Alice Simon collection on the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America

The Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America (now Sokol USA), was established in 1896 as a non-sectarian fraternal benefit society that offered insurance and social and athletic programs to its members. The Alice Simon collection on the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America, 1934-1987, undated (bul...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Simon, Alice 1909-1998 (Creator)
Collection:Alice Simon Collection On the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America
Collection Number:3497
Format: Manuscript
Language:English
Subjects:
Online Access:Link to finding aid
Physical Description: 2.21 Linear feet ; 6 boxes, 7 volumes
Access: The collection is open for research.
Summary: The Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America (now Sokol USA), was established in 1896 as a non-sectarian fraternal benefit society that offered insurance and social and athletic programs to its members. The Alice Simon collection on the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America, 1934-1987, undated (bulk 1975-1985), contains minutes, financial records, newsletters, correspondence, bylaws, printed material, and various objects related to the Slovak Gymnastic Union of America as well as one of the branch sokols: the Byram, Connecticut lodge. A portion of the collection also documents the Sokol Woodlands, a Sokol USA-sponsored summer camp held in Barryville, New York.
The Alice Simon collection on the Slovak Gymnastic Union Sokol of America contains materials related to the Slovak Gymnastic Union of America, now Sokol USA. It also includes materials connected to the Byram lodge in Connecticut and the Sokol Woodlands summer camp in Barryville, New York. At some point, Ms. Simon merged her papers with those of Ms. Bessie W. Erhardt, Co-Chairperson of the Ways and Means Committee for Sokol USA. Ms. Erhardt’s papers included financial records and correspondence that are mostly intermingled with Ms. Simon’s papers. The bulk of the collection relates to the national organization, Sokol USA. Series I includes the organization's bylaws, meeting minutes, and convention summaries. Meeting minutes for the Byram lodge are also included in this series. Series II contains correspondence to and/or from members of Sokol USA's Ways and Means Committee of which Ms. Simon was Treasurer. The correspondence largely focuses on the organization's fund raising efforts. Series III contains both Sokol USA's and Byram lodge's financial records. The financial records for both organizations are incomplete. However, some records of donations made, dues paid, invoices, miscellaneous expenses, and bank account totals are included. Series IV contains a variety of printed matter that the organization generated including flyers, pamphlets, and booklets that describe events and other activities. Also in this series are travel brochures connected to places where the organization held conventions and events. Series V contains information about the organization's slets (exhibition events for members to show off their athletic skills) including rules, scripts, and results. Series VI contains materials from Sokol Woodlands, a Sokol USA-sponsored summer camp in Barryville, NY that was in use from 1964 until 2008. Woodlands materials include programming material, minutes, financial notes, pamphlets, newsletters, and ephemera dating from the late 1970s to the 1980s. Finally, Series VII contains several artifacts including a set of patches and a plaque each from a different slet.