These papers consist of the professional correspondence, reports, and articles of Ted M. Rehder, director of Dormitories and Dining Services. They reflect the vast changes that took place within that department between 1929 and 1976, including experiences during times of war and the Great Depression.

The papers also include the Rehder family genealogy and business records. The correspondence is informative about life in Lincoln, Iowa, (formerly Berlin) during the early twentieth century, and includes postcards from relatives living in Germany around the time of World War I. The box list of this guide refers to Ted as TMR in order to distinguish him from his father, Theodore P. Rehder (TPR).

Correspondence of Ted's wife, Marguerite ("Marge") Rehder, to her parents is informative of her SUI student experiences from 1926 to 1929. Marge's mother was Alyce J. (Haley) McConkie and her father was Ernest Lyndon McConkie, of Mechanicsville, Iowa. In addition, Marge's correspondence while she taught freshman English and Dramatics in Manchester, Iowa, from 1929 to 1930, reveals her experiences in that position.

This collection is enriched further by Ted and Marge's correspondence to one another during the time they were SUI students, primarily the late 1920s. Ted's correspondence also describes his job searches during the late-1920s, which included ranch work in Colorado, selling Procter and Gamble soap in St. Louis, Missouri, and working at the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa.

Photographs include family members, friends, and travel in Colorado, as well as Ted's retirement party in 1976. Two education series include SUI ephemera collected by Ted and Marge from the mid-1920s through the mid-1930. Minutes, reports, and correspondence records are included for organizations in which Ted or Marge were members, such as Rotary Club and the YMCA and PEO. The Web site for the Philanthropic and Educational Organization for women (PEO International) states the organization "was founded January 21, 1869, by seven students at Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. It began as a small campus friendship society and grew to include women off campus. The organization promotes educational opportunities for women. Marge's mother, Alyce J. (Haley) McConkie, was a charter member of the JI Chapter of the PEO.

Pauline Louise ("Polly") Rehder, sister of Theodore M. Rehder, was an SUI student and member of the Home Economics Club from 1932 to 1933. She received the B.S. degree in Home Economics in February 1936. Polly may be the source of the 1942 Home Economics cooking pamphlet housed in this collection. She later taught ninth grade students in Kansas City, Kansas, and also taught students in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The correspondence of the Rehder's eldest son, Robert M. Rehder, includes his years of living in Switzerland and in Tehran, Iran.