Guide to the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records

Sean Heyliger
African American Museum and Library at Oakland
659 14th Street
Oakland, California 94612
Phone: (510) 637-0198
Fax: (510) 637-0204
Email: aamlo@oaklandlibrary.org
URL: http://www.oaklandlibrary.org/locations/african-american-museum-library-oakland
© 2013
African American Museum and Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.

Guide to the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records

Collection number: MS 3

African American Museum and Library at Oakland

Oakland, California
Processed by:
Sean Heyliger
Date Completed:
01/24/2013
Encoded by:
Sean Heyliger
© 2013 African American Museum and Library at Oakland. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

Title: Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter records
Dates: 1959-1985
Collection number: MS 3
Collection Size: 1.25 linear feet (3 boxes)
Repository: African American Museum and Library at Oakland (Oakland, Calif.)
Oakland, CA 94612
Abstract: The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was a male African American civic and professional organization started in Oakland, California in 1954. Founded by Jefferson Beaver, Richard A.G. Foster, Aramis Fouche, Theodore R. Hardeman, H. Solomon Hill, L. Sylvester Odom, Kenneth F. Smith, and George R. Vaughns, the group eventually grew to include over 300 members including many notable judges and politicians, including Evelio Grillo, Lionel Wilson, and Allen Broussard, and would eventually establish additional chapters in San Francisco, Richmond, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The Men of Tomorrow, Inc Oakland Chapter records document meetings, conferences, and the administration of the organization between 1959-1985.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection: English

Access

No access restrictions. Collection is open to the public.

Access Restrictions

Materials are for use in-library only, non-circulating.

Publication Rights

Permission to publish from the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter Records must be obtained from the African American Museum and Library at Oakland.

Preferred Citation

Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter records , MS 3, African American Museum and Library at Oakland, Oakland Public Library. Oakland, California.

Biography / Administrative History

The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was a male African American civic and professional organization started in Oakland, California in 1954. Founded by Jefferson Beaver, Richard A.G. Foster, Aramis Fouche, Theodore R. Hardeman, H. Solomon Hill, L. Sylvester Odom, Kenneth F. Smith, and George R. Vaughns, the group eventually grew to include over 300 members including many notable judges and politicians, including Evelio Grillo, Lionel Wilson, and Allen Broussard, and would eventually establish additional chapters in San Francisco, Richmond, Sacramento, and Los Angeles. The organization’s membership consisted chiefly of lawyers, judges, politicians, doctors, pastors, educators, and businessmen from Oakland and was dedicated to “foster the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations and the dignifying by each member of his occupation or profession as an opportunity to serve society through fellowship.” The Men of Tomorrow, Inc. was governed by a moderator, Board of Directors, and a Chairman of the Board and was organized into seven standing committees: membership, program, finance and budget, charter and extension, community relations, youth services, and publicity. The group held weekly business meetings at Jack London Inn, where they would often invite notable speakers to give lectures on politics, education, civil rights, religion, sports, international relations, labor relations, and economics. Beginning in 1959, the group also held a biennial conference on social and economic issues related to the African American community.

Scope and Content of Collection

The Men of Tomorrow, Inc Oakland Chapter records document meetings, conferences, and the administration of the organization between 1959-1985. The bulk of the collection consists of the Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter’s constitution and by-laws, meeting minutes, agendas, newsletters, membership directories, and four scrapbooks assembled by the organization’s publicity chairman, Edward Douglas Jr. The scrapbooks include photographs of weekly meetings, newspaper clippings, conference programs, and luncheon invitations. The records are organized into three series: administrative files (.25 ft), scrapbooks (1 ft.), and artifacts (4 items).

Arrangement

Series I. Administrative files, 1959-1985 Series II. Scrapbooks, 1959-1973 Series III. Artifact, undated

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Men of Tomorrow, Inc. Oakland Chapter
African Americans--California--East Bay--History.
African Americans--California--Oakland--Societies, etc.
Oakland (Calif.)--Clubs.
Oakland (Calif.)--Social life and customs.
African Americans Societies, etc.

Sources: Civic service club backs blighted housing program, Oakland Tribune 3 April 1955: 7. Allen E. Broussard, A California Supreme Court Justice Looks at Law and Society, 1964-1996, an interview conducted in 1991, 1992, 1995, and 1996 by Gabrielle Morris, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 1997.

 

Administrative files

Box 1:1

Constitution and by-laws 1959-1962

 

Board of Directors

Box 1:2

Officers 1967-1970

Box 1:3

Minutes and agendas 1966-1970

Box 1:4

Report

Box 1:5

Budgets 1961-1969

Box 1:6

Membership directory 1961-1971

Box 1:7

Committees 1961

Box 1:8

Conferences 1961-1965

Box 1:9

Luncheon invitations 1979-1980

Box 1:10

Newspaper clippings 1961-1980

Box 1:11

Special events 1961-1985

 

Scrapbooks

Box 2

Scrapbook, Volume I 1959-1962

Box 2

Scrapbook, Volume II 1963-1966

Box 3

Scrapbook, Volume III 1967-1969

Box 3

Scrapbook, Volume IV 1970-1973

 

Artifacts

Box 1:2

Lapel pins undated