Scope and Content Note
The papers of Eleanor R. Gerson, dating from 1977-2001, consist of 2.1 linear feet (5 boxes) of correspondence, financial reports, meeting minutes, and grant proposals. The records mostly document Eleanor and her family’s active philanthropical activities from 1980 to 2001. In addition, records from the Eleanor Gerson School and the Temple Associates, Ltd., are included here.
The bulk of the papers document the financial gifts of Eleanor and her family through the various Gerson foundations and as an individual donor. Also included here are grant proposals submitted to the Gerson foundations for funding. The records are filed alphabetically by organization, then by date within. Though there are records from the 1980′s, most date from 1990 to 2001.
Records from the various Gerson family foundations, such as the Benjamin S. Gerson Family Foundation, Eleanor R. Gerson Charitable Remainder Unitrust, Eleanor Gerson Philanthropical Fund, and the Eleanor Gerson Supporting Foundation, are also included. They document the foundations’ organization, finances, and some gifts. Records consist of meeting minutes, financial reports, articles of incorporation, codes of regulations, and grant guidelines.
Records from the Eleanor Gerson School are also contained here. These are mostly from the school itself and include commencement programs, student newsletters and yearbooks, enrollment statistics, and brochures. Some correspondence from Eleanor fundraising for the school are also present.
Documented as well is Eleanor’s involvement with the Temple Associates, Ltd., from 1982 to 1994. In 1982, Temple Associates, Ltd., was founded and then purchased the Civic on Mayfield Road in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, to develop as a multi-use facility for various institutions to teach and interact. Records here consist of correspondence, financial reports, and a grant proposal.