as a dentist and his mother was a homemaker and community activist in Madison, where
she headed the local chapter of the American Red Cross and the PTA. Anderson received his BA degree
from Harvard University in 1956, where he earned Phi Beta Kappa recognition, and his MBA from the
University of Chicago in 1960. He received an honorary doctorate degree from Ball State University in
1993.
From 1956-1958, Anderson served in the United States Navy. He began his banking career in 1960
with the American National Bank of Chicago and was named executive vice president in 1970. He also
served on the Board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago from 1992 to 1998. Anderson joined First
Merchants Bank in November 1974 as executive vice president and served as the bank's president from
1979 until his retirement in April 1999. During this period, the company recorded twenty consecutive
years of earnings growth. Anderson also served on the bank's Board of Trustees from 1987 to April 2005.
During Anderson's overall tenure with the company (1974-2005), the assets of First Merchants Bank grew
from $167 million to $3 billion.
Anderson served on the Board of Trustees for the Delaware Advancement Corporation (DAC) during the
construction of the original Horizon Convention Center in 1988 and oversaw the expansion of the center
as chairman of the DAC board between 1991 and 1995. Anderson was also one of the organizers of the
Community Foundation of Muncie and Delaware County and served as its chairman from 1996 to 1998.
During this period, Anderson negotiated the purchase of the Muncie Masonic Temple for community use
as the Muncie Community Civic Center (renamed the Cornerstone Center for the Arts in 2005).
Anderson served as chairman of the Ball State University Foundation and chaired Ball State's first
capital campaign, Wings for the the Future. He also served as the first chairman of the Ball State
University Business Roundtable and the Miller College of Business Executive Advisory Board and is
a past director of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce and the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of
Commerce. Anderson's other local service includes advisor director of Indiana Public Radio, Motivate
Our Minds, and the Cornerstone Center for the Arts, as well as chair or president of the United Way,
Muncie Symphony Orchestra, and the Muncie chapter of Rotary International.
The awards and accolades received by Anderson throughout his career are numerous and include
the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award from the Coalition of Concerned Clergy (1993), the Paul
Samuelson Award from the Indiana Council of Economic Education (1994), the Distinguished Eagle
Award from the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America (1995), the Ball State University
Business "Hall of Fame," The Star Press "Citizen of the Year" (2002), the Ruth Freund award from
Motivate Our Minds (2004), the Tech Point Bridge Builder award (2006), the Muncie/Delaware County
VIVA Lifetime Achievement award (2008), and the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce
Legacy Award (2013).
Stefan Anderson lives in Muncie, Indiana with his wife Joan. Together they have two children and six
grandchildren.
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of records documenting Stefan S. Anderson's professional career with First
Merchants Bank (previously Merchants National Bank) and the Delaware Advancement Corporation and
includes annual reports, correspondence, meeting records, strategic planning and legal documents, press
releases, publications, newspaper clippings, photographs, video recordings, and other records ranging
from 1914 to 2015. The collection also includes historical records predating Anderson's involvement with
the two organizations as well as personal reflections written by Anderson after his retirement.
Arrangement
Arranged in the following series:
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015
Administrative Information
Publication Information
Ball State University Archives and Special Collections
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Archives and Special Collections, Ball State
University Libraries, Muncie, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted
to Archives and Special Collections. For published materials in the collection, literary rights, including
copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Archives and Special Collections. The publisher
must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Archives and Special Collections as a donation from Stefan S. Anderson
on 2015/3/10.
Accruals
Further additions are expected.
Related Materials
Related Archival Materials
Materials relating to this collection may be found in the following collections in Archives and Special
Collections, Ball State University Libraries, Muncie IN:
MSS.041: First Merchants Bank records
OVA.034: Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Horizon newspapers
POVA.041: Stefan S. Anderson photograph
SC.340: Horizon Convention Center Grand Opening newspaper clippings
SC.583: Horizon '96 Program of Work
SC.619: Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Horizon brochures
Controlled Access Headings
Corporate Name(s)
• Horizon Convention Center. (Muncie, Ind.)
• Muncie Children's Museum. (Muncie, Ind.)
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Genre(s)
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Agendas (Administrative Records)
Annual Reports
Articles of incorporation
Business records
By-laws
Clippings
Correspondence
Financial records
Legal documents
Memorandums
Minutes (Administrative Records)
Photographs
Video recordings
Geographic Name(s)
• Muncie (Ind.)--History--20th century--Sources
• Muncie (Ind.)--History--21st century--Sources
Subject(s)
•
•
•
•
•
Banks and banking
Businessmen
Community development
Economic development
Real property
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Video recordings are in VHS and DVD formats.
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014
Collection Inventory
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014
Administrative History
First Merchants Bank was founded as Merchants National Bank on February 3, 1893. At that time,
Muncie was enjoying the prosperity of a natural gas boom, which attracted many commercial and
industrial enterprises to the city. Hardin Roads, a prominent local grocer, was named the bank’s first
president and chairman of the board, positions he held until 1923.
In 1914, the bank moved from its original location at the corner of Main and Mulberry Streets to a new
location at the corner of Jackson and Mulberry Streets. The new building, built for the sum of $45,000,
was an impressive limestone structure with an elaborate marble interior and served as the Merchants
National Bank headquarters for nearly sixty years. In 1933, at the height of the Great Depression,
Merchants National Bank, together with Merchants Trust and Savings Company, emerged as the
survivor of a merger of Muncie’s “clearing house” banks. In 1946, the two banks were reorganized into
separate institutions, with Merchant’s Trust later becoming American National Bank.
In 1951, Merchants National Bank opened the first branch bank in Delaware County at the corner of
Madison and 14th Streets. In 1953, the bank acquired the Muncie Banking Company and opened up
branches in Muncie Banking’s old facilities at 115 E. Charles Street in Eaton. Two years later, the bank
launched a renovation and expansion program of its downtown offices, completing the project in 1956.
In 1958, the bank opened a branch in the Southway Plaza. A year later, it opened another branch in
the Village near Ball State University. In 1968, Merchants National Bank became the first commercial
bank in Delaware County to acquire more than $100 million in assets. In 1972, the bank moved into its
new five-story headquarters building on E. Jackson Street. In 1991, the bank changed its name to First
Merchants Bank and by 1992 its assets exceeded $500 million.
First Merchants Bank is currently a division of First Merchants Corporation, the largest financial holding
company based in Central Indiana, with assets exceeding $5 billion. First Merchants Bank operates
branches in Adams, Brown, Delaware, Fayette, Hamilton, Hendricks, Henry, Howard, Jay, Johnson,
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014
Lake, Madison, Marion, Miami, Morgan, Porter, Randolph, Shelby, Union, Wabash, and Wayne
Counties in Indiana, Cook and DuPage Counties in Illinois, and Butler County in Ohio.
Scope and Contents
This series consists of annual reports, Board of Directors meeting minutes and agendas, staff and
shareholder meeting records, memoranda and correspondence, financial reports, strategic planning
documents, speech talking points, legal descriptions of bank properties, newspaper clippings,
chronologies and other historical summaries, photographs, video recordings, and published histories of
the bank ranging from 1914 to 2014. The bulk of the records in this series are from the period during
which Anderson served as president and/or chairman of First Merchants Bank (1979-2005) but some
documents from the later years of Bill Givens' presidency (1966-1978) and prior are also included.
Annual reports, 1966, 1969-1972
Annual reports, 1974-1978, 1980-1985
Annual report, 1986-1992
Annual reports, 1993-1999
Annual Reports, 2000-2004
Bank buildings history, 1919-1924, 1979, 1993
Board of Directors meeting agendas, 1976-1978
Board of Directors meeting records, 2004-2005
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Box
Folder
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
2
1-2
Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 1: First Merchants Bank records, 1914-2014
Employee Christmas parties, 1977-1980
Geelhoed, E. Bruce. A Century of Community Banking: The Story of
2
3
2
4
2
5
4
1
2
6
2
7
2
8
2
9
2
10
2
11
3
1
3
2
Merchants National Bank and First Merchants Corporation, 1893-1993,
1993
Letter from E. Bruce Geelhoed to William P. Givens, 1980 May
Letter from Hardin Roads to Merchants National Bank customers,
1914/07/10
History of First Merchants Bank, 1914-2007
Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award Gala
program, 2013/08/24
One Hundreth Anniversary, 1993-1994
Photographs, circa 1979-2005
Rodney "Ron" Medler memorial program, 2009 Oct.
Schooley, Phillip F. Merchants National Bank of Muncie, 1893-1978,
1978
Shareholder meetings, 1968-2005
Speeches and letters, 1977-2000
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015
Staff meetings, 1977-1994
Stefan Anderson personal reflections, 2014/03/01
3
3
3
4
Box
Cassette
3
1
3
2
3
3
Box
Disk
3
1
V.335 Video recordings, circa 1991-2005
V.335.01 First Merchants Bank, "Mission: Possible" promotional video,
circa 1991
V.335.02 Merchants National Bank, Steve Anderson career retrospective,
1999
V.335.03 First Merchants Corporation annual meeting, 2001
V.335.04 First Merchants Corporation annual meeting, 2005
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015
Historical Note
The Horizon Convention Center opened in 1988 on the former site of the Federal Building located at 401
S. High Street in downtown Muncie. The Delaware Advancement Corporation (DAC) had purchased
the building in June 1986 for $225,000 and was actively involved in the economic development project
to construct the Horizon Center. Edward Seward, then President of American National Bank, served
as Chairman of the DAC during the project and was followed by Norman Tirey, President of Muncie
Federal Savings and Loan, in 1987. Stefan Anderson served on the DAC Board of Trustees during the
construction of the original Horizon Convention Center in 1988 and was chairman of the board during its
expansion in the early 1990s.
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Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015
In the early 1990s, Russ Sloan, then President of the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce,
recommended a large-scale expansion of the Horizon Convention Center building. Planning for the
expansion commenced in 1991 under the direction of the DAC and the Chamber of Commerce. The
expansion tripled the previous size of the Horizon Center to 47,000 square feet and notably included
an allocation of 24,000 square feet of space to be leased by Muncie Children's Museum. Tom Thisle,
retired general manager of the Delco-Remy plant in Muncie and Vice President of facilities for the
DAC, oversaw the land acquisition and construction budget for the expansion of the Horizon Center in
cooperation with the Muncie EDIT Building Corporation, chaired by former City Controller, Mary Alice
Cherry. Local architect James H. Gooden of Gooden Associates Architects supervised the remodeling
project. Revenue from a one percent Food and Beverage Tax and an Economic Development Income
Tax (EDIT) were utilized to fund the $16.2 million in bonds that were issued to finance the project.
Richard Amburn was a vocal opponent of using tax revenue to fund the expansion of the Horizon
Center and publically criticized the project and those involved including Russ Sloan. Stefan Anderson
and the Delaware Advancement Corporation's response to Amburn's opposition are well documented
through correspondence and other records in this series. The Horizon Convention Center expansion was
completed in 1996 and the DAC was appointed to operate the convention center for the next 31 years.
Scope and Contents
This series consists of articles of incorporation, by-laws, Board of Directors meeting minutes,
memoranda and correspondence, committee records, strategic planning and legal documents,
financial records, leases and agreements (includes lease for Muncie Children's Museum), resolutions,
press briefings, newspaper clippings, and other records documenting the Delaware Advancement
Corporation's involvement in the economic development project to expand the Horizon Convention
Center between 1991 and 1996. Also included are some personal reflections on the project written by
Stefan Anderson in 2015.
Board of Directors minutes, 1991 Sept.-1995 Jan.
Correspondence, 1991-1994
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Box
Folder
4
2
4
3
Stefan S. Anderson papers MSS.350
Series 2: Delaware Advancement Corporation records, 1991-1996, 2015
Correspondence, budgets, and other records, 1994-1995
Economic development press releases and newspaper clippings,
4
4
4
5
4
6
5
1-2
5
3-4
5
5
5
6
6
1
6
2
6
3
1992-1996
Facilities Committee records, 1992-1994
Finance Committee records, 1991-1995
Horizon Convention Center bond financing, 1994
Horizon Convention Center expansion feasibility study, 1992
Horizon Convention Center expansion press briefings, 1993-1995
Land acquisition records, 1991-1993
Legal and organizational governance documents, 1992-1994
Stefan Anderson personal reflections, 2015 Mar.
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