Finding aid of the Clark P. Polak Papers
Loni Shibuyama
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
909 West Adams Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90007
Phone: (213) 741-0094
Fax: (213) 741-0220
Email: askone@onearchives.org
URL: http://www.onearchives.org
© 2008
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.
Finding aid of the Clark P. Polak Papers
Collection number: Coll 2008-028
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives
Los Angeles,
California
- Processed by:
- Loni Shibuyama
- Date Completed:
- June 6, 2008
- Encoded by:
- Loni Shibuyama
© 2008 ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives. All rights reserved.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant
from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Descriptive Summary
Title: Clark P. Polak papers
Dates: 1964-1980
Collection number: Coll2008-028
Creator:
Polak, Clark P., 1937-1980
Collection Size: 1 archive carton.
0.2 linear feet.
Repository:
ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Correspondence, legal papers, notes, printed
ephemera and other material from activist and businessman Clark P. Polak.
Polak was an influential activist in the Philadelphia gay community throughout
the 1960s, who in 1963 became president of the homophile organization, Janus
Society. He also created, published and edited the Society's widely-circulated
magazine,
Drum. By 1970, Polak relocated to Los
Angeles, where he became a real estate investor and art collector. In addition,
he continued to be an activist in the gay movement and helped to establish the
Stonewall Democratic Club and the Gay Rights Chapter of the ACLU.
Languages: Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access
restrictions.
Publication Rights
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).
Preferred Citation
Clark P. Polak papers, Coll2008-028, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives,
Los Angeles, California.
Acquisition Information
Donor and date of acquisition unknown.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama,
June 6, 2008.
Processing this collection has been funded
by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records
Commission.
Biography
Born on October 15, 1937, Clark Phillip Polak grew up in a Jewish
middle-class family in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After dropping out of
Pennsylvania State University, Polak became a businessman and owner of
Frankford Personnel and Northeast Advertising Service.
An active and outspoken member of the Philadelphia gay community, Polak
joined the homophile group, Janus Society, in 1962, and was elected the
organization's president in 1963. As Janus Society's president, he was largely
responsible for building the Society's reputation as more politically
aggressive, publicly visible and sexually liberated than other homophile groups
of that period. In addition, he created, published and edited the Society's
monthly magazine,
Drum, one of the most widely circulated LGBT
magazines in the 1960s.
Outside of the Janus Society, Polak continued to own publishing and book
service businesses, which produced and distributed pornographic materials.
Because of his businesses and his contentious personality, Polak often had
confrontations with local law enforcement and subsequently moved to California
after being arrested on federal obscenity charges in 1969. He relocated to Los
Angeles where he became a real estate investor and art collector, and he
continued to be activist in the gay community. In Southern California, he
helped to establish the Stonewall Democratic Club and the Gay Rights Chapter of
the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
By the late 1970s, Polak developed problems with hustlers, drugs and
money. He committed suicide in September 1980.
Source: Stein, Marc. "Polak, Clark."
Encyclopedia of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender History in America
. 3 vols. Marc Stein, Ed. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons: Thomson Gale, 2003. 388-389.
Scope and Content
This collection comprises correspondence, legal papers, notes, printed
ephemera and other material created or collected by businessman and gay
activist Clark P. Polak. The majority of the material dates in the 1970s and
documents his activities in Los Angeles and its gay community, such as his
participation in the Stonewall Democratic Club and the legal committee of the
Gay Rights Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union. Also included are
legal papers from his real estate investments and miscellaneous
correspondence.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this
collection in the library's online public access catalog.
ACLU of Southern California Lesbian
& Gay Rights Chapter
Gay activists
Gay liberation
movement--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia
Gay liberation
movement--California--Los Angeles
Gays--California--History
Gays--Pennsylvania--History
Janus Society
Janus Society of
America
Janus Society of Delaware
Valley
Polak, Clark P., 1937-1980
Stonewall Democratic Club
Related Material
Janus Society Records, Coll2008-027, ONE National Gay & Lesbian
Archives, Los Angeles, California
Box 1 : 1
ACLU Gay Rights Chapter
1976 - 1977
Box 1 : 2
ACLU Gay Rights Chapter Legal Committee
1976
Box 1 : 3
Correspondence
1964 - 1980
Box 1 : 4
Handwritten Notes
Undated
Box 1 : 5
Legal Papers - Real Estate
1976 - 1977
Box 1 : 6
Stonewall Democratic Club & Gay Caucus
Flyers
1977
Box 1 : 7
Stonewall Democratic Club Correspondence
1977
Box 1 : 8
Miscellaneous
1976 - 1979