Guide to the Patricia Pelkofer Papers 1969-2003 AIS.1993.05

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
Patricia Pelkofer Papers
Creator
Pelkofer, Patricia
Collection Number
AIS.1993.05
Extent
30 Linear Feet (25 boxes)
Date
1969-2003
Abstract
Patricia Pelkofer was a prominent environmentalist in western Pennsylvania from the 1960s until her death in 2003. She was involved in a variety of environmental groups and committees during her lifetime, including as a founding member of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), the Allegheny County Health Department's Bureau of Air Pollution Control, and the Group for Recycling in Pennsylvania (GRIP), among others. This collection consists of Pelkofer's materials, including meeting minutes, correspondence, legal materials, diagrams, schematic plans, and study data collected from meetings and publications, all related to local, state, and federal environmental organizations.
Language
English .
Author
Alesha Shumar, Shaun Hayes, Sean Kilcoyne and Evan Waters.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

Biography

Born in 1927, Patricia Pelkofer was an environmentalist active in western Pennsylvania. One of the founding members of the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), a grassroots environmental organization, Pelkofer worked specifically on environmental issues of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. She served on the board of directors and was the editor of the GASP monthly Hotline newsletter.

A Pittsburgh native and resident of the Oakland neighborhood, Pelkofer came to her volunteer service through her parents, who were volunteers at schools, churches, and political parties. Her dedication to service and environmental issues continued through her time at the University of Pittsburgh, where she was an education student and into her graduate studies at the Katz Graduate School of Business, from which she graduated in 1953. She was a dedicated member of many organizations as a student, especially those supporting women students such as the Alumnae Council.

By the 1960s, Pelkofer was active in a variety of environmental efforts in addition to GASP, including the Allegheny County Health Department's Bureau of Air Pollution Control (BAPC). Her interest and dedication to informing the public of toxic waste and recycling issues led her to be appointed as a member of the state Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC) from 1984 to 1996. She also held offices in the Pennsylvanians United to Rescue the Environment (PURE) and the Group for Recycling in Pennsylvania (GRIP), and was involved in the efforts of the Environmental Justice Work Group (EJWG) to offer a blueprint for achieving environmental justice in Pennsylvania. Through her environmental efforts, Pelkofer was instrumental in framing environmental policies and creating public interest for the issues she promoted. Pelkofer died in 2003 at the age of seventy-six.

Scope and Content Notes

The papers in this collection relate to Patricia Pelkofer's involvement in environmental issues as either an advisor, consultant, or activist. Though Pelkofer was broadly involved in environmental issues in western Pennsylvania, the collection documents the activities of organizations in which she was involved with or monitored for information.

Records in this collection come from a variety of state and local environmental groups and committees. These include the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), the Group for Recycling in Pennsylvania (GRIP), the Environmental Justice Work Group (EJWG), various committees associated with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (DER), and the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC), among others. The records include meeting minutes, correspondence, legal materials, diagrams, schematic plans, and study data collected from meetings and publications, all related to local, state, and federal environmental organizations. There is also a small amount of personal correspondence to and from Pelkofer that details her feelings about the environmental groups and issues she was involved with. The records in the collection are arranged by the various environmental groups and committees in which Pelkofer was a member.

Arrangement

This collection is only arranged at the series level; there is no individual folder-level inventory for the collection at this time. Please contact the Archives Service Center for more information.

Series I. Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP), 1970-1988

Series II. Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC), 1984-1996

Series III. Allegheny County Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC), 1988-2001

Series IV. Pennsylvanians United to Rescue the Environment (PURE), 1982-1991

Series V. Group for Recycling in Pennsylvania (GRIP), 1988-2001

Series VI. Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Resources (PADER), 1980-1995

Series VII. Allegheny County Health Department, (ACHD), 1994-2003

Series VIII. Environmental Justice Work Group (EJWG), 2000-2001

Series IX. Publications and Issues

Access Restrictions

No restrictions.

Accruals

Additional material received in 1994, 2002, and in 2004 through her sister following Pelkofer's death.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Patricia Pelkfer in May 1993.

Previous Citation

Patricia Pelkofer Papers, 1969–2003, AIS.1993.05, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh.

Preferred Citation

Patricia Pelkofer Papers, 1969–2003, AIS.1993.05, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Alesha Shumar, Shaun Hayes, Sean Kilcoyne and Evan Waters in October 2008.

Copyright

Property rights reside with the University of Pittsburgh. For information about permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Archives Services Center.

Related Archival Material

Group Against Smog and Pollution Records, 1971-1976, AIS.1979.21, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Jeannette Widom Papers Relating to GASP (Group Against Smog and Pollution), 1970-1981, AIS.1994.10, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Allegheny County Air Pollution Advisory Committee Records, 1959-1986, AIS.1992.03, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pennsylvania. Department of Environmental Resources
    • Pennsylvania Alliance for Environmental Education
    • Pennsylvanians United to Rescue the Environment
    • Solid Waste Advisory Committee (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Western Pennsylvania Citizens for Safe Commuinites
    • Allegheny County (Pa.). Local Emergency Planning Committee
    • Allegheny County (Pa.). Bureau of Air Pollution Control
    • Allegheny County Environmental Coalition
    • CHOKE (Organization)
    • Citizens Against Toxic Sites (Pa.)
    • Concerned Citizens of Southwestern Pennsylvania
    • Concerned Citizens of the Yough (Pa.)
    • Environmental Justice Work Group (Pa.)
    • Environmental Law & Policy Center
    • Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Group
    • GASP (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
    • Group for Recycling in Pennsylvania
    • Pennsylvania. Department of Environmental Protection

    Personal Names

    • Pelkofer, Patricia

    Geographic Names

    • Fayette County (Pa.)
    • Pennsylvania
    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)
    • Allegheny County (Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Environmentalism -- Pennsylvania
    • Environmentalists
    • Women
    • Environment
    • Environmentalists -- Pennsylvania
    • Women environmentalists -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Environmental policy -- Pennsylvania -- History -- 20th century
    • Refuse and refuse disposal -- Pennsylvania
    • Environmental law -- Pennsylvania
    • Hazardous waste sites -- Pennsylvania
    • Natural resources -- Pennsylvania -- Management -- History -- 20th century
    • Environmental policy -- Pennsylvania -- Citizen participation

Container List