Clement John "Slim" Craychee was born January 24, 1908. He studied civil engineering at Iowa State College (University) in 1927 and 1928, but was forced to drop out of classes for financial reasons. During his high school and college years, he earned money through professional boxing and as a boxing trainer for other students. He continued boxing until 1930, participating in 35 matches all across Iowa and the Midwest including Oelwein, Mason City, Forest City, Buffalo Center, Waterloo, and Austin, Minnesota.

In 1942, Craychee wrote to Lieutenant Commander Gene Tunney of the U.S. Naval Reserve about enlisting as a physical instructor. He was eventually turned down in his request to be enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve, but he did join the U.S. Army and served in the Pacific during the second World War.

Craychee and his wife, Irene, married in 1935 and lived in Mason City for many years. During their time in Mason City, Craychee was employed as a salesman by Mason City Brokerage Co., Inc., a local alcohol distributor. He later owned his own distribution business, Craychee Sales, Inc. Craychee stayed active in professional boxing as well, serving as matchmaker and referee at the local American Legion. He died on July 28, 1998.

This collection (1929-1960, n.d.) consists of a scrapbook, mostly of newspaper clippings and letters, compiled by Clement "Slim" Craychee documenting his career as a professional boxer, his involvement in World War II, and his employment.

The newspaper clippings and flyers related to Craychee's boxing career document a number of his matches, including bouts against Frankie Spargo, Mason City; Joe Yangor, Des Moines; Larry Curtis, Elmore, Minnesota; Johnny O'Hara, St. Paul, Minnesota; Percy Villa, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Battling Johnson, Forest City; Dick Daniels, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Johnny Fulton, Cedar Rapids; Jimmy Ihring, Des Moines; Jimmy Ryan, Des Moines; Tut Jackson, Des Moines; Harry Smith, Nashua; Al Shumack, Oelwein; and Joe Cook, Forest City. Other clippings record Craychee's efforts as a boxing matchmaker and referee.

The scrapbook also includes correspondence between Craychee and Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, J. J. Gene Tunney, who was a former boxing heavyweight champion. Letters of recommendation sent to Lieutenant Commander Tunney on Craychee's behalf include one from Hugo Otopalik, football coach at Iowa State.

Several loose items were separated from the scrapbook. These materials include a postcard and hand-written poetry that Craychee sent to his wife during his enlistment, a 1945 newsletter published for soldiers on the USS Gen. W.G. Haan who were returning to the United States, and several photographs of Craychee, his wife, and the Budweiser Clydesdale team on parade in downtown Mason City, Iowa.