ELLIS McFADDEN PAPERS

Collection

Identifier: WH638

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection documents Mr. McFadden's volunteer and philanthropic activities in the Denver gay community's organizations such as the Colorado AIDS Project, the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project and The Denver Gay Men's Chorus. Mr. McFadden collected correspondence, programs, memos, pamphlets and newsletters that originated from various gay organizations in Denver from the early 1990s through 2003. The papers remain open for additional material.

SERIES 1 ORGANIZATIONS - VOLUNTEER 1987-2001 BOX 1-2

This series is arranged alphabetically by organization. Within the organizations materials are grouped by committees or events and then organized chronologically. This series focuses on the organizations in which Mr. McFadden volunteered such as: the Colorado AIDS Project, The Colorado Legal Initiatives Project, the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, and the Human Rights Campaign Fund. The material consists of board of director papers, event programs and committee papers.

SERIES 2 ORGANIZATIONS 1991-2003 BOX 2-3

This series is arranged alphabetically by organization, and then chronologically if more than one file folder exists for the organization. The series consists of material collected by Mr. McFadden about organizations of interest to him, or to which he donated money or time.

SERIES 3 PERSONAL 1958-2002 BOX 3

Organized chronologically, the series contains material about Mr. McFadden's activities and personal interests unrelated to his participation in gay related organizations.

SERIES 4 OVERSIZE 1993-1997 OVFF 1-2

The series consists of one poster from The Sixth Annual Colorado Human Rights Campaign Dinner and newspapers.

Dates

1987-2002, undated

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Copyright

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from material in the collection should be discussed with the appropriate librarian or archivist. Permission for publication may be given on behalf of the Denver Public Library as the owner of the physical item. It is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained by the customer. The Library does not assume any responsibility for infringement of copyright or publication rights of the manuscript held by the writer, heirs, donors, or executors. Reproduction restrictions are decided on a case-by-case basis.

Biographical / Historical

Ellis McFadden was born on August 24, 1949 in Denver, Colorado. He graduated in 1972 from Western State University in Gunnison, Colorado, where he majored in American history. Immediately after school he began working at Western Mountain Bell. He held several positions within the company. By 1985, he managed a branch of the US West Learning Systems Division Library. In 1989, he decided to continue his education and enrolled in the Library and Information Management program at Emporia State University in Kansas.

In the early 1980s, Mr. McFadden started his volunteer career after he witnessed a friend and co-worker cope with AIDS and eventually die. At this time, misinformation about the disease and how one contracted it spread widely throughout the United States. In 1983, the Colorado AIDS Project (CAP) formed to support AIDS patients. Mr. McFadden volunteered at CAP from its inception. He served as one of the ten original participants in CAP's Buddy program that paired healthy individuals with AIDS patients in need of support either emotionally or with simple household chores. In 1994, Mr. McFadden received notice in the Volunteer Voice, the newsletter of CAP, as the first "Volunteer of the Month" for his dedication and support of eighteen buddies. Mr. McFadden received "The 9Who Cares Award" for his volunteer activities in 1994. US West, recognized their employee's community activities by awarding him the "Volunteer Achievement Award" in 1997 and 1999. US West supported Mr. McFadden's endeavors and often matched his monetary donations to organizations.

Mr. McFadden's volunteer activities extended to other programs, such as the Aids Walk sponsored by CAP, the Human Rights Campaign Dinner in Denver (which raised money to support gay rights initiatives in Congress), the Development Committee of the Denver Gay Men's Chorus, and the Board of Directors of the Colorado Legal Initiatives Project (CLIP). Aside from these organizations, Mr. McFadden donated money, time, objects for auction and his support to various other organizations both local and national.

Ellis McFadden's main activities, highlighted in this collection, are his volunteer efforts and his support of non-profit organizations that promote gay rights and assist AIDS patients.

Extent

3 Boxes

2 folders

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Other Finding Aids

For location information, refer to the Denver Public Library Catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Ellis McFadden donated his papers to the Denver Public Library in April 1991, May 1993 and 2000-2003. The collection remains open for additional material. The Gill Foundation provided funding for the processing of this collection.

SELECTION OF RELATED MATERIAL

Colorado AIDS Project (C MSS WH868)

Shirley McFadden Papers (C MSS WH864)

C. L. McFadden and Son (Denver, Colo.) Records (C MSS WH1671)

McFadden Photo Album (C Photo Album 207)

Shirley McFadden Photo Collection (C Photo Collection 9)