Tag Archives: Charles River Wheelmen

Ralph Galen, the Mass. Bicycle Coalition, and the Charles River Wheelmen: Explore the history of bicycling in these newly-processed collections

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University Archives & Special Collections in the Joseph P. Healey Library at the University of Massachusetts Boston is pleased to announce that a number of our collections related to the history of bicycling have been processed and are now available for research. This is the second of several planned posts on Open Archives News that will highlight collections related to the history of bicycling.

Documents from the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) records, 1971-2010, bulk 1976-1998

Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike) records, 1971-2010, bulk 1976-1998: These records document the activities of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition (MassBike), as well as the preceding organization, the Boston Area Bicycle Coalition (the name changed in 1994). Materials consist of files kept by Doug Mink and regular staff and include board agendas and minutes, reports, correspondence, by-laws, articles, newsletters, flyers, clippings, and maps. View the finding aid for this collection here.

WheelPeople published by the Charles River Wheelmen, volume 7, number 7, 1981 July

Michael Hanauer: Charles River Wheelmen collection 1980-2012, bulk 1980-1990: This collection documents the activities of the Charles River Wheelmen Board of Directors during the 1980s, as well as the activities of Mike Hanauer, who acted as secretary, vice president, president, and LAW/CRW Area Rep for the Charles River Wheelmen. Materials include board minutes, correspondence, notes, by-laws, reports, and brochures, including an incomplete run of WheelPeople, a monthly newsletter of the Charles River Wheelmen from 1982 through 2012. Electronic copies after 2012 are available from the Charles River Wheelmen. This collection also contains personal materials, including the articles Hanauer wrote for WheelPeople and other publications, brochures of various bicycle tours, various newsletters of other bicycle clubs, and ephemera. View the finding aid for this collection here.

Ralph Galen papers, 1959-2012: Dr. Ralph W. Galen, born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, resided for many years in Lexington and Cambridge, Massachusetts. Galen completed his graduate work in orthodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in 1954 and practiced orthodontia in Cambridge for around forty years.

21 June 1969. The parade at Rockport, MA. Dr. Ralph Galen in front. Dr. Paul Dudley White behind.

In 1967, Galen co-founded the Charles River Wheelmen bicycle club with his friend Fred Chafee, and later became president of the League of American Wheelmen, a national bicycling organization established in 1880. Learn more about the records of the League of American Wheelmen here. In his early years with these organizations, Galen rode to Expo 67, part of Canada’s Centennial celebration in 1967, and across the United States. Later, he rode through thirteen countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and authored a book about his journey entitled 2 Wheels 2 Years & 3 Continents: A Bicyclist’s Dream Fulfilled. Over the course of his lifetime he rode “boneshakers,” “high wheelers,” tandems, fixed gear, and road bicycles. He amassed a collection of antique bicycles, which he later donated to the Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Massachusetts. Galen received two patents along with fellow inventor John Vanderpoel, one for a bicycle safety flag apparatus, in 1997, and another for a bicycle rack, in 1976. He also invented a side mirror, which clamps onto the front fork next to the front wheel of the bicycle. He applied for a patent but it is unclear if it was granted. Galen passed away on July 27, 2013, at the age of 88 at his home in Woburn, Massachusetts. (paraphrased from Galen obituary)

This collection documents the activities of Ralph Galen as co-founder of the Charles River Wheelmen, including the activities of the Charles River Wheelmen Board of Directors dating from the early 1970s. Formats include minutes, notes, and agendas. The collection also contains personal materials, including records of Galen’s inventions for bicycles, correspondence with friends and family, and Galen’s notes and writings pertaining to articles and his book, as well as photographs and slides of Galen’s bicycle trips with friends. Included in the collection is an incomplete run of Charles River Wheelmen newsletters, which later became known as WheelPeople. View the finding aid for this collection here.

Read more about the various bicycling-related collections in University Archives & Special Collections at UMass Boston here, and learn more about researching the history of bicycling here.

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.

Healey Library exhibit explores history of bicycling in the U.S. and beyond

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2015-11-13 -- BIKES Exhibit Poster -- 18 x 24 -- FINALUniversity Archives & Special Collections (UASC) in the Joseph P. Healey Library at UMass Boston opened a new exhibit, “Bicycling: Highlights from University Archives & Special Collections,” featuring selected materials from the department’s bicycling collections. The exhibit—developed by Sara Davis, a graduate student from the School of Library and Information Science at Simmons College—showcases photographs, brochures, newsletters, postcards, publications, memorabilia, and ephemera related to cyclists, as well as materials related to bicycling inventions, innovations, and history from a number of bicycling-related collections currently held at UASC. And though modest in size (encompassing two display cases in the Healey Library’s Grossmann Gallery), the display offers a glimpse into the range of collections and materials related to bicycling and bicycling history in the department.

Browse the gallery below for a selection of items displayed in the exhibit.

The objects on display demonstrate America’s love of bicycling and bicycling’s place in American culture, as well as on the international level, from the late 19th century through to the present day. The exhibit reveals how bicycling shaped society and society has shaped the bicycling world by highlighting women in bicycling, inventions, social innovations, and ephemera and memorabilia from popular culture. In the advent of its popularity, socializing became a major component of bicycle culture, with social events such as scheduled bicycle rides, rallies, and competitions, as well as the creation of cycling groups such as the League of American Wheelmen and the Charles River Wheelmen.

Cycling enthusiasts also emerged as activists for change, especially for the greater good of communities. Women such as Kittie Knox, Phyllis Harmon, and Eva M. Bindrim tested society’s norms since bicycling’s height of popularity in the U.S. by introducing new fashions for women cyclists, participating in bicycle races and clubs despite gender, race, and age constraints, and holding key positions within national and local organizations. As a result, bicycle enthusiasts created and continue to create inventions to make bicycling safer and more enjoyable. Browse the gallery below for a selection of items on display.

David Porter Vincent, circa 1880-1899
David Porter Vincent, photograph, circa 1880-1899
League of American Wheelmen membership card, 1897
John Player & Sons 1839-1939 Cycling Card Set
Eva M. Brindrim pins, circa 1894
Bicycling postcard, “You Can Count On US, Solider ! We’ll Keep ‘Em Rolling!”, circa 1920-1950
American Youth Hostels, photograph of bicycling tour, circa 1950-1959. Pictured are a group of cyclists on a tour coordinated by the American Youth Hostels.
The Wheelmen, at League of American Wheelmen/Charles River Wheelmen Rockport Rally photograph, 1969

This exhibit offers only a sampling of the types of archival materials readily available for research. To view all the images from this exhibit, click here.

Some of the department’s bicycling-related collections are still being processed. To view our research guide for an updated list of collections available, click here.

University Archives & Special Collections in the Healey Library at UMass Boston holds a substantial amount of information for bicycling research and aspires to expand upon these collections and to become a national resource on bicycling history. For questions about these collections or to schedule a research appointment, please contact library.archives@umb.edu or 617-287-5469.

The exhibit is on display in the fifth floor flat exhibit cases in the Healey Library at UMass Boston from November 2015 through June of 2016. The exhibit is free and open to the public during library operating hours. For a complete and up-to-date list of hours, visit www.umb.edu/library/about/hours.

Announcement prepared by Sara Davis.

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.

Boston bicycling history in the news… and in the archives

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Congratulations to author Lorenz Finison, whose book Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1900: A Story of Race, Sport, and Society has been named one of The Boston Globe’s Best New England books of 2014! Published by the University of Massachusetts Press, Boston’s Cycling Craze, 1880-1990 “explores the rise of Boston cycling through the lives of several participants … [and] reveals the challenges facing these riders in a time of segregation, increased immigration, and debates about the rights of women.”

After completing work on his book, Larry Finison donated several archival collections, research materials, and publications that he’d gathered from groups, organizations, and individuals connected to the history of bicycling in Boston and around the world. The significance of these acquisitions, their relation to other collections held by the University and the fact that no other repository is preserving this material led UMass Boston to add the history of bicycling in the Boston area to its formal collection policy in August, 2014.

21 June 1969. The parade at Rockport, MA. Dr. Ralph Galen in front. Dr. Paul Dudley White behind.

21 June 1969. The parade at Rockport, MA. Dr. Ralph Galen in front. Dr. Paul Dudley White behind.

To that end, we are excited to announce that archivist Meghan Bailey has completed processing the first of these new collections documenting the surprisingly complex and rich history of bicycling in the City of Boston: the papers of Ralph W. Galen, which were donated to University Archives & Special Collections by Larry Finison, on behalf of Galen’s daughter, Terry Galen.

Dr. Ralph W. Galen, also known as “Wally” by his childhood friends and family, was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and resided for many years in Lexington and Cambridge, Massachusetts. In 1954 he completed his graduate work in orthodontics at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, where he received an appointment as a teaching fellow. He practiced orthodontia in Cambridge for nearly forty years.

Galen may be best known for his passion in the cycling world, co-founding the Charles River Wheelmen bicycle club in 1967 with his friend Fred Chafee . He later became president of the League of American Wheelmen, a national bicycling organization established in 1880 and reorganized in 1965 following a ten-year hiatus, where he became Life Member #1. In his early years with these organizations, Galen rode to Expo 67, part of Canada’s Centennial celebration in 1967, and across the United States. Later, Galen rode through thirteen countries in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and authored a book about his journey entitled 2 Wheels 2 Years & 3 Continents: A Bicyclist’s Dream Fulfilled. Over the course of his lifetime he rode “boneshakers,” “high wheelers,” tandems, fixed gear, and road bicycles. He also amassed a collection of antique bicycles, which he later donated to the Lars Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline, Mass.

Ralph Galen received two patents along with fellow inventor John Vanderpoel, one for a bicycle safety flag apparatus in 1997, and another for a bicycle rack in 1976. He also invented a side mirror, which clamps onto the front fork next to the front wheel of the bicycle.

This collection documents the activities of Ralph Galen, including the activities of the Charles River Wheelmen Board of Directors dating from the early 1970s. Formats include minutes, notes, and agendas. The collection also contains personal materials, including records of Galen’s inventions for bicycles, correspondence with friends and family, and his notes and writings pertaining to articles and the book 2 Wheels 2 Years & 3 Continents.

Members of the public who are interested in donating papers, correspondence, photographs and other documentation of the history of bicycling in the Boston area are invited to review our donation brochure and to contact library.archives@umb.edu for additional information.

If you have any questions or if you would like to schedule a time to explore this or any of our collections, email library.archives@umb.edu or call 617-287-5469.

View the finding aid for the collection “Galen, Ralph: papers, 1959-2012.”

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.