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Gordon bartending
photograph of Gordon bartending
Coll. 031: Dignity Boston Collection
Dignity Boston was founded in 1972 as a local chapter of Dignity/USA, which started in Los Angeles in 1969, first as a counseling group, then a support group for LGBTQ Catholics. Dignity/USA has been a national independent nonprofit organization…
Coll. 018: David Peterson Collection
David Peterson came from a conservative family in Indiana. In 1965 Peterson came to the Boston area to attend MIT. One of the first organizations he became involved with was the Homophile Union of Boston (HUB). It was in those years he became friends…
Portrait of a young Gordon Copeland and four other men.
This black and white Kodak Velox Paper candid photograph features five young white men with their arms around each other, facing the camera and smiling, standing on a sidewalk. Some of them are in jackets and ties, others more casually dressed. The…
Black and white photograph of a living space with a painted portrait of Gordon Copeland.
This small, square, black and white Kodak Velox with scalloped edges appears to be of a living space (lamp, table, candles, vase, record player and vinyl records) with a painted portrait of a man posed in a chair, looking back over his shoulder at…
Small color Kodak studio portrait print of sailor Allan Srarcy, with affectionate inscription to Gordon, 1973.
This tiny color print is a studio portrait of a smiling very young-looking white man in a Navy uniform. On the back is a handwritten inscription "To Gordon, with great love, Allan, '1973.'" This photo was stored along with a handwritten note on scrap…
[Untitled]
Color Kodak print.
Charles Shively, June 1961 (age approximately 24)
This small, color "Kodacolor Print" of Charles Shively is dated June 1961 - so he is approximately 24 in this photo.
Charles Shively (young)
This is a small black and white studio portrait photograph of Charles Shively, possibly from the time of his enrollment at Harvard. He is wearing a coat and tie, glasses with heavy rims, and a serious expression.
[Untitled]
Black-and-white portrait photograph of a woman theatrically posing with a sword and a mask in her hands, wearing a strappy, feathered bikini top and sequined satin panties with cut-aways at the hips, and spiral earrings. She has autographed the…
Photograph of Gordon Copeland in a bar, later in life.
This is a sepia-tone photograph of Gordon Copeland in a bar, later in life. He is wearing a swater with his name monogrammed onto the right breast. This is the photograph that Charles selected for Gordon's memorial service.
Photo of a dog
Color photograph of a dog.
Retouched, enlarged Kodak copy of original Polaroid of Gordon and his dog.
This Kodak photo is a retouched, enlarged re-print of the original Polaroid of Gordon and his dog, featured in this archive. The back of the photo has a label that reads "Photo Retouched By Take Two Photocraft, 202 Mass. Avenue, Arlington, MA 02174."
Gordon and his dog.
Polaroid photograph of Gordon Copeland (Charles' partner) and his dog.
Gordon bartending, July 1968.
3.5"x3.5" black and white photograph of Gordon Copeland (Charles' partner) bartending, dated July 1968. Gordon's obituary stated that he bartended at Brumlin's.
Handwritten draft of Gordon's obituary and to-do lists for his memorial service.
These handwritten sheets draft out Gordon's obituary and also include scattered notes and lists regarding his memorial service. Gordon was Charles Shively's partner.
Request from Cambridge Hospital Patient Accounts for Gordon Copeland's income information in order to obtain Free Care.
This packet contains a letter from the Cambridge Hospital Patient Accounts Department, addressed to Charles Shively's partner Gordon Copeland, stating that his Free Care status had been denied due to lack of income verification. The letter encloses…
"NINETY-FIVE: ANNUS SEMIHORRIBILILIS"
This printed letter appears to be a summary of the author's academic and personal affairs of the year 1995 - it may have been sent out to a number of recipients, as it is not addressed to anyone, and is printed from a computer with a handwritten…
Application for use of Old Cambridge Baptist Church, for December 8 1995 memorial service of Gordon Copeland (partner of Charles Shively).
This document is a copy of the form that Charles filled out to reserve the sanctuary of the Old Cambridge Baptist Church (Cambridge MA) for Gordon's memorial service on December 8, 1995. Charles wrote that he anticipated 50-75 people to attend, and…
"Airman's Clearance Certificate" - paperwork part of Gordon Copeland's discharge from the Air Force on April 3, 1953. (Gordon was Charles Shively's partner.)
This document three-page document begins with a form titled "AIRMAN'S CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE," which states that Gordon had finished his work on the activities that he was responsible for at the Biggs Air Force Base in Texas, prior to being…
Letter from Gordon Copeland to the Boston Veterans' Affairs office, regarding the benefits that the Air Force had denied him since 1953 due to his "undesirable discharge" (discharge based solely on accusation of homosexuality), dated July 3, 1979.
This type-written letter, from Gordon Copeland (Charles' partner) to the Boston Veterans' Affairs office, requests "to activate a character of service determination to determine my access to VA benefits." The letter is dated July 3, 1979 - during…
Copy of a letter from Gordon Copeland to the Secretary of the Air Force, Discharge Review Board, dated July 3, 1979.
This document is a type-written draft of a letter from Gordon Copeland, addressed to the Secretary of the Air Force, Discharge Review Board. Gordon writes, "I hope that an upgrade of my undesirable discharge will be possible without a personal…
Letter of membership recruitment for the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union), addressed to Charles Shively, with handwritten notes on the back regarding Gordon Copeland's appeal for upgrade to honorable discharge.
This letter is addressed to Charles Shively, and signed by the executive director of the Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts. The letter states that John Mitzel has recommended Charles for membership, and describes the achievements and value of…
ACLU Gay Rights Chapter: "UPGRADING GAY & LESBIAN VETERAN DISCHARGES"
This pamphlet, created by the ACLU of South California Gay Rights Chapter, instructs veterans on how to apply to upgrade their discharge to honorable discharge, if they had been discharged "less than honorably" due to being (or being accused of…
Newspaper clipping, reporting a fire at 135 Commonwealth Ave (Boston MA) that almost killed Gordon Copeland.
This scan is of a xerox of a newspaper clipping that describes "a blaze at on the top floor at 135 Commonwealth Ave" in which "Gordon W. Copeland," (Charles' partner) "34, an occupant... was taken to City Hospital after being overcome by smoke. He…
Schedule of personal estate in detail, schedule of real estate in detail
This undated document is a handwritten tally of someone's personal estate ($146,188.78) and real estate ($45,000). There is no name on the document. It was filed in a folder of Gordon Copeland's documents.
Mortgage document - Charles Shively's purchase of a property on Broadway in Cambridge, MA, that became his and his partner Gordon's long-time home.
This legal document is regarding the sale of a property in Cambridge by Timothy and Evelyn Kelleher to Charles Shively, for $16,000 to be paid over 10 years with 9% interest.
"Court Does Not Require the Memorandum" notice sent to Gordon Copeland from Attorney Joseph Johnston on February 23 1985.
This document is a standard form from the Middlesex Probate and Family Court Department that simply states "Court Does Not Require the Memorandum... Happy New Year." It was stored in Charles' files in an envelope addressed to Gordon Copeland…
Postcard from England. Perhaps from Gordon Copeland's mother to her father on a vacation to England in 1932.
This scan is actually of a xeroxed copy of a postcard saved in Charles' files. On the same sheet of xerox paper was also a studio portrait of Charles' partner, Gordon Copeland, at age 18 months, taken in 1932 in England (close to Gordon's father's…
Portrait photograph of Gordon Copeland at age 18 months, with a woman (possibly his mother).
This is a photocopy of a portrait photograph of Charles' partner, Gordon Copeland, at age 18 months (as noted on the back). He is standing beside a woman in a dress with lace on the shoulders. She may be Gordon's mother (Marie Thompson Copeland), or…
