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Summary
- Abstract:
- The Edward E. Potter Club And Alumni Association Records includes documents and objects related to the finances, activities, and history of the Club and subsequent Alumni Association. Materials related to the Edward E. Potter Club include financial settlements, photographs, correspondence, and meeting minutes. Materials related to the Alumni Association include Alumni addresses, memorabilia, and a newsletter. Objects in this collection include mugs, a blanket, stamp, letter opener, compact makeup, and ledger books.
- Extent:
- 3.0 cubic ft.
- Language:
- English .
- Preferred citation:
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The Edward E. Potter Club and Alumni Association Records, 1911-2014. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Potter Club Records).
Background
- Scope and Content:
The Edward E. Potter Club and Alumni Association Records document the origin, membership, activities, correspondence, financials, and memorabilia of the club from the 1930s to 2014. The Potter Club began in 1931 with 12 charter members. The club honored a collegiate who died in World War I, Edward E. Potter. The social club became a fraternity organization of SUNY Albany and focused on social events, the purchase of a fraternity house at 415 State Street, and the management of the club finances.
The collection includes multiple decades of the Potter Club's constitution and New York State Certificates of Incorporation, member evaluations, the Potter Post, correspondence, minutes of the Board of Directors, decades of alumni directories, and annual financial statements. The E.E. Potter Club transitioned into an Alumni Association in 1967. The members of the Potter Club Alumni Association redirected their focus as a SUNY organization to sponsoring an annual scholarship for a SUNY Albany student and continued to organize social gatherings for members. The records contain correspondence, minutes of Board of Directors, several issues of the Potter Club Alumni Newsletter, and alumni member ephemeral items. Memorabilia of the history of the club has been added to the collection from two decades of annual reunions and quinquennial anniversaries.
- Biographical / Historical:
The Edward E. Potter Club, founded in 1931, began when 13 undergraduates and alumni proposed to form a club in order to promote close friendships in a non-fraternal organization. They called it the "State Union." Prior to the formation of the Potter Club, the only men's social group was the Kappa Delta Rho fraternity. The president of the college, Abram R. Brubacher, approved of another men's social club, but he did not like the name "State Union." Therefore, Brubacher suggested that the Club adopt the name of Edward E. Potter in memory of a student killed in France during World War I. The Potter Club Alumni Association, Inc., was incorporated on February 17, 1948. Headquartered in Albany, the Alumni Association facilitated communication between past and present members of the Potter Club, provided educational and financial assistance to Potter Club members through awards and scholarships, and promoted the interests of the University and its alumni.
- Acquisition information:
- The Potter Club Records were originally donated to the University Libraries in 1989. Additional deposits were made by Don Kisiel in 1992 as well as Paul Ward and Robert Umholtz in 1996-2011.
- Processing information:
Processed in 2018 by Justine Criswell.
- Arrangement:
The collection is arranged chronologically. There are no series.
- Physical location:
- The materials are located onsite in the department.
Subjects
- Subjects:
- Class reunions
State University of New York at Albany--History
UAlbany Student Groups
Correspondence
Financial Records
Ephemera
Publications - Places:
- Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--New York (State)
Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--New York (State)--Periodicals
Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--New York (State)--Societies, etc.--Administration
Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae--New York (State)--Societies, etc.--Handbooks, manuals, etc.
Edward E. Potter Club and Alumni Association
Contents
Access
Using These Materials
- ACCESS:
- The archives are open to the public and anyone is welcome to visit and view the collections.
- RESTRICTIONS:
-
Access to this collection is unrestricted.
- TERMS OF ACCESS:
-
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.
- PREFERRED CITATION:
-
Identification of specific item, series, box, folder, The Edward E. Potter Club and Alumni Association Records, 1911-2014. M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University at Albany, State University of New York (hereafter referred to as the Potter Club Records).