James R. "J. R." Sage was born in Lincoln Township, Cardington, Ohio, on June 15, 1889. He received his B.S. (1912) in engineering from The Ohio State University and his M.S. (1915) in mathematics from Rose Polytechnic Institute (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology).

Sage joined the Iowa State College (University) faculty as Instructor (1915-1919) of mathematics. He was later appointed Assistant Professor (1919-1920). Since Iowa State's founding the duties of the Registrar had been handled by the Treasurer's Office. By 1920, the combined duties of Treasurer and Registrar became too great for Herman Knapp who held both positions. So during that year, Sage was appointed Iowa State's first full time Registrar (1920-1951). In addition to being appointed Registrar, Sage was also appointed Vice Dean (1920-1951) of the Junior College, a position that was mostly advisory. As Registrar, Sage was in charge of admission of students, registering of students for classes, keeping records of credits and grades earned by each student, and preparing the college catalog.

Sage was very active in professional organizations and college committees. He was Vice President (1935-1936) and then President (1936-1937) of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars. He served as a member of the Army and Navy United States Armed Forces Institute Committee and the Iowa Committee on Secondary School and College Relations during his career. He also served on numerous college committees. At the time of his death, he was a member of the Curriculum and Registration Procedure Committee; Secretary of the General Faculty, the Graduate Faculty, the Administrative Board, and the Committee on Graduate Study; and Chairman of the committees on Advanced Standing, Commencement, Eligibility for Student Activities, Honors Day, and Scholarship.

J. R. Sage married Jessie May Ewing of Emporia, Kansas, on August 4, 1915. They had no children. Sage died November 13, 1951, after a lengthy illness. He was buried in the Iowa State University Cemetery.

This collection (1924-1977, n.d.) contains biographical information, correspondence, articles, and radio addresses of J. R. Sage, Iowa State College (University) Registrar. The correspondence consists of letters regarding commencement exercises, WOI radio talks, and the Entrance Requirements Committee. Sage's published papers relate mostly to functions and concerns of the Registrar's Office. The WOI Radio addresses were presented during broadcasts of high school basketball games and mostly informed listeners about the process of enrolling at Iowa State.

The collection is listed in alphabetical order.