Mark Evanoff papers, 1947-1988, 1947-1988, bulk 1977-1988

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Summary

Creators:
Evanoff, Mark
Abstract:
This collection documents Mark Evanoff's interest and involvement in opposing the proliferation of nuclear reactors, primarily in California during the 1970s and 1980s. Materials include correspondence, notes, photographs, legislation, testimony, newsletters, group organizing resources, pamphlets, and other printed ephemera by numerous anti-nuclear activist individuals and organizations, energy companies, and local and federal agencies.
Extent:
18.65 linear feet (13 cartons, 2 boxes, 1 oversize box, 1 oversize folder)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mark Evanoff papers, BANC MSS 99/295c,The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Background

Scope and content:

The Mark Evanoff papers consist of materials Evanoff collected during the 1970s and 1980s primarily while he was actively opposing and organizing others against nuclear power in California. The bulk of the collection pertains to information about the nuclear industry, the proliferation of nuclear arms, the regional and global environmental impact of nuclear reactors and the grassroots opposition groups who fought against the development and operation of nuclear power plants, mainly in Diablo Canyon and Humboldt Bay.

Evanoff compiled a range of nuclear power materials from various civic and federal government agencies, local and global news agencies, academics, engineers and scientists, energy companies, power plant workers, and citizen and community organizing groups regarding the effects of radiation, nuclear waste management, issues with defects in design, construction and operation of nuclear power plants, plant worker negligence and safety concerns, utility company rate-basing, and potential hazards of existing earthquake faults located near nuclear power plants. Types of material in the collection include: correspondence, meeting minutes, interviews, legal documentation and testimony, public policy, maps, diagrams, reports, news clippings and articles, newsletters, artifacts and ephemera. Notable anti-nuclear protest ephemera includes: flyers, pamphlets, song sheets, event tickets, bulletins and zines related to nuclear power, militarism and environmental education, organizing actions, non-violence civil disobedience trainings and legal defense. Other notable cultural material includes: a pro-nuclear proliferation comic book published by Walt Disney Educational Media Company, a comic book created by Keiji Nakazawa, a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, and a phonograph record featuring a reggae song "Devil in the Canyon" in opposition to nuclear power. Significant documentation is also included in response to the Three Mile Island Nuclear plant accident which occurred on March 28, 1979.

Biographical / historical:

Mark Evanoff is an anti-nuclear environmental activist who advocated for opposition to nuclear proliferation, nuclear reactors and the global nuclear arms race, primarily in California during the 1970s and 1980s. Evanoff and other grassroots anti-nuclear activists sought to continue the battle to prevent nuclear power plants from being built in California and elsewhere following the successful citizen lead action movement which lobbied against a planned nuclear power plant in Bodega Bay, California from 1958-1964. Working with numerous local and global anti-nuclear groups, mostly with the Abalone Alliance and the Friends of the Earth in opposing the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, Evanoff participated in protest actions, mobilized activists and prepared groups for non-violent civil disobedience training and legal defense, wrote, collected and disseminated educational literature and resources about nuclear power and disarmament, and wrote articles for Friends of the Earth's "Not Man Apart" publication. Evanoff was arrested twice for participating in blockades at Diablo Canyon and later served as consultant to the California Public Utilities Commission, weighing in on seismic factors and their potential to affect the sustainability of the plant. Evanoff received a Bachelor of Arts in environmental studies at Sonoma State University in 1976 and a Master’s in Public Administration from California State University at Hayward in 1977. He continued to work on environmental advocacy throughout his life.

Acquisition information:
Mark Evanoff's papers were gifted to The Bancroft Library by Mark Evanoff in 1999.
Processing information:

Arranged to the folder level.

Processed by Lisa M. Monhoff in 2017.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into three series. Series I includes materials related to the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, with a sub-series on general Diablo Canyon files and a sub-series on the Abalone Alliance, the anti-nuclear activist group which formed in opposition to the Diablo Canyon power plant. All files in Series I are arranged chronologically. Series 2 includes documentation on the Humboldt Bay Power Plant, including opposition by the Redwood Alliance, arranged chronologically. Series 3 includes a sub-series on Nuclear Power Subject Files arranged alphabetically by geographic location of power plant or nuclear power topic and a sub-series on Anti-Nuclear Power, arranged alphabetically by opposition group, publication name or topic.

Accruals:

No future additions are expected.

Physical location:
Many of the Bancroft Library collections are stored offsite and advance notice may be required for use. For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the library's online catalog.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of University of California gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000. See: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/reference/permissions.html

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Mark Evanoff papers, BANC MSS 99/295c,The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley.

Location of this collection:
University of California, Berkeley, The Bancroft Library
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000, US
Contact:
510-642-6481
bancref-library@berkeley.edu
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