Left side of the room at Dignity/Central PA 8th Anniversary Dinner (Railroad House, Marietta, PA) - July 1983

Date
July 1983

This is a photo of the left side of the room during Dignity/Central PA's 8th Anniversary Dinner, held in July 1983 at the Railroad House in Marietta, PA. This picture is found on page 18 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Member in Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup shirt at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a member wearing a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup shirt alongside other members at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 44 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Shirtless member at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a shirtless member at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 44 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Member serving the volleyball during game at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a member serving the volleyball during a game at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 17 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Group of members swimming at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a group of members swimming at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. Two copies of this picture are found on pages 17 and 44 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Members watching the volleyball in the air at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a group of members watching a volleyball fly through the air during a game at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 17 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Shirtless member standing under tree at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of a shirtless member standing underneath a tree at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 17 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Reverse side of shirtless member at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic – August 1983

Date
August 1983

This is a photo of the reverse side of a shirtless member at the August 1983 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 17 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

Member grabbing food at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic - August 1982

Date
August 1982

This is a photo of a member grabbing food at the August 1982 Dignity/Central PA Picnic. This picture is found on page 16 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 - Steven Leshner Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-071 Anonymous Collection

Number of Pages
1
Date
1976 - 2010

This collection contains newspaper articles collected by a Central PA resident from The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Washington Blade, and The Washington Post that focus on national LGBTQ+ history in the Washington D.C. area.

General Subjects
Origin
Gift of Anonymous
Location
LGBT-071 Anonymous Collection

Group of Members with red cooler at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic - August 1982

Date
August 1982

Picture of group of members at Dignity/Central PA Picnic in 1982. This picture is found on page 16 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA's is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 Steven Leshner Collection

Group of Members in lawn chairs at the Dignity/Central PA Picnic - August 1982

Date
August 1982

Picture of group of members at Dignity/Central PA Picnic in 1982. This picture is found on page 16 of the PDF of the Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook.

Dignity/Central PA's is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry. This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 Steven Leshner Collection

Harrisburg Men's Chorus [Christmas] Program - December 3, 1989

Number of Pages
21
Date
December 3, 1989

The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus, now the Harrisburg Gay Men’s Chorus, was established in 1987 in memory of Joe Tucci. They are a non-profit organization comprised of amateur singers, and their performance schedule includes two major concerts (Spring and Christmas) along with singing engagements throughout the year. The Harrisburg Men’s Chorus aspires “to create entertaining, fun, and vibrant gay-friendly musical programs” and “celebrates the LGBT experience in song and performance.”

This is the program for the 1989 Winter Concert. 

Organizations
General Subjects
Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Anonymous
Location
LGBT-058 Anonymous Collection

Dignity/Central PA Scrapbook - circa 1970 to circa 2000

Number of Pages
47
Date
circa 1970 to circa 2000

Dignity/Central PA's is a forum for human concerns, a place of seeking for greater self, knowledge, and wisdom, an affirmation of one's sexual orientation in faith, and personal ministry.

This scrapbook was created by Steven Leshner, a member of Dignity/Central PA, and includes mostly photos, unless otherwise noted, of annual picnics, events, and members, like those of founder Jerry Brennan and Father Wallace Sawdy.

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Gift of Steven Leshner
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LGBT-029 Steven Leshner Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-090 Unidentified Donor Collection

Number of Pages
1
Date
1983 - 1999

This collection was donated by an unidentified donor during a LGBT History Roadshow event in Harrisburg in October of 2019. It includes a t-shirt, a trophy, 4 buttons, and 1 wooden nickel.

Year
Time Period
Origin
Gift of Unidentified Donor
Location
LGBT-090 Unidentified Donor Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Performer - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

Performer at and AIDSWalk in Harrisburg, PA held between 1988-1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Attendees, photo 2 - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

Picture of AIDWalk attendees in Harrisburg, PA held between 1988-1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Attendees during the Walk - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

Attendees of AIDSWalk during the walk in Harrisburg, PA held between 1988-1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Attendees Gathered Together - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

AIDSWalk attendees gathered together at an AIDSWalk in Harrisburg, PA held between 1988-1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Attendee being Interviewed - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

Attendee being interviewed by reporter at an AIDSWalk in Harrisburg, PA between 1988-1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Event, photo 2 - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

Event held during an AIDSWalk held in Harrisburg, PA between 1988 and 1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Attendees, photo 1 - 1988-1990

Date
1988-1990

People attending the AIDSWalk in Harrisburg, PA

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

Harrisburg AIDSWalk Event, photo 1 - 1988 - 1990

Date
1988 - 1990

Event held during an AIDSWalk held in Harrisburg, PA betweem 1988 and 1990.

Year
Time Period
Format
Origin
Gift of Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom
Collection
Location
LGBT-054 Martha ''Marty'' Tornblom Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-089 Walter J. Lear Collection

Number of Pages
5
Date
1976 - 2008. 2010. 2018

Born on May 4, 1923, in Brooklyn, NY, Walter J. Lear was a physician and activist for healthcare reform and LGBTQ+ rights. He received his B.S. from Harvard in 1943, his M.D. from Long Island College of Medicine in 1946, and his M.S. in Hospital Administration from Columbia University School of Public Health in 1948. Lear came out in January of 1976 in the first issues of the Philadelphia Gay News.

Lear held many public health positions in Pennsylvania including, but not limited to, Deputy City Health Commissioner for Philadelphia (1964), State Regional Health Commissioner (1971), and acting executive director of Philadelphia General Hospital. He also founded the Institute of Social Medicine and Community Health (circa 1975) and was one of the four founders of the Maternity Care Coalition in Philadelphia (1980).

As an activist, Lear’s dedication to healthcare and LGBTQ+ rights intersected. His activism included, but is not limited to: Chairperson to the Gay Public Health Workers Caucus of the American Public Health Association (1975-1978); Board of Directors member for the Gay Community Center of Philadelphia, now the William Way Center, (1975-1991); PA State Health Department delegate to the Governor’s Council for Sexual Minorities (1976-1979); co-founder of the Mazzoni Center in Philadelphia (1979); co-founder the Philadelphia AIDS Task Force (1982); and the first openly gay member of the Philadelphia Human Relations Commission (1984-1988).

Lear passed away in 2010.

The contents of this collection are organized into six series: Context of Collection, Correspondence, Photographs, Scholarship, Recognition Events, and Miscellaneous. For more materials related to Walter J. Lear, please see:

Walter J. Lear papers, 1975-1996, John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center.

Walter Lear Collection, 1944 – 1963, Joan E. Lynaugh Archives and Special Collections, Barbara Bates Center for the Study of The History of Nursing, University of Pennsylvania.

People
Year
Origin
Gift of John Barns
Collection
Location
LGBT-089 Walter J. Lear Collection

LGBT History Project: LGBT-037 John Folby Collection

Number of Pages
15
Date
1980 - 2009

John Folby was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The eldest of five children, Folby was raised in a “very strict Roman Catholic, Irish-Italian family.” At age twenty-five, he relocated to Harrisburg with his partner. Shortly after moving to Harrisburg, Folby became heavily involved in the local gay community, beginning with his work on the Harrisburg Gay Switchboard. He also joined a group for gay Catholics, Dignity/Central PA, which better integrated him into the gay community with trips to New York City for the annual Gay Pride parade and introductions to the gay bar scene in Harrisburg.

With the influx of HIV/AIDS in the gay community, Folby began his twenty-five-year career with the Department of Welfare where he ran the Special Pharmaceutical Benefits Program (SPBP), Pennsylvania’s version of an AIDS Drug Assistance program for people living with HIV/AIDS. Folby, with the help of his supervisor, was able to parlay this civil servant position into one of advocacy. Due to lack of government funding, Folby was frequently forced to think creatively and economically to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and get the word out about HIV/AIDS medications, such as AZT. Folby became an advocate inside the system.

This collection contains the personal and governmental activism of John Folby. Items represent local, state, national, and international HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention.

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People
Year
Origin
Gift of John Folby
Collection
Location
LGBT-037 John Folby Collection