Bob Bersson Papers, 1981-2017 *JMU Faculty Papers*
Summary Information
- Repository:
- Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University
- Creator:
- Robert Bersson (Bob)
- Title:
- Bob Bersson Papers
- Collection No.:
- SC 0272
- Date:
- 1981-2017
- Extent:
- 4 boxes, 3 VHS, 31 audiocassettes, 2 3.5" floppy disks, 1.22 Cubic Feet
- Language of the Material:
- English
- Abstract:
- The Bob Bersson Papers, 1981-2017, are comprised of documents and media related to Bersson's work as a community activist in Harrisonburg, and professor of art at James Madison University. It contains Bersson's professional papers, material related to the Citizens for Downtown organization, Taxpayers against Golf Spending (TAGS), WMRA's "Our Little Radio Show," and images of downtown Harrisonburg and JMU Campus.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [box#, folder #], Bob Bersson Papers, 1981-2017, SC 0272, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Bio/Historical Note
Bob Bersson was a professor of Art at James Madison University from 1983 until his retirement in 2003. He taught modern and contemporary art history, art criticism, aesthetics, and art appreciation. He wrote two art history/art appreciation text books: "Worlds of Art," published by Mayfield in 1991, and "Responding to Art," published by McGraw-Hill in 2004. Bersson founded the Interfaith Initiative for Peace and Justice in Harrisonburg, and remains active in local interfaith activities. In 2016, Bersson served as visiting Jewish Scholar for the Center for Interfaith Engagement at Eastern Mennonite University.
Scope and Content
The collection is comprised of documents and media related to Robert Bersson's work as an art professor at JMU and community organizer in Harrisonburg, Virginia. It is arranged into four series: Citizens for Downtown (CFD) in Harrisonburg, Taxpayers against Golf Spending (TAGS), WMRA "Our Little Radio Show," and Professional Papers.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into 4 series:
Series 1: Citizens for Downtown (CFD), 1989-2017
Subseries 1: Administrative Files, 1989-2017
Subseries 2: Subject Files, 1989-2017
Series 2: Taxpayers against Golf Spending (TAGS), 1992-2002
Series 3: WMRA "Our Little Radio Show," 1987-1988
Series 4: Professional Papers, 1991-2004
Administrative Information
Access Restrictions
Collection open to research. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).
Acquisition Information
Items were donated by Bob Bersson in five separate accessions between 2014 and 2018.
Processing Information
Duplicate copies of materials were discarded. Newspaper clippings related to the JMU Faculty and restructuring were returned to donor. A large number of 3.5 inch floppy discs and zip discs which contain drafts of Bersson's two books, "Worlds of Art," published by Mayfield Publishing Company in 1991, and "Responding to Art: Form, Content and Context," published by McGraw Hill in 2003, as well as other academic work, were returned to the donor.
Cassette tapes containing WMRA recordings of "Our Little Radio Show" were digitized and returned to the donor. In January 2019, 770+ slides from Series 1: Citizens for Downtown (CFD), 1989-2017 were inventoried, photographed, and rehoused. The original slide cases, slide boxes, and slide carousels were photographed and discarded.
Location
Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University
880 Madison DriveMSC 1704Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807library-special@jmu.eduURL: https://www.lib.jmu.edu/special/
Related Materials
Related Materials
Common Ground Records, 1983-2000, SC 0126, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Index Terms
Genre and Form
- Membership lists
- Reports
- Letters (correspondence)
- Floppy Discs
- Color slides
- Slides (photographs)
- VHS
- Maps (documents)
- Newspaper clippings
Personal Name
- Robert Bersson (Bob)
Subject
- Art -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States
- Art appreciation -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- United States
- Religions -- Relations
- Community organizations -- Virginia -- Harrisonburg
- Citizens' associations -- Virginia -- Harrisonburg
- Social action -- Virginia -- Harrisonburg
- James Madison University. Department of Art
- James Madison University. School of Art and Art History
- James Madison University. School of Art
Collection Inventory
Series 1: Citizens for Downtown, 1989–2017ArrangementArranged into two subseries: Administrative Files, 1989-2017, arranged chronologically, and Subject Files, 1989-2017, arranged alphabetically.
The Citizens for Downtown files contain meeting minutes, correspondence, financial reports, newspaper clippings, speeches, membership information, advertisements, and slides related to the historic preservation and revitalization of downtown Harrisonburg. A summary of the history of CFD and the Blacks Run clean-up and restoration project, written by Bob Bersson, can be found in Box 1:8. The series contains 771 slides with images of Harrisonburg, James Madison University, Rockingham County, and other locales in Virginia and the Northeast. Specific locations include images of downtown Harrisonburg, Hillandale Park, Black's Run, Purcell Park, and JMU buildings and campus. One slide container was labelled, "Good Models for Downtown Development," and contained images of Charlottesville, Roanoke, Richmond, Alexandria, among other locales. Another slide case was labelled, JMU Architecture, 1909-2003. The series also contains three VHS tapes with interviews of Bersson related to Harrisonburg downtown revitalization, as well as two 3.5 inch floppy discs labelled, "Citizens for Downtown." |
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Subseries 1: Administrative Files, 1989–2017 |
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| Title/Description | Instances | ||
| Prehistory of Citizens for Downtown, 1981-1989, undated | Box 1 | Folder 1 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 1, 1989, undated | Box 1 | Folder 2 | |
| Bob Bersson Notebook, 1989–1990 | |||
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 2, 1990 | Box 1 | Folder 3 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 3, 1991 | Box 1 | Folder 4 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 4, 1992–1994 | Box 1 | Folder 5 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 5, 1995–2000 | Box 1 | Folder 6 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 6, 2004, 2006 | Box 1 | Folder 7 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Narrative and Blacks Run Clean-up Narratives, 2014, 2017 | Box 1 | Folder 8 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 7, undated | Media Cabinet 1 | 3.5 Floppy Disk SC0272-FL3-001 | |
| Citizens for Downtown Documents 8, undated | Media Cabinet 1 | 3.5 Floppy Disk SC0272-FL3-002 | |
Subseries 2: Subject Files, 1989–2017 |
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| Title/Description | Instances | ||
| Architectural Awards, 1990-2002, undated | Box 1 | Folder 9 | |
| Blacks Run Restoration Project Documents, 1989–2003 | Box 1 | Folder 10 | |
| Blacks Run Restoration Project Photos, ca. 1992 | Box 1 | Folder 11 | |
| Blacks Run Restoration Project Newspaper Clippings, 1990–2017 | Box 1 | Folder 12 | |
| Fridays on the Square, 1992–2013 | Box 1 | Folder 13 | |
| Gallery Walk, 1989–1990 | Box 1 | Folder 14 | |
| Downtown revitalization, WHSV TV, ca. 1981 | Media Cabinet 1 | VHS SC0272-VHS-001 | |
| Identity Crisis, WVPT, September 7, 1989 | Media Cabinet 1 | VHS SC0272-VHS-002 | |
| Citizens for Downtown on TV3 News, 1989 | Media Cabinet 1 | VHS SC0272-VHS-003 | |
| Slides of Downtown Harrisonburg, Blacks Run, and JMU campus, c. 1981-2005
The box contains 781 slides with images taken by and compiled by Bob Bersson. The slides depict buildings in downtown Harrisonburg; the Blacks Run River area; Hillendale Park, Harrisonburg; JMU campus and buildings; Bridgewater, Dayton, Citizens for Downtown activities; and various historic districts in northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Boston, Maryland, and other locales. A complete inventory of the slides is available upon request. |
Box 4 | ||
Series 2: Taxpayers Against Golf Spending (TAGS), 1992-2002ArrangementArranged chronologically.
TAGS is comprised reports, memos, maps, studies, advertisements, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and audio recordings related to a campaign against the Harrisonburg City Council's plans to build a municipal golf course in the Hillandale Park in Harrisonburg. The organization eventually formed the Citizens of Harrisonburg Advocating New Government for the Electorate (CHANGE) in 2000, who endorsed three candidates for city council -- Dorn Peterson, Carolyn Frank, and Joe Fitzgerald – all of whom were elected in May 2000. Three audiocassettes contain interviews with individuals in 2002 regarding their involvement with TAGS. |
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| Title/Description | Instances | ||
| Harrisonburg Golf Course Feasability study, 1992 | box 2 | Folder 1 | |
| Studies and Reports by City of Harrisonburg, 1994–2000 | box 2 | Folder 2 | |
| Advertisements, 1999 | box 2 | Folder 3 | |
| Correspondence, 1999 | box 2 | Folder 4 | |
| Financial Analysis of Golf Course, 1999 | box 2 | Folder 5 | |
| Newspaper clippings, 1999 | box 2 | Folder 6 | |
| Correspondence, 2000 | box 2 | Folder 7 | |
| Newspaper clippings, 2000 | box 2 | Folder 8 | |
| CHANGE Campaign Material, 2000 | box 3 | Folder 1 | |
| CHANGE Documents, 2000–2002 | box 3 | Folder 2 | |
| Ben Fordney recording , May 17, 2002 | Media Cabinet 1 | Audiocassette SC0272-CS-030 | |
| Warren Dillenbeck recording, May 19, 2002 | Media Cabinet 1 | Audiocassette SC0272-CS-029 | |
| Carolyn Frank recording, May 27, 2002 | Media Cabinet 1 | Audiocassette SC0272-CS-031 | |
Series 3: WMRA - Our Little Radio Show, 1987–1988
The series, "Our Little Radio Show," contains documents and audio recordints related to a variety show co-founded by Bersson in 1987, and hosted at JMU. Audio cassettes with episodes of the show have been digitized and returned to Bersson. |
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| Title/Description | Instances | ||
| Our Little Radio Show Documents, 1987 | Box 3 | Folder 3 | |
| Our Little Radio Show Documents, March 3, 1987, undated
Comprised of photographs of a document with a list of Our Little Radio Show programs and dates, and an image of the article, "Show Prepares for Airwaves: 'Our Little Radio Show' Runs Through its Paces," Daily News Record, March 3, 1987. |
Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| April '87 Fundraiser with Our Little Radio Show excerpts, April 1, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Dominion Express, Mother's Day Show, May 10, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Joyce Breeden and Steve Parks, May 17, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Nick Whitmer, Mel and Karen Lee, May 24, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Rick Richardson & Steve Edick, May 31, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Crooked Run String Band, June 7, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Klezmer, Musikante, June 14, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Klezmer, Musikante, June 14, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Belzona Blues Revue, June 21, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show Windfall History, June 28, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Roy Bookbinder, July 12, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Mandelay, July 19, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Wanda Hardy and the Hardy Boys, August 2, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Gary Green and Rick Harris, August 9, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Philips and Glick and George Craft, August 16, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Steve Speakman, October 4, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Reverand Billy C. Wertz (partial), October 25, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Joyce Breeden; Our Front Porch with Nancy Griffith, November 15, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show, Christmas Show with Boffo, December 20, 1987 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Robin and Linda Williams, January 17, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Michael Geddes, February 7, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Cabin Fever, Valentines Day (Side A), February 14, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with John D'Earth and Robert Jospe, February 21, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Peter and Debby Hunter, February 28, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Eddie Adcock, March 6, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Joyce Breeden, Steve Parks and Two-Gun Terry, March 13, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Wanda and the White Boys, March 27, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Windfall, April 10, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Kirk Edwards, April 17, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
| Our Little Radio Show with Heartland, May 1, 1988 | Digital-materials SC0272-SET-001 | ||
Series 4: Professional Papers, 1991–2004
Professional Papers contain the papers and media created by Bersson during his tenure as a professor of Art at James Madison University. There are two folders contain documents related to significant and controversial restructuring under the Carrier Administration in 1993. Files include comments made by President Carrier during a JMU Faculty Senate Meeting in October 14, 1993, as well as other articles and reports related to faculty governance and structure. |
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| Title/Description | Instances | ||
| AAUP Committee Documents, 1993 | Box 3 | Folder 4 | |
| Faculty Senate Documents, 1993–2007 | Box 3 | Folder 5 | |