Collections

Potter was a graduate of Oberlin College, graduate student at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1962-1964; founding member and president of the Students for a Democratic Society (1964-1965); author of a memoir "A Name for Ourselves;" known for his eloquent and thoughtful speeches, most notably "Naming the System," given at the March on Washington to End the War in Vietnam, April 17, 1965. The colleciton includes his FBI file, correspondence, writings, speeches, and four audio cassette tapes. Note: the four audio cassette tapes have been migrated to compact discs (CDs) as of 2017.

Potter was a graduate of Oberlin College, graduate student at the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), 1962-1964; founding member and president of the Students for a Democratic Society (1964-1965); author of a memoir "A Name for Ourselves;" known for his eloquent and thoughtful speeches, most notably "Naming the System," given at the March on Washington to End the War in Vietnam, April 17, 1965. Collection includes: FBI file, correspondence, writings, speeches, and four audiocassettes. Note: the four audio cassette tapes have been migrated to compact discs (CDs) as of 2017.

This collection contains materials covering the last fifteen years of the Franco dictatorship in Spain, and the three following years, collected by Paul Ilie, Professor of Spanish and Comparative Literature.

Paul Ilie's collection of newspaper clippings come from American, Spanish and French newspapers during the years 1960-1975. Also included is a manuscript written by Ilie and submitted to Praeger Publishers. The clippings cover all aspects of Spanish political life including labor unrest, political organizations, the Basque separatist trial, Franco's politics, and related issues in Spain and internationally.

Writings, clippings, and ephemera relating to the life and works of Pat Halley, a Detroit cab driver, writer, and anarchist.

The correspondence file contains two outgoing letters from Halley: a brief (possibly unsent) letter to writer/publisher Ken Wachsberger and a handwritten letter to two friends asking for their support after Halley was accused of sexual misconduct involving a child.

The largest file in this collection consists of scripts for plays Halley wrote or co-wrote in approximately the 1970s, which include Tales of the Sea, The National Desire, The Werewolf of Grosse Point, The Curse of Belle Isle, Cheap Shots, and A Grave Matter. The theatre flyers and playbills folder holds ephemera associated with these and other performances.

The clippings consist of a 1994 article Halley wrote about his experiences as a cab driver, a 1986 article by Jim Gustafson about the MC5, and Halley's 2007 obituary. Finally, the collection includes a 45 RPM vinyl recording of songs written by Pat Halley and a J. Sase.

The Oakley Johnson Papers, 1926-1934, 1966-1969, include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings and other documents relating to the Negro-Caucasian Club and the City College of New York Case which addresses Oakley Johnson's dismissal from the College.

The Oakley Johnson papers date from 1926 to 1934 and from 1966 to 1969, with nothing for the years 1935 to 1965. The collection totals 17 folders or eight inches of material and is arranged in three groupings: University of Michigan Negro-Caucasian Club; City College of New York Case; and Other Papers.

The papers contain Johnson's correspondence in the 1960's with members of the Negro-Caucasian Club, concerning in part a reunion of Club members in 1969. The papers also reflect the controversy surrounding Johnson's dismissal from City College of New York in 1932.

The Noël Sturgeon Papers are a collection of materials regarding the research and activism work of Noël Sturgeon from 1977-2002, with the bulk of the material originating from 1983-1993.The ealiest papers primarily concern the organization of an anti-nuclear demonstration held at the Nevada Test Site in 1983, and the Mother's Day Action protests in the 1980s. Later material includes Sturgeon's doctoral research and dissertation, including interview transcripts, as well as her work with the Ecofeminist Newsletter throughout the late 1980s and 1990s. Materials are generally arranged chronologically (as recieved), with some unsorted materials at the end. A collection of 9 audio recordings of interviews is included at the end of the collection.

The collection is 4.0 linear feet in size, and contains 8 series detailing the research an activism of Noël Sturgeon, a feminist scholar and organizer in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century. The collection is primarily comprised of papers, especially newsletters and associated materials, and correspondence related to activism and demonstration planning. Materials are from 1983-2002, and the early papers are primarily concerned with anti-nuclear protests and demonstrations at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site. Other papers include Sturgeon's research materials, including research consent forms, interview transcripts, and a copy of her doctoral dissertation. Nine audio cassettes of recorded interviews are also included. The bulk of the material concerns the Ecofeminist Newsletter, which Sturgeon spearheaded, and include subscription information, mailing lists, and article submissions.

The paper and printed portion of the collection is organized into 9 series. The first 5 are organizations with which Dallas Denny was involved or interacted. These series are: I. American Educational Gender Information Service, II. Human Outreach and Achievement Institute, III. Outreach Institute for Gender Studies, IV. Atlanta Pride Committee, and V. International Foundation for Gender Education. The remaining paper series are: VI. Conferences, VII. Miscellaneous Publications, VIII. Shuttle Harry Benjamin, and IX. Photographs (unidentified). Boxes 5 through 14 contain ephemera, memorabilia, photographs, videotapes, computer media, and audio tapes. An item listing is provided in most instances. Boxes 15 through 19 contain correspondence that was processed at a different time than the rest of the collection. For this reason, and because the materials are somewhat different than the rest of the collection, it has been kept separate. The correspondence is organized into 5 series: I. Correspondence, Individuals A-I (Closed), II. Correspondence, Individuals J-Z (Closed), III. Correspondence, 1989-July 1995, IV. Correspondence, August 1995-December 1998, and V. Miscellaneous. The AEGIS files are divided into nine parts based on delineations present in the original file structure. These represent the activities and governance of the organization. Correspondence files are most often organized chronologically within a folder, except for the General Mailings. A larger collection of correspondence can be found further on in the collection. The Survey folders contain survey responses in regard to the experiences of transgendered individuals with therapy and their familiarity with the Standards of Care. Some of the responses included identifying information; these have been removed and replaced with photocopies that have such information blacked out. The Human Outreach and Achievement Institute is the predecessor to the Outreach Institute for Gender Studies and therefore the original host of Fantasia Fair. However, for the sake of continuity, the Fantasia Fair materials for 1992 and 1993 are housed with the rest of the Fair materials in the Outreach Institute series. Most materials within the Miscellaneous Publications series are housed in individual folders; however, a couple folders have multiple publications because they dealt with the same topic area. Boxes 7 through 11 contain a variety of objects, memorabilia, and paraphernalia. In most cases the items are listed individually within the main box divisions. Further description is provided for some items in interior boxes as needed. Box 10A contains photographs that have been divided into sections based on the envelopes and order in which they were found. Only a few of the sections had identifying information and this is reflected in the finding aid. Beginning with Box 15, this portion of the collection consists mainly of correspondence. It includes 4 linear feet of correspondence and 0.5 feet of miscellaneous materials. Correspondence, written by and to Denny, is separated and arranged by name or date, depending on the quantity of communication between Denny and a particular individual. Denny maintained regular correspondence with several people over extended periods of time. Because of the sensitive nature of the subject matter, several people signed only their first names. Thus, several folders in the "Correspondence by Name" section are filed under the first name. The greatest portion of the correspondence is from transgender and transsexual individuals seeking information and advice. Many of these individuals are isolated from others with a common experience and, therefore, turned to AEGIS and Denny as their strongest (if not only) source of support. The correspondence, which ranges from discussion of hormones to coming out to family members, reveals not only the services that AEGIS offered, but also the emotional and physical needs of the transgender community. Individuals' letters are extensive and offer a glimpse into the day-to-day struggles of those who identify as transgender. Women and men write about cross-dressing, surgery options, experiences in other countries, living without surgery and many other issues. Because of the sensitive and personal nature of these letters access to them is restricted until the year 2050. Correspondence also include letters written between Denny and AEGIS board members and other leaders in the transgender community. Denny's involvement with other organizations and in organizing events reveals how important AEGIS was within the MTF community. Also of interest are correspondence between Denny and various other organizations. The gender community is a diverse group that does not always see eye-to-eye and tension arises occasionally between cross-dressers and transsexuals, male-to-females and female-to-males, etc. Letters from and to a heterosexual cross-dressers group and a female-to-male organization reveal Denny's on-going attempts to raise awareness of and reach an understanding with these groups.

This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, ephemera, publications, and A/V materials created or collected by Ms. Bob Davis, a transgender rights activist and professor of music at City College of San Francisco.

This collection consists of correspondence, photographs, ephemera, publications, and A/V materials created or collected by Ms. Bob Davis, a professor of music at City College of San Francisco.

The correspondence dates from the mid-2000s and centers around Ms. Bob and her students' efforts to convince CCSF to keep the position of Transgender Outreach and Advocacy Coordinator.

The photographs are 1970s press photos from a touring production of La Cage aux Folles. Ephemera relate to trans activism at CCSF. The publications folder includes "Inside Out," an interdisciplinary collaboration from CCSF that documents that experiences of trans individuals in the Bay Area. The news clippings cover transgender activism in the Bay Area and at CCSF. Contained in the oversize box is also a signed, wrapped clipping of an interview with Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, a survivor of the Stonewall Riots. Finally, the A/V folder contains a Lasses Record Company 45 vinyl single featuring music from Miss Rae Bourbon.

Materials related to the Marxist-Leninist group Motor City Labor League, active in Detroit in the 1970s. Divided into series based loosely on date and group. The group had an acrimonious split in the early 1970s, with the alliances of the resulting organizations constantly shifting.

Materials related to the Motor City Labor League (MCLL)'s activities in the 1970s. Includes administrative materials from planning meetings and statements regarding the intragroup conflicts that divided the MCLL beginning in 1972. The sub- and splinter- groups that were party to this schism include Changeover and Aliance. These groups' activities with the reading group Conflict, Control, Change is also represented. Also includes materials from the Christian-Marxist Diaglogue and Marxist-Leninist reading materials, which formed part of MCLL members' program of self-education.

The Mike Gold (Irwin Granich)/Mike Folsom Papers date from about 1901 to 1990, and measure about thirteen linear feet. They are divided into twelve series: Correspondence (1901-1990 and undated); Writings (1904-1989 and undated); Biographical Materials (1954-1969 and undated); Individual Files (1905-1978 and undated); Periodicals (1913-1958 and undated); Newspaper Clippings (1924-1980s and undated); Events and Activities (1935 1972 and undated); Notes and Journals (1906-1962 and undated); Personal (1930s-1967 and undated); Miscellaneous (1935-1970s and undated); and Visual Materials (1923-1960s and undated).

The first series, Correspondence, contains items dating from 1901-1990, and measures 1.5 linear feet. It includes correspondence materials from both Mike Gold and Mike Folsom, as well as some materials written between two other outside parties which it seems that Folsom used in his research and writing. It also includes letters to and from Gold and his wife, Elizabeth, as well as their sons, Carl and Nick. There are a variety of prominent figures included in the correspondence, including such persons as Theodore Dreiser, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn, Joseph Freeman, Ernest Hemmingway, Walter Lowenfels, Lewis Mumford, and Upton Sinclair, along with a host of others. Of particular interest is the early correspondence between Sinclair and Gold, the H.L Mencken correspondence (on microfilm), Folsom's correspondence with Gold and other literary figures and writers in the 1960s and 1970s, and the topical folders on Gold's application for a Guggenheim fellowship in 1928-1929 and 1935-1936, and on the Estate and Papers of Mike Gold, which provides some insight into the history of the papers themselves. It should be noted that in particular during the 1960s it is often difficult to distinguish between the correspondences of Gold and of Folsom because many letters are simply addressed, "Dear Mike".

The second series, Writings (1904-1989 and undated) is the largest series at about 7 linear feet. It primarily contains manuscript and published materials by Mike Gold, including books (no manuscripts), fiction (including many manuscripts), drama (including manuscripts), poetry (including many manuscripts), song lyrics (mostly published), columns and articles (mostly published, also including some manuscripts), and other writings (some manuscripts and some published materials). Also included in the series are the writings of Mike Folsom (including manuscripts and published materials), and the writings of other people (including his wife), such as dissertations, published articles, and a number of manuscripts.

The third series, Biographical Materials (1954-1969 and undated) includes about 0.75 linear feet of materials. There are some of Gold's manuscripts for the autobiography/memoir book he was working on towards the end of his life, as well as transcripts from interviews with Mike Folsom and some notes, and a few published items relating to Gold's life. Most of the items in this series seem to have been produced by Gold and Folsom during the time they were working together on Gold's autobiography/memoir, although a few items dated earlier suggest that Gold had been working on and off on the project himself for some time before collaborating with Folsom.

The fourth series, Individual Files (1905-1978 and undated) measures about 0.25 linear feet. This series is composed of folders relating to a specific individual, including a number of prominent people as well as some lesser-known figures. The materials included in the series are mostly notes and articles, although in some cases there are other items such as pamphlets and images included in the folders. Most of the people included in the series figured prominently into Gold's life (either personally, professionally, or both), or into Folsom's own research on Gold or other proletarian writers.

The fifth series, Periodicals (1913-1958 and undated) also measures about 0.25 linear feet. It includes mostly small collections of such titles as The Flame, The Liberator, The Masses, The New Masses, The Oakland Post Enquirer, and The Scarsdale Inquirer, for which Gold wrote over a period of years or months. These contain published versions of Gold's writings (some under the name Irwin Granich) and give an idea of how his writings appeared to readers at the time of their original publication.

The sixth series, News Clippings (1924-1980s and undated) includes 0.5 linear feet of folders containing dated and undated news clippings. These appear to be items clipped by Gold (to 1967) and Folsom, sometimes used for research or to write an article, or for personal interest. A few of the folders are somewhat topical within a time frame, such as pertaining to the H-bomb and McCarthyism, but most contain articles on a variety of subjects.

The seventh series, Events and Activities (1935-1972 and undated) is about 0.25 linear feet in size. It includes materials from events Mike Gold attended as well as a number of events held in his honor, and materials from his national speaking tour in 1954 in honor of his sixtieth birthday, including manuscripts.

The eighth series, Notes and Journals (1906-1962 and undated) contains both 0.75 linear feet of foldered materials and two boxes of card files. There are a large number of Gold's notebooks and notes, a diary, as well as some address books and address and business cards, and a childhood autograph book. Also included are Folsom's loose and topical notes (although Folsom's notes, where possible, have been kept with the materials with which they were found in the papers) and a notecard file housed in two small shoebox-sized boxes. Most notebooks and notes are not labeled or dated, making it difficult to distinguish what they are about and when they were written.

The ninth series, Personal (1930s-1967 and undated) is the smallest series at about 0.1 linear feet. It contains folders on such subjects as Gold's family, medical and financial information (mostly social security), and his death, including articles and obituaries.

The tenth series, Miscellaneous (1935-1970s and undated) measures about 0.65 linear feet. It includes some topical files on subjects, a variety of items on various social, political, and scholarly interests, and some folders relating to Folsom's own interests and activities, particularly after Gold's death, and general materials which did not fit in elsewhere in the papers.

The eleventh, Visual Materials (1923-1960s and undated), measures about 0.5 linear feet and is housed in a separate smaller box. It includes photographs, microfilm, and a few illustrations. Most of the items are undated, except the microfilm. The photographs date from Gold's childhood to the end of his life, but most appear to be from the 1920s through the 1940s. A number of photographs are from Gold's visit to Ernest Hemingway's home in Florida, where Gold vacationed and went fishing in about 1929- 1930. There are also some unlabeled and unidentified photographs, and some photographs which have been removed from other items in the collection (such as correspondence) for preservation purposes.

The twelfth and final series, FBI File, measures about .75 linear ft. In 1978 Mike Folsom requested Mike Gold's FBI file under the Freedom of Information Act. He received photocopies of the documents in Gold's file with some information blacked out by the FBI to protect the privacy of informants and other individuals. In 2002 Nick Granich offered the Labadie copies of his copies of Mike Gold's file. Since the Labadie's copies are at least third generation some information is obscured, but for the most part the documents are legible. The documents were left in the order in which the Labadie received them. The organizational scheme is primarily topical and chronological. If any records did seem out of place, they were left as is to preserve the original order. The FBI reports cover the years 1941 to 1967 with additional correspondence between Mike Folsom and the FBI in 1978.

The Michigan Central Railroad Police Department Mugshot Photographs Collection contains 112 mugshots and accompanying police intake records for suspected members of the Communist Party USA.

The Michigan Central Railroad Police Department Mugshot collection contains 112 mugshots and accompanying police intake records for suspected members of the Communist Party USA. A number of these photographs come from the 1932 Ford Hunger March, with others coming from the GM Fisher Body plant strike in Flint in July 1930. Other individuals were arrested by the Flint Police department throughout the 1930s, and several were affiliated with specific investigations, as noted on the intake forms.

Of particular note is the arrest record of William Z. Foster in New York in 1930. Foster served as the secretary of the Communist Party, campaigned for Governor of New York in 1930, and ran for President of the United States in 1924, 1928, and 1932. Other notable members include Joe Sgovio who was deported to Russia, where he died; and Will Geer, who played the grandfather on 1970's television program The Waltons. While most of the mugshots are of men, two depict women (Marion Simon and Stella Marie Harrison).

Also included in the collection is a folder of historical information on the photographs, collected by the donor and housed with the collection.