Collections

The Louis C. Jones Papers consist primarily of the circular letters sent by Jones during World War II to former students of the State Teachers College and replies to these letters from service men and women. Jones was employed by the New York State College for Teachers, first as an Instructor (1934-42) and later as an Associate Professor of English (1942-46).

Correspondence with publishers and environmental groups including the Constitutional Council for Forest Preserves, 1970–71; Defenders of Wildlife, 1970–76; Albany Environmental Council, 1965–76; draft manuscripts and typescripts, 1956–79, of texts, scholarly and popular articles and books relating to local, state, national, and international government and to environmental issues such as the anti-nuclear movement, forest preservation, wildlife preservation, the Adirondack Mountains, lecture notes taken as a student and given to his classes, 1930–70, scripts for his television series "Man Against His Environment", 1970–71, drafts of speeches on environmental concerns, tape cassettes on environmental issues created as staff lecturer for the Center for Cassette Studies, clippings files on government and environmental issues, photographs of Rienow and his wife. Robert Rienow was educated at Carthage College (B.A., 1930), and Columbia University (M.A., 1934; Ph.D., 1937), served as Instructor, 1936–41, Assistant Professor, 1941–47, and Professor, 1947–80, of Social Science at the State University of New York at Albany, now the University at Albany. Through out his career Rienow maintained an active interest in environmental issues and a belief in the need to popularize issues of public concern. (See also papers of his wife Leona Train Rienow).

Personal and professional papers of Paul Bruce Pettit, professor of theatre at the University at Albany, 1947-1972. Includes essays, play scripts and literary writings produced while enrolled in graduate programs at Cornell University, his theses (M.A. 1943 and Ph.D. 1949), correspondence, offprints of articles about theater related subjects, newspaper clippings, scripts of radio broadcasts (1947-1948), and lecture notes from Pettit's tenure as a professor and chairman of the Department of Theatre. While on a Fulbright Scholarship Pettit directed the National Theater in Cyprus (1964 and 1965) and was known for his work in arena theater.

This collection consists of the administrative records of the Assistant to the Provost of the Nelson A. Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy.

The State University of New York at Albany Alumni Association Records document the day-to-day operations of the Alumni Association from the 1850s to the early 21st Century.

This collection documents the musical career of Yella Pessl, a harpsichordist, pianist and organist.

The collection contains photocopied news clippings related to the death penalty, amassed by the New York State Defenders Association.

The Conference of Large City Boards of Education Records include some of the day-to-day operations of the Special Task Force on Equity and Excellence in Education as documented through files kept by Eugene Samter, Executive Director of the Conference. The collection also includes Samter's testimony from the 1976 Levittown vs. Nyquist case argued before the New York State Supreme Court.

The Thomas E. Mulligan Papers document Mulligan's life from 1941 to 1973 including his two unsucessful political campaigns, one for Mayor of Albany and the other for assemblyman.

The New York State Executive Advisory Commission on the Administration of Justice Records is composed of materials retained by Vincent O'Leary, a past president of the State University of New York at Albany and member of the commission. The collection provides insight into the inner workings and public exchanges of the commission members as they discussed and dealt with problems associated with the criminal justice system.

The Public Employees Federation (PEF) was founded in 1979 to represent members of the Professional, Scientific, and Technical (PS&T) bargaining unit of New York State. PS&T employees had formerly been represented by CSEA, the state's largest public employee union. PEF founders believed that the concerns of the PS&T unit were not adequately represented by CSEA, the majority of whose members were non-professional state employees. PEF's stated mission is to "provide the leadership necessary for PEF members to achieve employment security, higher wages, better working conditions, and improved retirement benefits." Materials in this collection document PEF activities at both the state and division level. There is extensive coverage of executive board activities from 1978 through mid-2000, annual conventions, committee meetings, and contract negotiations. Also included are files for PEF Division 169, PEF's Environmental Conservation Division. These include correspondence, agendas and minutes for labor/management meetings, material on committees, and administrative files. This collection also documents the activities of reform groups and political parties within PEF (most notably, the Statewide Coalition for a Democratic Union) and PEF's relationships with its national affiliates, the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of Teachers. Particularly strong is the collection of bulletin board postings, which includes almost everything posted on Division 169 PEF bulletin boards from 1979 through 2000. There are also official PEF publications, including a near-complete run of PEF's official monthly newsletter to members, The Communicator.

The Willowbrook Review Panel was a Federal monitoring group established by the U.S. District Court in 1975 and dismissed from its duties in 1987. The Willowbrook Review Panel Records provide extensive documentation of the Panel's main function: monitoring implementation of the 1975 Willowbrook Consent Decree in New York State which set new standards for the care of the facility's residents.

These records document the day-to-day activities and interests of the Knolls Action Project (KAP).

The New York StateWide Senior Action Council records document the issues faced by senior citizens in New York State over the course of almost three decades. The bulk of the records consist of subject files in the areas of health care, Medicare, and social security issues. In addition to topical material, these records document the fundraising activities of the organization and its various sub-groups. Notably included are publications issued by the organization, including the Sentinel newsletter (1992-1996) and the Senior Action newspaper (1977-1991). The bulk of the material, found in the subject files, is useful for documenting issues about which NYSSAC was active. NYSSAC's work with New York state legislators, as well as government and private agencies in advocating for seniors and social justice issues, and their outreach efforts in education and advocacy, are well documented throughout the collection. Records of the activities of Executive Directors Michael Burgess and Bonnie Ray are the most prominent in the collection.

The collection consists chiefly of administrative paper records from the University at Albany's Allen Collegiate Center, operational from 1972-1976. The experimental center combined the senior year of high school with the freshman year of college so that students could earn a bachelor's degree in three years.

The School of Nursing Records document the history and day-to-day operations of the School at the University at Albany since its first full year of operation in 1967 through its closing in 1979.

The majority of the Menands Book Club Records consists of meeting and treasurer notes and program schedules. There also is correspondence, club histories and an information packet of the village of Menands, NY Anniversary.

The collection contains records related to Anthony Weiner's tenure in the United States Congress representing New York's 9th Congressional district.

The papers of Lou Ismay document the history of the Environmental Forum at the University at Albany, SUNY, (State University of New York at Albany as it was then known) from 1969-1977, as well as the Environmental Studies Program. The collection contains information on the Environmental Forum, the Protect Your Environment Club, administrative files, student writings, subject files, correspondence, and publications. The student writings are from Ismay's Environmental Forum classes from 1969-1977. This series is restricted from use, along with parts of the Environmental Forum and correspondence series. This course was held under different numbers during its existence, including A&S 201 and Env.250a and b. The strength of the collection lies not in the educational departments that are represented by the collection, but by the overall impression one can gather about the rise of environmental awareness among students at the university. Access to certain student material is restricted. Consult a staff member for details.

The Margaret Vandiver Papers document Dr. Vandiver's research in capital punishment, involvement with abolitionist organizations, and work with individuals sentenced to death.