Berta Delman memorabilia

Collection

Identifier: Coll 988

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of memorabilia gathered by Berta Delman of Portland, Oregon, including newsletters, brochures, clippings, flyers, and programs. A substantial amount of this material relates to advocacy efforts in North and Northeast Portland, particularly by Black residents. Organizations represented in the collection include the Albina Art Center, the Albina Ministerial Alliance, the Black United Front, the Center for Urban Education, the North-Northeast Business Association, and the Oregon Women's Political Caucus. The collection also includes materials relating to artist Charlotte Lewis and a poster she designed for the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross; materials relating to a scholarship created in honor of Nancy Ryles, and Ryles' memorial service program; and stationery and photographs of the Knight Shoe Company, which Delman's father owned in the 1940s and 1950s. Other materials in the collection include the program for "Bal Negre" at the Mayfair Theatre; a brochure for the Police Internal Investigations Audit Committee; a flyer for a Red Cross event on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; a newsletter for Arts Plan 2000+; a memorial service program for Bill Naito; and a 1977 issue of Portland Today with an article about Black-owned businesses in the Albina neighborhood.

Dates

1948-2000

Creator

Delman, Berta, 1933-2006 (Compiler, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Oregon Historical Society owns the materials in the Research Library and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. The Society does not necessarily hold copyright to all materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners.

Biographical Note

Berta Mae Delman (née Olman) was born in 1933, and lived in Portland, Oregon. Her father, Oscar Olman, owned the Knight Shoe Company in the 1940s and 1950s. Delman studied at Portland State University and the University of Washington. She worked as a civic planner and public administrator. Among the positions she held were board member of the Albina Art Center, a member of the Police Internal Investigations Auditing Committee, director of community services for the Oregon Trail Chapter of the American Red Cross, project manager for Portland Mayor Vera Katz, and main street manager for the North-Northeast Business Association. Delman died in 2006.

Sources: Articles in the Oregonian, 1975-2006.

Extent

0.3 Cubic Feet (1 slim legal document case; 2 oversize folders (12x15) in shared flat box)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Memorabilia of Berta Delman (1933-2006), including newsletters, brochures, programs, clippings, and ephemera. Much of the material concerns North and Northeast Portland, Oregon, including the advocacy work of Black residents. The collection also contains stationery and photographs of the Knight Shoe Company, which Delman's father owned. Delman was a public administrator and civic planner.