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The Administration subseries documents Norman Studer's day-to-day activities as the Director of the Downtown Community School. Included are Board of Trustee meeting minutes, a copy of the Downtown Community School by-laws, core curriculum notes, teacher's guides, admissions policy reports, correspondence to parents and staff members, and material related to interracial and intercultural education. In 1963, Studer invited a group of African American parents boycotting a segregated school in Engelwood, NJ to bring their 31 children to a Freedom School at the Downtown Community School so the children could continue their education durign the struggle.

The Activities subseries contains material produced by or involving the students of the Downtown Community School, as well as Norman Studer, beyond his administrative responsibilities. Materials include notes from field trips, graduation dramas, student writings, and Downtown Community School publications, the Downtowner and Scribbler. The Downtowner was an internally published periodical containing a calendar of events, an editorial from Studer, announcements, and student writings. The Scribbler differed in that it was solely composed of student writings from each grade level. This subseries is particularly strong in its representation of field trips sponsored by Studer, many of which were taken to the Catskill Mountains. The folders often include itineraries, curricular guides, local history and maps, as well as student reflections and drawings. Many of the Downtown Community School graduation dramas were predicated on the field trip experiences. Also of interest are a number of folders containing general student writings and drawings and a file on the successful 1965 efforts by the children to help save the historic Old Merchant's House in New York City from demolition.

The Administration subseries documents the functions of the director, Board of Trustees, and staff of Camp Woodland as they relate to the operation of the Camp. Materials include annual reports, meeting minutes, correspondence, litigation, counselor in training handbooks, as well as documents related to the Larkin Committee and an investigation of Norman Studer and Camp Woodland for possible subversive activities and ties to the Communist Party. The annual reports provide fiscal summary data related to the operation of the Camp, including, but not limited to, tuition costs, expenditures, operating costs, tax liability, fixed assets and accumulated depreciation, and accumulated funds. These reports were prepared by certified public accountants and record the fiscal state of Camp Woodland in great detail. The folder entitled "Board of Director's Dispute" documents an effort by three of Camp Woodland's founders and Board members - Mrs. Ferber, Mrs. Sydney, and Mrs. Abramson - to separate themselves, legally and financially, from the Camp. It is unclear what precipitated the dispute, but ultimately, it appears there were philosophical differences as well as divergent financial interests.

The Activities subseries consists primarily of publications, event announcements, writings, and art produced by campers, or counselors of Camp Woodland. Notable materials include copies of the Camp magazine, Neighbors; programs, announcements, news clippings, and correspondence related to the Folk Festival of the Catskills; ephemeral publications; and various creative writings. There also are materials about the Folk Museum.

This small subseries contains materials documenting Camp Woodland related activities and events which occurred after the camp closed. This includes reunions and the creation of The Woodland Sampler, a compilation of Catskill folk music played at Camp Woodland, including some recordings from the annual Folk Festival of the Catskills. Norman Studer embarked on the The Woodland Sampler project in 1977, a year before his death, and it was continued by his family, including daughter Joan Studer Levine and grandson Eric Levine. The Levines published a cassette and an accompanying booklet detailing the songs, poetry and music on the tape in 1987.

The School photographs subseries contains images of children's activities, classes, field trips, special guests, including Red Thunder Cloud, and performances. The bulk of the photographs are from the Downtown Community School, but there are some images from the Little Red School House and Elisabeth Irwin High School.

The Camp Woodland photographs subseries documents the activities of the campers, the Folk Festivals of the Catskills, and many of the Catskill indigenes, including Dick and George Edwards, Harry Robinson, Grant Rogers, Ernie Sagan, Harry Siemsen, Orson Slack, and George Van Kleeck. There are a number of photographs of Norman Cazden and Herbert Haufrecht, both of whom served as musical directors for the camp, photographs of Norman Studer, as well as photographs of Pete Seeger playing his banjo. There is a file of photographs of Camp Hilltop as well.

This subseries consists of a small number of general photographs and postcards, many likely taken or acquired on trips.

This subseries contains manuscript and typescript drafts, typescripts, notes, reprints, monographs, and a small amount of correspondence related to Studer's writing projects. Of interest are two typescript drafts of unpublished projects: Community Life and Woodland Story both of which are reflective pieces examining Studer's life and work at the Downtown Community School and Camp Woodland respectively. Please note that Studer published some Woodland Story chapters separately. For instance, "Folklore from a Valley that Died" (Chapter 9) was a standalone article in New York Folklore Quarterly in 1956. The standalone article "Yarns of a Catskill Woodsman" (Chapter 16) appeared in New York Folklore Quarterly in 1955. "Mike Todd's Story" (Chapter 11) later evolved into and was published as A Catskill Woodsman. A draft of Woodland Story's Chapter 17 entitled "Our Catskill Teachers" also appears as a section of a draft of Chapter 3. Therefore draft text is found in both files. This collection is missing later draft chapters of Woodland Story so there are gaps in the order.

The Diaries and Travelogues subseries consists primarily of travelogues documenting several school field trips and family vacations. The diaries document aspects of Studer's personal landscape, and were kept sporadically.