Gray Panthers of the Pioneer Valley Records

Scope of collection

Charter, by-laws, histories and mission statements, meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, financial reports, fundraising materials, membership lists, a membership questionnaire, newsletters, press releases, leaflets, clippings, a scrapbook, T-shirts, and program files, that document the founding and activities of the Gray Panthers of the Pioneer Valley. The records reveal the group's frequent interactions with social and political movements, both local and international, of the time. The leadership of local activists Margaret Holt, Winifred Hillicker, Alan Root and Mazie Hough is evident throughout the collection. Correspondence files document the organization's ongoing functions and include letters to and from Mary Brydon-Miller, the group's first convener, and legislators. Programs and Events files document the group's organized efforts for, among others, affordable housing, cessation of Anthrax research at University of Massachusetts, study of Canadian health care, elder abuse, health care and Medicaid reform, protest of Louis Foods supermarket relocation, Maggie Kuhn's 1984 visit, Martin Luther King celebrations, Middle East/Gulf War, nursing home reform, veteran's issues, and peace vigils. Program files are comprised of correspondence, publicity materials, petitions, and clippings. Affiliated Group files contain primarily printed materials (newsletters, flyers, brochures, government reports) that chronicle issues of interest as well as organizations, including other Gray Panther chapters, with which the group interacted.

Records are organized into the five following series, including Administrative, Financial, Programs/Events, Affiliated Groups, and Publications. Materials are arranged chronologically in each grouping.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into five series:

Inventory