Title: Textile Workers of America Oral History Project: TWUA Staff and Activist Reunion
Inclusive Dates: 1984

Call Number: Tape 1087A; Mss 467

Quantity: 5 tape recordings and 1 folder

Repository:

Wisconsin Historical Society, Division of Library, Archives, and Museum Collections

Archival Locations:

Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)

COLLECTION MAY BE STORED OFF-SITE: see catalog entry to request materials and for additional information.

Abstract:

Part of an oral history project consisting primarily of interviews conducted with Textile Workers Union of America leaders by James A. Cavanaugh of the Historical Society staff, documenting the origins, growth, and decline of the TWUA, internal disputes, relations with other unions, and organizing drives. This item is a recording of a reunion for retired staff and activists of the TWUA to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1934 textile strike and the forty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the TWUA. It is part of the Textile Workers Union of America Oral History Project.

Language: English

URL to cite for this finding aid: http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-tape01087a

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On Saturday, November 10, 1984, the Rieve-Pollock Foundation held a reunion for retired staff and activists of the TWUA to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the 1934 textile strike and the forty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the TWUA. In order that the speeches and other remarks at the reunion would be recorded and included in the TWUA Oral History Project Collection, the Foundation arranged for Jim Cavanaugh of the State Historical Society staff to attend and record the proceedings. The formal proceedings lasted a little over four hours and were chaired by Sol Stetin. Featured speakers were George Perkel, Sol Barkin, Larry Rogin, and Al Barkan. All but the latter had previously been interviewed for the TWUA Oral History Project. Joe Glazer, who was unable to attend, sent a half-hour tape of textile labor songs in his place.

Abstract

The abstract of these proceedings is keyed to a time-track like the other TWUA interviews, but it is much less detailed. The tapes have two tracks: a voice track containing the discussion and a time track containing time announcements at intervals of approximately five seconds. The abstract lists, in order of discussion, the topics covered by each tape, and indicates the time-marking at which point the beginning of the particular discussion appears.

Thus, the researcher by using a tape recorder's fast-forward button may find expeditiously and listen to discrete segments without listening to all of the taped discussion. For instance, the user who wishes to listen to the portion “Scott Hoyman: Greetings and Welcome” should locate the place on the second track of side one, tape one, where the voice announces the 10:15 time-marking (the voice says at this point, “Ten Minutes, Fifteen Seconds”), and at this point switch to the first track to hear the discussion. The portion “Scott Hoyman: Greetings and Welcome” continues until approximately 23:50 at which point the portion “John Fox--ACTWU Vice President and Manager of Philadelphia Joint Board” begins.

Notice that in some cases sentences beneath each headline explain more about the contents of that portion. For example the sentence underneath “Scott Hoyman: Greetings and Welcome” gives further details on what appears on the tape between 10:15 and 23:50.

Index

There is no index to the tape.

Filed with the paper copy of the abstract in the box at call number Mss 467 are announcements of the reunion, the outline of George Perkel's speech, and notes on the reunion presentations and discussions prepared by Sol Barkin two days after the reunion.

Processing Information

Finding aid prepared by James A. Cavanaugh, Madison, Wisconsin, November 22, 1985.

Tape/Side   1/1 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   1/1 Time   00:30	Opening Remarks by Sol Stetin Scope and Content Note: Messages from the widows of Emil Rieve and William DuChessi. Singing of “Solidarity Forever.” Introduction of Bill Pollock, Jr. Historical remarks: four former CIO unions now make up the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU). Introduction of Scott Hoyman, Executive Vice President of ACTWU.
Tape/Side   1/1 Time   10:15	Scott Hoyman: Greetings and Welcome Scope and Content Note: Introduction of current ACTWU vice presidents in attendence - Charles Sallee and Bruce Dunton. Announcement that Rieve-Pollock Foundation has arranged for Cletus Daniels to write a history of the Textile Workers Union of America (TWUA). [In Hoyman's remarks he mentions the election of “Nixon,” but means to say “Reagan.”]
Tape/Side   1/1 Time   23:50	John Fox - ACTWU Vice President and Manager of Philadelphia Joint Board Scope and Content Note: Greetings. Comparison of 1934 and 1984.
Tape/Side   1/2 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   1/2 Time   00:30	John Fox - continued
Tape/Side   1/2 Time   03:30	Sol Stetin Introduction and Playing of Songs by Joe Glazer Note: Sound quality poor until about 05:55.
Tape/Side   1/2 Time   21:30	Sol Stetin Introduction of Keir Jorgensen and the TWUA Chronology He Prepared; Introduction of George Perkel
Tape/Side   1/2 Time   23:35	George Perkel, Former TWUA Research Director: TWUA Historical Highlights
Tape/Side   2/1 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   2/1 Time   00:30	George Perkel - continued
Tape/Side   2/1 Time   21:45	Sol Stetin Introduction of Sol Barkin, Former Research Director
Tape/Side   2/2 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   2/2 Time   00:30	Sol Barkin: Analysis of 1934 Strike and the Textile Workers Organizing Committee
Tape/Side   3/1 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   3/1 Time   00:30	Sol Barkin - continued
Tape/Side   3/1 Time   15:25	Stetin: Break for Lunch
Tape/Side   3/1 Time   16:25	Stetin: Remarks on Rieve and Pollock; Introduction of Larry Rogin
Tape/Side   3/1 Time   22:25	Larry Rogin on the 1934 Strike
Tape/Side   3/2 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   3/2 Time   00:30	Larry Rogin - continued
Tape/Side   3/2 Time   15:50	Sol Stetin Scope and Content Note: Introduction of Vera Rony and Alfred Friedman and their research on the 1934 strike. Calls on audience to make remarks.
Tape/Side   3/2 Time   20:35	Remarks by Lloyd Davis, Alabama, Former Staff TWOC/TWUA
Tape/Side   3/2 Time   23:40	Remarks by Mike Botelho, Former Vice President: on 1934 Strike in New England
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   00:30	William Tuller, Former TWUA Vice President, Now an Advisor to Recently Elected U.S. Senator Paul Simon (Illinois)
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   03:30	Edmund Ryan, Former Manager of Penn-Appalachian Joint Board Scope and Content Note: Must impress younger people with labor's story.
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   05:25	Edward Todd, Former Vice President, Chicago
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   07:20	Irving Kahan, Former Publications Director of TWUA
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   08:20	Joe Caponi, Former Vice President & Assistant Director of ACTWU'S Textile Division
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   09:30	Bruce Dunton, Current Vice President and Mid-Atlantic Region Director
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   10:35	George Nejmeh, Former Manager of Allentown District Joint Board
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   15:10	Ace Benet, President of the Federation of Hosiery Workers at the Time of Their Merger with TWUA in 1965
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   21:00	Stetin Introduction of Al Barkan
Tape/Side   4/1 Time   24:15	Al Barkan, Former Director of TWUA, CIO, and AFL-CIO Committees on Political Education (COPE) Scope and Content Note: Discussion of the 1984 election, held earlier in the week.
Tape/Side   4/2 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   4/2 Time   00:30	Al Barkan - continued Scope and Content Note: Speculation on the political future of the country during the coming four years. Anecdote about 1960 Democratic Convention and the selection of Lyndon Johnson as vice president.
Tape/Side   5/1 Time   00:00	Introduction
Tape/Side   5/1 Time   00:30	Al Barkan - continued
Tape/Side   5/1 Time   04:25	Stetin: Introduction of Various People; Closing Remarks
Tape/Side   5/1 Time   08:40	Scott Hoyman: Farewell