Collections : [New York State Modern Political Archive]

This first series is further divided into two sub-series: (1) autobiographical and biographical; and (2) family correspondence.

This series contains Norman Studer's curriculum vitae, a partial autobiography, a brief biography, memorial tributes, family photographs, family records, and correspondence. The correspondence has been identified by correspondent's name only when the volume or significance warrants such separation; however, the bulk of the correspondence is arranged chronologically. Notable correspondents include Pete and Toshi Seeger and David Dunaway, Seeger's biographer as well as a former Camp Woodland camper.

This series includes material about Helen Quirini's life and achievements. This series has correspondence, awards and certificates, newspaper articles by and about Quirini and her activism, letters of recommendation, theses, interview transcripts, diaries of her time on the shop floor at General Electric, her memoir, photographs, ephemera and more. This series covers the entirety of Quirini's life and work starting with the Brother Sister Cash Market where she worked with her brother in the late 1930s and early 1940s, her 39 years working at General Electric and then her post-retirement activism. The original order, titling and folder contents were preserved wherever possible. Quirini received a variety of national awards including the Beirne Award from the United Way and the Phillipe Award from General Electric. She also received local accolades such as the Patroon award in her hometown of Schenectady, New York. Included in the award folders are nomination materials, letters of recommendation, resumes, related materials and the awards themselves. This series contains extensive correspondence regarding Quirini's personal life, employment, activism and fundraising. There also are many VHS cassettes of Schenectady City Council meetings which Quirini attended as a citizen. Series 1 covers her activism, awards and achievements as both the subject and author of newspaper articles. Several students also corresponded with Quirini and wrote about her in papers and masters theses. Scholarly publications which predominantly feature Quirini are located in this series. Please see Series 2 and Series 3 for other scholarly writings about unions in general, Local 301 or General Electric.

Unpublished speeches by Simon, essays on crime and criminological techniques, poems (some that were published in newspapers), the illustrations from a glossary on the slang of criminals, Criminal World Book, which appears to include some illustrations also intended for his book, "Spotting the Junkies" , and opening chapters for a third book on the lives of New York City addicts.

The collection contains the constitutions for 1898, 1903, and 1927-1991. The Constitution includes Articles, By-Laws, and Amendments. The Club's By-Laws specify the procedure by which new members are proposed. The earliest Pine Hills Fortnightly Club Constitution is handwritten in a notebook followed by the first recording of membership names dated 1900. Included in the constitutions are by-laws, articles, and amendments to the Constitutions. Constitutions often contain hand annotated revisions for incorporation into the next year's constitution.

Series 1 includes the proceedings from New York State Republican Committee meetings. One of its most useful features is the quantity of information about legislation passed and the voting statistics for counties. These would be useful for those writing political histories; one could follow trends in voting patterns to determine how the composition of counties has changed and what issues have become more important than others. Another useful element one can find in this series is the differences of voting trends in times of war and depression. The minutes also give insight into the various personalities of those involved in state politics. The minutes are also good sources of quotations for particular committee members' stands on legislation. Many of the minutes include the current party platform, allowing one to determine how the goals of the party have changed over time. An in-depth picture of the New York Republican State Committee is available through the minutes.

Series 1 contains subject files covering a wide assortment of topics including conservation, education, various New York counties, and labor. Correspondence and news clippings are kept within the subject files. Miscellaneous files contain a small number of documents grouped together alphabetically by Senator Bush that were not extensive enough to have their own file.

This series contains records related to Moore's service as Executive Secretary of the State Association of Towns.

This series contains a file of pamphlet material collected by the State Association of Towns. It includes both pamphlets published by the Association and pamphlets received from other sources. The pamphlets deal with subjects related to town law and New York State finances. They date primarily from the 1930s but include some older material, such as an 1881 pamphlet on town officer salaries (Box 2, Folder 28.) The series is organized according to the Association's organizational system, which assigned a number to each pamphlet. Note that this series is incomplete.