Albert G. Cohen Campus Ministry, Social Justice and Environment collection, 1939 - 2003

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Summary

Creators:
Cohen, Albert G.
Abstract:
Albert Gleaves Cohen served as campus minister with United Ministries in Higher Education at California State University Fullerton (1965-69) and California State University in Los Angeles (1969-97). The collection contains his activities on campus and off for civil rights, minority causes, social justice, population, student issues, and intelligent stewardship of the environment.
Extent:
25 linear feet (29 archives boxes, 1 folio, 1 map case drawer)
Language:
Languages represented in the collection: English
Preferred citation:

Albert G. Cohen Campus Ministry, Social Justice and Environment Collection, GTU 2003-10-02. Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection documents the changing state of ministry in higher education in Southern California in the 20th century. Roughly half of the collection documents actions and positions taken on social justice, population, and the environment. Along with organizational and individual notes are newspaper articles, journals, correspondence, pamphlets, handbooks, conference materials, and other publications. A variety of newspapers from church and various causes are detailed and stored separately. Over 200 posters and signs ranging from antiwar and tiger cages for prisoners to social issues to conferences are listed individually. The collection follows the original order by subject and chronology.

Biographical / historical:

Albert Gleaves Cohen (1928- ) grew up in Philadelphia and attended nearby Haverford School. The son of a naval commander and grandson of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves, he received an appointment to the United States Naval Academy. He graduated in 1949 with a concentration in mechanical engineering. He toured the Seas of Japan on USS Floyd B. Parks prior to the Korean War and later served as an engineer on the USS K-1 submarine and the USS Catfish.

In 1954 he resigned from the Navy and enrolled in Graduate School of Theology, Oberlin College, Ohio. He writes, "I wanted to equip myself to be a peacemaker in this new age. Given the way the world was heading in the post World War II years, I saw a church career as consistent with the family tradition of responsible citizenship."(1) While attending the seminary, he served as pastor of nearby Brighton Congregational Church.

He was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ in 1958 and served for five years as youth minister at Oneonta Congregational Church in Pasadena, California. Following a one year stint at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Trowbridge, Wiltshire, England, he returned to Southern California and served Plymouth Congregational Church in Whittier. During this time he became active in civil rights and assisted in voter registration in Columbus, Mississippi, and Selma, Alabama.

In 1965 Cohen accepted a call as the first full time campus minister with the United Christian Campus Ministry at California State College at Fullerton, founded in 1957. Originally hired by the Westminster Foundation in Southern California, the following year his ministry became part of the United Ministries of Higher Education (UMHE) of Southern California. UMHE of Southern California was funded by the Disciples of Christ, Evangelical United Brethren, United Church of Christ and United Presbyterians.

Cohen's duties at Fullerton included counseling for individuals and groups, being the unofficial administrator of the religious center, and promoting connections with local congregations. An advertisement in the campus newspaper, The Titan (September 27, 1968) announced: "Counseling for Problem Pregnancies, Draft Counseling, Grape Boycott Information, Theological Study Opportunities: See your UCCM Minister, Rev. Al Cohen."

Cohen, like many other campus ministers at this time, was an activist and served as a mediator between factions. (2) He became a voice of Christian conscience on the campus for peace, civil rights, fair housing and freedom of speech. He is featured and quoted in a number of articles in The Titan. Off campus, he was arrested on three occasions during demonstrations supporting civil rights, the rights of Mexican students, and student rights (San Fernando Valley State College). Along with his other activities, he helped found the religious studies program at Fullerton.

In 1969, Cohen moved to California State University at Los Angeles, where he remained as the UMHE campus minister until 1996. His activities extended beyond the campus. He became a member of the Committee on Higher Education and Public Policy (COHEPP), Southern California University Pastors (SCUP), from 1971 through 1975, when California debated dramatic changes to the Master Plan for Higher Education of 1960. He became well-known as a minister and social activist in Los Angeles. He chaired and served in various capacities on community groups (Zero Pet Population Growth), ecumenical organizations (Southern California Ecumenical Council), and UCC commissions (Network for Environmental and Economic Responsibility, convener with Donald B. Clark). Beginning in 1972, Cohen participated in world population and environmental conferences, bringing with him students and church members.

Following his retirement from the ministry in 1996, he became Executive Director of the Southern California Ecumenical Council. As of 2007, he also served on the Steering Committee of California Interfaith Power and Light and as a member of the Board of the Interfaith Environmental Council.

Cohen married Ruth Ann Appley in 1954 and had four children. Following his divorce in the late seventies, Cohen married Faith Anne Sand, a religious journalist, author and CEO of Hope Publishing House.

Sources

(1) Evelina Gleaves Cohen. Family facts and fairy tales. Hope Publishing House, 1988, 126.

(2) John Dart. "Times a-Changing for Campus Ministries," Los Angeles Times, April 16, 1977, 31.

Acquisition information:
Materials were donated by Rev. Albert G. Cohen in seven shipments from October 2003 through August 2009. Additional posters (no. 142-200) received August 14, 2009. Additional materials-personal, ministerial and project related-received November 5, 2009.
Physical location:
7/F/1 -7/G/3; 3/E/top; map drawer
Rules or conventions:
Finding aid prepared using Describing Archives: a Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union 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 by the reader.

Preferred citation:

Albert G. Cohen Campus Ministry, Social Justice and Environment Collection, GTU 2003-10-02. Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA.

Location of this collection:
2400 Ridge Road
Berkeley, CA 94709, US
Contact:
(510) 649-2523/2501
archives@gtu.edu
Website