Robert F. Stern papers and oral history interview

Robert F. Stern papers and oral history interview, circa 1967-2008

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Stern, Robert F
Title: Robert F. Stern papers and oral history interview
Dates: circa 1967-2008 (inclusive)
19672008
Quantity: 4.95 cubic feet
Collection Number: 5528
Summary: Papers of a longtime human rights and labor activist in the state of Washington regarding his involvement with various social reform causes and organizations
Repository: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions: Open to all users.
Languages: English
Sponsor: Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Robert "Robby" Stern has a BA in political science from Syracuse University in New York, and earned his law degree at the University of Washington. He has been an activist in the Puget Sound region for more than 35 years, and was widely known as a student activist in the civil rights and anti-war movement in the 1960s, when he was involved with Students for a Democratic Society (SDS).

An attorney since 1974, Robby previously worked as a community coalition organizer for the King County Labor Council. Prior to that, he was a pipefitter/welder for Washington Natural Gas, where he was an active member of UA Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 32, serving as shop steward and delegate to the Seattle Building Trades and King County Labor Council. He first joined Local 32 as a marine pipefitter trainee at Todd Shipyards in 1977. Robby has also been a member of the Washington Federation of Teachers as a part-time faculty member at Seattle Community College in the early 1970s, and was a member of AFSCME Local 1488 when he worked as a gardener at the University of Washington.

Robby left his Seattle law practice in 1993 to join the Washington State Labor Council, and has become the organization's "point person" on a variety of policy areas, including international trade, health care and workers' compensation. As the WSLC's chief lobbyist he devotes a lot of his time and energy to promoting responsible legislation in these areas and many others related to workplace standards and rights.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This collection includes speeches, correspondence, printed ephemera, meeting minutes, and other materials related to Stern's involvement with various social reform causes and organizations. The collection also contains an oral history interview with Anita Warmflash.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

The creators' literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

Accession No. 5528-001, Robert F. Stern papers, 1967-2008
Accession No. 5528-002, Robert Stern oral history, 2006

Processing Note

Minimally processed.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Accession No. 5528-001: Robert F. Stern papers, 1967-2008Return to Top

4.8 cubic feet ((5 boxes))

Scope and Content: This collection includes speeches, correspondence, printed ephemera, meeting minutes, and other materials related to Stern's involvement with various social reform causes and organizations. Among the files are materials related to the Health Care Task Force, the Living Wage Coalition, Minimum Wage '98, Fair Share Coalition, and Electrical Deregulation; FBI surveillance files of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) and other student activist organizations at the University of Washington in the late 1960s; records of the Puget Sound Task Force on Human Rights (1980s); documentation of human rights activism, including anti-South African apartheid activism and the "Hands Off My Neighbor" symposium (1980s).

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: The creators' literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Robert (Robby) Stern, 2007-2008.

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Box/Folder	Accession
1/1	5528-001	Manuscripts, speeches, outgoing correspondence	2002-2006
1/2-3	5528-001	Fair Share Coalition post-session 2 folders	2006
1/4	5528-001	Fair Share post-session	2007
1/5	5528-001	Peace without borders	undated
1/6	5528-001	Awards and certificates	undated
1/7	5528-001	KORUS FTA Activity	undated
1/8-9	5528-001	Washington Health Care Reform Coalition	undated
1/10	5528-001	Health care reform	2004
1/11	5528-001	Health care reform	2005
1/12	5528-001	Resolution of Syracuse University Senate and related clippings regarding integration in athletics	1964
1/13	5528-001	Application for the Washington State Bar and related documents	1974
Box
1	5528-001	Plaque from the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists	1998
Box/Folder
1	5528-001	Plaque from WFSE/AFSCME	2000
1	5528-001	Certificate from Washington State Health Care Authority	2007
2/1	5528-001	Health care--Access to state PEBB	2005
2/2	5528-001	Health care--cost containment	2005
2/3	5528-001	Health Care--HSA's	2005
2/4	5528-001	Health care--fair share	2005
2/5	5528-001	Health care--mental health parity	2005
2/6	5528-001	Health care--prescription drugs	2005
2/7	5528-001	Health care--quality of care	2005
2/8	5528-001	Health care--risk pooling	2005
2/9	5528-001	Health Care Task Force	2005
2/10	5528-001	Health Care Coalition informational materials	2008
2/11	5528-001	WTO Seattle	undated
2/12	5528-001	Fast Track	2001
2/13	5528-001	WTO	undated
2/14	5528-001	Employment standards	undated
2/15	5528-001	Family care	undated
2/16	5528-001	Family leave insurance	undated
2/17-19	5528-001	Living Wage Coalition 3 folders	undated
2/20	5528-001	Livable wage campaigns	undated
2/21	5528-001	Livable Wage Coalition--Post Ford Grant	undated
2/22	5528-001	Livable wage movement	undated
2/23	5528-001	Family wage materials	undated
2/24	5528-001	Minimum wage conference	2005
2/25	5528-001	Minimum wage consultant	1998
2/26	5528-001	Minimum wage--general	1998
2/27	5528-001	Minimum wage--presentations	1998
2/28	5528-001	Minimum wage--media	1998
2/29	5528-001	Minimum wage--fundraising	undated
2/30	5528-001	Minimum wage--polling	1998
2/31	5528-001	Minimum wage--publicity	1998
2/32	5528-001	Minimum wage--internal communications	1998
2/33	5528-001	Minimum wage--Research	1998
2/34	5528-001	Minimum wage--signature gathering	1998
3/1	5528-001	Family care	2005
3/2	5528-001	Family leave insurance	2005
3/3	5528-001	ABA convention	undated
3/4	5528-001	African-American community and labor	undated
3/5	5528-001	Anne Frank exhibit	undated
3/6	5528-001	Organizing and December 10th rally	undated
3/7-8	5528-001	Electrical deregulation 2 folders	undated
3/9	5528-001	Electrical deregulation conference	undated
3/10	5528-001	Hands Off Washington	undated
3/11	5528-001	Health care reform	2003
3/12	5528-001	Rally for working families	1996
3/13	5528-001	President's Day rally	2002
3/14	5528-001	Rolling Thunder	undated
3/15	5528-001	Rally--miscellaneous	undated
3/16	5528-001	Articles and speeches	undated
3/17	5528-001	" Hands Off My Neighbor" evaluations	undated
3/18	5528-001	" Hands Off My Neighbor"	undated
3/19	5528-001	University District movement	undated
3/20	5528-001	Voices from South Africa--logistics, contacts	undated
3/21	5528-001	Voices from South Africa--final report	undated
3/22	5528-001	Voices from South Africa--publications and media	undated
3/23	5528-001	Puget Sound Task Force on Human Rights (PSTF)--Bylaws	undated
3/24	5528-001	PSTF--general meetings (non-core)	undated
3/25	5528-001	PSTF--core group	undated
3/26	5528-001	PSTF--minutes	undated
3/27	5528-001	PSTF--publicity	undated
3/28	5528-001	Retirement party	2008
4/1-2	5528-001	FBI surveillance files - Students for a Democratic Society 2 folders	undated
4/3-4	5528-001	Court files - Students for a Democratic Society 2 folders	1970 May
4/5	5528-001	Court files - Students for a Democratic Society	1971 October
Box
4/6	5528-001	FBI surveillance files - Robert Stern	1967-2008
4/7	5528-001	Documents related to Robert Stern's parents, who emigrated from Nazi Germany	circa 1974-1988
4/8	5528-001	Alameda County documents, related to Stern's probation period	1973
Box/Folder
4/9	5528-001	Narrative about Stern's arrest in Seattle	2004 May
5/1	5528-001	Posters 2 loose 1 framed	undated

Accession No. 5528-002: Robert Stern oral history, 2006Return to Top

0.15 cubic feet (3 audiocassettes and 1 transcript)

Scope and Content: Oral history interview conducted on May 7, 2006 with Anita Warmflash. Stern describes his family history immigrating to the United States, recounts growing up as a Jew in the South, and then discusses his life of social activism.

Digital Content/Other Formats: Listen to the audio recording and view the transcript of this interview on the Libraries Digital Collections site.

Restrictions on Access: Open to all users.

Restrictions on Use: The creators' literary rights have been transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

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