Masterson Papers. CSLA-19. Series Descriptions

THE THOMAS AND DOROTHY LEAVEY CENTER FOR THE STUDY OF LOS ANGELES RESEARCH COLLECTION

WILLIAM F. MASTERSON PAPERS, 1960-2001 (CSLA-19):
Collection and Series Descriptions

COLLECTION TITLE AND NUMBER: William F. Masterson Papers, 1960-2001. CSLA-19
ACCESSION NUMBER: 2000.23
COLLECTION SIZE: 65 archival document boxes

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION | SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

COLLECTION DESCRIPTION

In 1972, Jerry Helfrich, S. J., and John Baumann, S. J., founded in Oakland, California, the Oakland Training Institute, which would evolve into the Pacific Institute for Community Organization (PICO). PICO develops grass-roots organizations in local communities, usually low income, with the goal of enabling them to combat directly the social and political problems afflicting them. Community organizing is thus a populist movement with a profound belief in the ability of ordinary people to govern themselves. In this sense, PICO can be solidly identified as part of the community organizing movement that Saul Alinsky (1909-1972) was responsible for creating in the United States. Both of the Jesuits Helfrich and Baumann, for example, received much of their training in community organizing from Thomas Gaudette, one of the foremost organizers of the field, and one whom Alinsky had personally influenced.

Both Gaudette and Baumann trained William F. (Bill) Masterson (b. 1950) in the tactics of community organizing. Thus, Masterson's involvement in community organizing was well-developed, even before his official union with PICO as a board member in 1980. Like Gaudette and Baumann, Masterson has a strong background in Roman Catholicism: he attended both Xavier University and Loyola of Chicago and was once a Jesuit novice himself. As a result, the materials in this collection, besides documenting the growth and work of a major organization in community organizing, shed light on the approaches and philosophy of contemporary Roman Catholic social activism.

William F. Masterson either created the materials of this collection or else gathered them from PICO or PICO-affiliated community organizations in the course of his work for PICO, either as board member or as Director of Strategic Planning, a position he held from 1992 to 2002. In the latter position, Masterson was responsible for advising PICO-affiliated organizations in their community activism and also has played a significant role in the growth of PICO itself as an organization. These materials, almost exclusively textual, are now considered inactive and, as a consequence, PICO, through Masterson, donated them to the CSLA Research Collection. Because of Masterson's long association with PICO, the chronological breadth of the collection is extensive, covering sixteen years of PICO's thirty year existence. These records are incomplete for PICO for each of these sixteen years, though, since they represent the work of only one PICO official, albeit an important one, William F. Masterson. The majority of the holdings date from the 1990s, with the overall dates of materials in the collection running from 1960 to 2001. Holdings include board meeting agendas and minutes, faxes, reports on PICO-affiliated organizations, correspondence (both e-mail and postal), PICO memoranda, financial records, handbooks, newspaper and journal articles, research reports, flyers and brochures, PICO membership and board rosters, donor reports, conference materials, strategic and planning documents, grant applications, and annual reports. In short, there exists a broad range of valuable sources on the organizational and administrative history of a leading organization in the field of community organizing.

Persons of note in this collection are, among others, John Baumann, S.J., Thomas Gaudette, Richard Riordan, Scott Reed, and Monsignor John Egan. Community organizations with materials in this collection include, but are not limited to, Camden Churches Organized for People, Kansas City Church Community Organization, Oakland Community Organizations, All Congregations Together (New Orleans), and People Acting Together (San Jose, California).

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS back to top

This collection has been divided into series based on the arrangement that the materials came to the CSLA Research Collection, in an effort to maintain intact the original filing structure, wherever possible. Series 1 consists of materials from notebooks originally labelled as "Correspondence" documenting three years of Bill Masterson's service as a PICO board member (1981-1983). Series 2 contains materials related to PICO affiliated-organizations and programs ("PICO Projects"). Series 3 documents the role of PICO and Bill Masterson in the passage of California State Bill 643, a vocational program for secondary school students in California, as well as other PICO efforts in education. Series 4 is subject files related to the work of William F. Masterson and PICO, while the holdings of Series 5 are made up of materials from conferences on organizing that Bill Masterson attended. Series 6 consists of resource materials for PICO studies of states and communities in which it was organizing. Some loose materials were found in the collection; they have been placed in the series--Series 4: Subject Files--to which they most closely correspond. Loose materials are recorded as such in the subject field entry of the box and folder list.

Specific research strengths and types of materials for a series are noted in its particular description found below. The arrangement in boxes and folders of the materials from each series is described in the box and folder lists, which can be accessed through selecting the appropriate links found in the series descriptions.

SERIES 1: PICO Correspondence back to top

(To consult the box and folder list, a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

SERIES SIZE: 3 document boxes

This series consists of materials from 1981 to 1983 concerning William F. Masterson's service as a PICO Board member. The materials came arranged chronologically in notebooks, with the latter labelled "Correspondence." The holdings are broader than this, consisting of records related to the work of the PICO board of board meetings: agendas and minutes, memoranda, and reports and materials from PICO-affiliated organizations. These materials cover financial matters, PICO's philosophy of community organizing, and its early development.

For a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, consult the box and folder list.

SERIES 2: PICO Projects back to top
Select the following box numbers to consult the box and folder lists for Series 2:

Boxes 1-11 | Boxes 12-19

SERIES SIZE: 19 document boxes

In this series are found materials from 1992 to 1996 related to William F. Masterson's work as Director of Strategic Planning and subsequent relationships with PICO-affiliated community organizations throughout the nation. Especially valuable are the reports and profiles (often in the form of faxes) filed on PICO organizations and his personal notes. Also of interest in this series are financial records on community organizations

For the box and folder lists describing and indexing the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the following box numbers: Boxes 1-11 | Boxes 12-19.

SERIES 3: California Project: School to Work back to top

(To conslut the box and folder list, a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

SERIES SIZE: 6 document boxes

PICO's work on the behalf of the successful passage of California State Bill 643: "School to Career Opportunities Program" is documented in this series, as well as work on other educational projects involving the California state educational system. This lobbying work for SB 643 was called the "California Project: School to Work" by PICO, and the name"California Project" was applied to later efforts regarding California state education. The heart of State Bill 643 was the provision for vocational training for California public secondary school students in an attempt to offer them comprehensive career opportunities. Included in the holdings are newspaper articles, memoranda, correspondence (both electronic and postal), bill copies, flyers, petitions, concept and planning papers. The dates of this series' holdings range from 1992 to 2000.

For a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, consult the box and folder list.

SERIES 4: Subject Files back to top

Select the following box numbers to consult the box and folder lists for Series 2:

Boxes 1-17 | Boxes 18-25 | Boxes 26-33

SERIES SIZE: 33 document boxes

As the series' name indicates, the holdings here are subject files that William F. Masterson created for his work with PICO. Files exist for PICO board meetings, fundraising efforts, staff development and training, and PICO community organizations, ie, PICO-affiliated organizations. The materials date from 1960 to 2001 and are made up of strategy and white papers, annual reports, both from PICO and affiliated organizations; board meeting documents, ie, agenda and minutes; financial records; PICO newsletters; resource materials; reports and personal notes on PICO-affiliated organizations; and publications on the work of PICO, such as newspaper articles. Some materials pertain to community organizations also found in Series 2. Loose materials were placed in this series and are noted as such in the subject field entry of the box and folder lists.

For the box and folder lists describing and indexing the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the following box numbers: Boxes 1-17 | Boxes 18-25 | Boxes 26-33.

SERIES 5: Conference Materials back to top

(To consult the box and folder list, a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

SERIES SIZE: 2 document boxes

Found in this short series are materials from conferences related to community organizing that William F. Masterson attended in the early 1990s: registration forms, informational booklets, schedules, and flyers.

For a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, consult the box and folder list.

SERIES 6: Network States Resource Materials back to top

(To copnsult the box and folder list, a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, select the preceding series title.)

SERIES SIZE: 2 document boxes

In this series are found resource materials that William F. Masterson used for work in states targeted by PICO for organization. The holdings include census, economic, and educational data, all of which were used to create a social profile of communities, that PICO might better understand them for the purposes of organizing.

For a complete description and index to the arrangement of the contents of this series in boxes and folders, consult the box and folder list.