Gerry Frank scrapbooks and memorabilia

Collection

Identifier: Coll 855

Staff Only

Content Description

The collection consists of scrapbooks, albums, papers, and ephemera compiled by and relating to Gerald W. "Gerry" Frank, a businessman associated with Portland, Oregon, and Salem, Oregon. The bulk of the collection is scrapbooks and albums that contain newspaper clippings, correspondence, ephemera, and photographs documenting Frank's life and career. Much of the collection concerns the Meier & Frank department store that Frank's family founded and which he worked for in the 1950s and 1960s, including the store's Salem branch, which he managed. Meier & Frank materials include menus from the store restaurants, memorandums, advertisements, and training handouts.

The collection also documents Frank's involvement with Republican politics, particularly his relationship with Oregon Governor and U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield, and includes two reports for around-the-world fact-finding trips that Frank undertook for Senator Hatfield. Additional materials include scrapbooks concerning Frank's book "Where to Find It, Buy It, and Eat It in New York"; a scrapbook of Frank's weekly column in the Oregonian; personal photographs, correspondence, and ephemera; and autographed photographs of state and national political figures.

Dates

Creation: circa 1880-2018

Creator

Frank, Gerry (1923) (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

Gerald "Gerry" Wendell Frank was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1923. He attended Stanford University, where he enrolled in the Reserve Officer Training Corps. He was called to active duty in the U.S. Army in 1943, and served in the European theater during World War II. During his Army training in California, he studied engineering at Loyola University. After his discharge in 1945, he remained in England and attended Cambridge University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's degree in politics.

After graduating, he returned to Portland and worked at the family business, the Meier & Frank department store. He opened and managed the Meier & Frank store in Salem, Oregon, in 1955. After the sale of Meier & Frank in 1965, Frank became involved with Mark Hatfield's political career, eventually becoming the senator's chief of staff. In 1981, he opened a dessert shop in Salem called Gerry Frank's Konditorei. He was a longtime contributor to the Oregonian newspaper and also authored a guidebook to Oregon, entitled "Gerry Frank's Oregon."

Frank died in March 2022.

Sources: Obituary in the Oregonian, March 14, 2022; oral history interviews with Gerry Frank, SR 1002 and SR 1324, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Extent

36.7 Cubic Feet (3 record cartons; 1 flat box (20x24); 1 oversize folder (20x30); 140 loose volumes; 1 audio reel; 1 videotape)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Scrapbooks, photograph albums, photographs, papers, and ephemera compiled by or relating to Gerald W. "Gerry" Frank (1923-). Frank is a businessman from Oregon who worked at the department store Meier & Frank; opened a dessert shop in Salem, Oregon, named Gerry Frank's Konditerei; and was U.S. Senator Mark Hatfield's chief of staff.

Arrangement

Collection is arranged in four series: Series 1. Scrapbooks; Series 2. Photo albums; Series 3. Meier & Frank materials; Series 4. Other papers and memorabilia.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Radio broadcast and videotape require assistance to access. Contact library staff for assistance.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Gerald W. Frank, October 2020 (RL2020-067).

Existence and Location of Copies

Selected photographs are viewable online in OHS Digital Collections.

Related Materials

Gerry Frank papers, Mss 2832; Meier and Frank Company collection, Mss 2866; Oral history interview with Gerry Frank, SR 1002; and Oral history interview with Gerry Frank, SR 1324, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.