Bill Way collection
Scope and Content Note
At the heart of this collection are nine scrapbooks created by Bill Way, 1942-1987. They include photographs, clippings, ephemera, and correspondence, with extensive captions. The scrapbooks are personal in nature, but because Way was active in the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community and in city planning, his scrapbooks document the growth of the LGBT community/LGBT events and parade, and Philadelphia redevelopment in the 1970s and 1980s.
The collection also contains some materials about William Way donated by other sources, notably an oral history interview with Maury Lieberman.
An inventory of the scrapbooks and other items in the collection is provided below.
Dates
- 1942 - 2004
- Majority of material found within 1968 - 1987
Creator
- Way, Bill, (William J.), 1942-1988 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access Note
Contact John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia for information about accessing this collection.
Biographical/Historical Note
"Bill Way [(1942-1988)] was a longtime city employee who, working with the [Philadelphia] Redevelopment Authority and the Office of Housing and Community Development, over saw the construction of affordable housing throughout the city, including Washington Square West, where he lived."
"He was also an advocate for the LGBT [(lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender)] community, and a strong proponent of creating change by bringing people together. Bill played a key role in the establishment of Penguin Place [which would later be re-organized as his namesake, the William Way LGBT Community Center]. Even as his life came to an abrupt end due to AIDS, he continued to spend many hours working on the first AIDS walk and Penguin Place."
Bibliography:
Quoted text from: William Way Community Center. "About the William Way Center." 2007. Accessed June 25, 2012. http://waygay.org/aboutus/default.asp.
Extent
4 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
William Way (1942-1988) worked as the Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and as an advocate for the Philadelphia LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community. The Bill Way collection, 1942-2004, is comprised of scrapbooks compiled by Way documenting his life, the LGBT community in Philadelphia, and City of Philadelphia redevelopment in the 1970s and 1980s. There are also materials relating to Way donated by various individuals, notably an oral history interview with Maury Lieberman.
Location Note
Collections 13 and Collections 14
Immediate Source of Acquisition Note
Scrapbooks gift of Eva Gelennter, 1988. Additional items added over time.
Processing Information Note
Summary descriptive information on this collection was compiled in 2011-2012 as part of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR), using data provided by the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia. The HCI-PSAR project was funded by a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
This is a preliminary finding aid. No physical processing, rehousing, reorganizing, or folder listing was done in the HCI-PSAR project.
Creator
- Way, Bill, (William J.), 1942-1988 (Person)
- Title
- Bill Way collection, 1942-2004 [bulk 1968-1987]
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Bob Skiba & George Fago, May 20, 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Sponsor
- This preliminary finding aid was created by staff of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania’s Hidden Collections Initiative for Pennsylvania Small Archival Repositories (HCI-PSAR) using data provided by the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives of Philadelphia. The HCI-PSAR project was made possible by a grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center Repository