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COLLECTION Identifier: MC 618: T-364: Vt-170

Papers of Ann Pecora Diamond, 1897-2009 (inclusive), 1946-2009 (bulk)

Overview

Correspondence, diaries, legal papers, etc., of Ann Pecora Diamond, plaintiff in Diamond v. Yale University gender and age discrimination case.

Dates

  • Creation: 1897-2009
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1946-2009

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Access Restrictions:

Access. Written permission of Ann Pecora Diamond is required. Folders #11.1-11.15 are closed until January 1, 2046. An appointment is necessary to use any audiovisual material.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Ann Pecora Diamond is held by the President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Schlesinger Library. Copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.

Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.

Extent

25 linear feet ((60 file boxes) plus 5 folio boxes, 1 folio+ box, 7 photograph folders, 1 folio photograph folder, 1 folio+ photograph folder, 5 audiotapes, 2 videotapes)

The collection contains correspondence, diaries, calendars, financial records, legal documents, etc., documenting Diamond's life as a member of a commune in Santa Monica, California, and her lawsuit against Yale University for gender and age discrimination. Folder titles were created by Diamond; additional information in square brackets was provided by the archivist, who created the arrangement.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1946-2008 (#1.1-15.2, 61FB.1-65FB.3, 66F+B.1-66F+B.3, T-364.1, Vt-170.1), includes diaries, calendars, a baby book, financial records, scrapbooks, writings, etc. The baby book chronicles Diamond's life from her birth until her marriage to Stephen Diamond and includes her birth certificate, uncataloged photographs, accounts of injuries, and lists of grades and major events in Diamond's life. Files grouped under the heading "commune" contain materials relating to Diamond's years spent living in a commune in Santa Monica, California, including logs from her therapy sessions with psychologist Betty Grover Eisner. The logs contain accounts of issues that Diamond discussed with Eisner, mostly concerning her relationship with her parents, and describe therapy tools used in the sessions, including Rolfing (a form of massage therapy) and the doctor prescribed drugs Ritalin and ketamine. Diamond's diaries from the 1970s include accounts of these sessions; descriptions of other members of the commune and their activities; Diamond's feeling towards marriage and Stephen Diamond; and detailed entries concerning her romantic relationship with David B. Eisner (Betty Eisner's son). Later diaries discuss Diamond's work at Yale University, her relationship with her parents and sister, and her romantic relationships. Files are arranged with the baby book and resumes first, followed by an alphabetical arrangement of the remaining files.

Series II, CORRESPONDENCE, 1957-2009 (#15.3-39.7), contains letters, faxes, and printed e-mails exchanged by Diamond and family and friends. Letters from Diamond generally contain accounts of her work in the Yale University School of Medicine development office, men she was dating, social outings, and her legal battle with Yale. Correspondence with her parents includes letters from the Pecoras as well as carbon copies of Diamond's letters, originals of letters Diamond faxed, and printout of e-mails they exchanged. Originals of some of the letters found in this series as well as additional letters the Pecoras received from Diamond can be found in Series IV. The exchanges reveal her often contentious relationship with them and focuses on how the actions and reactions of each party made the other feel. Following her dismissal from Yale in 1993, Diamond became financially dependent on her father; their exchanges generally focus on financial matters and were often heated. Letters from Betty Grover Eisner contain news of members of the commune and Eisner's activities. Letters from the late 1970s contain details of a wrongful death lawsuit that was brought against Eisner in response to the 1976 death of one of Eisner's patients following mineral bath treatment and blasting therapy. Several members of the commune, including Stephen Diamond, testified against Eisner while Ann Diamond testified on Eisner's behalf. Eisner's letters detail her thoughts on the trial, the effect the trial had on members of the commune, and express anger over Santa Monica's attempts to use the trial to change zoning laws to ban communal living. The Psychology Examining Committee of the California Board of Medical Quality Assurance revoked Eisner's license to practice in 1978 and Eisner appealed the decision twice, losing both times. Eisner continued to advise members of the commune until it disbanded in the late 1980s, shifting the focus to Rolfing and other massage therapies. Files are arranged alphabetically, followed by a chronological arrangement. Letters from individuals with files may also be found in the chronological files.

Series III, DIAMOND V. YALE UNIVERSITY, 1967-2002 (#39.8-58.6, T-364.2 - T-364.5, Vt-170.2), contains legal correspondence, court transcripts, legal filings, and research materials relating to Diamond's lawsuit (which began in 1993) against Yale University for gender and age discrimination. Research materials include copies of office memos, timesheets, and Diamond's medical records. Also included are files on potential trial witnesses, which contain notes and correspondence between Diamond and her lawyers discussing each person's potential as a witness. Despite a ruling in Yale's favor, Diamond pursued the case until 2001, when the Connecticut Supreme Court refused to hear the case. Files are listed alphabetically, followed by a chronological arrangement of correspondence found loose.

Series IV, FAMILY PAPERS, 1897, 1932-2004 (#58.7-60.10, PD.1), contains letters from Diamond to her parents, David and Dorothy Pecora, and her grandmother, Ruby Beavers; letters to the Pecoras from friends and family; David Pecora's autobiography; medals David Pecora received in high school; the program and related ephemera from David Pecora's graduation from Yale University School of Medicine; and an Italian railway pass belonging to one of Diamond's ancestors. Letters from Diamond contain accounts of her daily life, her frequent disapproval of her parents' actions towards her, details of her lawsuit against Yale, and her financial situation. Files are arranged alphabetically.

Series V, PHOTOGRAPHS, ca.1918, 1950-1990 (#PD.2-PD.9), includes portraits and snapshots of Diamond and her family and friends. Folders are arranged alphabetically.

Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database. Others, referred to as "uncataloged" photographs, are not of sufficient research interest to warrant cataloging and are simply treated as part of the documents they accompany; they are marked on the back with an asterisk in square brackets [*].

BIOGRAPHY

The elder daughter of Dorothy and David Pecora, Ann Pecora Diamond was born in Yonkers, New York, on September 14, 1946. She grew up in Saranac Lake, New York, where her father was chief surgeon at Ray Brook Hospital; during World War II, her mother had served as chief nurse of a field hospital under General Patton. She married Stephen L. Diamond, a lawyer, in 1967. In the early 1970s, they moved to Santa Monica, California, where they lived on a commune led by Betty Grover Eisner, a psychologist and early proponent of the use of psychedelic drugs in therapy. In a bid to save their marriage, the couple began to engage in an open marriage in 1971; they divorced in 1977.

Diamond received a B.A. in English from Syracuse University in 1967 and a B.S. in biology from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1976. She took graduate classes in English and education at Columbia University and in cell biology at Yale University. Diamond remained at Yale University as an employee of the Yale University School of Medicine, working as an associate in research in hematology (1979-1984), assistant director of development (1984-1990), and associate director for stewardship in the office of development (1990-1993). In 1993, she sued Yale University for gender and age discrimination. Despite a ruling in Yale's favor, Diamond pursued the case until 2001, when the Connecticut Supreme Court refused to hear the case.

ARRANGEMENT

The collection is arranged in five series:

  1. Series I. Biographical and Personal, 1946-2008 (#1.1-15.2, 61FB.1-65FB.3, 66F+B.1-66F+B.3, T-364.1, Vt-170.1)
  2. Series II. Correspondence, 1957-2009 (#15.3-39.7)
  3. Series III. Diamond v. Yale University, 1967-2002 (#39.8-58.6, T-364.2 - T-364.5, Vt-170.2)
  4. Series IV. Family Papers, 1897, 1932-2004 (#58.7-60.10, PD.1)
  5. Series V. Photographs, ca.1918, 1950-1990 (#PD.2-PD.9)

Physical Location

Collection stored off site: researchers must request access 36 hours before use.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Accession numbers: 2000-M156, 2001-M66, 2002-M22, 2003-M49, 2004-M1, 2005-M18, 2007-M30, 2009-M68

The papers of Ann Pecora Diamond were given to the Schlesinger Library by Ann Pecora Diamond between October 2000 and April 2009.

SEPARATION RECORD

Donors: Ann Pecora Diamond

Accession numbers: 2000-M156, 2001-M66, 2002-M22, 2003-M49, 2004-M1, 2005-M18, 2007-M30, 2009-M68

Processed by: Johanna Carll

The following item has been transferred to the Schlesinger Library books and printed materials collection (pending review by curator):

  1. TREEO: Training in Equal Employment Opportunity, compiled and published by St. Pierre Associates, 1977

The following item has been transferred to the Schlesinger Library calendar collection (Gr-16):

  1. The Women's Memorial special edition calendar honoring women pioneers of World War I, 1996

Processing Information

Processed: February 2010

By: Johanna Carll

Title
Diamond, Ann Pecora, 1946- . Papers of Ann Pecora Diamond, 1897-2009 (inclusive), 1946-2009 (bulk): A Finding Aid
Author
Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
Language of description
eng
Sponsor
Processing of this collection was made possible by a gift from the Radcliffe College Class of 1955.
EAD ID
sch01275

Repository Details

Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository

The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.

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