Finding aid of the Kenneth L. Wiederhold 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 Kenneth L. Wiederhold Papers

Collection number: Coll2007-018

ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives

Los Angeles, California
Processed by:
Loni Shibuyama
Date Completed:
December 29, 2007
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: Kenneth L. Wiederhold papers
Dates: 1951 - 1995
Bulk Dates: 1962 - 1994
Collection number: Coll2007-018
Creator: Wiederhold, Kenneth L., 1946-1995
Collection Size: 6 archive cartons + 1 banker's box + 19 scrapbook album boxes (10 linear feet).
Repository: ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives.
Los Angeles, California 90007
Abstract: Journals and scrapbooks containing photographs, gift cards, newspaper clippings, textiles, ephemera, handwritten notes, and miscellaneous typescripts documenting the life of Kenneth L. Wiederhold, a gay man from Michigan who became an active participant in the Los Angeles gay community from the 1970s through the 1990s. Most of the scrapbooks were compiled by Wiederhold himself, ranging from his early childhood in 1950's Michigan to his death from AIDS in 1995. Some scrapbooks, however, were compiled by a family member or friend after his death. The materials document such events as Wiederhold's time in the Researve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) at Michigan State University, vacations and gatherings, participation in gay organizations such as SAGA and the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center, and his wedding to Drew Staffen in 1994.
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

Kenneth L. Wiederhold papers, Coll2007-018, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Acquisition Information

Gift of the Kenneth L. Wiederhold Trust, April 17, 1996.

Processing Information

Collection processed by Loni Shibuyama, December 29, 2007.
Processing this collection has been funded by a generous grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Biography

Kenneth L. Wiederhold was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on January 26, 1946, the fourth child of Henry and Freda Wiederhold. He graduated from Creston High School, where he participated in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC), in 1964. After graduating from Michigan State University in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration, Wiederhold moved to Los Angeles, where he worked for Blue Cross, and, from the late 1970s, for Citi-Corp Bank, where he rose to the rank of Vice President. In 1977, he enrolled at Pepperdine University, from which he received an MA in Psychology in 1981. Wiederhold and his then partner became involved with EST (Erhard Seminars Training) and the Advocate Experience in the late 1970s, and later were very active with the Recreation Committee of SAGA (Gay Ski, Snowboard and Social Club), of which Wiederhold served as Vice President in 1984-1985 and President in 1985-1986. He was also later involved with the funding and remodeling of the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. After several long-term relationships, in 1994, Wiederhold met Drew Staffen, whom he married at their Los Angeles home in September of that year in front of friends and family. Wiederhold died of AIDS on July 22, 1995.
Source: Ron Morse, Box #24, 1995 Scrapbook, Kenneth L. Wiederhold Papers, ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives, Los Angeles, California.

Scope and Content of Collection

This collection consists of journals and scrapbooks created by Kenneth L. Wiederhold, a gay man from Michigan who became a businessman and an active participant in the Los Angeles gay community from the 1970s through the 1990s. The earliest materials in the collection date from his childhood in Michigan in the 1950s, and the latest materials come from his memorial after his death in 1995. The collection is divided into two series: (1) Journals and (2) Scrapbooks. The materials document events relevant to Wiederhold's life, including his time in the ROTC at Michigan State University, his participation in the Los Angeles gay community, and his wedding to Drew Staffen in 1994.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.
Gay Community Services Center (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Gay/Lesbian Community Services Center
Gays--California--Los Angeles
Homosexuality--Social Aspects
L. A. Gay & Lesbian Center
Same-sex marriage
Staffen, Drew
United States--Army--Reserve Officers' Training Corps
Wiederhold, Kenneth L., 1946-1995


Box: 22 - 24

Series 1.  Journals 1978 - 1994

Physical Description: 0.9 linear feet

Series Scope and Content

This series consists of daily journals written by Kenneth Wiederhold, dating from 1978 to 1994. They are arranged chronologically.
Box 22

1978

Box 22

1979

Box 22

1980

Box 23

1981

Box 23

1982

Box 23

1983

Box 23

1984

Box 24

1985

Box 24

1986

Box 24

1987

Box 24

1988

Box 24

1989

Box 24

1990

Box 24

1991

Box 24

1992

Box 24

1993

Box 24

1994

Box: 1 - 21

Series 2.  Scrapbooks 1951 - 1995

Physical Description: 9.1 linear feet

Series Scope and Content

This series consists of scrapbooks compiled by Wiederhold or by a member of his family or friends. The scrapbooks contain photographs, gift cards, newspaper clippings, textiles, ephemera, handwritten notes and miscellaneous typescripts relevant to Wiederhold's life. The earliest materials date from Wiederhold's childhood in Michigan in the 1950s, and the latest materials come from his memorial after his death in 1995. The scrapbooks are arranged chronologically.
Box 1

1951 - 1964

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 2

1962 - 1964

Physical Description: 3 scrapbooks
Box 3

1964 - 1976

Physical Description: 1 scrapbook
Box 21 : 1 - 6

Michigan State University (MSU) Album 1964 - 1965

Box 4

1977

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 5

1978

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 6

1979

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 7

1980

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 8

1981

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 9

1982

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 10

1983

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 11

1984

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 12

1985

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 13

1986

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 14

1987

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 15

1988

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 16

1989

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 17

1990

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 18

1991

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 19

1992

Physical Description: 2 scrapbooks
Box 20

1993

Physical Description: 1 scrapbook
Box 20

1994

Physical Description: 1 scrapbook
Box 21 : 7

Ken Wiederhold & Drew Staffen Wedding Album September 4, 1994

Box 20

1995

Physical Description: 1 scrapbook
Box 21 : 8

Untitled b&w photograph found loose Undated