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Greater Los Angeles Press Club Collection
URB.GLAPC
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Greater Los Angeles Press Club Collection
Creator:
Greater Los Angeles Press Club
Identifier/Call Number: URB.GLAPC
Physical Description:
13.5 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1948-1999
Abstract: The Greater Los Angeles Press Club was
formed following World War II. The Club operated a café and cocktail lounge for their
members from 1960 through the 1980s, but as interest in gathering there waned, offices were
leased instead. During the early 1970s the Press Club actively defended freedom of the press
and the rights of newsmen, protesting the arrest of journalist William Farr. The collection
consists of newsletters, annual publications, and administrative files generated by the
Greater Los Angeles Press Club, which document such events as the arrest of journalist
William Farr during the Charles Manson trial in the early 1970s, correspondence regarding
numerous First Amendment issues, and the club's annual Headliner Awards ceremony. There are
photographs of the club's wide range of events, and of submissions from local newspapers and
photographers for entry into the club's publications and awards competitions. There are also
materials not associated with the club that include ephemera and photography publications.
The collection spans the time period from 1948 to 1999.
Language of Material:
English
Founded just after 1900, the Los Angeles Press Club was initially located at 327 South Hill
Street in Downtown Los Angeles where it served as a gathering spot for local journalists.
The club shut down during the Great Depression, but following World War II, the Greater Los
Angeles Press Club was formed: "On September 24, 1946, newsmen from the surviving four daily
newspapers founded the Greater Los Angeles Press Club. Since Los Angeles Press Club was
taken by a nightclub we became the Greater…The nightclub is no longer around and we have
reposessed [sic] our real name." The Press Club operated a café and cocktail lounge for
their members from 1960 through the 1980s, but as interest in gathering there waned, offices
were leased instead.
During the early 1970s, the Press Club actively defended freedom of the press and the
rights of newsmen, protesting the arrest of journalist William Farr. The club's president
during this period was Dick Turpin (1919-2010), who spent 41 years with the
Los Angeles Times, was a longtime board member of the GLPC, and
was part of Watts Riot coverage team that won a Pulitzer Prize.
In the late 1990s, club president Bill Rosendahl recruited young working journalists to the
club, many of whom he was able to persuade to run for the elected Board of Directors, and in
subsequent years membership revived.
The Greater Los Angeles Press Club has sponsored numerous seminars, Town Hall gatherings,
and social events featuring prominent figures in politics, culture, and the film industry.
The Club has launched outreach efforts to international, minority, freelance, and gay
journalists, and its International Journalists Caucus is rapidly expanding. "One of the
club's most serious missions is to persuade local governments to obey existing California
laws by opening up public meetings and public documents to journalists and the public. The
club is directing this effort via its Sunshine Coalition, which has already achieved
moderate success in educating the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to stop violating
the Brown Act, the state's open meeting law."
In 2003, the GLAPC was granted non-profit status, reflecting their efforts to provide
public service events, and in 2005 they moved to an office above the Steve Allen Theater. As
of 2022, the organization identifies as the Los Angeles Press Club and their office is
located at 6464 Sunset Boulevard.
The
Greater Los Angeles Press Club Collection primarily
consists of publications, photographs, and newsletters from the 1940s through the 1990s. In
addition to these newsletters, the collection also includes office documents related to the
arrest of journalist William Farr, following his refusal to reveal his source of information
regarding the ongoing Charles Manson trial in the early 1970s, as well as correspondence
between the Press Club and its members dealing with First Amendment issues: free press, the
right of the people to know, and the rights of newsmen to protect their sources. There is
also correspondence pertaining to the Press Club's annual Headliner Awards ceremony. The
collection is arranged into five series:
Administrative Files
(1948-1999),
Annual Publication (1951-1993),
Monthly Newsletter (1953-1999),
Photographs (1948-1996), and
Non-GLAPC Materials
(1953-1989).
Series I,
Administrative Files, consists of articles,
correspondence, and newspaper clippings related to the arrest of journalist William Farr
following his refusal to reveal his source of information concerning the ongoing Manson
trial in the early 1970s. The bulk of this material dates from 1972 to 1973. There is
additional correspondence between the Press Club and its members and a large selection of
newspaper clippings dealing with the Farr arrest and freedom of the press in general. Three
large format photographs unrelated to the Farr case are also in this series. Materials are
filed alphabetically.
Series II,
Annual Publication, consists of issues of
8 Ball Final. The series also includes programs from the 35th
Annual Journalism Awards in 1993, and the 1988 and 1989 Headliners Award. Materials are
arranged alphabetically and chronologically within.
Series III,
Monthly Newsletter, includes issues of
The 8 Ball, which are arranged chronologically by quarter and
include the annual "Headliner" issues, spanning from 1953 to 1999.
Series IV,
Photographs, consists of negatives, prints, and
contact sheets of programs, portraits, and submissions, spanning from 1948 to 1996. Programs
include the Press Club's recurring headliner dinners, awards banquets, installation dinners,
roundtables, and other special programming on such topics as gun legislation and the Gulf
War with such public figures as Ralph Nader, Judge William R. Pounders, and Jack Lemmon. The
submissions consist of medium to large prints, with some bearing captions or newspaper
clippings of the same image from its originating story. These images were sent to the Press
Club by local newspapers and photographers for consideration in the Press Club's
8 Ball Final publication and/or for awards. The subjects vary and
include news coverage or community portraits in Los Angeles. Materials are arranged
chronologically.
Series V,
Non-GLAPC Materials, consists of photography
publications, ephemera, pins, and photographs, spanning 1953 to 1989. The ephemera includes
such items as handbooks on public affairs and directories for other press organizations. The
photographs were taken by Bill Harvey and are from a San Onofre nuclear plant work
assignment. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Series I: Administrative Files, 1948-1999
Series II: Annual Publication, 1951-1993
Series III: Monthly Newsletter, 1953-1999
Series IV: Photographs, 1948-1996
Series V: Non-GLAPC Materials, 1953-1989
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) 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 owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Greater Los Angeles Press Club, 1999
2010, 2022
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style manual,
or see the
Citing Archival Materials
guide.
April Feldman and Jackie Zak, February 2010
Five serials were separated from the collection and contain the following titles: "Just One
More," Los Angeles Press Photographers' Association; "Underwriters' Report," a weekly
insurance newsmagazine; "News Photographer," National Press Photographers Association;
"National Press Photographer," National Press Photographers Association; and "Academy
Awards."
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents
Photographs
Ephemera