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Series I: Personal and Biographical Material, 1944-2010, inclusive

Scope and Content Note

The initial series in this collection contains a variety of personal materials as well as biographical articles and interviews. Among its highlights are school and military records, photographs, datebooks (1967-2008) and trip memorabilia.

Personal correspondence includes letters from family members and friends; Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Kurt Vonnegut and Alice Walker are among the more well-known. In addition, there is correspondence and related material that describes Zinn's dismissal from Spelman College as well as letters of support and good wishes on his retirement from Boston University. One folder within this series contains recipes that had been clipped by Zinn and were found here and there within the collection.

Several folders contain portions of the Federal Bureau of Investigation file maintained on Howard Zinn beginning in 1949 (File # 100-30217). In July 2010 the FBI released the file; it may be accessed in two sections at http://www.archive.org/details/Howard.Zinn_FBI.file_pt.1 and http://www.archive.org/details/Howard_Zinns_FBI_file_pdf_2_and_3 .

Address Book, undated

Box: 1, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Arrests and Testimony, 1970, undated

Box: 1, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Awards and Recognition: Eugene V. Debs Award, 1998, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Awards and Recognition: Lannan Literary Awards, 1997-1998, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Awards and Recognition: Thomas Merton Award, 1991, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Awards and Recognition: Upton Sinclair Award, 1999, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Awards and Recognition: Various, 1987-2010, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Biographical Articles (Zinn, by others), 1968-2007, undated

Box: 1, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Biographical Data, 1980, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal (includes letters from Robert J. Lifton and from Noam Chomsky), 1964-1968, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal, 1974-1989, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal (includes letter from William Sloane Coffin), 1990-1999, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal (includes e-mail from Daniel Ellsberg), 2000-2009, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal (includes letters from Staughton Lynd), undated

Box: 1, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Berrigan, Dan and Phil Berrigan (also Elizabeth McAlister), 1968-2003, undated

Box: 1, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Carlsson-Paige, Nancy (mother of Matt Damon), 1998, 2006-2007, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Cook, Samuel DuBois, 1965-1966, 2005, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Oladele, Jeanne Jackson (many observations of Nigerian coup and civil war; several essays included), 1965-1968, 1975, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Oladele, Jeanne Jackson (Nigerian newspaper clippings sent to Zinn with correspondence), 1966-1968, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Trips, Bologna (Italy), 1995, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Trips, Japan, [Jun 1966], inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Trips, Paris (includes letter from Jane Fonda), 1978, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 22 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Trips, Paris, 1984, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Trips, South Africa, 1982, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Vonnegut, Kurt, 1998-2006, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 25 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Correspondence: Personal - Walker, Alice (includes related material, mostly arranged by Zinn), 1962-1987, 1994, 1996, 2009, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 26 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1967-1968, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 27 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1970-1975, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 28 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1975-1979, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 29 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1979-1984, inclusive

Box: 1, Folder: 30 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1984-1986, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1986-1990, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1990-1993, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1994-1996, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1997-1998, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 1999-2000, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 2001-2004, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 2004-2005, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 2007, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks, 2008, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Datebooks: Roslyn Zinn, 2008, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

"Diary of a Teacher", 1981, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Diplomas: Columbia University (MA and PhD), 1952, 1958, inclusive

Box: 85, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) File, 1949-1953, 1967, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) File, 1955-1971, 1978, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) File, 1965-1972, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) File, 1965-1974, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Fulbright Scholar: University of Bologna, Italy (includes letter from John Kerry), 1992-1995, inclusive

Box: 2, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Interviews, 1968, 1973, 1988, 1992-2008, undated

Box: 2, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Journal Pages, [1975], undated

Box: 2, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Memorial Service: "A Celebration of the Life of Howard Zinn" - Poster (oversize), 2010, inclusive

roll-storage: OS Roll 1 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)

Memorial Service: "A Celebration of the Life of Howard Zinn" - Posters and Gary Huck Caricature, 2010, inclusive

Box: 85, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)

Memorial Service: "A Celebration of Howard Zinn" - Program, Mar 27, 2010, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: American Veterans Committee - Suspension, 1950, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: Army Air Force (AAF), 1944-1946, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: Army Discharge Papers, 1944-1945, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: Royan - Bombing, Research Materials (correspondence, notes and drafts), 1967, 1969, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: World War II Photos and Mementos (includes flight log, aerial map, photos of planes and bombing), 1944-1945, 1974, 1979, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: World War II Photos and Mementos - May 1945 Issues (2) of Yank, The Army Weekly, 1945, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Military: World War II Reunion - Certificate of Appreciation, 2004, inclusive

Box: 85, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Notes (personal), 1965, 1986, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Notes: Notebook, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Obituary (Japanese), 2010, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Personal Ephemera, 1978, 1994, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Photographs, 2002-2004, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

"Photos" (includes postcards and related items), 1973-1986, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Recipes, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Retirement from Boston University: Clippings, 1988, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Retirement from Boston University: Correspondence from Students and Others, 1988, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

School Records (includes transcripts, certificates, awards), 1946-1954, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 17 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Shechter, Alice: Letter and Creative Writing Exercise (Shechter is Roslyn Zinn's niece), 2004, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 18 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College, 1960, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 19 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Daily Journal, 1962-1963, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 20 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal, 1963, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 21 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - Articles, 1963, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 22 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - Correspondence, Mar 1963 - Jul 1963, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 23 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - Correspondence, Aug 1963 - 1964, undated

Box: 3, Folder: 24 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - Correspondence and Associated Material ("Last Spelman File"), 1957-1963, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 25 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - "An Expression of Student Concern", [1963], inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 26 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Dismissal - Zinn Statements and Related Materials, 1963, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 27 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Honors Thesis - "Birth of Consciousness: Activism at Spelman College, 1953-1965" by Molly Blank, 1998, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 28 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Yearbook "Reflections 1960", 1960, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 29 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Zinn Commencement Speech, 2005, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 30 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Spelman College: Zinn Honorary Degree, 2005, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 31 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Cuba 1992, 1990-1992, inclusive

Box: 3, Folder: 32 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Cuba 2004, 2003-2004, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 1 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Cuba 2004 - Honorary Degree, University of Havana, 2004, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 2 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Cuba 2005, 2005, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 3 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Europe (correspondence, mementos; Hungary, Italy, London...), 1987, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 4 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Greece, 2009, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 5 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Italy (correspondence, clippings and talk in Rome), 2005, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 6 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Paris 1974, 1973-1974, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 7 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Paris 1974, 1974, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 8 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Paris 1978, 1977-1978, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 9 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Paris 1984, 1983-1984, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 10 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: South Africa (correspondence, mementos), 1982, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 11 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Trips: Spain (correspondence, mementos), 1990, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 12 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Various Articles that Mention Zinn, 1977-2007, undated

Box: 4, Folder: 13 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Vonnegut, Kurt: Remembrance by Zinn, 2007-2008, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 14 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

"War in a Glass Case": School Essay [Columbia University], 1950, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 15 (Material Type: Mixed Materials)

Watercolor Sketch of Howard Zinn, 2001, inclusive

Box: 4, Folder: 16 (Material Type: Graphic Materials)
Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
2nd Floor
New York, NY 10012