The Finding Aid of the Mary Frampton Papers 0170
Reilly Saint Amand/Anastasia Armendariz
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
June 2019
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu 90263-4786
Business Number: (310) 506-4434
Fax Number: (310) 506-4117
kelsey.knox@pepperdine.edu
Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Title: Mary Frampton Papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0170
Physical Description:
5.2 Linear Feet
(7 Hollinger Boxes, 2 large flat boxes)
Date (bulk): 1930-2007
Abstract: Mary Frampton was an award winning photographer who worked for the
Los Angeles Times for over thirty years, starting in 1956 as one of the first female staff photographers. Later in life, Frampton became deeply
involved with environmental activism in her hometown of Malibu, California, founding the Save Our Coast organization to campaign
for environmental causes. This collection contains photographs, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and other materials documenting
Mary Frampton's personal life, her professional career as a photographer, and her work with Save Our Coast.
Physical Location: Payson 260 Row 3
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was transferred to Pepperdine Libraries Special Collections and Archives from Jo Ruggles in 2018, as part of
an additional accession to the Malibu Township Council collection. It was discussed with Jo and decided that Mary Frampton's
materials should be separated and made into their own collection.
Arrangement
The Mary Frampton Papers are arranged into three series: 1. Personal Files; 2. Professional Files; 3. Save Our Coast.
Biographical / Historical
Mary Frampton was born Mary Nogueras in New York City on September 17, 1930. Her mother, Edith Hethcock Nogueras, was an award-winning
sculptor who studied with Gutzon Borglum and designed baby dolls for Horsman Doll Company. Her father, Eugenio Nogueras, was
a journalist of Puerto Rican origin. Shortly after Mary's birth, the family moved to San Bernardino, California, where her
father became editor of
El Sol de San Bernardino, a Spanish-language newspaper.
Mary Nogueras enjoyed a happy childhood, influenced by her mother's artistic talents and her father's advocacy for racial
equality. In 1947, Mary won a national "Quiz Kids" competition for her essay about racial tolerance in America. She was also
involved in her school newspaper, yearbook, and journalism clubs, while attending middle school, high school, and San Bernardino
Valley Jr College.
After receiving her associate degree in journalism in 1950, Mary worked as a photojournalist for the local San Bernardino
Sun-Telegram. She managed to snag photographs and interviews with several early Hollywood celebrities, including Jerry Lewis,
Mitzi Gaynor, and Bob Hope. She sold several of her celebrity photographs to major national magazines, such as LIFE and Photoplay.
In 1955, Mary was hired as Assistant Director of Publicity for the newly opened Beverly Hilton Hotel and in 1956, Mary became
one of the first female staff photographers at the Los Angeles Times.
Mary worked for the L.A. Times for over thirty years, earning many accolades and awards for her photography. In 1966, Mary
won the Penney-Missouri Journalism Award for Women's Page Photographer of the Year, the first ever given in that category.
All of the runners up were men. Mary also met her husband, editor Robert Frampton, while working for the L.A. Times. They
married in 1957. Mary's many decades of work for the Times can now be found in the Los Angeles Times Photographs Collection
at the UCLA Library.
Mary retired in the mid-1980s, but she quickly put her journalism skills and connections to good use for her home of Malibu,
California, where she'd lived since 1970. Disturbed by the pollution along Malibu's coast, and particularly L.A. County's
proposal to build sewers in Malibu, Mary took action and co-founded Save Our Coast in 1987 with activist and Malibu Township
Council member Jo Ruggles. Save Our Coast led protests, funded environmental impact reports and scientific research, lobbied
Malibu politicians to take action, and raised awareness of environmental issues in local communities. In 1989, Save Our Coast
partnered with Shakey's Pizza in a city-wide contest for elementary schools. Hundreds of students submitted posters and essays
explaining why every person has a responsibility to care for our oceans. Mary also helped found Malibu Dolphin Watch, which
led to Resolution No. 92-88, declaring Malibu a "Human-Dolphin shared environment." She was also passionate in her efforts
to create a marine sanctuary off the coast of Malibu. Mary was involved in the campaign for Malibu cityhood, and served on
the City of Malibu Celebration Committee in 1991.
In 1993, the Malibu Times honored Mary Frampton with a Dolphin Award for her work with Save Our Coast, and in 2004, the City
of Malibu nominated Mary for L.A. County's Older American Recognition Day. Mary passed away from natural causes in 2007, leaving
behind a legacy of unique photography and environmental advocacy.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], Mary Frampton Papers, Collection no. 0170, Malibu Historical Collection, Special Collections and
University Archives, University Libraries, Pepperdine University.
Processing Information
This collection was arranged and described by Reilly Saint Amand, June 2019.
Scope and Contents
This collection contains materials from the life and work of Mary Nogueras Frampton, photographer and Malibu environmental
activist. Materials related to Mary's personal life include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, yearbooks, memorabilia
from Mary's travels, items from Mary's memorial service, and items related to Mary's parents and husband. Materials from Mary's
professional life include photographs and negatives, press passes, newspaper clippings, awards and honors, and issues of the
L.A. Times internal employee newspaper. Materials related to the Save Our Coast organization include posters and artwork, environmental
reports, correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, and official City of Malibu documentation.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright restrictions may apply.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Articles
Campaigns
Clippings
Correspondence
Ephemera
Environmental activism in Los Angeles
Malibu (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century
Newspapers
Photographs
Photography -- Negatives
Women -- California -- History
Series 1:
Personal Files
Arrangement
Series 1: Personal Files are arranged in alphabetical order.
Scope and Contents
Series 1: Personal Files contain materials from Mary Nogueras Frampton's personal life. Many materials belonged to Mary's
mother, sculptor Edith Hethcock Nogueras, including old family photographs, correspondence with family and her husband, Eugenio
Nogueras, sketches, memorabilia, and an official patent for a hydrofoil device. Mary Frampton's childhood and adolescence
and are also well documented through photographs, newspaper clippings, and school materials. Items from Frampton's later life
include photographs, largely of her husband, Robert Frampton, their dogs and various homes together, as well as hand-drawn
holiday cards and albums from Mary's memorial service.
box 1, folder 1
Correspondence - Family
1930 June - 1965 September
box 1, folder 2-4
Correspondence from Eugenio Nogueras
1946 December - 1951 December
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 December 5
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 December 2
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 28
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 22
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 15
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 14
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1941 November 7
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 5
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 November 2
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 26
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 22
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 16
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 15
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 15
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 October 8
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 September 10
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 31
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 25
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 22
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 16
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 6
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 August 3
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 July 23
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 July 19
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 July 16
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 June 18
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 May 25
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 March 30
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 March 23
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 March 13
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1951 February 26
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1947 February 13
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1947 February 3
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1947 January 15
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1947 January 14
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1947 January 10
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1946 December 29
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1946 December 31
From Eugenio Nogueras to Edith Nogueras
1945 July 21
box 1, folder 5
Edith Hethcock Nogueras
1923 March - 1948
box 7, folder 1
Edith Hethcock Nogueras' Patent
1965
box 1, folder 6
Eugenio Nogueras
1936 August
box 1, folder 7
Holiday Cards
1994 - 1996
box 1, folder 8
Mary Nogueras Frampton Memorial Album
1963 - 2007 January
Processing Information
These materials were originally in a binder and were removed for preservation concerns.
box 2, folder 1
Memorial Service Program
2007 January 27
box 2, folder 2
New York Ephemera
1926 September - 1945 June
box 2, folder 3
Newspaper clippings
1993 - 2007
box 2, folder 4
Nogueras Family album
1933 - 1952
Processing Information
These materials were originally in an album and were removed for preservation concerns.
box 2, folder 5
Older American Recognition Day Program
2004 May 26
box 2, folder 6
Photographs - Friends, Pets and Homes
1960s - 2000s
box 2, folder 7
Photographs - Family
1910s - 1970s
box 2, folder 8
Photographs - Family & Childhood (album)
1930s - 1950s
Processing Information
These materials were originally in an album and were removed for preservation concerns.
box 2, folder 9
Photographs - Framed
1920s - 1950s
box 7, folder 2
Photographs (Oversize)
1969 - 1979
box 2, folder 10
Research Study on Puerto Ricans Survey
1950s
box 3, folder 1
Robert Frampton
1937 - 1952
box 3, folder 2
San Bernardino High School Yearbook (The Tyro)
1948
box 3, folder 3
San Bernardino Valley College Yearbook (Tom Tom)
1949
box 3, folder 4
School Materials
1944 December - 1958 February
box 3, folder 5
South Dakota Tourism Brochure
1950s
box 3, folder 6
U.S. Congressional Record
1948 January 8
box 8, folder 1
Address Book, Journal, and Checkbook
1919, 1924
box 8, folder 2
Correspondence - Family
1927-1951
box 8, folder 3
Deeds, Royalty Documents, and Ephemera
1920s
box 8, folder 4
Family Correspondence and Photographs
1919-1948
box 9
Notebook
1920s
Scope and Contents
This box contains a notebook that Mary's mother, Edith, used while studying with Gutzon Borglum.
Series 2:
Professional Files
Arrangement
Series 2: Professional Files are arranged alphabetically.
Scope and Contents
Series 2: Professional Files contain materials related to Mary Nogueras Frampton's work as a photographer. The majority of
the materials date from Frampton's early career at the San Bernardino Sun-Telegram, including a substantial portfolio of her
photographs and articles. Also included are correspondence, press passes, awards and honors, magazines featuring Frampton's
work, and cartoons presumably drawn by fellow staff at the paper about Frampton. There are also several issues of "Among Ourselves,"
the
box 3, folder 7
"Among Ourselves" - L.A. Times Employee Newspaper
1965 February - 1986 March
box 3, folder 8
Awards and Honors
1947 - 2006
box 4, folder 1
Cartoons about Mary
1970s
box 4, folder 2
Correspondence
1964 May - 1966 November
box 7, folder 3
Dennis the Menace Drawing
box 4, folder 3
L.A. Times Biography
1970s
box 7
LIFE Magazine
1959 August 17
box 7
LOOK Magazine
1959 September 29
box 4, folder 4
Newspaper Clippings
1948 March - 1986 September
box 4, folder 5
Penney-Missouri Journalism Awards
1964 - 1966
box 4, folder 6
Photographs
1950s - 1980s
box 7, folder 4
Photographs (Oversize)
1954 - 1980
box 4, folder 8-10
Professional Portfolio Album
1949 - 1967
Processing Information
These materials were originally in an album and were removed for preservation concerns.
Series 3:
Save Our Coast
Arrangement
Series 3: Save Our Coast is arranged alphabetically. When possible, folder titles are taken from Frampton's original folder
titles.
Scope and Contents
Series Three: Save Our Coast features materials from Mary Frampton's time directing this organization to advocate for various environmental causes in Malibu. Frampton was particularly interested in establishing a Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Malibu, but she was also involved
in many other causes, such as cleaning up the Malibu watershed and Lagoon, preventing L.A. County from building sewers in
Malibu, fighting for Malibu cityhood, campaigning to free Keiko (the orca used in the film
Free Willy), defending dolphins and sea life in general, and educating schoolchildren about the importance of caring for the environment.
This series contains correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings, reports, artwork and memorabilia reflecting Frampton's
involvement with these causes. Notably, this series contains posters and essays created by elementary school children in 1989
as part of a city-wide contest promoting awareness around protecting coastal ecosystems.
box 5, folder 1
Abstracts and Articles about Ocean Health
1992
box 5, folder 2
Abstracts and Articles about Ocean Health (Malibu City Copy)
1992
box 7, folder 5
Barrie Nelson Artwork
1990s
box 5, folder 3
"Building the Good Life" Meeting
1992 - 1993
box 7, folder 7
City of Malibu Resolutions
1992 January - 1993 March
box 5, folder 4
Community Service Award
1991 March 28
box 5, folder 5
Correspondence
1987 - 1992
box 5, folder 6
Defend the Bay Report Book
1996 April
box 10, folder 1
Essay Contest Entries
1989
box 6, folder 1
Floodway Issue
1994 January - 1995 December
box 6, folder 3
Jeffrey, Francis
1991 - 1996
box 6, folder 4
Malibu Dolphin Watch
1991 April - 1997 October
box 6, folder 5
Malibu Independence Day Commemorative Journal
1991 March 28
box 6, folder 6
Malibu Regional Sewer System FAQ
1986 November 14
box 6, folder 7
Malibu Resolution and Marine Sanctuary
1988 September - 1992 February
box 6, folder 8
Move the Tower Protest
1993 - 1994
box 6, folder 9
Newspaper Clippings
1987 October - 1999 February
box 7, folder 8
Newspaper Clippings (Oversize)
1988 - 1996
box 6, folder 10
Ojai Valley Land Conservancy
2000
box 6, folder 11
Overview of Wetland Opportunities - Malibu Creek Watershed
1989 August
box 6, folder 4
Photographs
1990s - 2000s
box 6, folder 12
Rose Garden at Malibu City Hall
1995 - 1997
box 10, folder 2
Santa Monica Bay Restoration Project - Wetland Inventory and Restoration Potential
1993 January
Save Our Coast Banner
1980s - 1990s
box 10, folder 3
Save Our Coast Logo Masters
1991 - 2007
box 10, folder 4
Save Our Coast Publicity
1988 - 1992
box 7, folder 9
Save Our Coast and Malibu Dolphin Watch Posters
1980s - 1990s
map-case 7
Save Our Coast Posters Made by Children
1989-1990s
box 10, folder 5
Star Magazine Article
1993 April 6
box 10, folder 6
Watershed and Lagoon Pipe
1989 - 1994
