The Wesley G. Pippert collection is composed of materials related to the life and work of this lay pastor, journalist/author, and professor. The collection is arranged in seven series--biographical information, publications, speeches/sermons, reporting research on projects, individuals and special collections, and secondary information about Pippert dating from 1950 to the present. The bulk of the material resides in the three reporting research series which include both research information and manuscripts by Pippert.

Unique to the biographical series is the documentation of Pippert's personal and professional activities, containing a master file of letters, memos, as well as some manuscripts from 1978 to 1986. Other correspondence in the collection has been filed with its related subject or individual.

Series II--Publications, subdivided into articles and books, includes both research and correspondence related to Pippert's publications. The articles are arranged in alphabetical order according to the title of the periodicals in which they are published. The book subseries contains correspondence, drafts, research material, and galleys of Pippert's books. Three of Pippert's books, the John B. Anderson book, The Spiritual Journey of Jimmy Carter, and Land of Promise, Land of Strife: Israel at 40, are filed with their related individuals or subject areas.

Series III--Speeches/Sermons, arranged alphabetically by audience, includes correspondence and background material for speaking engagements which is arranged by date.

Series IV--Special Reporting Projects, including both research material and manuscripts by Journalist Pippert is a major strength of this collection. Subseries contain materials on the Nixon-Humphrey race in 1968, including the "Answer Desk" project and the Republican National Committee. The McGovern Campaign in 1972 and his come-back 1974 campaign in South Dakota as well as what is probably the first national story written about McGovern in 1956. Rep. John B. Anderson and source material used for Pippert's 1980 never-completed revision of a book, speeches by Anderson arranged chronologically, as well as material about and by John B. Anderson. And, Pippert's coverage of Congress from 1981 to 1983 reflects his focus on special issues including abortion, adoption, and aging and includes copies of committee and subcommittee hearings on these issues. Several other sub-series cover Pippert's coverage of selected politicians. These men include Watergate defendant Charles Colson, President Gerald Ford, Sen. Mark Hatfield, Rep. Paul Henry, and Sen. Charles H. Percy. Pippert was Percy's first press aide in 1967-68.

Series V--Research Reporting of Individuals (e.g. Billy Graham and Rep. Morris K. Udall) includes ten boxes with research and reporting materials arranged alphabetically by last name. See the container list for a detailed inventory for each individual.

Series VI--Special Collections are the most extensive of Pippert's research and reporting on specific subject areas and include source material as well as numerous manuscripts written and/or collected by Pippert. Significant sub-series include: VI A--Watergate: This collection includes Pippert's stories filed chronologically by year and a few by topics, correspondence relating to Watergate and his unpublished manuscript "Misguided Loyalty," as well as drafts for this manuscript. Pippert's research for Watergate is filed alphabetically by subject. This collection also contains the official bound hearings of the Senate Watergate Committee--Hearings Before the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, 93rd Congress, and Presidential Campaign Activities of 1972. VI B--Jimmy Carter, President: this sub-series includes Presidential Documents for the Carter administration from 1977-81; correspondence, manuscripts, and galleys for Pippert's book, The Spiritual Journey of Jimmy Carter; Pippert's notebooks from 1976-81 as well as his stories for the Carter campaigns and presidency; Pippert's subject files on Carter; and White House press releases, texts of press conferences and speeches, and minute-by-minute logistical instructions for some of the trips in the 1980 campaign. These files are arranged chronologically by year and in reverse chronological order within the year. VI C--Israel: UPI correspondent to Israel from 1983 to 1986.

Pippert's special collection on Israel also included a collection of English-language Jerusalem Post for 1983 to 1986. VI D--UPI, 1955-67, 69-86: The collection is divided according to various news bureaus in which Pippert worked. The first includes his files and stories from the Midwest bureaus in Minneapolis, Bismarck, Pierre, and Chicago from 1955 to 1966. The next group of files includes Pippert's research reporting in Washington from 1966 to 1987. Included in these files is his coverage of the White House in 1975 and from 1977 to 1981. Pippert stayed in Washington and covered Congress from 1981 to 1983. His dispatches from this time are included in this section. The final box of this section contains Pippert's notebooks for covering Congress from 1981 to 1983.