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Louis W. Schneider Papers
Notifications
Held at: Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College [Contact Us]500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Born in Brooklyn, NY, on February 22, 1915, Louis W. Schneider graduated from Columbia College in 1936 and then from Union Theological Seminary in 1938. Leaving the ministry of a non-denominational church, he volunteered as a conscientious objector during WWII and joined the Society of Friends in 1946. He was the Executive Secretary for the American Friends Service Committee from 1974 until 1980, but had been involved in AFSC work for many decades. He was involved in various relief work after the World War II and during the Vietnam War. He travelled extensively through Asia and Latin America. After retiring from the Secretary position, Schneider continued to work as an advocate for peace and relief efforts. He died in Glenmoore, PA, on September 20, 2012.
Louis W. Schneider (1915-2012) worked for the American Friends Service Committee for more than four decades and served as Executive Secretary from 1974-1980. His Papers, including notes, diaries, speeches, and writings, reflect his long career in relief efforts and as an advocate for peace.
- Series 1: Biographical: Includes academic records, news clippings about Schneider, travel documents, and interviews by Roberta Foss
- Series 2: Correspondence: Letters to Lou Schneider and letters from Lou Schneider to Frances E. Schneider
- Series 3: Writings and Speeches: Includes transcripts of speeches and writings by Lou Schneider as well as his notes and diaries upon traveling to South Asia
- Series 4: American Friends Service Committee (AFSC): Includes AFSC publications, records and reports made by Schneider to the committee, and program information
- Series 5: Reference: Includes booklets, wrtitings by Duncan Wood, Robert Leopold, Henry J. Cadbury, Colin Bell, Stewart Meacham, John A. Sullivan, Bruce Birchardand Wallace T. Collett,
- Series 6: Miscellaneous
Gift of Louis T. Schneider, son of Louis W. Schneider
Acc. FHL.2014.016
People
Subject
- Publisher
- Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College
- Finding Aid Author
- FHL staff
- Finding Aid Date
- 2014
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
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Permission to reuse, publish, or reproduce items in this collection beyond the bounds of Fair Use or other exemptions to copyright law must be obtained from the copyright holder or their heirs/assigns. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-RUU/1.0/.
Collection Inventory
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News clippings, Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary documents
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Schneider's Executive Secretary appointment, Hanoi, to allow POWs to receive aid, Vietnam aid, Interview with Louis Schneider in 1974 Friends Journal
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Travel itinerary through Asia and Moscow, travel information about London, Map of East Asia and Moscow, validation of passport for travel to North Vietnam in 1969
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News clippings, poems in Schneider's honor, correspondence to and from Schneider upon retirement from AFSC
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Declared Richard Nixon to be a war criminal for the Vietnam War
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Transcripts for oral history
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Sent from Thailand and Russia
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Includes "History of Classification" addressed to his congregation before being drafted, "Crisis and Opportunity" remarks at 1966 Annual Meeting, statement before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, prayer, "Single Garment of Destiny" at 1974 Annual Meeting, "Quaker beliefs and First Amendment Rights", presentation to the Southeastern Public Education Program Committee, "A Retrospective and a Look Ahead" at 1979 Annual Meeting, Guilford College
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Includes "Conscientious Objection: Reactive or Forewarned?", "Ignatius of Antioch" for Church History class in 1937, "AFSC, What it is, What it does", "Source of Religious Motivation for AFSC", "Pacifism and the Struggle for Freedom", Testimony in opposition to Supplemental Military Aid to Vietnam 1975, "Quaker Beliefs and First Amendment Rights" in 1978 Friend Journal
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Includes Satan Barbara Institute "Who Speaks for Man?", Haverford College: Surplus Goods, Dayton: Origins of AFSC, Syracuse: "Have you ever heard of Quakers?", San Francisco Annual Meeting 1959, SAS Conference, Measure of our moral responsibility, Western Quarterly Meeting, "Friends in the World Today"
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Includes "LT FR mac v: had visited those in Q Ngai", report of Mission to Poland, Denver: AFSC efforts to ease tension, Middle East background and AFSC experience, "Foreign", Hong Kong, "Back in 3 Hours", quotes
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Notes, drafts, 1980 Ithaca Gathering Schedule
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Bulletin, 1917-1919, pamphlets, "Indochina 1971", timeline, history of the organization, multiple editions of "Beliefs and Practices of the AFSC", 1968 Annual Report, an address by Stephen Cary – Chairman of the Board of Directors, booklets for the 40th and 50th Anniversary, "Man and the Economy"
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"Community Development" by William Channel, "A Better Deal for Jordan's Farmers", Introduction to AFSC, Edwin Bronner's talk in 1983, "Quaker Origins and AFSC's Troubled World" by David Sogge 1973, By-laws 1980, "Airline survival memorandum", complaint in Federal District Court about War Taxes, "Reflections on AFSC-Society of Friends Relationships" by Stephen Cary, job description of Executive Secretary position, 1995 member list
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Remarks in Hanoi, report on Vietnam 1954, report on Korea 1954, "Affirmation of Conscience on Vietnam" 1966, Hong Kong Program, Quaker International Conferences in Southeast Asia correspondence 1967
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"Review of the Activities of the NGO in the International Social Welfare Field", notes on Dacca, work in India, remarks at the National Office Staff Meeting 1974, statement to the Special Committee to Study the Foreign Aid Program 1957, South Africa report, statement on the Peace Corps Bill, report to the Board and Corporation 1974
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Program Priorities Committee (1961), Board of Directors Meeting (1974, 1980), Staff Meeting (1977, 1980), National Community Relations Committee (1979)
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"Quaker Work in Guatemala" by Schneider, report on trip to Guatemala and Chile
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Homewood Newsletter (1974), Congressional Record (1976), 1992 Friends Journal, "Can We Be Friends?" By Larry Ingle (1995)
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Public statement regarding the Government's refusal to grant license to provide aid in Vietnam
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"Values and Peace Education" by Ron Young, "Conciliation and Confrontation" by C. H. Mike Yarrow
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Includes "Background to the Middle East Conflict" (1974)
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Correspondence with Paula Rhodes and Wallace T. Collett, planning committee preliminary recommendations, "A Reflection on the Spiritual Identity Crisis within the AFSC" by Daniel A. Seeger
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Regarding the 85th Anniversary of AFSC
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"Quaker Education Considered", "V-E Day: The New Realism", Pacifica Views, "Prophetic Quakerism" by Lewis Benson, "The Psychiatric Aid", "A Civilian Public Service in the Caribbean", "What Buchenwald Really Means" by Victor Gollancz, "Research for Relief", "Civilian Public Service" by Paul Comly French, "Introduction to Friends Civilian Public Service", "Origins of Civilian Public Service", "Project and Incentives"
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"The Religious Basis of Quaker Work at the UN" (1974) by Duncan Wood, "Some Thoughts on Written Communication" (1962) by Robert L. Leopold
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Correspondence, "Religious Pacifism, a Realistic View" (1957), "What Makes a Good Quaker?" (1954), "The Basis of Quaker Political Concern", statement before the Senate Armed Aervices Committee (1948)
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"Is Love Winning?" (1962) by Colin W. Bell, "Social Aspects of Nuclear Anxiety" (1963) and "The Witness of Work and the Work of Witness" by Stewart Meacham
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Includes "Hanoi to allow PWs to accept parcels", "Quakers Reach Out to Humans, War or No", "Quakers can Send Aid", "Indochina in Flux"
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"Hope that is in us" (1979), "The high cost of living and loving" (1981), "Where Service Comes From" (1976) with a note: "For Lou Schneider – who knows where service comes from"
John A. Sullivan was a staff at AFSC
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Correspondence, Peace Program Proposal (1995), "The Life of a Contemporary Friend" (1983), "No limit may be placed" (1980)
Wallace T. Collett was the Chairman of AFSC
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"Report on Study and Evaluation of QPS Involvement in International Affairs" by Adam Curle, Quaker Monthly Nov. 1979, "Letter from Birmingham City Jail" by Martin Luther King Jr., Comic book: Real War Stories, "A Young Man's Accounts of War" by Suad Slipicevic, a speech by Oscar Arias – Nobel Peace Prize winning Quaker, David Dellinger's obituary, Swarthmore College Bulletin (1997) – "Military Intelligence" by W.D. Ehrhart '73, 1979 Friends Journal – interview with Ham Sok Hon, "Civilian Public Service Through Medical Research" by DeLisle Crawford
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Correspondence, "Leadership in the AFSC and other Quaker Institutions" (1992)
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Anti-war and anti-draft resources
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Poems, prayer, "The Quakers and What they stand for" copies in Russian and English, correspondence from Tin Aicha (1978), "In Concert" by Margaret Gibson, memorial for Ruth Dross (1987)
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Includes "The Sources and Expressions of Quaker Simplicity"
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Includes a letter from Milton J. Shapp, the Governor of Harrisburg
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Appointment calendars
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