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Gordon, Kruse, and Wentzel Collection, 1951-2010

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: SC-G-002

Content Description

Hugh Gordon assembled the collection over a period of years as the resource for a book project. As part of the donor agreement with the Archives, Gordon requested that the collection be named for himself, J. Joseph Kruse, and Fred R. Wentzel. It consists of ten series, which represent accessions from different sources. The Hugh L. Gordon Papers range from 1951 to 2008, with the bulk dating from 1966 to 1989. The majority of the documents were created by Gordon during the course of his duties as Director of Personnel at Lockheed-Georgia (GELAC), as well as Regional Executive for Region 4 of the National Alliance of Businessmen (NAB) and leadership positions with the Private Industry Council of Atlanta, Inc. (PIC) and the Atlanta Employer’s Voluntary Merit Employment Association (AEVMEA). In addition, the Gordon Papers include material generated as part of the creation of the collection. The Hugh L. Gordon Papers contains seven sub series: Correspondence; Atlanta Employer’s Voluntary Merit Employment Association; Interviews (2000-2008); Lockheed-Georgia Company (1951-2002); National Alliance of Business (1956-2001); Private Industry Council of Atlanta, Inc. (1968-1992); and Writings (1971-2006). Correspondence (1974-2008) consists of letters and e-mail printouts between Hugh Gordon and individuals, as well as representatives of research institutions. The bulk of the correspondence deals with research for Gordon’s book project. The Atlanta Employer’s Voluntary Merit Employment Association (1965-2007) sub-series contains correspondence, minutes, publications, and reports generated as part of the day-to-day activities of the organization. Of interest to researchers is the sound recording and transcript of the luncheon meeting at the Dinkler Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Georgia, on August 12, 1966. Speakers included Whitney M. Young, Jr., President of the National Urban League from 1961 to 1971. In his address, Young encouraged business leaders to get involved with the civil rights movement as a matter of their own “enlightened self interest.” The majority of the Interviews (2000-2008) sub-series is made up of sound recordings of interviews conducted by Gordon, as part of his research. They are organized by subject areas to provide organizational or biographical background. The sub-series also includes written transcripts of the interviews with J. Joseph Kruse conducted by Gordon in 2001 and 2002. The Lockheed-Georgia Company (1951-2002) sub-series is organized by format. It contains items regarding Lockheed’s implementation of affirmative action programs, as well as related materials. The bulk of the National Alliance of Business (1968-2001) sub-series deals with Gordon’s responsibilities as Regional Executive for Region 4 of the organization, which included Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. It is organized by format and activity. In addition to Gordon’s correspondence, the sub-series contains a folder of photocopied communications (Feb-Jun 1978) from the files of Jack R. Fitzpatrick, Senior Vice President of Operations for the NAB. The Private Industry Council of Atlanta, Inc. (1968-1992) sub-series relates to Gordon’s activities in the Atlanta PIC, including his role in its founding in 1978, and is organized by format. The Writings (1971-2006) sub-series contains Gordon’s book proposals arranged chronologically. It also includes a caption for a photograph of the signing of the first Plans for Progress pact featuring Lockheed Chairman Courtlandt Gross on May 25, 1961, as well as a collection of autobiographical items. The Lois Austin Photographs (1957-2004) series consists of original and reproduction photographs of Robert Troutman, his wife, Lois, and their home. Gordon collected the originals from Lois (Troutman) Austin and made a set of digital print copies. The Leo C. Beebe Papers reproductions (1968) series includes transcripts of interviews with Beebe, Bill King, and Frank Snyder concerning their experiences with the National Alliance of Business. The transcripts are photocopies of originals in the Leo C. Beebe Papers at Rowan University. The Ofield Dukes Papers reproductions (1965-2007) series contains photocopies of original documents and digital image reproductions of photographs relating to Dukes’ activities with the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Gordon borrowed the originals from Dukes and made copies to include in the collection. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum reproductions (1961-1984) series includes photocopies of original documents requested by Gordon from the LBJ Library and Museum. The documents relate to the Plans for Progress program and are arranged according to the title given on the reproduction request form. Included are items regarding John G. Feild, the Executive Director of the President’s Commission on Equal Employment Opportunity from 1961 to 1963, and Leo C. Beebe. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum reproductions (1967-2006) series contains digital and print reproductions of photographs held by the Kennedy Presidential Library, as well as a photocopy of an original interview transcript with John G. Feild. The photographic reproductions were requested by Gordon. They consist of a series of photographs of the signing of the first Plans for Progress pact featuring Lockheed Chairman Courtlandt Gross, President John F. Kennedy, Vice President Lyndon Johnson, and Secretary of Labor Arthur Goldberg on May 25, 1961. The J. (James) Joseph Kruse Papers (1961-2008) series consists of photocopies or scans of original documents from the files of J. Joseph Kruse. Gordon borrowed and photocopied the originals. The documents were generated during Kruse’s tenure on the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity from 1961 to 1963. They relate to Kruse’s activities with the Plans for Progress program. Of interest to researchers are materials created by Robert Troutman, who instituted the Plans for Progress program. It also contains a series of affidavits relating to the 1961 discrimination complaint brought against the Lockheed-Georgia Company by the NAACP. The series is arranged by format and activity. The Howard C. Lockwood Papers (1956-2009) series contains original documents and photographs from the files of Howard C. Lockwood. They relate to Lockwood’s tenure as a loaned executive to the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity from 1963 to 1964, as well as his efforts regarding fair employment testing. Gordon collected the original documents directly from Lockwood. The series is arranged by format. Of interest to researchers are original photographs that feature committee members meeting with Hobart Taylor, Executive Vice Chairman of the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. The Hobart Taylor Papers reproductions (1962-1982) series is made up of photocopies of original documents from the Hobart Taylor Papers at the Bentley Historical Library of the University of Michigan. The copies were requested by Gordon and relate to Taylor’s position as Executive Vice Chairman of the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. The arrangement of the photocopies mirrors that of the finding aid, which is also included. The Research materials (1955-2008) series includes a variety of sources, including books, clippings, and sound recordings, as well as subject files made up of photocopied articles and book chapters and web printouts. The materials were acquired by Gordon to provide background information, as well as to suggest writing projects and funding. The series is arranged by format.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951-2010
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 1966-1989

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Archival materials may contain sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state “right to privacy” laws. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals without the consent of those individuals may have legal cause for action if facts concerning an individual’s private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person.

KSU archives staff have taken care to identify and, in some cases, remove sensative information found within its archival collections when undertaking archival processing work. However, privacy protected information may be revealed during use of the archival collections, particularly in those collections that are unprocessed or have been minimally processed.

Researchers agree to make no notes or other recordation of privacy protected information if found within the archival collections, and further agree not to publish, publicize, or disclose such information to any other party for any purpose if found within the archival collections.

Researchers agree to indemnify and hold harmless Kennesaw State University and its officers, employees, and agents from and against all suits, claims, actions, and expenses arising out of use of archival collections held by the Kennesaw State University Archives.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law. Permission to publish, reproduce, publicly display, broadcast, or distribute this material must be secured from the repository and/or copyright holder.

Biographical or Historical Information

Hugh L. Gordon was born in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1922. He joined the Army Air Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, flying a Northrup P-61. During fifteen months of combat duty, Gordon earned several decorations, including the Distinguished Flying Cross. On discharge from the Army, he entered Virginia Polytechnic Institute and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1950 and a Master of Science degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1951. Gordon joined the Lockheed-Georgia Company in 1951 as a Manufacturing Technician. He worked in a variety of positions within the company relating to labor and industrial relations, rising to the position of Director of Personnel. Gordon retired from Lockheed-Georgia in 1988. Gordon was active in community and business organizations. He was a founding member of the Atlanta Employers’ Voluntary Merit Employment Association (MEA) and the Private Industry Council of Atlanta (PIC). He also served as a Regional Executive for Region 4 of the National Alliance of Businessmen from 1974 to 1978. The Atlanta Employers’ Voluntary Merit Employment Association (MEA) began in 1965 as a means to improve the employment prospects for minority applicants in the metro-Atlanta area.  The organization later changed its name to Metro Employers of Atlanta. Local merit employment associations were developed as part of the Plans for Progress (PfP) program to facilitate affirmative action in metropolitan areas. Plans for Progress started in 1961 in response to President Kennedy’s Executive Order 10925, which assured equal employment opportunity in federal contracts. Corporate volunteers worked with the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity to promote EEO compliance. The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation was the first company to sign a Plans for Progress agreement on May 25, 1961. The Plans for Progress program was a forerunner to the National Alliance of Businessmen (NAB), which later changed its name to the National Alliance of Business. The NAB was created in 1968 under the leadership of President Lyndon Johnson and Henry Ford. Its mission was to engage the private sector in preparing disadvantaged youth and adults for employment. The group worked closely with successive administrations to implement the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA), which was passed in 1973, and the Job Training Partnership Act (JPTA), which became law in 1982. The National Alliance of Business ceased operation in 2002. Hugh Gordon and Howard C. Lockwood were colleagues at the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation. Gordon contacted Lockwood in 2001 regarding his service on the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity from 1963-1964. Howard C. Lockwood received his Bachelor and Master of Arts degrees in Psychology from Occidental College and was licensed to practice in California. He joined the Lockheed-California Company and managed the Personnel Testing and Management Selection Program from 1951 to 1963. Lockwood chaired the California State Technical Advisory Committee on Testing and helped to write its testing guidelines. Later, he became Co-Chairman of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Committee to Establish Fair Testing Guidelines. Lockwood retired from Lockheed-California in 1986. In 2001, Gordon contacted J. Joseph Kruse to interview him regarding his experience with the national Plans for Progress program and the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, as well as his working relationship with Robert (Bobbie) Battey Troutman. J. (James) Joseph Kruse was born on December 5, 1932. He served in the U.S. Army from 1953 to 1955. Kruse received a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from the University of Florida in 1957, a Master of Science degree in Administration from Florida State University in 1958, and graduated from the Advanced Management Program of the Harvard Graduate School of Business and the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. After working with Robert B. Troutman on the Kennedy-Johnson Presidential Campaign, Kruse followed him to Washington, D.C. in January 1961 to implement the Plans for Progress program. When Troutman resigned in November 1961, Kruse stayed with the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity until 1963. He accepted a position at Textron, Inc., where he remained until 1984. Robert Battey Troutman, Jr. was born on February 20, 1918. He received a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia in 1939 and a Juris Doctor degree from Harvard Law School in 1942. While at Harvard, Troutman shared a dorm room with Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. He married Lois Dessez Troutman. After graduating from Harvard, Troutman practiced law with his father’s firm in Atlanta for a time before joining the Kennedy-Johnson Presidential Campaign. From January to November 1961 he worked with J. Joseph Kruse to implement the Plans for Progress program.  After his resignation, Troutman was involved in land development in Florida. Robert Troutman died on July 30, 1991. In 2007, Gordon approached Ofield Dukes regarding his service on the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity. Ofield Dukes was born in Rutledge, Alabama, on August 8, 1932. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1952 to 1954, he attended Wayne State University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism in 1958. At the invitation of Hobart Taylor, Jr., the Executive Vice Chairman of the President’s Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, Dukes was asked to join the committee in 1964 as Deputy Director of Public Affairs. He remained with the committee until its dissolution in 1965, after which he served as a public relations consultant for the Plans for Progress program. Dukes left this position in 1969 to start the public relations firm Ofield Dukes & Associates. During his tenure as a Regional Executive with the National Alliance of Business, Gordon worked with both Leo C. Beebe and Fred Wentzel. Fred R. Wentzel received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Government from Franklin & Marshall College in 1958 and a Master of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania in 1959. He was later a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Wentzel held several positions with the National Alliance of Business from 1970 to 1999, including Director of the Career Guidance Institutes Program (1970-1975); Vice President of Operations Planning & Communications (1975-1977); Vice President of Youth Programs (1977-1980); Vice President of Marketing (1980-1982); Vice President of Corporate Relations (1982-1984); and Senior Vice President of Corporate Relations and Corporate Secretary (1984-1999). In 1999 Wentzel founded the Saratoga Group. Leo Clair Beebe was born on July 20, 1917, in Williamsburg, Michigan. He received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in Communications from Glassboro State College, which later became Rowan University. Beebe joined the Ford Motor Company, where he spent 28 years. In 1969, Ford loaned Beebe to the National Alliance of Businessmen to assist with its operations. Beebe returned to Glassboro and served as the Dean of the College of Business from 1977 to 1985. He later joined K-Tron International, where he served as Chief Executive until retiring in 1992. Beebe returned to the position at K-Tron in 1995 to restore the company to fiscal stability. He died on June 30, 2001.Note written by Anne Graham

Extent

13.25 cubic feet (11 record cartons, 2 document cases, 4 oversize flat boxes, 1 audiovisual box)

Language of Materials

English

Arrangement

The collection is organized into series which describe how the materials were created or acquired. Within each series, materials are arranged by format or activity, then chronologically.

Source of Acquisition

Donated by Hugh L. Gordon; Date acquired: 2009-05-08

Existence and Location of Originals

Reproductions were made from original documents from the Joseph J. Kruse Personal Papers housed in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Related Materials

Atlanta University Center, Robert W. Woodruff Library, Archives and Special Collections Atlanta Urban League Papers, 1920-1990 Finding aid: Atlanta Urban League finding aid Georgia State University Library, Special Collections & Archives, Southern Labor Archives AFL-CIO Human Resources Development Institute (Atlanta Office) records, 1968-1977 Atlanta Labor Council Records, 1971-1985

Other Descriptive Information

http://www.worldcat.org/title/gordon-kruse-wentzel-collection-1951-2010-1966-1989/oclc/649491057

Processing Information

Sound recordings on audiocassette were reformatted to .wav preservation formats and mp3 access formats. Master copies were stored on the Archives' repository server. Copies of all digital formats were copied to the Archives' repository server.

Status
Completed
Author
Anne Graham
Date
2010 June
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Code for undetermined script

Revision Statements

  • 2020 July: updated by Maggie Thomas

Repository Details

Part of the Kennesaw State University Archives Repository

Contact:
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Kennesaw GA 30144 GKJ