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Kenneth L. Wiederhold papers

 Collection — Box: 1
Identifier: Coll2007-018

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection consists of journals and scrapbooks created by Kenneth L. Wiederhold, a gay man from Michigan who became a businessman and an active participant in the Los Angeles gay community from the 1970s through the 1990s. The earliest materials in the collection date from his childhood in Michigan in the 1950s, and the latest materials come from his memorial after his death in 1995. The collection is divided into two series: (1) Journals and (2) Scrapbooks. The materials document events relevant to Wiederhold's life, including his time in the ROTC at Michigan State University, his participation in the Los Angeles gay community, and his wedding to Drew Staffen in 1994.

Dates

  • Creation: 1951 - 1995
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1962 - 1994

Creator

Access

The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.

Publication Rights

Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).

Biography

Kenneth L. Wiederhold was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 26, 1946, the fourth child of Henry and Freda Wiederhold. He graduated from Creston High School, where he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), in 1964. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, Wiederhold moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Blue Cross, and, from the late 1970s, for Citi-Corp Bank, where he rose to the rank of Vice President. In 1977, he enrolled at Pepperdine University, from which he received an MA in Psychology in 1981. Wiederhold and his then partner became involved with EST (Erhard Seminars Training) and the Advocate Experience in the late 1970s, and later were very active with the Recreation Committee of SAGA (Gay Ski, Snowboard and Social Club), of which Wiederhold served as Vice President in 1984-1985 and President in 1985-1986. He was also later involved with the funding and remodeling of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. After several long-term relationships, in 1994, Wiederhold met Drew Staffen, whom he married at their Los Angeles home in September of that year in front of friends and family. Wiederhold died of AIDS on July 22, 1995.

Source: Ron Morse, Box #24, 1995 Scrapbook, Kenneth L. Wiederhold Papers, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Extent

10 Linear Feet (24 boxes.)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Journals and scrapbooks containing photographs, gift cards, newspaper clippings, textiles, ephemera, handwritten notes, and miscellaneous typescripts documenting the life of Kenneth L. Wiederhold, a gay man from Michigan who became an active participant in the Los Angeles gay community from the 1970s through the 1990s. Most of the scrapbooks were compiled by Wiederhold himself, ranging from his early childhood in 1950's Michigan to his death from AIDS in 1995. Some scrapbooks, however, were compiled by a family member or friend after his death. The materials document such events as Wiederhold's time in the Researve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Michigan State University, vacations and gatherings, participation in gay organizations such as SAGA and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, and his wedding to Drew Staffen in 1994.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Kenneth L. Wiederhold Trust, April 17, 1996.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama, December 29, 2007.

Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Title
Finding aid of the Kenneth L. Wiederhold papers
Status
Completed
Author
Loni Shibuyama
Date
© 2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in: English

Repository Details

Part of the ONE Archives at the USC Libraries, University of Southern California Repository

Contact:
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles California 90007 United States
(213) 821-2771