Gordon's discharge from the Air Force, April 3, 1953
This discharge paper records the character of Gordon's separation from the U.S. Air Force as "Undesirable." He had enlisted on July 20, 1950 in Providence RI. He had completed 2 years, 8 months, and 13 days, and had been assigned to the Biggs Air Force Base in Texas. He was paid $13.64 upon separation. At this point, Gordon was listed as married and had completed 1 year of college.
According to the New York Times, undesirable discharge was often used to get rid of gay service members, and "Such designations could make it difficult for the men and women who had served to get employment, loans or access to veterans benefits."*
*https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/nyregion/gay-veteran-air-force-undesirable-honorable-discharge.html?_r=0
U.S. Air Force
April 3, 1953
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.
unknown
July 1968
3.5"x3.5"
Mike Riegle, Charles Shively, and Unidentified Person
Riegle, Mike
Shively, Charles
Gay Community News
Fag Rag
Mike Riegle, Charles Shively, and unidentified person, possibly Michael Bronski, preparing Fag Rag #27/28 for mailing.
Unknown
Gay Community News (publication and photographs), 1973-1999
The History Project
1980
Mike Riegle
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Black-and-White Photograph
5 x 7 inches
English
Still Image
GCN.STF.058
Boston, MA
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.
unknown to the archivists
unknown to the archivists
"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 signature and personalized postscript. The signature appears to be "Wayne" or "Wayle" and the post script reads "I hope that your own troubles are receding."
The letter complains of being pushed out of academic publishing by "a cabal of gay-male leftists and feminazis" due to the author having used pseudonyms to the point of damaged credibility, and regrets that his "humongous manuscript The History of Art History" has not yet found a publisher. The author reports a change of role "vis-a-vis gay and lesbian studies" due to "a postmodern pseudofield that is obscuring, if not obliterating the possibilities for genuine scholarship." On a personal note, the author describes travel to Costa Rica and London, with a companion named Neal.
unknown to the archivists
apparently at the end of 1995
8.5"x11"
"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 discharged. Gordon had been discharged "less than honorably" due to accusations of homosexuality. This certificate states that Gordon's "Character Rating" was "Satisfactory," and that his "Efficiency Rating" was "Excellent." The portion at which the Squadron Commander was to indicate whether Gordon was "favorably considered for the Good Conduct Medal" was left blank. The document is dated April 3 1953.
The second and third pages are a letter from Robert White, Air Force Major, to Biggs Air Force Base Headquarters, listing a number of Airmen who were being discharged at that time, including Gordon Copeland (#7), with a short paragraph in military shorthand.
US Air Force Major Robert G. White
April 3, 1953
8.5" x 14"
Letter to Charles regarding his grandfather's will (Mearl A. Shively) dated April 5, 1977.
This letter is from a law firm that was representing Charles' mother and presents a copy of his father's will and requests that Charles sign and return a waiver of notice and consent to probate.
Walker & Bradford Law Offices
April 6, 1977
8.5 x 11 inches
Charles Shively, circa 1953-54 (age 16 or 17)
This appears to be a school portrait photo: a photograph of Charles as a teenager, only head and shoulders in the frame, wearing a white collar shirt. It was stored in a red pocket-sized cardboard booklet, with the handwritten date 1953-1954 on the inside cover.
1953-1954
6 copies of headshot/portrait, Charles Shively as a teen
This appears to be 6 copies of the same photo on one strip (perhaps a school portrait), wallet-sized, at various levels of contrast. Charles Shively as a teen.
probably very early 1960s
Portrait photograph of Charles Shively as a boy
In this portrait photo, Charles Shively as a child is wearing a white button-up shirt. The photograph may have been black and white with color added. It features his head and shoulders.
probably late 1940s
Portrait photograph of Charles Shively as an adolescent.
In this portrait photograph, Charles seems to be in his early teens. His shirt has a pale collar, back, and chest, with dark shoulders. He has a slight smile. The photograph may have been in black and white with color added.
late 1940s or early 1950s
Portrait of Charles Shively as a boy
In this sepia-tone portrait photograph, Charles Shively in his childhood or adolescence and is wearing a button-up collar shirt with an irregular geometric pattern.
late 1940s or early 1950s
Portrait of Charles Shively as an adolescent.
This sepia-tone portrait photograph (headshot) is signed "Charles Allen Shively" with the date "[illegible] 1950." If this photograph is from 1950, Charles is 12 or 13 years old. He is wearing a white collar shirt. Blue ink from his signature has dripped onto the photograph as well.
1950?
Shively Coat of Arms
A small Kodak photograph of what seems to be the Shively coat of arms.
unknown
Memorial Service Program for Gordon William Copeland, Jr., Charles Shively's partner, on December 8, 1995
This is the Memorial Service Program for Gordon William Copeland, Jr., Charles Shively's partner, on December 8, 1995, at the Old Cambridge Baptist Church. The front has a small black and white photograph of Gordon along with the dates of his birth and death (June 17, 1931 and November 23, 1995). The program for the service is recorded as follows:
-"Someone to Watch Over Me" by Barbara Streisand
-Opening sentences
-reading: Jon Copeland, "To everything there is a season," Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
-Meditation, led by Margaret Hougen. Celebration and Mourning
-Tributes, Stories, Memories (all mourners invited to participate)
-The Blessing
-"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by Judy Garland
The back of the program has a xerox of Gordon's Boston Globe obituary.
printed not long before Gordon's Memorial Service on December 8, 1995
5.5x8.5 inches paper
Gordon and his dog.
Polaroid photograph of Gordon Copeland (Charles' partner) and his dog.
4"x3.25"
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."
Photo of a dog
Color photograph of a dog.
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.
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.
Color Kodak print.
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 paper (a blank "received of petty cash" form) that reads "Allan Srarcy, 060 465 156, US PRATT, DECK DIVISION, APO NY, NY, 09501." ("APO" stands for "Army Post Office" - this address may have been given by Allan to Gordon as a way to stay in touch while Allan was overseas. However typically "FPO" would be used for someone in the Navy - "Fleet Post Office.")
1973? (The photograph has an inscription on the back with the year in quotation marks.)
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 the viewer. The subject of the portrait is most likely Gordon Copeland.
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 man second from the left appears to be Gordon Copeland.
Gordon bartending, July 1968.
July 1968
Gordon bartending
photograph of Gordon bartending
Drawing of a man
Gordon's autographed studio portrait of Robert Russell (writer for plays, musicals, and documentaries)
Signed studio portrait of a playwright, belonging to Gordon.
This black and white glossy studio portrait has the inscription "To Gordon, A kind & sincere friend, Fondly, Bob. 'Take Me Along!'" Robert W. Russell was an American playwright who co-wrote the book (aka libretto) for the 1959 musical "Take Me Along" (based on the 1933 play "Ah, Wilderness" by Eugene O'Neill), among other pieces for stage and screen.
Drawing of a Gymnast
Shively coat of arms
“The SCHNEBELE family in America” – Shively geneology