Collections

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

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.

The William Kennedy Papers document nearly a half century of research, writing, and publishing efforts of the internationally recognized, Pulitzer Prize winning author, playwright, essayist, journalist, script writer, professor, and champion of the arts. The collection consists of records related to all of Kennedy's fiction and nonfiction books through 2002, including his "Albany Cycle" of novels, film scripts, essays, and newspaper articles from the Albany . In addition, there is correspondence with other significant authors of American literature, biographical materials, and records documenting a trip to Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland with President Bill Clinton.

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.

The Thomas Nattell papers document the life of a mental health worker and political activist active during the 1980s and 1990s in Albany, New York. He created and participated in organizations like the Albany Peace and Energy Council (APEC) and the Three Guys From Albany poetry troupe. He also acted as promoter and event coordinator for movie showings, poetry open mics and an annual 24-hour poetry reading alongside a coinciding international postcard art event. Nattell used poetry and other arts to advance world peace, anti-nuclear power and proliferation, and environmental issues. This collection contains videos of events, photographs, scrapbooks full of art and poetry mailed from around the world to Nattell, subject files with research on topics related to his professional work as well as his activism, poetry, correspondence, and clippings.

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 Hunger Action Network of New York State was founded at the Food, Famine and Federalism conference on May 20th, 1982. The statewide membership organization is comprised of direct food providers, advocates, and others with the same goal of ending hunger and poverty in New York State. Today, HANNYS has more than 200 member organizations fighting in unison. The organization holds offices in New York City and Albany, New York.

The Tarky Lombardi, Jr. Papers contain correspondence documenting Lombardi's first term in the New York State Senate from 1966-1967.

The Tanya M. Melich Papers contain materials relating to the political landscape of the United states throughout the latter half of the twentieth century, as well as various social movements with a particular emphasis on Women's rights.

The collection documents the day-to-day work of the Sierra Club's Atlantic Chapter over three and a half decades.

The School of Social Welfare 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 1964 through 2000.

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 Saratoga Springs Open Space Project worked for the preservation of open space in Saratoga Springs. It supported the creation of nature trails, scenic walkways, and biking paths as well as vigorously opposed sprawl and loss of open space by organizing opposition to unsustainable development. In addition, the organization coordinated several programs aimed at aiding the development of Saratoga Springs and maintained a special interest in the development of the downtown area. The collection includes administrative files, grant files, material related to programs and issues, documentation of trails, and subject files.

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).

The records of the Rensselaer County Greens (RCG) contain relevant information behind its efforts to protect the Rensselaer County, New York community from the destruction of environment and historical landmarks.

The Ralph Boyd, Sr. Papers contain personal and professional correspondence, news clippings, work manuals and agendas that document his career as a General Electric employee, community activist and member of the Schenectady branch of the NAACP.

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 documents the activism of November Belford West and her opposition to the death penalty.

The North Country James Bay Group records document efforts of this upstate New York environmental organization to stop Hydro-Québec's Great Whale (Grande Baleine) River/James Bay II development efforts in the early 1990s.

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.