Sally Sheklow papers - Archives West

Overview of the Collection

Title: Sally Sheklow papers
Dates: circa 1960s-2022 (inclusive)
19602022
Quantity: 32.35 linear feet, (26 containers)
Collection Number: Coll 943, /repositories/2/resources/9633 (aspace_uri)
Summary: Sally Sheklow (1950-2022) was a Jewish lesbian activist, columnist, public health worker, and improvisational performer who lived in Eugene, Oregon. This collection includes her correspondence, personal papers, activism resources, audiovisual material, and artifacts.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Additional Reference Guides: See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
Languages: English

Historical Note

Sally Sheklow (1950-2002) was a Jewish lesbian activist, columnist, public health workers, and improvisational performer who lived in Eugene, Oregon. She was born in Palm Springs, California to Laurie and Edna Sheklow, the latter of which owned and operated the Palm Springs Paint Company.

Sheklow ran away to the Summer of Love in San Franscisco in 1967 but after a couple of weeks and a short time at Foothill Community College, she moved to Eugene and enrolled in the University of Oregon. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Speech, a certificate in Women's Studies, and a Master's in Leisure Studies and Services from the University of Oregon.

She went on to work with the Willamette AIDS Council and the Feminist Women's Health Center and led workshops on safe sex during the AIDS crisis. She worked as an activist for gay rights and reproductive freedom and organized against a variety of anti-gay political campaigns and legislation.

Sheklow was also involved in Eugene's Jewish community, and created Balaboosteh, a Jewish lesbian networking group for exploring Jewish feminist spirituality and culture.

Her involvement in improv and musical comedy included the group Footlight Faggots and Lesbian Thesbians, her one-woman show "The Sound of Lesbians," and the improv group WYMPROV!

She wrote extensively for publications across the country, including regular columns in the Lavendar Network, Eugene Weekly, OutSmart, and View magazine. From 2000 until her retirement in 2017, she taught Women's Studies courses and Portland State University.

She married her wife, Enid Lefton ("Wifey" in Sheklow's popular columns), after listening to her DJing the Woman's Music radio show and falling in love. They had been symbolically married multiple times in 1998, 2007, and 2008 before same-sex marriage was legally recognized in Oregon in 2014. Sheklow passed away from cancer on February 8, 2022.

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Content Description

Collection includes correspondence, personal papers, activism resources, audiovisual material, and artifacts pertaining to the personal life and activism of Sally Sheklow.

Series I consists of Sheklow's correspondence from the 1960s to the 1980s. Many of the letters are addressed to "Hayfield," Sheklow's nickname. Roughly one third is correspondence with Edna Sheklow, Sally's mother, who owned and operated the Palm Springs Paint Company and died in 1996.

Series II consists of Sheklow's personal papers.

The Writings subseries include her "Outloud" column in OutSmart, A Houston, Texas based LGBT magazine; her "Living Out" column in Eugene Weekly that ran from 1999 to 2017; and her "Out With It!" humor column in Lesbian News. The series also contains various articles and essays written for magazines and newspapers, loose notes, and Sheklow's children's book.

The Course materials subseries contains syllabi, readings, and writings from the Women's Studies courses Sheklow taught at Portland State University from 2000-2017.

The Biographical/Miscellaneous subseries includes a variety of material pertaining to her education, family history, astrology, activism, community, improv and musical comedy, and personal life.

The Jewish life subseries contains papers on aspects of Sheklow's activism and organizing of Jewish events and Jewish lesbian organizations. This includes Balaboosteh, a Jewish lesbian networking group for exploring Jewish feminist spirituality and culture.

"The Sound of Lesbians" was a musical comedy production Sheklow wrote and performed. It is a satirical reworking of Rodger and Hammerstein's musical The Sound of Music. The subseries contains promotional material, financial information, correspondence, programs, lyrics, and information regarding the cease-and-desist Sheklow received which ended the run of Sound of Lesbians. Associated audiovisual material can be found in Series IV.

Shaneh Madeleh Productions ("beautiful girl" in Yiddish) was a Jewish lesbian greeting card company founded and operated by Sally Sheklow and Ellen Kaufer in the 1980s. The greetings cards feature images of nude Jewish lesbian women along with popular Jewish sayings. The subseries contains business and financial information, photographs, and greeting cards.

Starflower Natural Foods and Botanicals (the Starflower Collective) was a health foods distribution collective that operated from 1973-1987 which mainly employed lesbians. Sheklow worked there and this subseries contains lyric books of songs she wrote for the collective, records, photographs, and memorabilia from her time working with them.

This series also contains Sheklow's notebooks and calendars.

Series III contains activism resources from Sheklow's work as an advocate for LGBTQ+ civil rights and sexual health. This consists of accumulated papers, newspapers and clippings, and magazines. The materials span a wide array of sources and topics including politics, legislation, the AIDS crisis, sexual health, civil rights, and same-sex marriage. Some materials include published writings by Sheklow.

Series IV contains audiovisual materials from Sheklow's personal life, improv and musical comedy career, radio interviews, and various events and shows. There are cassette tapes, CDs, DVDs, VHS tapes, and reel-to-reel tapes. An oral history interview with Sheklow, conducted as part of the Eugene Lesbian Oral History Project collection, can be found in related materials.

Series V contains a variety of artifacts from Sheklow's personal life and activism including pins, name tags, awards, stamps, etc.

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