Tag Archives: digital library of tobacco documents

New Tobacco Control Archives Project Archivist

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Edith Martinez, our former intern who has been assisting with the NHPRC project to process the AIDS History Project newly acquired collections, has joined the archives team as a part-time Project Archivist for the Tobacco Control Archives.

The Tobacco Control Archives (TCA) was established in 1994 with the initial support from the University of California Tobacco Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP), the Centers for Disease Control, and private funding.  The TCA serves as a major resource for public policy research. The Project Archivist is responsible for processing the TCA collections stored onsite and offsite. Over the past twenty years, the UCSF Archives & Special Collections has amassed an extensive collection of organizational records of government agencies and activist groups, as well as papers of individuals active in tobacco control. Currently TCA contains almost 100 collection titles, however only 40 of them are cataloged and even fewer are fully processed. The Project Archivist will arrange and describe the remaining unprocessed material, create or update finding aids, upload them to the Online Archive of California, create catalog records, and update the TCA section on the archives website.

Tobacco Industry Sponsorship of the Olympics: A Dive into the UCSF Truth Tobacco Industry Documents

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This post highlights just a few of the over 14 million tobacco industry documents contained in the UCSF Truth Tobacco Industry Documents, a division of the UCSF Archives.

Could a sporting event like the Olympics ever equate with smoking? The games summon images of stamina, health, fortitude and strength, and for decades, the tobacco industry worked diligently to affiliate themselves with this major sporting event. Olympic games draw millions of eyes and the promotion and marketing opportunities were gold for the tobacco companies.

In 1936, RJ Reynolds’ Camel brand used Olympic speed skater Kit Klein to advertise the purported health effects of smoking on digestion:

Since 1988, each Olympic Games has adopted a tobacco-free policy but the tobacco industry has continued to create indirect associations in an effort to be connected with not only Olympic ideals but the worldwide platform the Games provide.

The Olympics as a powerful promotional tool: A 1980s memo in our British American Tobacco (BAT) records indicates executives considered the Olympics second only to Formula One motor racing as an effective sports-based “marketing platform.”  Into the 1990s, BAT affiliate UZBAT proudly proclaimed BAT sponsorship of Lina Cheryazova, 1994 Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle skiing; and a 1992 memo between BAT and Singapore Tobacco Company, Korea, notes proposed Olympic team sponsorship in Thailand is illegal but ‘primary’ sponsors have been used as cover in the past.

The tobacco companies were so heavily invested in advertising and marketing around sporting events they could not risk censure from athletes. In a 1988 statement by Greg Louganis regarding tobacco sponsorship, the Olympian confessed, “I had become a slave to a tobacco company…Philip Morris representatives made it very clear that if I continued to speak out nationally [about tobacco and health], my career at, and association, with Mission Viejo [Realty Group, a PM subsidiary] would be over.”

The 1996 Centennial Olympic Games, Atlanta, Georgia:
Documents in our Philip Morris and RJ Reynolds collections demonstrate that despite the almost decade long tobacco-free policy of the Olympic Games, the companies were still planning promotions and marketing events. A 1996 Philip Morris memo shows the tobacco giant crafted a contract to place a Benson & Hedges ad on the back cover of the Ultimate Games Guide, a souvenir program of the 1996 Olympic Basketball games in Atlanta. Similarly, a 1995 RJ Reynolds email discusses a new tobacco company whose products could be introduced at the Games with catchy brands like Torch and Gold Medal, even going so far as to posit an “official cigarette of the 1996 Olympics.”

The “accommodation” of Olympic visitors who smoke was a hot topic in 1996 and one that allowed the companies to roll in promotional and marketing activities.  “Accommodation programs” were the tobacco industry’s way of holding off smoking bans by partnering with hospitality agencies (hotels and restaurants) to promote “choice”, “preference” and often the “solution” of improved ventilation in order to accommodate both smokers and non-smokers in public areas.

You can view these documents and millions more at the UCSF Industry Documents Library, where we collect and make available internal corporate documents produced by industries that distort science in an effort to influence policies meant to protect public health.

Searching Tobacco Archives: Sports and Chewing Tobacco

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This is a guest post by Allen Smoot, UCSF Archives Intern.

As an intern for the UCSF Archives, I’ve been working on digitized state medical society journals and tobacco control collections. At UCSF, the Archives and the Industry Documents Library both house immense collections of tobacco-related material. In the Industry Documents Library there are millions of documents from tobacco companies about their manufacturing, marketing, and scientific research.  I narrowed in on chewing tobacco and how it became popular in the sporting world.

Image from "The case against smokeless tobacco: five facts for the health professional to consider," September 1980, page 4. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=fnyg0028

Image from “The case against smokeless tobacco: five facts for the health professional to consider,” September 1980, page 4.

Smokeless tobacco gained popularity in the United States in part because many jobs prohibited workers from smoking on site.  Advertising also played a role; for example, an article in 1980 outlined the various ways that tobacco companies targeted college campuses and youths through their advertising for chewing tobacco. A report in 1984 cited that in Atlanta, 11% of sample elementary and high school students regularly used snuff.

In the sports world, the numbers could be higher. The same 1984 report, for instance, noted that in a Texas sample, one in every three varsity college athletes on baseball or football teams took two to eight dips per day.  Sports idols like Sparky Lyle, former ace pitcher for the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers, contributed to chewing tobacco usage by serving as spokespersons for tobacco companies. Lyle promoted Levi Garrett pouch chewing tobacco on TV by claiming, “Most ball players dream about making it to the Hall of Fame, but I’d be satisfied for people just to remember me as the guy with the great chewing tobacco.”

Image from "The case against smokeless tobacco: five facts for the health professional to consider," September 1980, page 3. https://www.industrydocumentslibrary.ucsf.edu/tobacco/docs/#id=fnyg0028

Image from “The case against smokeless tobacco: five facts for the health professional to consider,” September 1980, page 3.

Smokeless tobacco was advertised as “macho” by sports figures which led to the increase in use by younger people (“Smokeless tobacco is ‘burning’ young athletes,” 1981).

You can read more documents related to smokeless tobacco online in the Industry Documents Library and in the State Medical Society Journals Collection. You can also visit the UCSF Archives and view the Tobacco Control Archives.

Accessions & Additions – Summer Edition

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We’re always busy accepting new collections and pushing through our backlog to make as many collections available for research as possible. This list of new records includes materials relating to tobacco control, UCSF, infectious disease, pediatrics, nursing education, HIV/AIDS Toland Hall murals, book collecting, medical education, and more. Click on the titles below to learn more the contents, subjects, and size of these collections.

Contact us if you have any questions or would like to learn more. And please don’t hesitate to make an appointment to come in and use the collections!

Our catalog updates over the past six months:

The following collections have inventories or finding aids on the Online Archive of California:

New TCA Archivist

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David Krah

David Krah

David Krah joins UCSF to work on processing collections in the Tobacco Control Archives. He will work alongside David Uhlich on processing state reports on tobacco control policy as well as the balance of unprocessed collections held in the Tobacco Control Archives.

David has a Masters Degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University, with a concentration in Archival Studies. He has worked on archival projects with the California Historical Society, the San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, the Road & Track Magazine collection at Stanford University, and previously worked on the Ira Herskowitz papers and Lawrence Crooks Radiologic Imaging Laboratory records at UCSF.

He is a native Californian with interests in California history and transportation and livability issues. He enjoys composing and performing experimental and song-form music and cycling jauntily. He lives in San Francisco with his wife Nia and newborn daughter Thalia.

Tobacco Control Archive Processing Project

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David Uhlich

David Uhlich

The UCSF Archives recently received funding from the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education to catalog and process the Tobacco Control Archive collections and in particular the state reports materials that were compiled by Dr. Stanton Glantz’ research group while completing detailed histories of tobacco control policymaking and efforts by the tobacco industry to thwart these policies in 29 states.

Today I would like to introduce David Uhlich who just joined the archives team and will be working on the TCA processing project.

David holds a Master’s degree in Library and Information Science from San Jose State University, and for the past 6 years has worked for the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. At the Bancroft, he was primarily responsible for processing political collections, and most recently led the project to process the papers of Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown.

Prior to this, David worked as an archivist at the Water Recourses Center Archives, the Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center, and the Tomales Regional History Center. He is a Certified Archivist and active member of the Society of California Archivists, where he currently serves as the Northern California chair of the Site Selection Committee.

David is a lifelong Californian, and for the past 8 years has lived in Marin County with his wife and two very large dogs.

Accessions & Additions

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We’re always busy accepting new collections and pushing through our backlog to make as many collections available for research as possible. This long list of new catalog records includes materials relating to tobacco control, UCSF, neurology, nursing education, HIV/AIDS organizations, pharmacy, medical librarianship, pediatric diabetes, and more. Click on the titles below to learn more the contents, subjects, and size of these collections.

Contact us if you have any questions or would like to learn more. And please don’t hesitate to use the calendar on the right to make an appointment to come in and use the collections!

Our catalog updates over the past six months:

Additions to the Catalog

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As always, we’ve been working to make more and more collections accessible for research. The following are additions to the catalog over the past few months. Subject highlights include UCSF history, neurology, tobacco control, and stem cell research.

Contact us if you have any questions or would like to learn more. Don’t hesitate to use the calendar on the right to make an appointment to use collections!

AR 2002-18 University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine — Office of the Dean videotape collection, 1991-2003: Videotapes of lecture series, including Dean’s Research Seminar Series (DRSS), Galante lectures, and other special lectures/symposia. Also includes State of the School addresses, faculty meetings, academic senate meetings, award ceremonies.

AR 2012-12 University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry records, 1952-1982: The papers of the UCSF School of Dentistry include: Newsletters of the Alumni Association of the University of California College of Dentistry, 1952-1980; Programs of the annual meeting of the Alumni Association of the University of California College of Dentistry, 1956-1977; Alumni Association of the University of California College of Dentistry by-laws and directory, 1974, 1981; CSEA UCSF Newsletter, 1956-1958; UCSF Alumni Association newsletter, 1982; UCSF magazine, 1982 Medi-Cal yearbooks; 2 photographs of School of Dentistry faculty and employees.

MSS 2010-16 Guenter B. Risse papers, 1987-2009: Papers relate to Risse’s research for his book “Mending Bodies, Saving Souls: A History of Hospitals” (Oxford, 1999). Materials include one binder with the original illustrations collected for the book, two folders with information about the origins of the illustrations and permissions to publish them, and one folder with correspondence and book reviews.

AR 2011-13 University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing, Master’s Entry Program in Nursing records, 1988-1991: The collection contains materials relating to the UCSF School of Nursing Master’s Entry Program in Nursing (MEPN) dated from 1988-1991. Papers include grants, clippings, promotional materials, various records from the program ranging from development to accreditation.

MSS 2011-18 Rheba Fradkin (de Tornyay) papers, 1946-1954: Collection includes photographs, nursing school application, reference letters, and clippings pertaining to Mount Zion School of Nursing graduate Rheba Fradkin (de Tornyay), the nursing school yearbooks, issues of NOIZ and Bib & Apron (1953-1954), announcements, pamphlets and recruitment brochures.

AR 2013-02 University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine Office of the Dean records, 1999-2012: Records include photographs, negatives, slides, contact sheets, CDs, and DVDs from the School of Medicine Dean’s office.

MSS 2012-29 Marilyn Reed Lucia film, 2012: The collection contains the film “Steadfast Purpose: the Life of Marilyn Reed Lucia, MD,” produced by Arc Light Digital Media in association with UCSF in 2012. The film chronicles the life of Dr. Lucia, graduate of UCSF Medical School– first in medicine, then in psychiatry– who taught and practiced at UCSF as a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry for more than forty years. The film begins in the 1950s and continues throughout Lucia’s life.

AR 2011-04 UCSF School of Medicine, Class of 1963 Alumni collection, 2009-2013: Collection includes the newsletter founded and edited by UCSF School of Medicine alumnus Robert Sherins, M.D. issues 2009-1013, and the 50th Reunion Memory Book for his class of 1963.

AR 2007-09 Renee Reijo Pera laboratory notebooks, 1996-2007: Collection contains the papers of Dr. Renee Reijo Pera’s laboratory. Materials include laboratory notebooks and research data. Dr. Renee Reijo Pera performed embryonic stem cell research and established UCSF’s embryonic stem cell program in 2003. She was the UCSF co-director of the human embryonic stem cell research center, and director of the training program funded through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

AR 2003-23 Dorothy Bainton papers, 1970-2012: Records from the UCSF Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs office relate to the tenure of Dr. Dorothy Bainton. Materials include records from the Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (CACSW); files from the UCSF League of Women; other materials related to the status of women at UCSF; a copy of “Report on Ishi’s treatment at the University of California, 1911-1916;” materials related to the Distinguished Alumnus Lecture presented by Dr. Bainton at the University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry in 2012.

AR 2013-23 University of California, San Francisco. Metabolic Research Unit collection, 1966: Collection contains materials that relate to the UCSF Metabolic Research Unit (MRU) and includes four photograph prints depicting employees and researchers of the MRU and the inauguration ceremony and a 1966 School of Medicine Alumni-Faculty Association bulletin with an article about the history of the MRU from 1950-1966.

MSS 2013-20 Melvin M. Belli Tobacco Control papers, 1950-1999: Professional papers of Melvin M. Belli (1907-1996), a high-profile attorney in San Francisco, California, relate to actual and potential litigation matters pursued by Mr. Belli and colleagues against tobacco companies. Materials consist of various court filings, media clippings, correspondence, memoranda, publications, and others.

AR 2003-13 Department of Neurological Surgery records, 1958-2000: Records from the UCSF Department of Neurological Surgery include: publications, reports, correspondence, pamphlets, brochures, photographs, videotapes, and films.

MSS 97-04 Howard C. Naffziger papers, 1907-1983: The personal and professional papers of Howard Naffziger include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, ephemera, certificates, military orders, notes, diaries, and artifacts. Subjects matters include Dr. Naffziger’s military experience in World War I and II, biographical information, his experiences at UCSF and his instrumental role in neurological surgery, and other work-related information.

UCSF Tobacco Control Oral History Collection

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You may know that the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education here at UCSF is an internationally respected collaborative effort dedicated to reducing deaths associated with tobacco and the tobacco industry, conducting research in the areas of how to treat tobacco addiction, the effects of second hand smoke, and other tobacco-related topics.  The Center works closely with the UCSF Library on the Legacy Tobacco Documents Library to collect and preserve documents created by major tobacco companies related to their advertising, manufacturing, marketing, sales, and scientific research activities.  Our next activity together?  Processing the UCSF Tobacco Control Oral History Collection –  interviews with 150 physicians, epidemiologists, public health officials, community-based activists and educators, lobbyists and policy makers – all working in the area of tobacco control.

An interview with Stanton Glantz, Ph.D. Center Director and the American Legacy Foundation Distinguished Professor of Tobacco Control at UCSF revealed that the Oral History project, conducted between 1994-2001, was an integral part of his National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded project to travel to 24 states and complete detailed histories of tobacco control policymaking and efforts by the tobacco industry to thwart these policies.  As Dr. Glantz and members of his research group travelled the country, they found key informants and recorded the interviews that would become part of this collection.  In part, these interviews helped inform the resulting Reports on State Tobacco Policy Making.  And the project goes on.  As state reports are continually researched, written and published, more interviews with individuals who can shed particular light on political activities and state tobacco control programs are conducted and recorded.

So, check back here next month to see how you can find out what is available, and how you can access and listen to this collection of cassette tapes!

René Radusky
UCSF Archives intern and student at San José State University, School of Library and Information Science concentrating in Archival Studies and Records Management