Gerald Grob Papers

Two series of correspondence comprise the materials covered in this finding aid. The first series spans the years 1952 to 1970, the second, the years 1971 to 1988, with gaps for the years 1983 and 1986. Most of the material consists of original handwritten or typed letters and carbon copies of letters; there are carbon copies, onionskins, and photocopies of memoranda, reports, meeting minutes, and applications, various news clippings, placards, postcards, and a six-leaf booklet. All are written in English. Some of the documents exhibit notable paper defects, including yellowing, spots, and deckled edges.

One aspect of these series (more numerous in the second) that might be of particular research interest is Grob's correspondence with, or one-oft letters to, U.S. government officials, including senators, congressmen, the President (Eisenhower), and several New Jersey governors. These underscore Grob's political activism as they relate to topics such as U.S. foreign policy in the mid and far-east, government spending and inflation, guaranteed student loans, medical library research collections, and gas lines.

Grob's correspondence with Karl Menninger, a noted psychiatrist, might also be of particular interest to researchers as well as his correspondence with Rutgers University President Edward J. Bloustein and Provost Kenneth Wheeler which illustrate the administrative, organizational, and ideological issues affecting the University at the time. The most consistent correspondence throughout both series is manifest in handwritten letters from a "George" at Clark University, whom it seems likely to be George A. Billias, a longtime friend of Grob's and a collaborator on many of his publications.

Correspondence with librarians and additional university staff relate to Grob's research on Edward Jarvis, oft-referred to in relation to a tentative project coined the "Jarvis Report." This seems noteworthy as several of Grob's major publications refer to Edward Jarvis in their titles. There is also routine correspondence with various publishers regarding the status of Grob's manuscripts or editing work, as well as solicitations to complete professional reviews and evaluations of manuscripts. Such correspondence is more prevalent within the second series than the first. In addition to correspondence with publishers, there are also routine solicitations from individuals seeking Grob as a referent.

The second series is significantly more extensive than the first series, with the bulk of the material spanning the years 1971 through 1980. Arranged in chronological order, the second series provides a more intuitive "timeline" of events, while the first series, arranged alphabetically (and in reverse chronological order), provides a more practical "index" of personal and corporate names.