Terry Bird collection of Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing records
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Not requestable
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Terry Bird Collection of Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, Inc. records, 1981-1999 (bulk 1988-1995), consist of inventories and artifact lists, exhibition materials, artifact loan agreements, corporate records, contact lists, correspondence, event flyers, financial records, fundraising materials, meeting agendas and minutes, handwritten notes, newsletters, news clippings, and materials from other gay and lesbian organizations. The majority of the materials document the organization, administration, and activities of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, Inc. at a time when lesbian and gay history and its preservation became increasingly important, especially in the context of the losses wrought by HIV-AIDS.
Dates
- Creation: 1981-1998
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1994 - 1996
Creator
- Bird, Terry, 1946- (Person)
Restrictions on Access
Access to one file restricted and some records available for research in redacted form only. Restrictions apply for 75 years from the date of creation.
Terms Governing Use and Reproduction
Georgia State University is the owner of the physical collection and makes reproductions available for research, subject to the copyright law of the United States and item condition. Georgia State University may or may not own the rights to materials in the collection. It is the researcher's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and obtain permission from the copyright holder before publication, reproduction, or display of the materials beyond what is reasonable under copyright law. Researchers may quote selections from the collection under the fair use provision of copyright law.
Biographical and Historical Notes
Terry Bird is a retired attorney who served as secretary of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, Inc. He was born 20 August 1946, in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was raised in Nashville and Murfreesboro. He earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Middle Tennessee State University in 1968 and subsequently taught at Castle Heights Military Academy for four years, after which he earned a law degree from the University of Tennessee, from which he graduated in 1975. In 1976 Bird began working for the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in the southeast district, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. He remained with INS for his entire career and retired in 2007. Bird became active in and familiar with the gay world in the southeast beginning in 1965. He met his longtime partner Clark Lemmons in 1976.
The history of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, Inc. started in 1991. Several lesbian and gay activists from the 1970s and 1980s became increasingly concerned that their history was being lost as the personal papers, records, and ephemera of community members deteriorated in basements and attics or was consigned to the garbage upon their deaths. In response, an ad hoc committee was formed to collect, preserve, and find a permanent home for materials relating to Atlanta’s lesbian and gay history. By December 1991, the committee had met with staff of the Atlanta History Center who encouraged them to collect and donate materials to the History Center. By the Lesbian and Gay Pride Day festivities in June 1992, the committee had constituted itself as the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing and was conducting community outreach in an effort to “promote understanding and appreciation of Atlanta’s lesbian and gay history.” Over the next several years, the organization presented a series of programs and workshops and collected an extensive amount of material that was donated to the Atlanta History Center.
Extent
1.25 Linear Feet (in 3 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Terry Bird is a retired attorney who served as secretary of the Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing, Inc. The organization collected and preserved materials about Atlanta’s lesbian and gay past and organized events to share this history and its importance with the public. The papers consist of inventories and artifact lists, exhibition materials, artifact loan agreements, corporate records, contact lists, correspondence, event flyers, financial records, fundraising materials, meeting agendas and minutes, handwritten notes, newsletters, news clippings, and materials from other gay and lesbian organizations, 1981-1999 (bulk 1988-1995).
Acquisition Information
Donated by Terry Bird, December 2012.
Collection Transfer Note
This collection was previously designated W167, but was assigned collection number Q167 with the formation of the Gender and Sexuality Collection in 2018.
Processing Information
Processed by Andrew Reisinger at the file level, Fall 2015. EAD Finding Aid Created by Andrew Reisinger, February 2016. Processing and finding aid completed by Hilary Morrish, January 2018.
Subject
- Dolan, Maria Helena (Person)
- Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing (Ga.) (Organization)
- Rhodes, Richard, 1938- (Person)
- Title
- Atlanta Lesbian and Gay History Thing:
- Subtitle
- A Guide to the Terry Bird Collection at Georgia State University Library
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Georgia State University Library
- Date
- February 2016
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
100 Decatur St., S.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
404-413-2880
404-413-2881 (Fax)
archives@gsu.edu