1984 Summer Olympics collection, 1984 MVC080

Finding aid prepared by Krystell Jimenez, 2022.
This finding aid was made possible in part through funding from the County of Ventura and the Heritage Fund at the Ventura County Community Foundation.
Museum of Ventura County
April 2022
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
library@venturamuseum.org


Contributing Institution: Museum of Ventura County
Title: 1984 Summer Olympics collection
Creator: Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee
Identifier/Call Number: MVC080
Physical Description: 2.41 Cubic Feet (2 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1983-1984
Abstract: The 1983 23rd Summer Olympics were largely held in Los Angeles. However, several events took place in Ventura County. Lake Casitas hosted canoeing and rowing events, which created many job and volunteer opportunities for Ventura County residents. This collection consists of items donated by several Ventura County residents who either worked at, volunteered for, or attended Olympic events. Materials consist of both official publications produced by the Olympic organizing committee, newspaper reports and clippings, memos and correspondence from staff planning for events at Lake Casitas and in Ventura County, and ephemera collected by staff and attendees.
Physical Location: Stored off-site and advance notice required for timely retrieval. Please contact the Research Library reference desk prior to your visit.
Language of Material: English .

Conditions Governing Access

COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE: Open for research. All requests to access materials must be made in advance by contacting the Research Library staff via email: library@venturamuseum.org.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Property rights to the physical object belong to the Museum of Ventura County. Literary rights, including copyright, have not been determined. Contact the Research Library for further information: library@venturamuseum.org.

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], 1984 Summer Olympics collection, (Collection MVC080), Museum of Ventura County, Research Library, Ventura, California.

Provenance/Source of Acquisition

Seth and Cynthia Ellison; gift; 1984, 1990, 1994. Barbara Sirois; gift; 1984. Roberta Cordell; gift; 2018. Faye Campbell; gift; 2018. John and Stephanie Pendleton; gift; 2004.

Processing Information

Processed by Krystell Jimenez, 2022.
Our collections are processed using MPLP methods so that we can prioritize access for users and identify potential priorities for more detailed processing. If while using our collections you think there is something that should be added or amended in the finding aid, we welcome your input. You can notify staff in the reading room or send us an email at library@venturamuseum.org. Be sure to include the collection number and name and the box number you were working with in your email.

Biographical / Historical

The 1983 23rd Summer Olympics were largely held in Los Angeles. However, several events were held in other locations throughout California. Lake Casitas hosted canoeing and rowing events, which created many job and volunteer opportunities for Ventura County residents. Cynthia Ellison was among the many volunteers. Her volunteer position for the Olympics was as a bus driver between the University of California Santa Barbara and Lake Casitas. This collection consists of items donated by several Ventura County residents who either worked at, volunteered for, or attended Olympic events at Lake Casitas. Donors include Seth and Cynthia Ellison, Barbara Sirois, Faye Campbell, and Roberta Cordell.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of both official publications produced by the Olympic organizing committee, newspaper reports and clippings, memos and correspondence from staff planning for events at Lake Casitas and in Ventura County, and ephemera collected by staff and attendees.

Organization and Arrangement

This collection is organized at the collection level with box-level description.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Olympic Games -- (23rd : 1984 : Los Angeles, Calif.)
Olympics -- Archival resources
Olympics -- Planning
Ephemera
Slides (Photography)
Photographs
Brochures
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Casitas, Lake (Calif.)
Ellison, Cynthia -- Personal archives

Box 1

Papers and ephemera 1983-1984

Scope and Contents

This box contains publications, pamphlets, maps, notes, correspondence, photographs, and ephemera related to the 1984 23rd Olympics. Publications and newsletters include The Olympic Supporter, Olympic Update (published by the Los Angeles Olympic Committee), Olympic Rundown (published by Arco), Communication Arts magazine, which contains an article on design work for Olympics, and a special issue of Sports Illustrated (Vol. 61, No. 4).
Booklets include "Opening ceremonies," "84 Olympic Villages UCSB," "Stars in Motion No. 1-6," a staff handbook, a ticket information book and order forms, and membership directories. Pamphlets include "Games of the 23rd Olympiad, Los Angeles;" "Ticket buyers guide;" "Ticket update;" "Carry the torch;" "Short-term staffing opportunities;" "Olympic countdown – 200 days to go;" "U.S. Postal Service guide to Los Angeles;" "Olympic Access TV viewers' guide;" a guide to UCLA events; equestrian sports guides; a pamphlet for the rowing competition at Lake Casitas; and an official Olympic souvenir program. There are maps for the University of California Santa Barbara campus and Olympic village, the University of Southern California, the University of California Los Angeles' Olympic village, Olympic competition and training sites, and maps published for tourists by Fuji Films.
Ephemera includes tickets, Cynthia Ellison's notes and papers related to her volunteering, Cynthia Ellison's handwritten account of the Olympic events, notes and handouts given to staff, memos for staff, calendars and proposed schedules, bumper stickers, sponsor tickets, and participants' stickers, a sheet of commemorative stickers. Additional materials include correspondence to the Ventura County Historical Museum from the Olympic Committee, and 5 boxes of photographic slides and negatives depicting the rowing events, closing ceremonies, and some unidentified images.
Box 2

Newspapers 1984

Scope and Contents

This box contains newspaper clippings and newspapers that feature reports on the 1984 23rd Olympics. This includes, but is not limited to, editions of the Villager (Nos. 1-4), Seal Beach newspaper The Journal (Vol. 17, No. 19), Olympic Neighbor News, "Olympic Record" (official daily start lists and results), The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, and the Olympic Record.