%eadnotat; ]> 5258kare Finding aid for Karen A. Reixach Prison Reform Papers, 1974-1986 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2007 Text converted and initial EAD tagging provided by FHL Staff, 2007 ENG Karen A. Reixach Prison Reform Papers, 1974-1986 FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2007 Descriptive Summary Karen A. Reixach Prison Reform Papers 1974-1986 RG5/258 Karen A. Reixach, b. 1944 2 boxes ; 1 linear foot Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Contains correspondence, minutes, and other papers concerning Karen A. Reixach's work with Quaker meetings at Auburn Prison and Attica Prison in New York State, 1974-1986. A member of Rochester Monthly Meeting, she was active in prison reform and Quaker outreach to prisoners. She served on the Rochester Monthly Meeting and New York Yearly Meetings Prison Committees and as clerk of the Oversight Committee at Attica Prison.

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

Karen Adkinson Reixach was born in 1944, the daughter of Burton Wilbur Adkinson and Margaret Klock Adkinson of Washington, D.C. She attended Grinnell College and earned a masters degree in English from the University of Chicago. In 1968 she married Rene Henry Reixach, Jr. She joined the Society of Friends in 1973, received by request at Scarsdale Monthly Meeting. Later that year she and her husband moved to Rochester, N.Y., and she transferred her membership to Rochester Monthly Meeting.

A Quaker meeting for worship was established at Auburn Prison in 1974, and in 1975, it became a preparative meeting under Scipio-Farmington Regional Meeting. As a representative of Rochester Monthly Meeting, Karen Reixach served on the Auburn Prison Friends Meeting Oversight Committee until December 1975. In February 1977 meeting for worship began at Attica Prison. She served as clerk of the Attica Oversight Committee until 1984. She also served on the New York Yearly Meeting Prison Committee from 1977 to 1987, Rochester Prison Committee until 1986, the Friends Committee on National Legislation in 1984, and NYYM Witness Coordinating Committee in 1984 (and again in 2000 and 2003) as well as being active in Alternatives to Violence Program.

While working with Auburn and Attica Prison meetings, she attended the University of Rochester and received a M.S. in public policy. She also worked as the Project Coordinator for Safe Start Rochester, Children's Institute, a Monroe County organization designed to help children exposed to violence.

SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

Contains correspondence, minutes, and other papers concerning Karen A. Reixach's work with Quaker worship groups at Auburn Prison and Attica Prison in New York State. She was active in prison reform and Quaker outreach, serving as representative from Rochester Monthly Meeting and clerk of the Oversight Committee at Attica Prison.

Organized into two series:

Correspondence, minutes and related papers Miscellaneous ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Donor: New York Yearly Meeting, 1997

Access

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

RG2/NYy, New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Prison Committee.

Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], Karen A. Reixach Prison Reform Papers, RG5/258, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Processing information

Transferred from the Haviland Record Room in 1997 as part of the transfer of New York Yearly Meeting records to Friends Historical Library. When New York Yearly Meeting Prison Committee Records were processed in the summer of 2006, it was decided that Karen Reixach's papers containing her work on prison reform should be an independent collection. The papers were received in folders which included correspondence and other papers; this order was maintained, with the folders placed roughly in chronological order and described in the finding aid.

SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

Rochester Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1944-ongoing : Rochester, N.Y.) Auburn Prison Friends Meeting (Auburn, N.Y.) Auburn Prison Attica Prison Attica Prison Friends Meeting (Attica, N.Y.) New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Prison Committee Church work with prisoners -- Society of Friends Social Service -- Religious aspects -- Society of Friends Prison reform -- New York State Prison reform -- Society of Friends Quaker prison reformers Rochester Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends (1944-ongoing : Rochester, N.Y.) Auburn Prison Friends Meeting (Auburn, N.Y.) Attica Prison Friends Meeting (Attica, N.Y.) New York Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends. Prison Committee DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: To request materials, please note both the location and box numbers shown below:

Series 1: Correspondence, minutes, and related releases Auburn Oversight Committee 1974-1976 1 folder 1

Includes Committee minutes, Rochester Prison Committee minutes, etc.

Auburn Oversight Committee 1974-1977 1 folder 1

Mostly minutes

Auburn Prison Meetings 1974-1975 1 folder 1

Reports

Auburn Indulged Meeting 1974-1976 1 folder 1

Reports on the Meeting

Reports to Regional Meetings 1975-1983 1 folder 1

Concerning Attica and Auburn Prison meetings

One Religion Rule, Attica 1975-1981 1 folder 1

Correspondence and related papers

Attica Oversight Committee 1976-1985 1 folder 1

Minutes, correspondence

Correspondence, Attica 1977-1980 1 folder 1

Correspondence with inmates, prison officials, other Friends concerning Indulged Meeting at Attica

Correspondence, fight at Attica 1979-1982 1 folder 1

Correspondence concerning fighting among inmates

Correspondence, Attica 1980-1985 1 folder 1

Correspondence with inmates, prison officials, other Friends concerning Indulged Meeting at Attica

Minutes, Attica Friends Meeting 1980-1985 1 folder 2

Includes minutes from Attica Indulged Meeting

Correspondence concerning problems with worship directives, Attica 1981-1982 1 folder 2

Correspondence concerning problems with worship directives at Attica, call list

Female Volunteers, Attica 1982-1983 1 folder 2

Primarily about regulations limiting visits by female volunteers

Rochester Monthly Meeting Prison Committee 1975, 1976, 1978 1 folder 2

Oversight Committee: Includes minutes, visitor info for Auburn, other prison reform organizations

Rochester Prison Committee: Correspondence 1976-1983 1 folder 2

Reixach correspondence

New York Yearly Meeting Prison Committee Correspondence 1977-1984 1 folder 2

Correspondence

New York Yearly Meeting Prison Committee Minutes 1981-1986 1 folder 2

Minutes

Series 2: Miscellaneous Rochester Prison Committee Annual reports 1975-1983 1 folder 2

Annual reports to Rochester Monthly Meeting

Rochester Friends Prisoner Assistance Fund 1982 1 folder 2

Guidelines

Quarterly Meeting 1974 1 folder 2

Status of Auburn

Roll and Functions 1976 1 folder 2

Concerning Auburn Prison Meeting

Directives 1976 1 folder 1

Documents from N.Y. Department of Corrections

Attendees, Attica 1979-1981 1 folder

Mainly attendance lists, some correspondence

Attica Meeting, job descriptions 1982 1 folder 2

Structure of business meeting

Attica conditions 1983 1 folder 2

Reference file

Attica treasury 1983 1 folder 2

Financial report

Information for outsiders 1983, n.d. 1 folder 2

Guidelines, queries, advice from New York Yearly Meeting

NYYM Prison Committee Clerk, job description 1977-1980 1 folder 2

Includes NYYM Prison Committee minutes

Guidelines for Emergency Fund 1979, 1984 1 folder 2

Written by NYYM Prison Committee

NYYM Prison Committee 1979-1984, n.d. 1 folder 2

Workshops, address list, etc.