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Finding Aid to the Donald A. Ferguson Papers, 1979-1994
Coll2014.014
Coll2014.014
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Table of contents
Title: Donald A. Ferguson papers
Identifier/Call Number: Coll2014.014
Contributing Institution:
ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
2.7 linear feet.
1 archive box + 1 archive carton + 1 archive flat box.
Date (inclusive): 1974-1994
Abstract: Board of directors materials, bylaws, administrative committee records, correspondence, conference material, financial records,
event and program records, newsletter copy, and publicity material, 1979-1994, from gay activist Donald A. Ferguson, who served
on the boards for the Triangle Gay and Lesbian Foster Parent Association (also known as Triangle Project) and the Whitman-Brooks
Foundation.
creator:
Donald A. Ferguson
"During the late '70s, through the '80s, and into the early '90s, I was an active member of a number of gay and lesbian organizations
in Los Angeles. Most notable, I suppose, would be the Whitman-Brooks Foundation, the first and largest co-sexual gay and lesbian
organization providing guidance in coming out, a training program for potential community activists, and education about gay
and lesbian issues at two or three major conferences each year held at [University of California, Los Angeles], [University
of Southern California], and Occidental College. I served as chair of Whitman-Brooks for several years in the late '80s."
In the 1980s, Ferguson served as chairperson of Whitman-Brooks and was presented with award recognitions in 1985 and 1994.
"The other organization in which I participated was the Triangle Project, the first community organization to address the
problem of homeless gay/lesbian youth as well as other youth in need of sympathetic foster homes. For a number of years, we
recruited men and women from the community to become licensed and to serve as foster parents for youth referred to us by numerous
agencies including the Los Angeles County Department of Children's Services. In the early '90s, due to faltering sources of
funding, the Triangle Project was absorbed by GLASS (Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services)."
Source: Letter from Donald A. Ferguson, dated May 12, 2007.
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission
for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
Donated by Donald A. Ferguson, May 12, 2007 and an earlier unknown date.
[Box/folder #, or item name] Donald A. Ferguson Papers, Coll2014-014, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries,
University of Southern California.
Formerly boxes A253, 103-246, and 103-262. Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama, March 2014.
The collection comprises administrative records, 1979-1994, from gay activist Donald A. Ferguson, who served on the boards
for the Triangle Gay and Lesbian Foster Parent Association (also known as Triangle Project) and the Whitman-Brooks Foundation.
Included in the Triangle Project's records are bylaws, board of directors minutes, correspondence, publicity material, guidelines
and training material for foster parents, and other material documenting their activities, circa 1977-1989. The Whitman-Brooks
Foundation's records include board of director minutes and related material, conference and seminar materials, administrative
committees records, financial records, event records, and materials documenting collaboration with the Municipal Elections
Committee of Los Angeles (MECLA), 1979-1994.
This collection is arranged in the following series:
Series 1. Triangle Gay and Lesbian Foster Parent Association
Series 2. Whitman-Brooks Foundation
The following have been separated from the collection and cataloged in ONE's periodical collection and library, respectively:
The Triangle Project Newsletter, 1986-1988 [6 issues].
Wittels, Anne,
Ms.ery, Beverly Hills, CA: Wollstonecraft, Inc., 1973.
The Triangle Gay and Lesbian Foster Parent Association (also known as Triangle Project) was founded circa 1986 and worked
to provide gay and lesbian youth with nurturing foster homes. Among the Triangle Project's activities was training potential
gay and lesbian foster parents, and working with agencies such as the Los Angeles County Department of Children's Services
to provide homes for at-risk youth. In 1989, the Triangle Project merged with the Gay and Lesbian Adolescent Social Services
(GLASS), which led to disagreements regarding the organization's overall mission. Most of Triangle Projects' original members
left, and GLASS went on to become a for-profit housing and service organization, which later dissolved in 2008.
The Whitman-Brooks Foundation was founded in March 1979 as a non-profit educational foundation dedicated to providing education
and support for coming out; providing leadership training for emerging gay and lesbian activists; and fostering a positive
gay and lesbian identity for its members. Whitman-Brooks' activities included hosting annual conferences attended by community
leaders, educators, and mental health professionals; holding on-going rap sessions and community seminars in a "non-threatening"
environment; and providing scholarships and other services.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Triangle Gay & Lesbian Foster Parent Association.
Whitman-Brooks Foundation.
Coming out (sexual orientation)
Foster parents
Gay activists
Gay and lesbian rights
Gay parents
Gays--Education
Lesbian and gay experience
Lesbians--Education
Minutes