Author Archives: Meghan Bailey

Grossmann Gallery hosts exhibition of student photographs

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Exhibit flyer on a blue background titled, “Living in the Urban Ocean,” Student Photo Essay Exhibition, October 16, 2019- January 22, 2020 in the Grossmann Gallery, 5th floor - Joseph P. Healey Library

Flyer for the Student Photo Essay Exhibition, “Living in the Urban Ocean”

The photograph essay contest exhibition Living in the Urban Ocean is now on display through January 22, 2020, in the Grossmann Gallery on the 5th floor of the Joseph P. Healey Library. The exhibition has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities, in partnership with the English Department, the Environmental Studies Department, and University Archives and Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston.

Throughout the Spring 2019 semester, students enrolled in Intermediate Seminar: Writing and the Environment (English 270G/Environmental Studies 270G) investigated the social, cultural and historical locale of Boston Harbor through archival and library resources. In addition, students developed their own urban ocean relationships through creative writing, walking, and reflection. In the era of the smartphone, creating a photo essay provided students with an opportunity to share their semester’s work through a visual language which they already use daily.

Students were asked to situate themselves in their urban ocean environment and tell an eco-story through photography. Students used iPhones and personal cameras to complete their photo essays. The winners of the photograph essay contest were selected through an online poll for best story told without words.

The Grossmann Gallery is open during library hours (posted here).

University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives and Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives and Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

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Grossmann Gallery hosts exhibit documenting U.S. soldiers who opposed the Vietnam War

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Waging Peace FlyerWaging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War, hosted in collaboration with the William Joiner Institute, is now on display through September 22, 2019, in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston. Organized by Ron Carver of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington, D.C., the traveling exhibition has been exhibited in Vietnam and at the Kroc Institute for Peace Studies at Notre Dame and will visit UMass Amherst and Washington, D.C. later this fall.

During America’s War in Vietnam, tens of thousands of GIs and veterans created a robust movement in opposition to the war. The Waging Peace in Vietnam exhibition explores how the anti-war GI movement unfolded, from the numerous anti-war coffee houses springing up outside military bases, to the hundreds of GI newspapers giving an independent voice to active soldiers, to the stockade revolts and the strikes and near-mutinies developing on naval vessels and in the U.S. Air Force. Waging Peace tells this story through oral histories, photographs, documents, and the pages of the underground press written by and for active-duty GIs. The presentation in the Grossmann Gallery also includes primary source documents from Healey Library’s University Archives and Special Collections, as well as materials from the Joiner Institute.

The book, also entitled Waging Peace in Vietnam: U.S. Soldiers and Veterans Who Opposed the War, is edited by Ron Carver, David Cortright, and Barbara Doherty, with an afterword by Christian G. Appy, and is published by New York University Press.  It features fourteen original essays by leading scholars and activists as well as first-hand accounts, oral histories, underground newspapers, posters, flyers, and photographs.

A reception for the exhibit opening and launch of the companion book is scheduled for Thursday, September 12, from 4:00-6:00 p.m. in the Grossmann Gallery on the 5th floor of the Joseph P. Healey Library. An inter-generational panel, hosted by Fred Marchant and featuring veterans from the Vietnam War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and UMass Boston student veterans, is scheduled for Wednesday, September 18, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge (Campus Center, 2nd floor).

View the exhibition panels online at the Waging Peace website. Read articles about the exhibition in The Guardian (UK) and USA Today.

University Archives and Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives and Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives and Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

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Collections document history of the Vietnam War, local activism, and community groups

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Collections document history of the Vietnam War, local activism, and community groups

University Archives & Special Collections (UASC) in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that six collections of previously unavailable archival material are now open for research. This is the fifth of a series of posts to announce newly available collections, toward the goal of making all of UASC’s collections, both processed and unprocessed, open for research. Collections that have not been processed, or that are minimally processed, will be made available upon request to researchers in approximately two to three weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the collection. Contact library.archives@umb.edu for more information.

To learn more about the collections that were made available this week, click the collection title in the list below.

  • Voice of Women records, 1962-1993: The Voice of Women organization was founded in 1960 to protest the Vietnam War and continued afterwards to advocate for disarmament. The organization collected materials related to other peace organizations in Massachusetts, and members conducted teach-ins, sit-ins, and protests in Newton and Boston. Peak activity was in the 1960s-1970s with women also running the Peace Boutique, a craft and gift shop of peace-related items that also served as a meeting place. These records document the interests and activities of the Voice of Women. Materials consist of reports, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, newsletters, correspondence, magazines, publications, clippings, and articles. Topics include Vietnam and other countries in conflict, such as Cambodia, as well as disarmament, peace movements, children and women in conflict zones, and American civilian and government official reactions.
  • Karen Turner Ho Chi Minh Trail papers, circa 1959-1999: Karen Turner is a historian at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her research interest developed during her time in college in the 1970s and focuses on the study of gender and its intersections with violence, particularly in the Vietnam War and published on topics relating to East Asia, and on gender in relation to law and politics.
    Two black and white photographs depicting Vietnamese women soldiers, date unknown

    Photographs from the Karen Turner Ho Chi Minh Trail papers, circa 1959-1999

    Karen Turner has made multiple trips to Vietnam and has conducted oral histories with women soldiers from the Vietnam War. These papers collected by Turner document the Ho Chi Minh Trail experience during the Vietnam War. Materials consist of translated manuscripts, photographs, and printouts. The images depict Vietnamese people during the Vietnam War, and the text describes the experiences of people there.

  • Coalition for Community Control of Development, 1986-2015: The Coalition for Community Control of Development (CCCD) was a local activist organization in the 1980s and 1990s with the goal of helping communities in Boston create ways to control the development of their neighborhoods. Some of the issues they helped address included tenant advocacy, strategies for helping communities organize, and environmental concerns within neighborhoods. One area of importance in which the CCCD helped communities strategize was how to advocate for or against real estate development. Materials consist of meeting records, articles, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, clippings, photographs, contact sheets, negatives, and questionnaires on topics relating to the organization, its activities, and the tenants and neighborhoods in Boston.
  • Dorchester Day ephemera, 1976-1988: Dorchester Day, also known as Dot Day, has been held since 1904 to celebrate the founding of the town of Dorchester in 1630. Typically held at the end of May through the first week of June, the event includes a parade, reenactment, banquet, road races, a doll carriage and bicycle contest, open house and flea market at Dorchester Historical Society, essay contest, soap box derby, and other events, along with vendors and speakers. The parade route typically begins on Dorchester Avenue at Pierce Square (Lower Mills) and ends at St. Margaret’s Church on Columbia Road and Dorchester Avenue.
    Two flyers advertising Dorchester Day, 1978

    Dorchester Day flyers, 1978

    These records document the Dorchester Day event’s programming and marketing activities. Materials consist of flyers, clippings and articles, programs, and rosters.

  • Monday Evening Club ledgers, 1906-1913: The Monday Evening Club met in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early twentieth century for the purpose of dinners with discussions on topics of interest, usually scientific, approved of by members. Materials consist of two ledgers kept by the secretary, including meeting minutes, both on club business and educational talks, and club information, such as voting in new members, costs of meetings, and officer ballots and voting.
  • Peace Action records, circa 1983-1993: Peace Action is a national grassroots organization composed of state and local groups, chapters, and affiliates. Massachusetts Peace Action began in the 1980s as Massachusetts FREEZE, and joined the Boston branch of SANE in 1987 at the same time as the national organization. The Boston chapter participated both on the local and national level in peace campaigns within Massachusetts and national political action towards disarmament and demilitarization under the direction of the organization’s national headquarters in Washington, D.C. Materials consist of meeting minutes, correspondence, publications, flyers, articles, clippings, and other supplementary materials relating to topics relevant to the organization, including nuclear war, military and political policies, demilitarization, disarmament, and other contemporary issues related to their peace-making campaigns.

For questions about these collections or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

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Collections document history of local jazz and the Boston Harbor Islands

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University Archives & Special Collections (UASC) in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that six collections of previously unavailable archival material are now open for research. This is the fourth of a series of posts to announce newly available collections, toward the goal of making all of UASC’s collections, both processed and unprocessed, open for research.

Black and white photograph from 1958 depicting radio announcer James Townsend Fitch standing with jazz musicians Clark Terry and Jimmy Ruching in front if a post with arrowed signs each labeled New Orleans, Kansas City, Chicago, and New York

John Townsend Fitch and jazz musicians Clark Terry and Jimmy Rushing, 1958

Collections that have not been processed, or that are minimally processed, will be made available upon request to researchers in approximately two to three weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the collection. Contact library.archives@umb.edu for more information.

To learn more about the collections that were made available this week, click the collection title in the list below.

  • Richard Vacca collection, 1939-2012, bulk 1949-1989: Richard Vacca is a writer, independent scholar, researcher, and the owner of Troy Street Publishing, through which he published his book, The Boston Jazz Chronicles: Faces, Places, and Nightlife 1937–1962. These records document the local jazz and blues scene in Boston and beyond. Materials consist of publications such as newsletters, magazines, and books, postcards, one cassette tape, and multiple LP sizes including 12”, 10” (78 RPM) and 7” (45 RPM).
  • John Townsend Fitch papers, 1951-2014, bulk 1951-1961: These records document the life and work of John Townsend Fitch. Fitch obtained a degree in engineering from MIT and went on to work as a radio announcer for WHDH. He became known for his jazz programs under the name of John McLellan from 1950-1961. Materials consist of manuscripts, notes and research, clippings, interviews, publications, certificates, correspondence, sheet music, and photographs of musicians and music during Fitch’s time as a radio and television host for jazz programs in Boston, Massachusetts.
  • Suzanne Gall Marsh Boston Harbor Islands collection, 1883-2017, bulk 1990-2017: In 1979, Marsh founded the Boston Harbor Islands Volunteer Corps, later called the Volunteers and Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands, and served as a board member. She has worked for the Boston Harbor Islands National and State Park as an interpreter and ranger and for Boston Harbor Cruises as a narrator. Marsh also teaches classes through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at the University of Massachusetts Boston. This collection documents the Boston Harbor Islands and Suzanne Gall Marsh’s collecting interests around the islands. Materials consist of newspaper articles and clippings, photographs, negatives, contact sheets, reports, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, newsletters, magazines, books, and maps. Topics related to the Boston Harbor Islands include the waterways, wildlife and other environmental aspects of the islands, native peoples who inhabited the islands, tourism, advocacy, and the history of the islands.
  • Boston Harbor Islands Partnership records, 1998-2017: Created in 1996, the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership is an organization comprised of federal, city, state, and nonprofit agencies that coordinates the management of the Boston Harbor Islands. These records document the activities of the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership and include the management of the Boston Harbor Islands and the duties within the partnership and for the public. Materials consist of by-laws, minutes, reports, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, newsletters, clippings, and agendas.
  • Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council records, 1997-2016: The Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council began as a planning committee in 1997 and was officially founded in 1998 with the goal to advise and make recommendations to the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership. These records document the activities of the Boston Harbor Islands Advisory Council. Materials consist of by-laws, minutes, reports, plans, correspondence, notes, pamphlets, flyers, clippings, and articles. Topics addressed in the Advisory Council’s records include projects related to the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership, educational and recreational tourism, foundational information, historical and cultural information about the islands, and grant and financial information.
  • Boston Harbor Island and National Park and Recreation Area: National Park Services publications, 1994-2016: Originally established in the 1970s and designated as a National Park unit in 1996, the Boston Harbor Island National Recreation Area has been managed collaboratively by the Boston Harbor Islands Partnership with the aim to protect the islands, make them an integral part of the local communities, and improve public knowledge of and access to the islands as a recreational area.

For questions about these collections or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

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Activism, artwork, nineteenth-century Roxbury schools, and Tour de Trump—Oh my!

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Picture of the Town of Roxbury, MA school register dated 1846-1848

Town of Roxbury, Mass., school register, 1846-1848

University Archives & Special Collections (UASC) in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that six collections of previously unavailable archival material are now open for research. This is the third in a series of posts to announce newly available collections, toward the goal of making all of UASC’s collections, both processed and unprocessed, open for research.

Collections that have not been processed, or that are minimally processed, will be made available upon request to researchers in approximately two to three weeks, depending on the size and complexity of the collection. Contact library.archives@umb.edu for more information.

To learn more about the collections that were made available this week, click the collection title in the list below.

  • Town of Roxbury school register, 1846-1848: This register documents the activities of the primary school in the Town of Roxbury. The register was a result of the Statute of 1845 Chap. 157, enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives. The registers, intended to last five years, were provided to the school committees by the Secretary of State. The object of the register was to furnish the school committee with facts from which they could make their annual returns. The register also served to exhibit the condition of the school for a series of years, allowing for self-comparison and improvement. The register contains names of the members of the school committee, names of teachers and the value of their board per month, names of parents and guardians, names of students, students’ ages, the dates the students entered and left the school, a record of daily attendance, and a list of books prescribed by the school committee.
  • Paul Atwood activist flyers and publications collection, circa 1968-1971: This collection includes flyers, pamphlets, and activist newspapers. Some of the significant topics represented in this collection include counter culture in Boston, the antiwar movement, the Vietnam War, United States politics of 1968, activism, the expansion of Harvard’s campus, Cambridge rent control, the Black Panthers, racism, and feminism.
  • Activist Pamphlets collection, 1960-1979: This collection contains activist pamphlets, newspapers, and reports published locally, across the United States, and internationally. Some of the topics addressed in the collection include politics, labor, feminism, racism, war, and issues in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East during 1960-1979.
  • Resource file survey cards, circa 1981: These survey cards may have been created as a project after the University Archives and Special Collections department was established at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1981. The cards contain descriptive data of various local activists and community and benevolent organizations and their records.
  • Cover of Tour de Trump magazine. Large photo of cyclist wearing helmet and goggles, small inset photo of Donald Trump with a different cyclist

    Tour de Trump magazine, 1990

    Tour de Trump ephemera, 1990: The Tour de Trump was a sporting event designed to showcase cycling’s elite and was intended to be America’s version of the Tour de France. The event was originally sponsored by Donald Trump’s Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and was known as the Tour de Trump in 1989 and 1990. Materials consist of a map guide of the race and the Tour de Trump official 1990 race magazine.

  • Roy Medeiros artwork, circa 1982-1984: The materials in this collection consist of five art pieces created out of spiral-bound notebooks by Roy Medeiros. The titles of the pieces are “Poker,” “Variations in Advertising,” “Self Portrait,” “American Flag Book,” and “Proud to be an American”.

For questions about these collections or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston collects materials related to the university’s history, as well as materials that reflect the institution’s urban mission and strong support of community service, notably in collections of records of urban planning, social welfare, social action, alternative movements, community organizations, and local history related to neighboring communities.

University Archives & Special Collections welcomes inquiries from individuals, organizations, and businesses interested in donating materials of an archival nature that that fit within our collecting policy. These include manuscripts, documents, organizational archives, collections of photographs, unique publications, and audio and video media. For more information about donating to University Archives & Special Collections, click here or email library.archives@umb.edu.

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