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The Plimpton Family Papers is primarily comprised of correspondence, personal and professional documents, writings and photographs generated by or for George Arthur Plimpton and Frances Taylor Pearsons Plimpton, their son, Francis T.P. Plimpton, and his wife Pauline Ames Plimpton. Also included are documents and photographs produced by or for other Plimpton, Pearsons and Ames family members, from seventeenth century ancestors to late-twentieth century descendants.

This collection is made up of architectural drawings, correspondence, specifications, contracts, invoices, minutes, financial statements, patents, advertisements, photographs, photograph album, test results and reports, memoranda, tile samples, factory order cards, and other materials pertaining to The Guastavino Fireproof Construction Company's projects. The dates of the materials span 1866-1985, with bulk dates 1890-1942. The architectural records include structural, decorative, and acoustical sample products and fragments. Also included are materials added to the files by George Collins (1917-1993), Professor of Art History at Columbia University. Prof. Collins secured the donation of this archive in 1963, and remained its custodian until it was transferred to the Drawings and Archives Collection at the Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library in 1988. The records document Prof. Collins' research efforts, as well as the Company's projects in forty states (including District of Columbia), four Canadian provinces, and eleven other foreign countries.

This collection contains the papers of George W. Perkins, Jr., a diplomat who served as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs and as United States Permanent Representative to NATO. The bulk of the papers relates to his work for NATO and for the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which he chaired. There are also documents pertaining to his service in the U.S. Army during World War I and World War II. Most of the material consists of correspondence and photographs.

The Shih-hui Hsiung (Shihui Xiong) papers consist of materials documenting Hsiung's life and political career from 1907 to 1974. The highlights of the papers are the manuscripts, which include six volumes of Hsiung's memoir, seven volumes of diaries over 43 years, and approximately 440 original handwritten speech scripts. The photographs and political and military affairs related documents focus on Hsiung's active involvement in the northeast region and abroad from 1930 to 1948. The papers overall consist of correspondence, calligraphy scrolls, diaries, a diploma, documents, letter books, manuscripts of published and unpublished works, maps, newspaper clippings, notes, oversize military notices, poems, photographs, photograph albums, reports, and other materials.

Gordon Bunshaft (1909-1990) was an American architect who, as a partner at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, had a significant impact on large-scale corporate architecture. His projects include such significant urban office towers as the Lever House in midtown Manhattan, as well as modern office campuses set in natural landscapes, including such examples as the American Can Company in Greenwich, Connecticut or the Connecticut General Life Insurance Company headquarters in Bloomfield, Connecticut. Additionally, his interest in art caused him to actively integrate work by well-known modern artists into the public plazas and interiors of SOM's projects. The professional aspects of this collection can be found in clippings, project photography, oral history records, and publications, however, the majority of the collection is personal and reflects the life of Gordon and his wife Nina Bunshaft. Through correspondence, snapshots, objects, and personal papers the collection focuses on the Bunshafts' friends, their travels, and their impressive art collection of both modern and ancient sculptures and paintings.

This collection consists of personal and biographical archival materials -- photographs and articles -- relating to the life and work of Gloria Fokine. A ballet instructor and teacher in New York City with her partner Leon Fokine, Gloria was born in Havana, Cuba and would travel extensively in her career as a choreographer and dancer in Russia, France and the materials focus on life and work primarily in the 1950s-70s.

Ntozake Shange (1948-2018, BC '70) was an American playwright and poet. The Ntozake Shange Papers include manuscripts and drafts of works; correspondence; diaries and agendas; clippings, programs, and ephemera; teaching documents; personal and professional photographs; awards, memorabilia, and personal effects; and texts, music, and other works by others collected by Shange.