Papers of Charles Climaco Vargas

Personal papers compiled by the athlete Charles Vargas. The collection includes a number of scrapbooks compiled by Vargas which chart his athletic development and increasing ability during the 1920s. There is also an accompanying photograph album which depicts Vargas, and his contemporaries, at various athletics meetings including Oxford University Inter-Collegiate matches and club matches. Many reports included in the scrapbooks detail the results of races and provide an overview of the meetings attended by Vargas. Although a quarter-mile specialist (440 yards), the records also illustrate Vargas' versatility and entry into 220 yards, 110 yards and cross-country races.

The collection is a valuable research tool for athletics historians, especially those researchers interested in sprint races and inter-varsity athletics during the 1920s.

Charles Climaco Vargas was born in Brentford in 1905, his family originating from Bogatá, Columbia. He attended Lancing College, in Sussex, between 1918 and 1924 and was based in Sanderson's House at a time when John Fergusson Roxburgh (1888-1954) was Housemaster [in 1923 Roxburgh was appointed the first Headmaster of Stowe School]. Vargas later studied at Oriel College, Oxford and was awarded a BA degree in History in November 1927. He mainly competed for his college and university in relay races and was awarded a half-blue. He was secretary of the Oxford Rugby Fives Club and played in the first Rugby Fives match between Oxford and Cambridge: the latter team winning convincingly.

Vargas became competent at various sprinting events including the 110 yards, 220 yards, 440 yards, 600 yards and 880 yards although the 440 yards was his speciality. After leaving Oxford, Vargas joined the staff of The Grange, Eastbourne [a preparatory school] and took over football coaching for a short time. After less than a year he felt obliged to leave the teaching profession, somewhat reluctantly, to work for the family's import and export business, Climaco Vargas Limited of Leadenhall Street, London.

As an athlete, Vargas was at one time trained by R. Meades, masseur at the Brighton and Hove Albion Football Club. He became a member of Brighton and County Harriers, London Athletic Club and the Achilles Club, the latter made up of past and present representatives of Oxford and Cambridge Universities. He joined the Sussex County AAA, it is alleged, as one of the fastest quarter-milers Sussex had, at that time, ever known: newspaper cuttings included in this collection refer to Vargas as 'the quarter-mile champion of Sussex'. He was also one-time manager of the Achilles team.

Vargas married Margaret Reece in 1933 and they had one child, John D. C. (Dale) Vargas, who was born in 1939. Shortly afterwards the couple divorced and in 1944 Charles married Gwendolyn Richards and had a second child, Romany in 1945. At this time, Vargas was living in Hove. The family business, Climaco Vargas Limited, was wound-up during the 1950s due to the effect of the Second World War and currency problems. In later life he worked as a driver. Charles Vargas died in 1975.

Sources: papers of Charles Climaco Vargas; information supplied by the depositor.

These papers have been arranged into the following 2 series: scrapbooks and newspaper cuttings; and photographs.

Open. Access to all registered researchers.

Please see full catalogue for more information.

Permission to make any published use of any material from the collection must be sought in advance in writing from the Director of Special Collections (email: special-collections@contacts.bham.ac.uk). Identification of copyright holders of unpublished material is often difficult. Special Collections will assist where possible with identifying copyright owners, but responsibility for ensuring copyright clearance rests with the user of the material.

This collection was previously in the custody of J. D. C. (Dale) Vargas, transferred to the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL) and subsequently relocated to the Cadbury Research Library: Special Collections.

Other archive collections, formerly held as part of the National Centre for Athletics Literature (NCAL), are catalogued as collections distinct from this collection. They comprise both institutional archives and collections of personal papers of athletes, athletics administrators, journalists and others associated with the athletics world.

Catalogues of the institutional archives available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1880-1992. Finding No: ATH/AAA;
English Cross-Country Union: papers, 1911-1989. Finding No: ATH/ECCU;
Midland Counties Amateur Athletics Association: papers, 1900-1991. Finding No: ATH/MCAAA;
Midland Counties Cross Country Association: papers, 1898-1985. Finding No: ATH/MCCCA;
Midland Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1949-[1980s]. Finding No: ATH/MCWAAA;
Northern Counties Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1933-1989. Finding No: ATH/NCWAAA;
Northern Cross-Country Association: papers, 1906-1983. Finding No: ATH/NCCA;
Northern Women's Track and Field League: papers, 1982-1983. Finding No: ATH/NWTFL;
Southern Counties Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1958-1983. Finding No: ATH/SCAAA;
Southern Counties Cross-Country Association: papers, 1911-1990. Find No: ATH/SCCCA;
The Sports Council: papers, [1940s]-2001. Finding No: ATH/SC;
Women's Amateur Athletic Association: papers, 1932-1989. Finding No: ATH/WAAA.

Catalogues of personal papers available on the online archive catalogue are as follows:
Abrahams, Harold Maurice (1899-1978), athlete, administrator, commentator and journalist: papers, 1902-1989. Finding No: ATH/HA;
Adam, George Mair (1898-1989), athlete, coach and athletics administrator: papers, 1909-1989. Finding No: ATH/GA;
Binks, Joseph (Joe) (1874-1966), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [1920s-1950s]. Finding No: ATH/JB;
Brown, Audrey Kathleen (nee Court) (1913-2005), athlete: papers, [1930s]-2005. Finding No: USS22;
Cardew, Martin H. (b 1927), athlete: papers, 1964-1988. Finding No: ATH/MHC;
Cullum, Dennis Noel Johnson (1913-1985), athlete and coach: papers, [1930s]-1985. Finding No: ATH/DC;
Ives, Bert (1890-1975), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, [1920s-1970s]. Finding No: ATH/BI;
Jarvis, Walter (c 1888-c 1935), athlete: papers, 1910-1996. Finding No: MS4;
Jewell, John Christopher (1912-2001), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, 1897-2002. Finding No: ATH/JJ;
Lloyd-Edgley, Ralph: scrapbook, [c 1924]-[c 1931]. Finding No: ATH/RLE;
MacLean, Duncan (1884-1980), athlete and coach: papers, 1948-1977. Finding No: ATH/DM;
Monk, Walter Harry (Wal) (1896-after 1965), athlete: papers, 1918-1961. Finding No: ATH/WHM;
Morgan, Wilf (b 1935), athlete and athletics historian: papers, 1937-2012. Finding No: ATH/WM;
Newton, Arthur Francis Hamilton (1883-1959), athlete: papers, [c 1904]-[1990s]. Finding No: ATH/AN;
Payne, Howard (1931-1992), athlete: papers, 1899-[c 1975]. Finding No: ATH/HP;
Percy, Joe W. (1912-2001), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1910-1997. Finding No: ATH/JWP;
Perry, George (b 1903), athlete: papers, [1920s]-1956. Finding No: ATH/GP;
Powell, Edgar Robert Leslie (Peter), (fl 1920s-70s), athlete: papers, 1813-1988. Finding No: ATH/ERLP;
Richards, Wilf (b 1906), athlete and journalist: papers, 1924-[mid 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/WR;
Roberts, Dave (fl 1930s-1990s), athlete and statistician: papers, [1930s]-1991. Finding No: ATH/DR;
Simpson, Colin J. (1929-2011), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1945-1990. Finding No: ATH/CS;
Tatham, Wilfrid George (Gus) (1898-1978), athlete: papers, 1908-1960. Finding No: ATH/WGT;
Thomas, Dr Philip, athletics administrator and coach: papers, [c 1900]-[late 20th century]. Finding No: ATH/PT;
Vargas, Charles Climaco (1905-1975), athlete: papers, 1921-31. Finding No: ATH/CCV;
Ward, Leonard H., athletics coach: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/LW;
Watman, Melvyn Francis (Mel) (b 1938), athletics journalist and statistician: papers, 1980-1993. Finding No: ATH/MW;
Wight, Robert M., athletics administrator: papers, [mid-20th century]. Finding No: ATH/RW;
Winter, Arthur E. H. (d 1990), athlete and athletics commentator: papers, [early 20th century]-1983. Finding No: ATH/AW;
Yarrow, Squire Stevens (1905-1984), athlete and athletics administrator: papers, 1938-1984. Finding No: ATH/SY.