The papers are comprised primarily of conference materials and published items relating to the Saunders’ work with several community groups that focused on The Ville neighborhood in St. Louis and to their consulting business, Saunders-Dixon & Company. The collection dates from 1990 to 2005 and is arranged alphabetically by topic. Most of the documents chart the history of efforts to redevelop the Ville neighborhood and preserve its history and culture. Groups represented are Friends of The Ville, the Greater Ville Redevelopment Corporation, the Historic Ville Alliance, and the Ville Foundation. The bylaws for the Friends of The Ville contain its mission statement and some margin notes. The collection includes one newsletter from each of the following organizations: Greater Ville Historic Redevelopment Corporation, Greater Ville Redevelopment Corporation, and the Historic Ville Alliance. The Ville Foundation convened the African American Cultural Tourism Forums and credited John and Odester Saunders with acting upon their observation “that through cooperative partnerships and a strategic alliance all the voices of the community could be heard in planning and attracting tourism around African American culture” (f.5, December 8, 2000).