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Joseph L. Pollock Papers
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Held at: Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center. 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
Joseph L. Pollock, born March 7, 1922, in Philadelphia, was a social studies teacher, principal, and administrator for the Philadelphia School District from 1947 until his retirement in 1984. From December 1950 to September 1951, he served as executive director of Citizens for a Free City College, an organization dedicated to creating free higher education in Philadelphia. In the 1950s and 1960s, he wrote and produced radio and television programs for the Philadelphia School District's Division of Radio-Television Education. In the 1960s, Pollock worked for the School District of Philadelphia, Board of Education, first as assistant to the president of the Board of Public Education (1962-1964), and then as director of informational services (1964-1968). In 1968, he was appointed as the superintendent of schools for the Scranton School District, but resigned after less than a year.
Pollock graduated from West Philadelphia High School in 1940. While a student there, he served as president of the Interscholastic League of Student Associations and chairman of the first city-wide Interscholastic League Convention. Pollock enrolled at West Chester State Teachers College in 1940, but temporarily suspended his studies to serve in the United States Army during WWII. After V-E Day, Pollock co-wrote a burlesque production of Bizet's opera Carmen with fellow soldier Fredd Wayne. Originally intended as a three-day regimental show, G.I. Carmen, performed by combat veterans of the 63rd Infantry Division, became a traveling show with performances in Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, and Paris, among other places during the latter half of 1945.
Pollock returned to West Chester State Teachers College after military service, graduating with a bachelor of science in secondary education in 1947. He received a master of science in education from the University of Pennsylvania in 1949. Pollock co-founded the West Philadelphia High Alumni Association and served as its president and honorary president for many years. He was a freemason and was elected to the position of worshipful master of the Lafayette Lodge No. 71 in 1977. Joseph L. Pollock died April 7, 2004.
The Joseph L. Pollock Papers include correspondence, reports, speeches, photographs, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, newsletters, scrapbooks, and audiovisual materials documenting Pollock's work in Philadelphia public schools, the School District of Philadelphia, Board of Education, and Scranton School District. The collection also documents his activities with fraternities, masonic lodges, student government, youth groups, and Jewish communal organizations; and Pollock's World War II military service including photographs, broadsides, newspaper clippings, and programs of his infantry's performances of G.I. Carmen.
The collection is arranged into 4 series as follows:
- Series 1: Professional career, 1937-1986
- Subseries 1.1: Philadelphia School District, 1937-1986
- Subseries 1.2: Scranton School District, 1965-1970
- Series 2: Correspondence, 1940-1989
- Series 3: Civic and fraternal organizations, 1921-1988
- Series 4: Personal papers, 1933-1988
Donated by Joseph L. Pollock in 1988 and 1990. Collection previously administered by the Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center, acquired by Temple in June 2009.
Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy. Please contact the Special Collections Research Center for more information.
Collection processed and finding aid prepared in August 2019 by Jessica M. Lydon, Associate Archivist with assistance by Victoria Nichols, student assistant. Philadelphia Jewish Archives Center staff replaced and relabeled all folders in collection after donation. The majority of folder titles throughout the collection were edited by the archivist for the sake of clarity and description enhancement. This involved the addition of formats, names, and/or dates along with the rearrangement of descriptive words used.
School District of Philadelphia, Pa. junior high and high school yearbooks originally donated with the collection, cataloged separately in Temple University's online library catalog.
People
Organization
- School District of Philadelphia, Pa
- School District of Philadelphia, Pa. Board of Public Education
- Scranton School District
Subject
- Carmen (Bizet, Georges) -- Parodies, imitations, etc
- Education – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia
- Education – Pennsylvania -- Scranton
- Fraternal organizations -- Pennsylvania – Philadelphia
- Greek letter societies
- High school students
- Jewish teachers
- Junior high school students
- Public schools – Pennsylvania – Philadelphia
- Public schools – Pennsylvania -- Scranton
- School administrators
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Jewish
Place
- Publisher
- Temple University Libraries: Special Collections Research Center
- Finding Aid Author
- Machine-readable finding aid created by: Rajkumar Natarajan, Sky Global Services India (P) Ltd.
- Finding Aid Date
- February 2024
- Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Joseph L. Pollock Papers are the physical property of the Special Collections Research Center, Temple University Libraries. The creator/donor has not assigned their rights to Temple University Libraries. Other creators' intellectual property rights, including copyright, belong to them or their legal heirs and assigns. Researchers are responsible for determining the identity of rights holders and obtaining their permission for publication and for other purposes where stated.
Collection Inventory
Series 1 contains records related to Pollock's activities as a teacher, principal and administrator in the Philadelphia (Pa.) and Scranton (Pa.) school districts. Additional correspondence related to Pollock's professional career can be found in Series 2. This series is arranged in two subseries: Subseries 1.1: Philadelphia School District; Subseries 1.2: Scranton School District.
Subseries 1.1 includes correspondence, reports, speeches, policy statements, meeting minutes, newsletters, and other records related to Pollock's official activities as assistant to the president of the board of public education, director of informational services, and his service as a teacher and principal at various schools in the School District of Philadelphia. Notable correspondents in this subseries include President of the Board of Public Education J. Harry LaBrum and Superintendents Mark R. Shedd, Allen H. Wetter, and C. Taylor Whittier. Photographs of students, district schools, and events can be found throughout the subseries. This subseries contains a few records printed in Lao, Spanish, or Yiddish. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Subseries contains correspondence, reports, speeches, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks and other records related to Pollock's tenure as superintendent of schools from 1968 to 1969. The dispute between the school board and Pollock over district reforms and program funding, his suspension and resignation, and the public response is well documented. This subseries is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Series 2 contains both personal and professional correspondence, primarily incoming correspondence received by Pollock. Additional correspondence related to Pollock's professional career can be found in Series 1. This series contains one file with records in Dutch. This series is arranged alphabetically by correspondent's last name.
Series 3 includes correspondence, photographs, newsletters, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings and other records from fraternities, masonic lodges, student government and youth groups, Jewish communal and other organizations Pollock was associated. The bulk of this series consists of Pollock's activities with the West Philadelphia High School Alumni Association, where he served as president, honorary president, and chairman of anniversary committees. This series is arranged alphabetically by organization name.
Series 4 contains records related to Pollock's military service in the 63rd Infantry Division during World War II including the production of G.I. Carmen; Pollock's proposal, drafts, and research including oral histories related to his unfinished doctoral dissertation on Philadelphia School District surveys; diaries; and miscellaneous writings and family records. Some records related to G.I. Carmen are in French. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.