LGBT History Project: LGBT-033 Jon Johnson & Charles Maser Collection

Number of Pages
3
Date
1928 - 2015; Bulk Dates 1970 - 1996

Johnson and Maser met in 1975 through a mutual friend. As a couple, they saw how AIDS was affecting their community and became active in local AIDS Awareness organizations, the Lancaster AIDS Project, and the Betty Finney House, which helped raise awareness and support people with AIDS.

This collection contains newspaper clippings, which document coverage of issues related to LGBT rights and activism in the LNP (Lancaster, PA) newspaper in summer 2015; a program for the art exhibit “Men and Other Abstractions” created by Johnson; posters that address civil rights and the ban on military service for gays and lesbians; buttons that feature various advocacy efforts; and matchbooks from hotels, bars, clubs, and restaurants in Pennsylvania and cities across the United States.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Origin
Gift of Jon Johnson & Charles Maser
Location
LGBT-033 Jon Johnson & Charles Maser

LGBT Oral History 092A: Frank Pizzoli

Number of Pages
12
Date
April 15, 2013

Frank Pizzoli, founder and editor-in-chief of the Central Voice, an LGBT newsletter for the Central PA community, discusses his experiences in the community and how he thinks things have changed over time. He describes some aspects of growing up gay in the 1960s and ‘70s and specifically the small community feel that the early LGBT community had, discussing the changes between then and now. He also discusses some of his experiences of living with HIV and how that affected his life in the early ‘80s, including his role in for formation of the South Central AIDS Assistance Network (SCAAN), which would later become AIDS Community Alliance, and is now under Alder Health Services. Finally, he discusses some of the books and authors that he found important to the LGBT community and their influence.

Video footage of this interview is unavailable at this time. Please contact archives@dickinson.edu for more information.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Frank Pizzoli
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Pizzoli, Frank - 092A

LGBT History Project: LGBT-076 David Klinepeter Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1993 - 1997

David Klinepeter was born April 26, 1926 in the Harrisburg, PA area. He married Gloria Klinepeter in 1949 and with whom he had four children. His youngest son, Daniel, was diagnosed with HIV and later died of AIDS-¬related complications in May of 1993. After Daniel’s passing, both David and Gloria became active in The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Gloria helped to create panels for her son, as well as others who died of AIDS-¬related complications, and they both participated in educational outreach surrounding HIV/AIDS.

This collection documents the involvement of Klinepeter and his wife in The Names Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and the overall AIDS crisis. This collection contains 6 series: General Information, Memorial Programs, Posters, Media, Artifacts, and Books.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of David Klinepeter
Location
LGBT-076 David Klinepeter

LGBT History Project: LGBT-015 John R. Barns Collection

Number of Pages
9
Date
1946, 1970 - 2017

John Barns was born in Perry County, PA. He graduated from Greenwood High School in 1960 and then joined the Pennsylvania National Guard during the Vietnam War, where he was in the armored tank division. After discharging from the military, Barns worked for the State in the Department of Labor and Industry and The Department of Health. He was a state employee for 30 years. Barns was a member of Dignity/Central PA, a Roman Catholic based organization that was a place for LGBTQ+ community members of any religious background to be together in community; and a part of the Gay Switchboard of Harrisburg, a telephone service that gave information, referrals, and supportive counseling to members of the local LGBTQ+ community.

This collection contains 6 series: Newspaper and Magazine Clippings; Dignity/Central PA; Cards and Postcards; Montreal, Quebec, Canada LGBTQ+ Information; Miscellaneous; and Artifacts.

Topics
Year
Origin
Gift of John R. Barns
Collection
Location
LGBT-015 John R. Barns Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-085 Jackie & Rick Schulze Collection

Number of Pages
4
Date
1980 - 1998

Gloria Jackie Schulze was born on November 25, 1934 in Huntington, WV. She graduated from high school and attended John Marshall University (now known as Marshall University) where she received her degree in Journalism.

After her son Rick came out to her, Jackie attended a local Parents of Gays meeting, and then she, and Hope Nancarrow, local activist Mary Nancarrow’s mother, established a local Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) chapter. Founded in 1973, PFLAG is the largest LGBTQ+ organization for LGBTQ+ people, families, friends, and allies. Jackie was president of the local PFLAG chapter for 18 years, and during those years she regularly spoke at universities, schools, and churches. Jackie was also active in HIV/AIDS related activism alongside her son, Rick.

Jackie passed away in 2018.

Rick Schulze was born in Delaware in the early 1960s to Jackie Schulze and his father George. After moving around as a young child, Rick grew up primarily in the Harrisburg area. After high school, Rick went on to Mansfield University and was instrumental in forming The Mansfield Gay Alliance, the first gay organization on campus. Rick also was active in HIV/AIDS awareness in Central PA, along with his mother, and worked closely with the organizations South Central AIDS Assistance Network (SCAAN) and AIDS Resource. Rick then went on to work with the Department of Health in HIV/AIDS Counseling during the 1990s. Rick is now in academia, eventually settling in as a professor in Health Education and Public Health at Lock Haven University.

Rick lives in the Lock Haven area today.

This collection documents Jackie and Rick's activism through photographs, correspondence, PGLAF memorabilia, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous items.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Jackie and Rick Schulze
Collection
Location
LGBT-085 Jackie & Rick Schulze Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-055 Deb Fulham-Winston Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
1994, circa 2004

Deb Fulham-Winston served as the director of development for South Central AIDS Assistance Network (SCAAN) from January 1992 until June 1995. This collection contains materials from SCAAN promoting HIV/AIDS awareness.

Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Deb Fulham-Winston
Location
LGBT-055 Deb Fulham-Winston Collection

LGBT Oral History 105: Robert Sevensky

Number of Pages
14
Date
July 29, 2017

Robert Sevensky was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1948. Despite having an unpleasant experience in early education and having financial issues, Robert persevered and ended up pursuing an academic career in college. After two years at the University of Scranton, he studied English abroad. He then eventually received his doctorate in philosophy. In this interview Robert discusses the struggles and joys of sexuality and religion from childhood to retirement. Growing up in a heteronormative society, he was mostly quiet about understanding and exploring his sexuality. He also discusses becoming involved with the church and the Holy Cross Monastery. The monastery is a significant part of Robert’s life as he and many other brothers there are openly gay. Furthermore, the monastery has become a safe space for LGBT-identifying folks to converse and participate in different programs. Robert elaborates on joining various LGBT rights organizations and other spaces that have become inclusive to LGBT folks. Though these spaces are inclusive, Robert explains the negative effects of how the HIV/AIDS epidemic was treated in medical facilities for a period of time. In this interview, Robert also touches on his current beliefs about how society has recently began to shift towards political correctness and what that means to him, specifically regarding queer theory and thus, queer people.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Robert Sevensky
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Sevensky, Robert - 105

LGBT Oral History 114: Marty Tornblom

Number of Pages
20
Date
June 9, 2017

Marty Tornblom was born in Utah and was raised in the greater Salt Lake City area, as a member of the Mormon Church. She decided to get a degree in education which lead her to teaching. Following her marriage, she converted to Presbyterianism and moved all over the country, including Utah, California, Alabama, and Pennsylvania. Family is integral to her story, as she is happily married and has four children. She moved with her family to Harrisburg in 1980 and that began her involvement in the local community and work around HIV/AIDS. She worked for SCAAN (South Central AIDS Assistance Network) as a buddy for people with AIDS and the Prevention Educator for the organization. Marty discusses her personal relationship with many of her buddies and other people associated with the organization, her efforts to involve the greater local community, her work providing STI testing services for local people, her involvement in AIDS activism, and her hope for the continued progress within the LGBTQ community, reflecting back on all she’s seen in her life.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Marty Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Tornblom, Marty

LGBT Oral History 113: James Tompkins

Number of Pages
16
Date
March 26, 2017

James Tompkins was born and grew up in Southern Pennsylvania, where he lived on a farm with his one brother, three half siblings, and parents. In this interview, James discusses his experiences coming out to his family, his art, and various bars and gay organizations in York and nearby areas. He also discusses his experiences having a partner with AIDS and working through ACT UP and other well-known organizations to protest in the 70s, 80s, and 90s on the local, state, and national level.

Topics
Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of James Tompkins
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Tompkins, Janes - 113

LGBT Oral History 040: Debra Fulham-Winston

Number of Pages
22
Date
March 19, 2017

Deb Fulham-Winston was born in 1952 in Boston, Massachusetts. She grew up in an Irish-Catholic family with eight siblings, and spent the first half of her schooling in Catholic school. Early on, she had a strong conviction for feminism and social justice which drew her away from the Catholic Church and inspired her to attend Bates College for two years and then transfer to the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, where she was one of the first 13 women to graduate. She has spent all of her career working with non-profits in the development sector, including agencies such as Planned Parenthood, various college fundraising organizations, and a variety of others. During this interview, she primarily discusses her experience at SCAAN [South-Central Aids Assistance Network], and her experiences with the social connotations of working with an AIDS foundation, the struggles that individuals with AIDS went through, the functions and day-to-day activities of SCAAN, and the annual AIDS Walk in Harrisburg, which she organized.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Debra Fulham-Winston
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Fulham-Winston, Debra - 040

LGBT Oral History 101: Rick Schulze

Number of Pages
33
Date
March 12, 2017

Frederick (Rick) Schulze was born in Delaware in the 60s and spent his childhood and adolescence in the 70s in the Harrisburg area. He first talks about his complicated relationship with his family and his gay identity, mentioning his mother’s support and positivity, his dad’s indifference, and other members’ repulsion. He then goes onto to discuss his first interactions with gay related material and media and his escapades cruising on State Street in Harrisburg. After high school, Rick went onto Mansfield University and was instrumental in forming The Mansfield Gay Alliance, first gay organization there. He describes the many abuses and acts of discrimination both he and his classmates faced. He goes on to detail the AIDS related volunteer work he did in the area, discussing the impact of the AIDS crisis on Central Pennsylvania. Rick worked closely with the organizations SCAAN, South Central AIDS Assistance Network, and AIDS Resource and then went on to work with the Department of Health in HIV/AIDS Counseling during the 90’s. During this time, his mother and Hope Nancarrow, the mother of Mary Nancarrow, worked closely with PFLAG, Parents and Friends of Gays and Lesbians, and he talks about the speaking circuits she went on at different churches and community spaces and touches on the threats that have been posed to the both of them. He also talks about various activists and their interactions with anti-gay leaders such as Anita Bryant in the area. After his public service, Rick went on to a career in academia, eventually settling in as a professor in Health Ed and Public Health at Lock Haven University. Outside of the classroom, he works closely with students on an LGBTQ related focus group and has been instrumental in instating gender name change policies and gender neutral bathrooms at the school. Rick’s story is a reminder to us all about the importance of public service and the impact just one person can have on a community and geographical region.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Rick Schulze
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Schulze, Rick - 101

LGBT Oral History 100: Patricia ''Pat'' Saunders

Number of Pages
13
Date
March 5, 2017

Patricia ''Pat'' Mastandrea Sanders was a hair stylist in Boston before moving up to advertising and marketing for 300 salons across the country. One fateful day she slipped on an ice cube and hit her head. Her life changed forever. Unable to work due to memory loss, Pat decided to give her time to various AIDS/HIV advocacy groups in the Lancaster County area. Pat worked with the Lancaster AIDS Project, Betty Finney House, and American Red Cross Foundation’s yearly Oscar Party. She hand wrote hundreds of letters each year to celebrities requesting donated materials and the response she got was incredible. Pat also discusses LGBTQ in the Age of the Trump/Pence presidency.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Patricia ''Pat'' Saunders
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Saunders, Patricia ''Pat'' - 100

LGBT Oral History 108: Amy Skillman

Number of Pages
16
Date
May 5, 2016

Amy Skillman talks about her childhood growing up in Michigan in a large Episcopalian family and the influence of spirituality in her life, both as a teenager and an adult. Amy went to an all-girls school where rumors circulated about certain boarders and a book they were reading. Amy believes that this was likely her earliest introduction to LGBT alternatives to heterosexuality. Even before coming out and joining the LGBT community, Amy had frequented gay bars as a young woman and lost many friends to AIDS. However, it would be many years before she herself would come to terms with her own identity. Amy discusses falling in love with a woman for the first time at the age of forty. She describes coming out to her parents and siblings as both a challenge and a relief. Amy also discusses her activism and her interest in folklore, which is rooted in witnessing inequities as a child in the African American community in Detroit. While a graduate student at UCLA, Amy raised money for AIDS charities and for the people of Nicaragua. Amy also talks about the play she helped produce about and starring LGBT youth. Currently, she is the Director of Goucher College’s Masters Program in Cultural Sustainability.

Topics
People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Amy Skillman
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Skillman, Amy - 108

LGBT Oral History 050: Shaka Hudson

Number of Pages
31
Date
August 3, 2015

Shaka Hudson was born in 1949 in Harrisburg as the middle of five children. An artist his whole life, Shaka attended John Harris High School and Penn State University before unenrolling in college and leaving Harrisburg to join the Washington D.C. Repertory Dance Company and Theatre Company as a dancer. There, he met his first male partner, and together they moved to New York City in 1975. While modeling for an art class at the Art Students League, Shaka met and fell in love with a woman who he later married and had one daughter with. After they divorced approximately 10 years later, Shaka moved to Richmond, Virginia with a new male lover who, unbeknownst to Shaka, was sick with AIDS. Shaka contracted HIV in 1987. After his lover’s death, Shaka moved back to the Harrisburg area and had one more major relationship. In this interview, he thoroughly discusses his journey as an artist and a dancer. Shaka also discusses the AIDS epidemic, his relationships with family members, and changes he would make to the Harrisburg community. Additionally, he expresses his concern that the younger generation is too carelessly promiscuous as well as the importance of citizens exercising their right to vote.

Topics
People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Shaka Hudson
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Hudson, Shaka - 050

LGBT Oral History 088: Eva O'Diam

Number of Pages
22
Date
April 6, 2015

Eva O’Diam was born in Dayton, Ohio in 1953 to her mother, a school teacher, and her father, an engineer. Growing up in conservative, rural Ohio, Eva lost her father at the age of 12 and moved to Covington, Ohio where she graduated from high school. At Manchester College, where she earned a degree in sociology, Eva was interested in ministry but grew disillusioned with the church during her last year of college and became a probation officer in Wabash, Indiana. About 18 months later, a Church of the Brethren pastor influenced Eva to return to the ministry, and she has since worked at various positions in pastoring, alternative ministry, and HIV/AIDS assistance. She currently lives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania with her partner of 23 years, Mary Kelly, and is looking for work as a pastor again. In this interview, Eva discusses her slow personal journey to accept her sexual orientation, the challenge to make her Metropolitan Community Church [MCC] more inclusive of racial, sexual, and ability minorities, as well as her nephew’s unfortunate death that united her family and church community. Regarding LGBT issues, Eva is optimistic for the future but admits that the LGBT community needs to adopt a broader focus, be more inclusive, and address growing challenges for older adults.

People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Eva O'Diam
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - O'Diam, Eva - 088

LGBT Oral History 052: Jon Johnson and Charles Maser

Number of Pages
36
Date
May 8, 2014

Jon Johnson was born in Southern Lancaster county, Pennsylvania and lived on his family’s farm in his early life. Charles (Charlie) Maser was born in Brownstown in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Jon spent most of his life in Pennsylvania. He went to the York Academy of Arts in York, Pennsylvania and then worked in the Bon Ton department store doing store displays and visual merchandising. Charlie attended dental school in Washington D.C. and then enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in Charleston, North Carolina and then later on in Germany, and finally in Madrid. Jon and Charlie met in July of 1975 at a bar called the Fiddler when they were introduced through a mutual friend. In this interview they discuss what it was like to come out in rural Pennsylvania in the 70’s and the challenges of living in an area that was very religious. Charlie also discusses his experience being gay in the military and how surprisingly he did not face much prejudice as a result of his sexuality, especially while in Europe. The couple also reflects on the difficulty of losing friends to AIDS in the 80’s and the type of activism they became involved with during that crisis. In conclusion, Jon and Charlie express that they felt lucky that they had not faced a lot of prejudice in their lives, because of their relationship, and discuss how they feel that there are not a lot of differences between their relationship and a relationship between a straight couple.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Jon Johnson and Charles Maser
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Johnson, Jon and Charles Maser - 052

LGBT Oral History 111: Mark Stoner

Number of Pages
29
Date
August 29, 2013

Mark Stoner, born in 1959, grew up and currently lives in Lancaster, where he has worked as a graphic designer for the past 30 years. He came out as gay early in his college years at Penn State University and thereafter became involved in Lancaster’s gay community, both socially and politically. He was among the founders of the Pink Triangle Coalition and worked extensively with the organization for years. Additionally, he has been involved with establishing the first Central Pennsylvania Pride and Lancaster Pride, the Lancaster-area gay publication Inqueery, and the Lancaster City Human Relations Commission’s protections against anti-LGBT discrimination. In this interview, he discusses gay life from the late ‘70s to the present and its influence on his personal life, including his experiences coming out in a supportive environment, his personal relationship with religion over the years, the impact of the emergence of AIDS in the ‘80s, and political efforts to end anti-LGBT discrimination in Lancaster.

People
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mark Stoner
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Stoner, Mark - 111

LGBT Oral History 081: Mary Merriman

Number of Pages
29
Date
August 28, 2013

Born in Chicago, IL in 1949 to a Catholic family, Mary Merriman joined the Air Force in 1967, where she struggled with her sexuality due to the environment, eventually becoming pregnant and discharging from the military before giving her son up for adoption. She attended Montgomery College in Maryland and received a degree in psychology, after which she and her then-partner moved down to Tampa, FL. Merriman got licensed and ordained as a pastor and started a Metropolitan Community Church in Lakeland, FL in 1983, where she and the congregation dealt with the difficulties of forming an LGBT church in a conservative town as well as the emergence of AIDS. In 1987, she was called to serve as pastor at Vision of Hope MCC in Lancaster, PA, a position which she held until 1995, navigating the creation of Lancaster’s Human Rights Ordinance and the process of buying the church’s current building in Mountville, PA. Since earning her Master of Social Work degree, she has worked as a social worker at Community Care Behavioral Health in Camp Hill, PA. In this interview, she discusses her involvement in the LGBT community, especially in the area of religion, and the advances that the community has made over time.

Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Mary Merriman
Collection
Location
LGBT Oral History - Merriman, Mary - 081

LGBT History Project: LGBT-062 Patricia ''Pat'' Saunders Collection

Number of Pages
5
Date
1991 - 2001

Patricia “Pat” Saunders grew up in the suburbs of Boston, where she became a hairdresser. After Saunders married, she and her family moved to Lancaster, PA, but later she moved back to Boston until moving to New York City for her hairdressing firm. She rose in the ranks of the company, eventually taking the lead in marketing and PR for 300 salons. One night at work she slipped on an ice cube and sustained a severe head injury, impacting her mobility and faculties. She then moved from New York City to New Jersey, and then to back to the Central Pennsylvania area.

Saunders had two friends who passed away from AIDS. Seeing the seriousness of the disease in the Central PA area, and her personal connection to it, Saunders began working for various non-profit organizations committed to supporting people with HIV/AIDS and raising awareness for the disease. She worked for the American Red Cross, Art Against AIDS/Lancaster AIDS Project, and The Betty Finney House. Saunders helped these organizations with fundraising, organizing events, and writing any letters to various celebrities to collect items for silent auctions.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Patricia ''Pat'' Saunders
Collection
Location
LGBT-062 Patricia ''Pat'' Saunders Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-014 Barry Loveland Collection

Number of Pages
8
Date
1978 - 2012

The bulk of the collection consists of buttons, ribbons, and t-shirts from LGBT events. It also contains documentation of the Gay and Lesbian Switchboard of Harrisburg and Dignity of Central PA. Several of the items in this collection relate the story of Dan Miller, a Central PA accountant who was fired for being gay in 1990. This collection also contains program materials from the New York City Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as Hershey, PA and NYC play performances. In addition, this collection includes items relevant to noteworthy LGBT Pennsylvanians. These items include an autographed photograph of Nancy Jane Kulp (born in Harrisburg, PA) who played Jane Hathaway on the television series Beverly Hillbillies; a photograph, publicity material, and an LP record album of T. C. Jones (born in Scranton, PA), well-known female impersonator; and an engraving of Bayard Taylor (born in Kennett Square, PA), who wrote Joseph and His Friend (1870), believed to be the first U.S. gay novel.

Topics
People
Year
Origin
Gift of Barry Loveland
Collection
Location
LGBT-014 Barry Loveland Collection

MCC Freedom Newsletter - March 1983

Number of Pages
7
Date
March 1983

Founded in 1968 in California, the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC) began as a Christian outreach to meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community. MCC Harrisburg (later renamed MCC of the Spirit) and MCC Lancaster (later renamed MCC Vision of Hope) were two local parishes in the Central PA Area.

The Freedom Newsletter was a joint publication of MCC Harrisburg and MCC Lancaster. It contains news from both a parishes and a calendar of events.

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Topics
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Joseph W. Burns
Collection
Location
LGBT-001 Joseph W. Burns Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-043 Lily White & Company Collection

Number of Pages
19
Date
1982-1997
Founded by Paul Foltz in 1982, Lily White and Company was a south central Pennsylvania organization composed of entertainers and female impersonators. Lily White and Company produced numerous shows and performances throughout central Pennsylvania and the United States with the intent of raising funds for HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ+ organizations in the 1980s and 1990s. They performed their last production in the late 1990s.
Topics
People
Organizations
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Paul Foltz
Location
LGBT-043 Lily White & Company Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-038 Joy Ufema Counsel Collection

Number of Pages
6
Date
1991-1995

Joy (Ufema) Counsel was raised in Altoona, Pennsylvania. After completing high school, (Ufema) Counsel began studying to become a nurse at the Altoona Hospital, and later completed a nursing program at Harrisburg Area Community College. Throughout her career as a nurse, (Ufema) Counsel developed an affinity for caring for patients who were terminally ill.

Searching for direction after facing a roadblock in her career, (Ufema) Counsel decided to use her experience in hospice care to alleviate the suffering she had witnessed in the AIDS crisis. After proposing the idea to the mayor of York, PA, (Ufema) Counsel bought an old brownstone for one dollar and began renovations. In 1991, York Hospice House was born. Counsel used her expertise in death and dying to design the home based on a philosophy of extreme attention to detail. She wanted to create “a tone in this hospice of love and acceptance and peace.” From 1991-1995, the York House provided care to 95 dying AIDS patients.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Joy Ufema Counsel
Location
LGBT-038 Joy Ufema Counsel Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-005 Margaret ''Peg'' Dierkers Collection

Number of Pages
2
Date
1990-1995

Margaret “Peg” Dierkers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Ohio State University and eventually enrolled in a doctoral program in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. Dierkers relocated to the Harrisburg area and soon began working for the South Central AIDS Assistance Network (SCAAN). After leaving SCAAN in 1994, Dierkers continued working for other social justice causes in Central PA, including the Domestic Violence Coalition, before ultimately returning to Ohio.

Topics
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Margaret (Peg) Dierkers
Collection
Location
LGBT-005 Margaret "Peg" Dierkers Collection

Lavender Letter (Harrisburg, PA) - December 1999

Number of Pages
7
Date
December 1999

Created by Lorraine Kujawa, Cindy Mitzel, Mary Nancarrow, and several others in 1983, the Lavender Letter Newsletter was a calendar of events for, by, and about lesbian women to create community in the Central Pennsylvania area. The newsletter was distributed monthly until the mid-2000s.

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Topics
Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Anonymous
Location
LGBT-009 Lavender Letter Collection