Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

Founded by a group of Albany area residents who organized to prevent the Springboks, the all-white South African national rugby team representing the apartheid South African government, from playing a game against the American all-star rugby team in Albany scheduled in 1981.

This series includes copies of police investigation reports, court papers, testimony, and photocopies of newspaper articles. The legal documents stem from the demonstration organized by various groups against the rugby game scheduled for September 22, 1981 between the South African national rugby team and the American all-star rugby team. The bulk of the documents relates to the arrests of Vera Michelson, Aaron Estes, John Spearman and Michael Young on September 21, 1981. The police surveillance records and the court documents were obtained by CD-CAAR through the Freedom of Information Act. The police surveillance documents come from the Albany Police Department, Albany's Police Court and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The records include proposed plans for security at the anti-apartheid demonstration, police reports, photocopies of articles regarding groups expected to participate in the demonstration, arrest reports, court arraignment papers and investigation reports. The court records are from Albany's Police Court, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York and the State of New York Supreme Court Appellate Division. The records include some correspondence, papers for the case of the People versus Vera Michelson, Aaron Estes, and Michael Young, testimony in the government's unsuccessful case against Michael Young and John Spearman, and a motion to suppress evidence involving Michelson and Estes. The court records also include papers involving the successful case launched by Michelson and CD-CAAR in 1982 against named and unnamed officials in the FBI, New York State Police, Albany County District Attorney and Assistant District Attorneys, Albany County, Albany Police Officers and the City of Albany. The court records also include documents relating to a 1988 appeal to the Federal Court of Appeals pertaining to the civil case started by Vera Michelson and CD-CAAR in 1982.

This series contains correspondence, minutes and reports relating to the activities and interests of CD-CAAR and consists mostly of copies of letters sent by CD-CAAR to others. Topics of correspondence include fund-raising, the cultural boycott of entertainers who had performed in South Africa and had not vowed to stay out until apartheid ended, the campaign beginning in 1983 to divest New York State pension funds from businesses operating in South Africa, letters to pastors requesting support, requests for participants in demonstrations, announcements of meetings, arrangements for conferences, requests to institutions not to sponsor pro-South African speakers, letters to legislators supporting or opposing proposed legislation especially relating to divestiture, and letters regarding testimony given by Vera Michelson in front of the United Nations. Although Michelson testified twice before the United Nations, the collection contains only a copy of her November 5, 1984 appearance in which she spoke about the frustrations and concerns of CD-CAAR and other anti-apartheid groups and expressed gratitude to the United Nations for assisting the groups in their work. Includes letters sent to political figures both in the United States and abroad such as Albany Mayor Thomas Whalen III regarding Albany's place in the fight against apartheid, Schenectady Mayor Karen Johnson, NYS Assemblywoman Cynthia Jenkins (with reply) regarding divestiture, President P.W. Botha, Lindwe Mabuza, African National Congress chief representative to the United States, Namibian Minister Helmut Angula, and Ambassador Hipolito Patricio from Mozambique supporting the ANC and the frontline states. Also included are letters to pastors such as Reverend Robert W. Dixon; academics such as President Hines of Siena College, President John S. Morris of Union College, Professor Warren Roberts of the University at Albany, and Martin circa Barell, Chancellor of the New York State Board of Regents protesting pro-South African speakers, writing letters of recommendation for professors, and thanking those who aided the anti-apartheid movement; and with people at other organizations with similar goals such as Solly Simelane of the African National Congress, E.J. Josey, President of the Albany NAACP, and Richard Dillard of the Public Employees Federation Black Caucus. Includes a typescript diary written by Eileen Kawola detailing a July 1992 visit to Mozambique. Arranged chronologically.

This collection documents the comprehensive planning work of New York's Capital District Regional Planning Commission across several decades.

This series contains files pertaining to planning decisions for areas/projects that span county boundaries within New York State's Capital District -- i.e., Albany County, Rensselaer County, Saratoga County, and Schenectady County. A great many of the files involve regional transportation planning and travel data; this includes corridor plans and studies, as well as non-state federal-aid streets and highways conditions reports. There are documents pertaining to the Port of Albany spanning several decades. Other documents of note include an analysis of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy housing market, air quality data for the region, and a soil map of Albany and Schenectady counties from the 1930s.

The Citizens Budget Commission contain information on the financial outlook of New York City from the 1930's to the 1990's.

The main purpose of the reports issued by the Citizens Budget Commission is to recommend how New York City, and beginning in 1984 New York State, could save money and better their financial situation. The reports include long-term and short-term studies. The size and complexity of New York City's budget has resulted in a need for continuous revision over the years. The first folder is undated, but due to its significance of listing some of the reports is housed first in the series. The remainder of the series is in chronological order. These reports document financial issues of concern from the 1930s to the 1990s.

The records of Citizens' Environmental Coalition (CEC) document its research and activism, from its infancy as part of the New York Environmental Institute, through its independent chartering in 1991, and continuing into the new millennium.

This series consists of chemical fact sheets used by CEC for research and informational purposes.

This collection documents the day-to-day activities of the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) from 1918 to the present. There is no documentation of the organization's initial years of existence, but significant material about administration, meetings, membership, agreements, publications, and organizational history.

The Legal and Administrative files on reels contain various records pertaining to the political, legal, and administrative aspects of the CSEA. These records include the agreements between CSEA and New York State and its various units, collective bargaining agreements, and the meeting minutes of the Legal Committee. The reels also include model constitutions and by-laws, department head minutes and reports, and Political Action Fund meeting information.

This series contains both the official CSEA newspaper for its members and smaller newsletters which focus upon a specific segment of membership. The official newspaper chronicles CSEA activities such as scholarship funds, solidarity marches, and the individual achievements of members. Originally entitled The Civil Service Leader the name was changed to The Public Sector in 1978 and to The Work Force 20 years later. The early editions of the newspaper focused primarily on the maintenance of wages and benefits. They also listed numerous job vacancies throughout New York State and the nation.

This series contains items related to the boat Clearwater; Clearwater as an organization, including its predecessor organization, Hudson River Sloop Restoration; and affiliated sloop clubs, particularly North River Friends of Clearwater. It includes newsletters, board of directors meeting minutes, membership mailings, catalogs, and educational materials. There is a near-complete collection of programs from Clearwater's annual Great Hudson River Revival, as well as copies of Clearwater's official newsletter, mainly from 1973-1993. This newsletter began publication under the name North River Navigator, then became the Clearwater Navigator in 1978. Administrative files from NRFC are limited and include by-laws, charters, some meeting minutes, and a membership dues receipt book from 1978. NRFC newsletters, spanning from 1976-1993, began as an unnamed publication, then became The Compass in 1982.

The papers of Nancy Papish document her involvement with Clearwater, North River Friends of Clearwater (NRFC), and the campaign to stop Hydro-Quebec's development plan for James Bay. These papers document the environmental activism of Nancy Papish from the 1970s through the 1990s. Included are meeting minutes, notes, mailings, press releases, news clippings, magazine articles, programs, and publications. The Clearwater files contain near-complete runs of newsletters produced by both NRFC and the parent Clearwater organization. Evidence of NRFC's outreach activities is found in a slide show titled "This Is Clearwater" and numerous poster displays. Documentation of Clearwater's organization and administration, such as meeting minutes, internal reports, and committee files, are almost entirely absent. There is little information about the membership of Clearwater. The James Bay files contain materials from several organizations.

This collection documents the day-to-day activities of Council 82, the New York State Law Enforcement Officers Union, during its first two decades of existence.

Contains T.U.F.C.O. charges and counter charges (1984), authorization card incidents (1984), and organizational activities (1985). T.U.F.C.O. challenged Council 82 as the exclusive bargaining representative for security and law enforcement personnel. Council 82 launched a counterattack on T.U.F.C.O. by developing anti-T.U.F.C.O. literature, a contest entitled, "Why I don't like T.U.F.C.0." and complaints filed against T.U.F.C.O. for using a logo similar to that of Council 82. Additional anti-T.U.F.C.O. materials Include sketches, cartoons, and the T.U.F.C.O. Constitution.

Donald M. Blinken was chairman of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York from 1978-1990. These records pertain to his tenure in that position.

Blinken maintained a small group of files related to specific SUNY schools. The files are arranged alphabetically by the name of the school. The files in Box 5 were accessioned later and processed separately from Box 1, 2, 3, and 4. The files in Box 5 are also arranged alphabetically by the name of the school. Materials within the files are arranged chronologically. They include reports, correspondence, and news clippings regarding a variety of topics.

Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, Schein was a pioneer in the development of educational television and radio in New York State. During graduate study at Boston University, he became active in fundraising to help establish Boston's educational television station, WGBH and served on the Massachusetts Citizens Committee on Educational Television. In 1955, Schein came to Schenectady and served as associate producer and first president of the Mohawk-Hudson Council on Educational Television, where he produced instructional programs for in-school use broadcast over WRGB-TV. Schein led the effort to launch the second public television station in New York State, Schenectady's WMHT in 1962, and was executive director and later general manager. He was instrumental in the addition of the all classical music radio station WMHT-FM in 1972 and the Radio Information Service (RISE), a radio reading service for the blind and print handicapped in 1978. He retired in 1986 as general manager, after concluding negotiations for the acquisition of Channel 45, WMHQ. The collection contains newsletters, programs and schedules, meeting minutes, photographs, and Schein's files as president of Mohawk-Hudson Council on Educational Television, and files as executive director and general manager of WMHT.

These records document the activities and membership of the Empire State Federation of Women's Clubs (ESFWC) - the umbrella organization of New York State African-American women's groups - from 1938-1991. The collection also includes records from affiliated organizations: the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) and the Northeast Federation of Women's Clubs (NFWC).

This series contains materials detailing the organizational structure and functions of the ESFWC. Records include photocopies of the ESFWC's 1927 certificate of incorporation and the 1987 documents amending its incorporation, annual reports of the president (1974-1975, 1977), the ESFWC constitution and bylaws (c. 1966, 1968, 1978), membership cards (c.1970, 1981), membership directories and club rosters (1963, circa1965, 1966, 1970, 1973-1977, 1983), newsletters (c.1955, 1960, 1965, circa1971, 1974-1976, 1978-80), reports of the Constitution Revision Committee (1976, circa1987), and state programs of action (1980, circa1982). Other materials include the ESFWC song (1971?), a prayer litany (undated), records documenting annual observances of Harriet Tubman Day (1974-1975), and a partial organizational history (1952). Also included are materials documenting the activities of a constituent club, the F. Willia Davis Woman's Club of New Rochelle (1979), and biographical information about several club members (1971, 1973, 1978-1981, 1987).