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Archive documents political life

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The recent decision by retiring state Sen. Jim Costa to donate his political papers to the Central Valley Political Archive has brought focused new attention on the archive, one of the hidden gems in the Henry Madden Library.

The mission of the CVPA is to document 20th century political life in the San Joaquin Valley by collecting the personal papers of state legislators and United States congressmen from California representing the region.

Costa's papers will join those of Kenneth Maddy, Charles Pashayan and Bernie Sisk. 

Established in 2000, the Central Valley Political Archive is located in the north wing on the second floor of the Madden Library but is administratively part of the Special Collections Library.

The archive seeks to document government and political action in all its diversity and record its impact on society. It is non-partisan, representing all political parties and persuasions, but focuses on the uniquely bipartisan, cooperative nature of politics in the San Joaquin Valley.

CVPA traces the emerging presence of Mexican Americans in political life and documents the influence and contributions of both Mexican Americans and Armenian Americans, as well as that of other minority groups to Valley politics.

The CVPA is closely allied with the Kenneth L. Maddy Institute, located on campus, and seeks to trace topics integral to the political life of the Central Valley such as agriculture, water rights and bipartisanship.

Heading the CVPA is Glenn Gray, who has joined the faculty of the Madden Library last spring as archivist and assistant Special Collections librarian. With a master's degree in Library Science with a concentration in archival administration from the University of Maryland and a B.A. in History and English from Wheaton College, Gray has worked for the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Senate Committee on Finance for the U.S. Senate and most recently for the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C.

For more information, contact Gray at (559) 278-8573 or e-mail ggray@csufresno.edu.

Back to University Journal, 10/01/02 Issue