© 2006. State University of New York at Buffalo. All rights reserved.
[Item information and date], Box/Folder #, MS 126, Scriptores Records, 1920-2005, University Archives, The State University of New York at Buffalo.
See the Archives' preferred citations instructions for additional information.
Acquisition InformationThe University Archives received the material in this collection from Arthur Butler, Professor Emeritus of Economics in March 2005. Professor Butler was the "Factotum" of Scriptores from 2002-2005.
Terms of AccessThe bulk of the Scriptores Records are open for research.
CopyrightCopyright of papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns. Researchers must obtain the written permission of the holder(s) of copyright and the University Archives before publishing quotations from materials in the collection. Most papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures unless otherwise specified.
Processing InformationProcessed by Mark McGuire, March 2006.
Accruals and AdditionsNo further accruals are expected to this collection.
Scriptores was founded in 1920 by Dr. Augustus H. Shearer, Librarian of Grosvenor Library, and Marc A. Rose, managing editor the Buffalo Evening News. Shearer told Rose about having attended a social event in Philadelphia which was composed of authors, publishers, and other figures of literary society. Together the two men discussed the possibility of creating something similar in Buffalo. Soon they had gathered together a small group of local figures, including George Hibbard, author and librarian, and Dr. Julian Park, the University at Buffalo's first historian and first Dean of Arts and Sciences (1919-1954).
The club met every two weeks for a luncheon at various downtown restaurants. In 1922, they began meeting in the Refectory of the Grosvenor Library where they continued to meet until it closed in 1954. Other meeting locations included the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, the Hotel Lenox, and most recently the Holiday Inn. The luncheon meetings were eventually reduced to one per month, September through May.
Scriptores membership was originally intended for members of the Buffalo community that were writers, and it is noted in Herbert Duschak's Scriptores: A History that "the idea was that everyone should have written, and what is more, should have been paid for writing to prove it was worth something." The membership restrictions were eventually abandoned and members were of all different professions- scientists, business leaders, politicians, and teachers. The Scriptores' male-only restriction was also lifted.
Topics of Scriptores luncheon meetings included architecture, local politics, transportation, and foreign policy, as well as the literary arts. New members and their guests were warmly welcomed into this unique Buffalo organization.
Note: For a more in-depth history see Herbert W. Duschak's Scriptores: A History, 1920-1971, <Buffalo?> : <s.n.>, <between 1972 and 1977>.
The Scriptores Records document the organization's monthly luncheon meetings and include newsletters about speakers and upcoming events for members of the club. While the collection generally concerns the period between 1989 and 2005, there are also some materials that document the Scriptores' earlier history (particularly 1972-1974), as well as a published history of Scriptores between 1920 and 1971 compiled by Herbert W. Duschak. The collection also contains the Scriptores financial records for 1993-2005.
The collection is arranged into five series: I. Correspondence, II. Financial Records, III. History, IV. Luncheons, and V. Membership.
| Box-folder | Contents | |
| 1.1 | Holiday Inn Correspondence, 1996-2000; includes correspondence concerning the luncheons held at the Holiday Inn | |
| 1.2 | Monthly Correspondence to Members, 1991-1999 | |
| Box-folder | Contents | |
| 1.3 | Financial Records, 1993-1997 | |
| 1.4 | Treasurer's Notebook, 1999-2001; includes related financial records for the period | |
| 1.5 | Cash and Checks Received, 2001-2004 | |
| 1.6 | Check Registers, 1999-2005 | |
| 1.7 | Petty Cash Ledger, 2001-2004 | |
| 1.8 | Deposited Funds Ledger, 2001-2004 | |
| 1.9 | 'Summary of all funds' Ledger, 2001-2004 | |
| 1.10 | Bank Statements, 1996-1999 | |
| 1.11-1.12 | Bank Statements, 2001-2005 | |
| Box-folder | Contents | |
| 1.13 | Book of the Year, 1972 | |
| 1.14 | Book of the Year, 1973 | |
| 2.1 | Book of the Year, 1974 | |
| 3.1 | Scriptores: A History, photocopy of | |
| Box-folder | Contents | |
| 2.2 | Potential Speakers, 1995; members' suggestions for future speakers | |
| 2.3 | Luncheon Speakers, 1989-1996; includes five photographs | |
| 2.4 | Luncheon Attendance Lists, 1996-1999 | |
| 2.5-2.9 | Newsletters, 2001-2004; includes newsletters about luncheon meetings and speaker biographies | |
| Box-folder | Contents | |
| 2.10 | Membership Lists, 1985-1989, 1991-2003 | |
| 2.11-2.13 | Membership Dues, 2001-2003 | |
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog.
