Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

This series contains documents pertaining to the many projects that Mrs. Whittlesey was involved in from 1966 to 1991. It contains the documents for Ambassadors to Bring Action Through Environmental Study (ABATES), The Ellis Island Centennial Commission, Housewives for Rockefeller and the Volunteer's Tie-Line. Among the materials in the collection are the guidebook supplied to chairs of ABATES study action groups, the publications and studies developed by the New York State Department of Health that were used to inform ABATES members of the latest environmental news, newsletters from various environmental groups, news clippings, a play entitled Well of the World that discusses the dangers of water pollution, and the informational charts and placards designed by Eunice Whittlesey for ABATES to improve environmental awareness. These materials include key sources that track the environmental health of the Capital District throughout the early 1970s. Among the most interesting elements found within the studies created for ABATES are the charts that show the level of compliance of several factories along the Hudson and Mohawk Rivers. The Ellis Island Centennial Commission was a presidential commission designed to discuss the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and the planning for the re-opening series. These materials include a summary of the proposals and alternatives for the use and development of the southern portion of Ellis Island, the Commission's correspondence to Mrs. Whittlesey, news clippings on the preservation of the Statue of Liberty and informational brochures on the project. Housewives for Rockefeller was a volunteer organization that recruited women to campaign for Governor Nelson Rockefeller. The records include the group's correspondence, newsletters, news clippings and promotional items, the organizational chart, a list of the county chairs, instructions given to the county chairs and financial records. The Volunteer's Tie Line was a political group created during the Rockefeller Administration by Eunice Whittlesey that kept the voting populous informed of the latest political information of note and thus acted as a liaison between the public and the state government. These documents include lists of County Coordinators, the Tie Line's budget reports, the instructions supplied to the Tie-Line members, correspondence between Tie-Line members and Governor Rockefeller, newsletters, news clippings and promotional brochures, and the volunteer handbooks used by the group to coordinate their informational sessions.