Reunion of Old Timers Records
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Abstract
The Reunion of Old Timers was founded in 1941 by veteran members of the labor struggle. The Reunion was established to honor distinguished individuals involved in the labor and socialist movements and to provide financial aid to members and institutions in need. In 1998 the organization changed its name to Reunion for Tomorrow. This partially processed collection consists of minutes, correspondence, dinner programs, financial records, membership lists and communications with the membership. Of particular interest to researchers is the network of friendships among labor and socialist activists revealed in these papers.
Historical/Biographical Note
The Reunion of Old Timers was founded in 1941 by veteran members of the labor struggle. The Reunion was established to honor distinguished individuals involved in the labor and socialist movements and to provide financial aid to members and institutions in need. Charles Grossman, a veteran socialist and labor leader, was the founding president of the Reunion. Grossman, a printer by trade had also managed the election campaign of Meyer London in 1920. Under Grossman's leadership, the Reunion honored such notable figures as Hubert H. Humphrey, A. Philip Randolph, Walter Reuther, Herbert H. Lehman, Earl Clement Attlee, Hon. Herbert Morrison, Jasper MacLevy and Judge Jacob Panken. The organization claimed 500 members at its height and raised money through dues and contributions. In 1957, the Reunion established a fund to perpetuate the memory of Morris Hillquit, the prominent socialist lawyer. The drive was a success because of the participation of many unions and community leaders including the ILGWU, George Meany, Senator Herbert H. Lehman, and Eleanor Roosevelt. A scholarship was also established in 1961 at Brooklyn College in the memory of Louis P. Goldberg, a prominent labor attorney.
After the death of Charles Grossman in 1979, the Reunion continued under the leadership of Morris S. Novik. The first big event of this administration was the sponsorship of the Charles Zimmerman scholarship in 1981. This scholarship provided for two $250.00 cash awards - one for a student entering college and one for a student entering the labor force. In addition, an AFL-CIO educational program was launched to stress the significance of Samuel Gompers and the labor movement in U.S. history. Similar projects were promoted in New York City schools in honor of Meyer London, Benjamin Schlesinger, William Green, A. Philip Randolph, and George Meany. In 1998 the organization changed its name to Reunion for Tomorrow.
Arrangement
The folders in Box 1 are arranged chronologically within each record format.
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of minutes, correspondence, dinner programs, financial records, membership lists and communications with the membership. Of particular interest to researchers is the network of friendships among labor and socialist activists revealed in these papers. The correspondence of Marx Lewis, former secretary to Meyer London, to Charles Grossman, for example, documents Lewis' own political observations and activities, and those of the milieux from which he came, between 1963 and Grossman's death in 1979. The collection also contains thick files, mostly for individual years in the 1980s.
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Organizations
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Donors
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright (and related rights to publicity and privacy) to materials in this collection created by the Reunion of Old Timers was not transferred to New York University. Permission to use materials must be secured from the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Reunion of Old Timers Records; TAM 283; box number; folder number; Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives, New York University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by the Reunion of Oldtimers in 1989. The accession number associated with this gift is 1989.009.
Other Finding Aids
A folder list for Box 1 is available in the repository.
About this Guide
Processing Information
The materials in Box 1 have been arranged and described by an archivist. The materials in Box 2 are in the original order received from the donor.
