This collection contains the personal papers of Ron Sakolsky relating to his time as a professor of Public Administration at Sangamon State University (later University of Illinois-Springfield) and his community activism. It includes correspondence, newsletters, notes, meeting minutes, and guides relating to healthcare, legal services, government, and housing in Springfield, IL, artwork, and syllabi, readings, and correspondence relating to his time in academia, notably printouts of emails sent to the university in support of Sakolsky and Dennis Fox following their 1995 arrest.

The collection is divided into three series: Activism, The Arts, and Academia.

Series I: Activism, 1973-1992, contains correspondence, newsletters, meeting minutes, guides, and similar material relating to Sakolsky’s community activism in Springfield, IL. Much of the material was produced by the local organizations People’s Institute and DES Action Group; other materials include guides on healthcare services produced by other organizations and materials produced by the Alliance for Cultural Democracy. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II: The Arts, 1984-1997 primarily consists of correspondence art. Works were mailed to the Correspondence Art Club for an exhibit held at the Auburn School of Folk Art in December 1984; the exhibit’s subject was “1000 Uses for a Dead Tree.” Sakolsky was also involved with a 1986 correspondence art project relating to the Haymarket Incident. Additional materials include a publication regarding crafts at the Clayville Rural Life Center and newsletters from the Regional Organization of Theaters South [ROOTS]. Arranged alphabetically.

Series II: Academia, 1971-1995 contains syllabi, readings on cultural identity, and printouts of emails sent in response to Sakolsky’s arrest on campus in 1995. Arranged alphabetically.