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.)
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 organizations 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 Chapters constitution and by-laws,
meeting minutes, agendas, newsletters, membership directories, and four scrapbooks assembled by the organizations 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.
Box 1:1
Constitution and by-laws
1959-1962
Box 1:3
Minutes and agendas
1966-1970
Box 1:6
Membership directory
1961-1971
Box 1:9
Luncheon invitations
1979-1980
Box 1:10
Newspaper clippings
1961-1980
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