GENE H. ROSENBLUM:
An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical
Society
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| Creator: |
Rosenblum, Gene, 1927-.
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| Title: | Gene H. Rosenblum
papers. |
| Date: | 1942-2002 (bulk 1949-1979,
1990-2002). |
| Abstract: | Papers of Gene Harold Rosenblum, a St. Paul
attorney, documenting his involvement in numerous local and national political,
civic, and religious organizations, in most of which he held a leadership role.
|
| Quantity: | 5.8 cu. ft. (6 boxes,
and 1 oversize folder). |
| Location: | See Detailed Description section for shelf
locations |
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Gene Harold Rosenblum was born September 4, 1927. He graduated from
St. Paul Central High School in 1945 and went on to complete a Bachelor of Arts
at the University of Minnesota in 1949, concentrating his studies on real
estate, real estate financing, advertising, and public relations.
Rosenblum's earliest work was in the family real estate business,
Rosenblum Co., Inc., of which he later became chief executive. While he
continued to work in the real estate field throughout his career, he soon
branched out into the law and politics. While studying at William Mitchell
College of Law he was a member of the State Citizens' Committee on Public
Education and the Mayor's Advisory Committee on Fair Employment Practices.
After his admission to the Minnesota bar in 1959, he went on to serve as
assistant corporation counsel for the city of St. Paul, assistant city attorney
of St. Paul, aide to St. Paul mayor Thomas Byrne, as well as special counsel to
the attorney general of Minnesota. An active member of the
Democratic-Farmer-Labor party since youth, he held several leadership roles in
the Young Democratic-Farmer-Labor Club (YDFL) including chairman of the Ramsey
County YDFL, chairman of the Minnesota YDFL Civil Rights Committee, and first
vice chairman of the Minnesota YDFL. Rosenblum's political career entered the
local spotlight when Republican St. Paul Mayor George J. Vavoulis removed him
from his position as chairman of the mayor's revenue study committee following
Rosenblum's decision to run as the DFL/Labor endorsed candidate for city
comptroller of St. Paul in 1962.
Rosenblum remained active in civic and Jewish organizations all his
life, holding leadership roles in the Junior Chamber of Commerce, B'nai B'rith,
the Minnesota Jewish Council, Temple of Aaron, the St. Paul Heritage
Preservation Commission, and the Association for Non-Smokers Rights. In later
years, he became involved in health care-related issues, volunteering for
organizations including the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association/
Policyholders Rights Organization (of which he was president from 1991-1992)
and the Minnesota Long Term Health Care Campaign.
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Correspondence, newspaper clippings, a scrapbook, minutes, legal
briefs, and legislative files of Gene Harold Rosenblum, a St. Paul (Minn.)
attorney, documenting his involvement in numerous local and national political,
civic, and religious organizations, in most of which he held a leadership role.
Materials are organized into broad series representing Rosenblum's
activities.
The series on politics includes files on the (Estes) Kefauver for
President campaign (1952), Democrats for Nixon (1972), and a substantial group
of files on the Young Democratic-Farmer-Labor Clubs of Minnesota (1947-1958).
In addition there are files documenting Rosenblum's unsuccessful campaign for
city comptroller of St. Paul in 1962 and a second, aborted campaign in
1966.
The series on Jewish organizations includes files on the Temple of
Aaron (St. Paul, Minn.) Board of Directors (1962-1963, 1971-1975) and B'nai
B'rith and B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (1945-1957-1966). The bulk of the
files concern the St. Paul Jewish Council and its later incarnations, the
Minnesota Jewish Council, the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota,
and the Jewish Community Relations Council-Anti-Defamation League of Minnesota
and the Dakotas (1953-1977). A number of files document his publications on St.
Paul Jewish history.
The series on St. Paul and Minnesota issues include a large group of
files on the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission. The other major series
in the collection concerns Rosenblum's work for the Minnesota Comprehensive
Health Association/Policyholder Rights Organization (1988-1994).
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| Additional records of the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association
are available as part of the subject files of Human Services Division of the
Minnesota State Planning Agency, separately cataloged in the Minnesota
Historical Society state archives collections. |
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| This collection is indexed under the following
headings in the catalog of the Minnesota Historical Society. Researchers
desiring materials about related topics should search the catalog using these
headings. |
| Topics: |
| | Insurance, Health -- Minnesota. |
| | Health planning -- Law and legislation --
Minnesota. |
| | Long-term care of the sick --
Minnesota. |
| | Finance, Public -- Minnesota -- Saint
Paul. |
| | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. |
| | Presidents -- United States -- Election
-- 1952. |
| | Civil rights -- Minnesota. |
| | Jews -- Minnesota -- Saint Paul --
History. |
| | Religion and state --
Minnesota. |
| | Jews -- Societies, etc. |
| | Jews in public life -- Minnesota -- Saint
Paul. |
| | Antismoking movement. |
| | Smoking -- Law and legislation --
Minnesota. |
| | Historic Buildings -- Minnesota -- Saint
Paul -- Conservation and restoration. |
| Persons: |
| | Humphrey, Hubert H.
(Hubert Horatio), 1911-1978. |
| | Kefauver, Estes,
1903-1963. |
| | Lashkowitz, Herschel,
1919-. |
| | McCarthy, Eugene J.,
1961-. |
| | Mitchell, Joseph.
|
| | Nixon, Richard M.
(Richard Milhous), 1913-. |
| | Vavoulis, George J.
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| Organizations: |
| | Association for
Non-Smokers' Rights (Minn.). |
| | Association of MCHA
Policyholders. |
| | B'nai B'rith. Lodge
157 (Saint Paul, Minn.). |
| | B'nai B'rith Young
Men. Liebfield Chapter (Saint Paul, Minn.). |
| | B'nai B'rith Youth
Organization. |
| | Communicating for
Agriculture, inc. |
| | Democrats for Nixon.
|
| | Highland Park Senior High
School (Saint Paul, Minn.). |
| | Jewish Community
Relations Council-Anti-Defamation League of Minnesota and the Dakotas.
|
| | Jewish Community
Relations Council of Minnesota. |
| | Joint Religious
Legislative Coalition (Minn.). |
| | Minnesota
Comprehensive Health Association/Policyholders Rights Organization. |
| | Minnesota
Comprehensive Health Association. |
| | Minnesota Jewish
Council. |
| | Minnesota Junior
Chamber of Commerce. |
| | Minnesota Long Term
Health Care Commission. |
| | Minnesota State Bar
Association. Civil Rights Committee. |
| | Rosenblum Company (Saint
Paul, Minn.). |
| | Saint Paul (Minn.). City
Comptroller. |
| | Saint Paul Heritage
Preservation Commission. |
| | Saint Paul Junior
Chamber of Commerce. |
| | St. Paul Jewish
Council. |
| | Temple of Aaron
(Saint Paul, Minn.). |
| | United World Federalists
(U.S.). |
| | University of Minnesota
-- Students -- Political activity. |
| | Young
Democratic-Farmer-Labor Clubs of Minnesota. |
| Places: |
| | Saint Paul (Minn.) -- Politics and
government. |
| Document Types: |
| | Photographs. |
| Occupations: |
| | Lawyers -- Minnesota -- Saint
Paul. |
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| Preferred Citation: |
| | [Indicate the cited item and/or series
here]. Gene H. Rosenblum Papers. Minnesota Historical Society. |
| | See the Chicago Manual of Style for additional
examples. |
| Accession Information: |
| | Accession numbers: 13,412; 15,078; 15,532; 16,080 |
| Processing Information: |
| | Processed by: Lara D. Friedman-Shedlov, April 1996; May 2000 |
| | Catalog ID number: 09-00041561 |
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Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the
location and box numbers shown below.
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Political Files
|
| Documentation of Rosenblum's political activities includes
materials relating to the Kefauver for President campaign (1952), Democrats for
Nixon (1972), and the Young Democratic Farmer Labor (YDFL) Clubs of Minnesota
(1947-1958), as well as Rosenblum's 1962 and 1966 campaigns for city
comptroller of St. Paul. The Kefauver for President file includes
correspondence giving insights into Minnesota DFL politics and the early days
of Hubert H. Humphrey's bid for President. Rosenblum's city comptroller
campaigns, while unsuccessful, provide a vibrant portrait of municipal politics
in 1960s St. Paul. In addition to the files, a scrapbook containing newspaper
clippings from the 1962 campaign coverage is available in a separate oversize
folder. The YDFL files, which constitute the bulk of this series, further
document the nuances of the Minnesota political scene in the 1950s and 1960s,
as well as many of the hot issues of the day, particularly civil rights
legislation. Correspondents include senators Eugene J. McCarthy, Estes
Kefauver, and Hubert Humphrey; Representative Joseph E. Karth; St. Paul mayor
Joseph E. Dillon; Minnesota governors Orville L. Freeman and Karl F. Rolvaag;
and Fargo, North Dakota mayor Herschel Lashkowitz. |
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.4F | 1 |
Kefauver for President and 1952 presidential
campaign.
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St. Paul city election and Gene Rosenblum's city
comptroller campaigns, 1962, 1966. 3 folders.
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Democrats for Nixon, 1972.
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Young Democratic Farmer-Labor Club:
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Eighth District Young DFL, 1947-1951.
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William Mitchell College of Law Democratic Club,
1957-1960.
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Support for open primaries and national presidential
primaries, 1950-1952.
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Miscellaneous papers, including national Young
Democratic Organization, 1949-1958. 4 folders.
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Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1947-1978, 1982-1983, 1990, 1996.
2 folders.
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| Location | Box |
| 148.C.19.3B | |
Scrapbook, 1961-1962. 1 folder.
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| | | Newspaper clippings and some correspondence regarding St. Paul
politics, particularly Rosenblum's 1962 city comptroller campaign. |
| | | Materials formerly in a scrapbook. Covers removed and pages
placed in an oversize folder. |
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Junior Chamber of Commerce Files
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| Files of particular interest in this series are the Public Affairs
Committee on Community Development, 1958-1959. These files include industrial
profiles of many cities in outstate Minnesota as of 1957, containing
information such as the average wage rates in that community, level of
unionization, labor supply, transportation, and local development action. |
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.4F | 1 |
Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1957-1962. 2 folders.
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Casework council: Minutes and related papers,
1960-1961.
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Jaycees Gavel Club, undated.
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Inter-Professional Advisory Council on Community
Development, 1960-1967.
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Public Affairs Committee: Community development,
1958-1959.
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| | | Similar in content to the Inter-Professional Advisory Council,
above. |
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Community surveys, 1958-1960.
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Jewish Organizations and Religious Groups
|
| Materials in this series include files on B'nai B'rith (1945-1957,
1966), St. Paul's Temple of Aaron board of directors (1962-1963, 1971-1975),
the St. Paul Jewish Council, the Minnesota Jewish Council (later known as the
Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and subsequently the Jewish
Community Relations Council - Anti-Defamation League of Minnesota and the
Dakotas) (1953-1977), and the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition (1963-1966,
1969-1976). Records from the B'nai B'rith Young Men, a college-aged Jewish
men's organization, are significant because they cover the entire period from
its inception in St. Paul just after World War II up to the Korean War, when it
was dissolved. The records from the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition, of
which Rosenblum served on the Board and in 1975 as Chairman of its Executive
Committee, are also notable. This group was a joint action-lobbying group of
the main Jewish, Protestant, and Catholic social action groups in Minnesota,
and helped influence much legislation. Among other things, its files document
local controversies relating to prayer in schools and tax credits and busing
for private and parochial schools. Files relating to the Minnesota Jewish
Council/Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota deal primarily with
matters leading to the merger with the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith.
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| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.4F | 1 |
B'nai Brith: Correspondence and miscellaneous papers,
undated and 1945-1957, 1966. 2 folders.
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B'nai Brith Young Men, Liebfeld Chapter No. 119, St.
Paul: Minutes and related papers, 1949-1950.
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Greater B'nai Brith Civic Awards Committee, 1949, 1953-1954.
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| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.5B | 2 |
Temple of Aaron (St. Paul) board of directors: Minutes
and other papers, 1962-1963, 1971-1975.
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Minnesota Jewish Council/Jewish Community Relations
Council of Minnesota (JCRM)/ Jewish Community Relations Council -
Anti-Defamation League of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC-ADL):
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| | | Name changed in 1958-1959 and again in 1973-1974. |
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Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1953-1974. 2 folders.
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Minnesota statehood centennial emblem controversy,
1958.
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Urban Affairs Commission (JCRC): Minutes and related
papers, 1970-1977.
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| | | | Also includes papers on the JCRC-ADL. |
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Miscellaneous items, 1944-1974. 2 folders.
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Joint Religious Legislative Coalition:
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Minutes and related papers, 1975-1976. 2 folders.
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Housing task force, 1971-1976.
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Position papers.
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Prayer Amendment papers, 1963-1966, 1971.
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Tax Credit Act (aid to private and parochial schools):
Legal files, 1970-1972. 4 folders.
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Tax credits legal papers: Bus transportation,
1969-1972. 2 folders.
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City of St. Paul
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| Rosenblum's extensive activities on behalf of the city of St. Paul
are documented by files on civic organizations related to revenue raising and
charter reform. A substantial amount of materials concern the St. Paul Heritage
Preservation Commission, for which Rosenblum lobbied and became a founding
member when the organization was established in November 1976. The files
include detailed architectural histories and evaluations of the historical
significance of such famous St. Paul landmarks as the Como Park Conservatory,
the James J. Hill House, the Landmark Center, Rice Park, the St. Paul
Cathedral, the St. Paul Public Library, and the Alexander Ramsey House. |
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.6F | 3 |
Automation proposals, city and county, 1963.
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Department of Human Rights, 1971-1972.
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Downtown People Mover Community Advisory Committee:
Minutes and related papers, 1978-1979. 3 folders.
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Fair Employment Practices Commission, 1954-1957.
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Heritage Preservation Committee:
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Historic site surveys, 1977-1979. 3 folders.
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Correspondence and miscellaneous papers, 1974-1977. 7 folders.
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Housing: Minority, urban renewal, and public,
1952-1961.
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Revenue-Charter Files:
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Revenue sources subcommittee and citizen's charter
review study committee, 1959-1967, 1971. 2 folders.
|
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.7B | 4 | |
Mayor's Revenue Study Committee: Subcommittee on
existing sources of revenue, 1960-1962.
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Miscellaneous papers, undated and 1952, 1958-1966.
2 folders.
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State of Minnesota Issues
|
| Of particular interest are materials documenting the campaign to
amend the Minnesota constitution to allow local self-government; to extend the
terms of the constitutional officers from two to four years; and to allow state
legislators to be elected or appointed to other offices during their current
terms. Other topics include the Governor's Committee on Metropolitan Problems'
recommendations regarding the issue of sanitary sewage disposal and proposed
changes to laws governing wage garnishment to protect the public from
unscrupulous collection agencies. |
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.7B | 4 |
Commission on Metropolitan Problems, 1961-1962.
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Minnesota Creditors' Attorney's Association: Garnishment
legislation, 1967-1969.
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Miscellaneous items, 1954-1972.
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Personal Files
|
| The majority are files relating to Rosenblum's several
publications on St. Paul Jewish history, especially the city's Jewish pioneers.
The series also contains correspondence, newspaper clippings, membership cards,
photographs, and several single files relating to miscellaneous human
rights-related organizations and issues, and a small segment reflecting
Rosenblum's role as the chairman of the University of Minnesota chapter of the
United World Federalists (1946-1950), including a letter from Harris Wofford,
later a high official in the John F. Kennedy administration. |
| Location | Box |
| 146.E.13.10F | 6 |
Publication Files:
|
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Drafts of Jewish Pioneers of St.
Paul, 1849-1874. [199-]-2001. 3 folders.
|
| | | | Drafts of a monograph published by Arcadia Publishing in 2001
as part of its "Voices of America" series of local history titles. The
materials document the first generation of Jewish settlers in St. Paul. |
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Drafts of The Lost Jewish
Community of the West Side Flats, 1882-1962. [199-]-2002. 4 folders.
|
| | | | Drafts of a monograph published by Arcadia Publishing in 2002
as part of its "Voices of America" series of local history titles. The
materials document the history of a onetime Jewish neighborhood in St.
Paul. |
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Article in the American Jewish
World: "A History of the Early Jewish Settlers in St. Paul,"
September 27, 1979.
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Support of publications, 1977-2000.
|
| | | | Grant application to the National Endowment for the Humanities
to support his research and writings on St. Paul Jewish history, and supportive
correspondence with the American Jewish Historical Society. |
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Correspondence with Arcadia Publishers and related
materials, 2000-2001.
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Research Files for Arcadia Titles:
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Chapters: "The Synagogues," "Good Bye," "The
Neighborhood House."
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Chapters: "In the Beginning," "The Refugees,"
"Peddlers and Other Businesses."
|
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Chapters: "Old Man River," "Author's Note,"
"Bibliography."
|
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Street Inventory and related
information.
|
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Information on the Sons of Jacob congregation,
1985-2000.
|
| | | | | Includes a 1985 photograph. |
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Sources.
|
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Source: Lorraine Pierce thesis on the West Side,
1971.
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Information on families.
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Newspaper articles, 1999-2001.
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Inventory of photographs.
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Photographs:
|
| | | | | Many of the images are simply photocopies, but some prints
or photo offsets for the publications are also included. |
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Buildings.
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Landscapes.
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People.
|
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.7B | 4 |
Biographical and family data.
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Association for Non-Smokers Rights, 1975-1979. 2 folders.
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Highland Park Senior High (St. Paul, Minn.) PTA,
1965-1966.
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Housing project, Nigeria, [1960s?].
|
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Minnesota State Bar Association Civil Rights Committee,
1975.
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United World Federalists, 1946-1950. 2 folders.
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Miscellaneous papers, undated and 1942-1966.
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Health Care Organizations
|
| This series is primarily devoted to Rosenblum's files from the
Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association/Policyholder Rights Organization
(MCHA/PRO). Created by the Minnesota Legislature in 1976, MCHA was the
insurance program mandated for high-risk individuals who were otherwise unable
to acquire health insurance due to pre-existing conditions and other high risk
factors. MCHA/PRO represented the interests of the policyholders to the MCHA
board and the Minnesota Legislature. During Rosenblum's leadership (1991-1992)
MCHA/PRO campaigned for required public hearings before changes to premiums or
benefits in the MCHA program were made, an increase to the lifetime benefit
limit from $500,000 to $1,000,000, and a cap on annual premium increases, and
fought against domination by insurance industry representatives on the MCHA
board. Rosenblum also worked with the Minnesota and National Long Term Care
Campaigns, organizations that lobbied for adequate long term health care
coverage as part of a comprehensive state or national health care plan. Files
of particular interest concern the response to the Clinton administration
health plan proposed in 1993. |
| Location | Box |
| 149.A.3.7B | 4 |
Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association-Policyholder
Rights Organization (MCHA-PRO)/Association of MCHA Policyholders
(AMP):
|
| | | Name was changed to AMP in 1995. |
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General and miscellaneous, undated and 1991-1997.
|
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Correspondence, undated and 1990-1997.
|
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Board minutes and related materials, 1991-1996. 2 folders.
|
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Annual meeting materials, 1990-1993.
|
| Location | Box |
| 143.J.1.7B | 5 | |
Surveys and reports, 1990-1991.
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Financial, 1992-1993.
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Membership (MCHA and MCHA-PRO), 1988, 1992-1993.
|
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MCHA-PRO members newsletter, 1990-1997 (scattered).
|
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Nebraska contacts, 1991.
|
| | | | Regarding starting a policyholders' group for Nebraska's
high-risk pool insurance program. |
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MCHA Ad Hoc Work Group on MCHA's Premiums,
1992.
|
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Legislation, undated and 1988-1993. 12 folders.
|
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Background materials. 3 folders.
|
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HealthRight/MinnesotaCare seminar, 1992.
|
| | | | Name changed to MinnesotaCare in 1992. |
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Health insurance risk pools conference, 1992.
|
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Minnesota Long Term Health Care Campaign:
|
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General and miscellaneous, undated and 1992.
|
| | | | Also includes materials from National Long Term Health Care
Campaign. |
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Minutes and related materials, 1992-1994.
|
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Legislative task force, 1992-1993.
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Planning meetings, 1992, 1993.
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Correspondence, 1992-1994.
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Membership, undated and 1992-1994.
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Publicity campaigns, undated and 1992.
|
| | | | Also contains materials from National Long Term Health Care
Campaign. |
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Clinton health plan, 1992-1993.
|
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Minnesota Long Term Health Care Commission,
1993.
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Related organizations and events, undated and 1992.
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Background materials. 2 folders.
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