The collection includes materials collected by Marilyn Fischer about Monsanto Company during her 37-year career with the company. The collection dates from 1954 to 2004 with several date gaps. It is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Fischer began at Monsanto in 1954 and saved the folder containing information issued to new hires. Also with the folder was her card of introduction from Miss Hickey’s School for Secretaries bearing the time and date of her initial interview. The folder itself included a company timeline from 1901 to 1951. The folder held several booklets from human resources: Your Introduction to Monsanto, office safety, employee stock purchase plan, retirement plan for salaried employees (2), and insurance (f.3). There was also a company handbook for secretaries, Strictly for Secretaries: Tips for the New Ones from the Old Ones (f.2). Other essential information for new employees included: a list of Monsanto products available for purchase in the Service Department; a Medical Department brochure; Monsanto Magazine (July-August 1954); a letter from Charles Allen Thomas regarding Monsanto’s strides in the detergent field and “prescriptive selling;” booklet Amazing Facts about Cleanliness and Health: The Discovery of Modern Detergents and How They are Revolutionizing the Habits of Mankind with a focus on ALL laundry detergent (comic book format); and booklet Who’s Looking at You? with directions for women on how to launder specialty items and lists of stain removal methods.

Fischer saved newspaper clippings and funeral notices for several of Monsanto’s executives, including Edward Bock, for whom she worked as executive secretary. There are also lists of personnel, board members, and special committee members in various memos and phone lists. In 1968, the company archives compiled a list of executives and board members from 1901 to 1967 (f.5). The organization changes listed in two issues of the company’s General Bulletin primarily relate to personnel shifts and responsibilities (f.4).

General brochures and newspaper clippings about the company and its facilities date from 1958 to 1991. The earliest item is a brochure with a map of the Creve Coeur campus. There is also a small schedule of 1974 bus routes via the Monsanto campus. The 1974 brochure and map for Tall Oaks, Monsanto’s hunting lodge for customer entertainment near Warrenton, is the single specialty brochure in the collection. Newspaper clippings from 1977 to 1978 reflect upon the company’s growth and history. The excerpts from the archives in the internal newsletter Information Center Newsletter also provide company history.

There are two items relating to the annual shareowners meetings: a brochure with the agenda for the 73rd annual meeting in 1975 and a booklet for the January 2005 annual meeting. The 2004 booklet lists meeting agenda items to be voted upon at the meeting, including the text of the resolutions to be considered and the recommendations made by the Board of Directors. As an example of topics considered on the agenda, shareholders asked the Board to include human rights policies in the company’s code of business conduct. The Board recommended voting against this resolution and provided an explanation for its decision (p.27).