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Finding aid of the Kenneth L. Wiederhold Papers
Coll2007-018  
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Description
Journals and scrapbooks containing photographs, gift cards, newspaper clippings, textiles, ephemera, handwritten notes, and miscellaneous typescripts documenting the life of Kenneth L. Wiederhold, a gay man from Michigan who became an active participant in the Los Angeles gay community from the 1970s through the 1990s. Most of the scrapbooks were compiled by Wiederhold himself, ranging from his early childhood in 1950's Michigan to his death from AIDS in 1995. Some scrapbooks, however, were compiled by a family member or friend after his death. The materials document such events as Wiederhold's time in the Researve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Michigan State University, vacations and gatherings, participation in gay organizations such as SAGA and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, and his wedding to Drew Staffen in 1994.
Background
Kenneth L. Wiederhold was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 26, 1946, the fourth child of Henry and Freda Wiederhold. He graduated from Creston High School, where he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), in 1964. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, Wiederhold moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Blue Cross, and, from the late 1970s, for Citi-Corp Bank, where he rose to the rank of Vice President. In 1977, he enrolled at Pepperdine University, from which he received an MA in Psychology in 1981. Wiederhold and his then partner became involved with EST (Erhard Seminars Training) and the Advocate Experience in the late 1970s, and later were very active with the Recreation Committee of SAGA (Gay Ski, Snowboard and Social Club), of which Wiederhold served as Vice President in 1984-1985 and President in 1985-1986. He was also later involved with the funding and remodeling of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. After several long-term relationships, in 1994, Wiederhold met Drew Staffen, whom he married at their Los Angeles home in September of that year in front of friends and family. Wiederhold died of AIDS on July 22, 1995.
Extent
6 archive cartons + 1 banker's box + 19 scrapbook album boxes (10 linear feet).
Restrictions
Researchers wishing to publish materials must obtain permission in writing from ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives as the physical owner. Researchers must also obtain clearance from the holder(s) of any copyrights in the materials. Note that ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives can grant copyright clearance only for those materials for which we hold the copyright. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain copyright clearance for all other materials directly from the copyright holder(s).
Availability
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.