California State University, Northridge, Old China Hands Archives

The George Budaeff Collection consists of correspondence, documents, ephemera and photographs related to George's life in Russia, China, and San Francisco, California. A number of government documents are included with biographical and immigration information. The collection also includes some material that belonged to George's brother, Dr. Ivan T. Budaeff (1896-1956).

Vera Dutoff (maiden name Kuchinskaia) fled Russia, lived in China, and settled in San Francisco, California with her husband Alexander Dutoff. She was born on November 19, 1900 and died on February 25, 1994. The collection consists of materials related to her daily life and is largely composed of correspondence as well as keepsake objects including Russian Icons (devotional images) and lace textiles. A small amount of records were created by her husband Alexandar Dutoff; her son, Dimitri Dutoff; and her sister, Nadejda Alexandrovna Kutchinskaia.

The Robert Gohstand Shanghai Tourist Postcards and Ephemera contains postcards and other travel ephemera collected by Robert Gohstand for inclusion in the Old China Hands Archives. Although the postcards and ephemera were created in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, many of the images printed on the postcards document places and people from early 20th century China, including World War II. Most items relate to Shanghai, although there are also references to Harbin and Peking [Beijing].

Julia De Souza Gusek Collection consists of a photo envelope from the Burr Photo Company in Shanghai, as well as sheet music for "Good-Bye Shanghai," a fox trot song written by Howard Johnson and Joseph Meyer in 1921.

Joseph Levoff was born on July 7, 1930 in Shanghai, China. His father was born in Manchuria while his mother came from Siberia in Russia. Levoff grew up in Shanghai's French Concession and went to the Shanghai Jewish School. In 1949, Levoff and his family left Shanghai for Israel. In Israel, Levoff served in the air force for three years before being honorably discharged. After leaving Israel in 1964, he moved to Los Angeles, and became involved with the restaurant business. Levoff was a member of the American Far Eastern Society, which consisted of former residents of China, like himself. He was president of this group for nearly ten years until he moved back to Israel. The collection contains a number of photographs and photographs albums documenting his family's experiences in Shanghai and Israel, as well as some print materials related to Levoff's life in Shanghai.

Charles McHaney was a U.S. Marine stationed in Tientsin, China during and after World War II. While in Tientsin, he took numerous photographs, the subjects of which are primarily his fellow Marines, local geography, and local culture. The collection consists mostly of these photographs, with some additional print materials related to the U.S. Marine presence in Tientsin in the late 1940s.

The Thomas Middleton China Marines Collection contains a photograph album along with loose photographs and ephemera that document Middleton's service in Peking and Tientsin after World War II.

Harold (Harry) Olaussen was born in Shanghai in 1929. His father was a Norwegian sea captain, and his mother was Italian. He went to St. Francis Xavier's College, and lived above a bar owned by his grandmother. In 1949, he left Shanghai and traveled with his family to Italy, moved to Norway, and eventually settled in Vancouver, Canada. In 1972 he was elected to the Canadian Parliament for one term. The collection mostly consists of pictorials produced by the North China Daily News photocopied by Olaussen. Also included in the collection is a painting of the St. Francis Xavier's College coat of arms, and copies of photographs of Shanghai, St. Francis Xavier's College and Olaussen with his amah.

Sergeant Major Robert J. Shovar was a United States Marine and editor of the China Marine Association publication Scuttlebutt prior to William J. Parker. This collection is comprised of photos, letters and other material related to the publication of Scuttlebutt.

Olaf Torgersen was born in 1885 in Larvik, Norway. He left Norway in 1914 to work as a sea captain in China and Hong Kong, where he captained a number of ships until returning to Oslo, Norway, with his wife in 1951. The collection contains the personal and professional papers of Torgensen, including identification cards and passports, his master's certificates and records related to his service on various ships, and personal correspondence, ephemera, and articles.