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ARCHIVES OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS AND POLICY

Finding Aid for the
DONALD B. ROSENTHAL
PAPERS, 1982-2004
(APAP-202)

VOLUME: 1.8 cubic ft.

ACQUISITION: All items in this manuscript group were transferred to the University Libraries, M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, in 2006.

ACCESS: Access to this record group is unrestricted.

COPYRIGHT: The researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of copyright. Whenever possible, the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives will provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions, but the legal determination ultimately rests with the researcher. Requests for permission to publish material from this collection should be discussed with the Head of Special Collections and Archives.

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Series Descriptions

Box and Folder List:

• Series 1: Research Material, 1986-1999
• Series 2: Manuscripts & Publications, 1992-1996
• Series 3: Subject File, 1985-2001
• Series 4: Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council (CDGLCC), 1982-2004

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Biographical Note

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Donald B. Rosenthal (b. 1937) was Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of Buffalo, State University of New York, where he studied and taught from 1964 to 1999. He served as Department Chairman for five of his 27 years as a full professor. His research interests included lesbian and gay community activism and the responses of New York State cities to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. In 2000, he retired to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Scope and Content Note

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The Donald B. Rosenthal Papers document twenty years of Dr. Rosenthal's research into the history of gay and lesbian activism and the AIDS crisis. They include an extensive collection of interviews with Capital District activists, an assortment of print publications regarding AIDS, and a series of material documenting the activities of the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council (CDGLCC). The results of Rosenthal's research are represented by a collection of his own papers and lectures on gay activists' role in municipal politics and their responses to the spread of AIDS.

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Series Descriptions

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Series 1: Research Material, 1986-1999

This series contains material collected by Professor Rosenthal during the course of his research. It contains an extensive collection of transcriptions of Rosenthal's interviews with various Capital District gay and lesbian activists. Interview subjects include Albany Common Council member Keith St. John (the first openly gay African-American to be elected to public office in the United States), Father Ron Gerber of the Albany Damien Center, activist Libby Post, and numerous other individuals involved in the movement for gay and lesbian rights. They discuss matters such as the history of the GLBT community in the Capital District, its role in Albany municipal politics and New York State politics, and the impact of AIDS on the community. These transcriptions are arranged chronologically; an alphabetical index which cross-references names with dates is available in Box 1, Folder 1. The series also includes a file of publications on the AIDS crisis, including reports by the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (NYSDOHAI), other New York State agencies, and a number of federal agencies and private nonprofits.

Series 2: Manuscripts & Publications, 1992-1996

This series contains drafts and published copies of Dr. Rosenthal's academic work on the subjects of gay community activism and the AIDS crisis, including articles in Urban Affairs Review and Polity and an address to the American Political Science Association. Items are organized alphabetically by title.

Series 3: Subject File, 1985-2001

This series contains several subject files related to various gay rights and AIDS prevention initiatives. Items within each file include leaflets, correspondence and news clippings.

Series 4: Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council (CDGLCC), 1982-2004

This series consists of material related to the Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council (CDGLCC). It consists primarily of an extensive run of the Council's monthly periodical, Community, which is partial from 1982-1991 and 2001-2003 and complete from 1992-2000. (Note that several issues from the years 1999-2000 are housed in an oversized box at the end of the series.) The series also includes fliers and programs for events held by the Council, news clippings related to the Council and its members, a small assortment of administrative files, and issues of the Council's quarterly member newsletter, MemberNews.

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Box and Folder List

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Series 1: Research Material, 1986-1999

Box 1
Folder

Box 2
Folder

Box 3
Folder

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Box and Folder List

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Series 2: Manuscripts & Publications, 1992-1996

Box 3
Folder

1. "Albany Notes", 1992 (typescript)
2. "Dilemmas in the Development of AIDS Service Organizations in Upstate New York." Address to American Political Science Association, 1990 (typescript)
3. "Gay and Lesbian Political Mobilization and Regime Responsiveness in Four New York Cities." Urban Affairs Review Vol. 32, No. 1, September 1996 (article photocopy and 3 drafts)
4. "Who 'Owns' AIDS Service Organizations? Governance Accountability in Non-Profit Organizations." Polity Vol. 29, No. 1, Fall 1996 (offprint and 2 drafts)

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Box and Folder List

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Series 3: Subject File, 1985-2001

Box 3
Folder

Donald B. Rosenthal Papers
Box and Folder List

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Series 4: Capital District Gay and Lesbian Community Council (CDGLCC), 1982-2004

Box 4
Folder

Box 5
Folder

Box 6
Folder

Box 7 (oversized)
Folder