Vic and Barby Ulmer collection, bulk 1970-1999

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Summary

Creators:
Ulmer, Vic and Ulmer, Barby
Abstract:
The collection contains photographs, posters, letters, sound and video recordings, pamphlets, bulletins, reports, and other printed matter collected by Vic and Barby Ulmer, founders of Our Developing World. The bulk of the material relates to social, political, and economic conditions in Africa from the 1970s to the 1990s, especially in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. Other topics documented in the collection include social and political conditions in Mexico, Central America, and China; international debt; international trade; globalization; and the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, also known as the Battle in Seattle.
Extent:
36 manuscript boxes, 1 cassette box, 1 card file box, 1 videocassette box, 5 oversize folders, 1 optical disk (15.6 Linear Feet)
Language:
English, Spanish, Swahili, and others
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Vic and Barby Ulmer collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection contains photographs, posters, letters, sound and video recordings, pamphlets, bulletins, reports, and other printed matter collected by Vic and Barby Ulmer, founders of Our Developing World, a non-profit organization concerned with social, political, and economic issues in developing countries. Much of the material in the collection was collected as teaching material for Our Developing World programs and events.

The bulk of the material relates to conditions in Africa from the 1970s to the 1990s, especially in South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Namibia; however, materials related to Mexico, Central America, and China are also included. Other topics documented in the collection are international debt, international trade, globalization, and the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle, also known as the Battle in Seattle, which Barby Ulmer participated in.

Biographical / historical:

Vic and Barby (Barbara) Ulmer are the founders and co-directors of Our Developing World (ODW). Formed in 1982, the non-profit organization strives to raise awareness of the struggles and triumphs occurring in developing countries by creating resources for teachers, hosting events, and leading educational trips to various countries in Central America and Africa.

Vic and Barby Ulmer met while attending the University of California, Berkeley and married in 1954. Barby, a native of San Francisco, worked for many years as an English as a second language instructor. Additionally, she was a leader and active member of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). She also helped to form the San Jose Peace and Justice Center in 1957 and served as chairman of the organization until 1968. Some of Barby's oral histories discussing her work as an activist have been digitized and can be found in the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom Collection at the Stanford Archive of Recorded Sound.

Vic, originally from Denver, Colorado, was an English teacher at Fremont High School in Sunnyvale, California for many years. He died on May 4th, 2016.

Acquisition information:
Acquired by the Hoover Institution Library Archives in 1995, with increments received in 1998 and 2012.
Arrangement:

The material is grouped together by topic according to the Ulmers' original order. The files within each grouping have been organized alphabetically for ease of use, and the original file names have been maintained where possible. Cross references have been added for topics that appear multiple times throughout the collection.

Physical location:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research; materials must be requested in advance via our reservation system. If there are audiovisual or digital media material in the collection, they must be reformatted before providing access.

Terms of access:

For copyright status, please contact the Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Vic and Barby Ulmer collection, [Box no., Folder no. or title], Hoover Institution Library & Archives.

Location of this collection:
Hoover Institution Library & Archives, Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-6003, US
Contact:
(650) 723-3563
hooverarchives@stanford.edu
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