SUMMARY DESCRIPTION

Materials relating primarily to White House liaison with youth organizations and adults working with young people, and administration of the White House Summer Intern program.

QUANTITY
8.4 linear feet (ca. 16,800 pages)

DONOR
Gerald R. Ford (accession number 77-116)

ACCESS
Advance consultation is required so that archivists may complete routine review of requested folders for restricted information.

COPYRIGHT
Gerald R. Ford donated to the United States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to remain with them. Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public domain.

Prepared by Helmi Raaska, December 1994
[s:\bin\findaid\powell, pamela.doc]

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Pamela A. Powell

1969 - Graduated from Marquette University

1969-? - Worked as a reporter, press agent, and actress

1971 - Joined Celebrities for the President (Nixon)

1972 - Chairman of Young Voters for the President (Nixon)

1973-74 - White House Staff Assistant

1975-77 - Director for Youth Affairs, White House Office of Public Liaison

ca. 1994 - Development Director, Phoenix House, Gardena, California

INTRODUCTION

Pamela Powell came to the Nixon White House in February 1973 as an assistant to Counsellor Anne Armstrong. She remained on the staff through the Ford administration. In both administrations, and under both job titles, her responsibilities were very similar. President Nixon had charged Counsellor Armstrong with responsibility for youth affairs, and as her assistant, Powell participated in the activities she later came to direct. When Anne Armstrong resigned in December 1974, President Ford transferred the liaison functions of her office to a recently created Office of Public Liaison headed by William Baroody. He appointed Powell Director for Youth Affairs within this office on January 1, 1975.

As Director for Youth Affairs, Powell was responsible for maintaining liaison with youth organizations and adults working with young people. She facilitated requests for presidential involvement, addressed state and national conventions, arranged for other staff members to speak before groups, and conducted special White House tours and meetings. The Office of Public Liaison hosted a series of "Tuesday at the White House" and "Wednesday at the White House" meetings which brought together representatives from interest groups and members of the Ford administration. Powell planned and participated in several of these meetings which focused on issues important to youth, such as education, employment opportunities, and juvenile justice. She was also concerned with encouraging the involvement of young citizens in the Bicentennial celebration and 1976 presidential campaign.

Early in the Ford administration Powell organized a White House meeting for the national student leaders of the major youth organizations in America. A meeting with the President was held on August 30, 1974. The stated purpose of the meeting was to elicit suggestions for youth involvement in the administration, and to demonstrate the President's support of youth organizations and the part they play in preparing young people for responsible roles as citizens and future leaders. A follow-up conference, called the White House Youth Conference on the Third Century, was proposed for 1976. The files contain material on the 1974 meeting, and an extensive amount of material on the preparatory work Powell completed for the 1976 conference. In spite of all the planning done for the Youth Conference on the Third Century, the conference was never held.

Powell also administered the White House Summer Intern Program. This program enabled a selected group of young adults to participate in the working White House on a daily basis. The files include administrative materials for the 1974 and 1975 programs, and intern name files for 1975. Powell did preliminary work for 1976, but the intern program was not carried out that year.

The Powell Files originally included White House Summer Intern applicant files for 1975 and 1976. Staff at the Ford Library determined that the applicant files did not warrant permanent retention and set them aside for disposal.

Related Materials (December 1994)
The files of colleagues in the Office of Public Liaison are all related. The files of William Baroody and Theodore Marrs are especially useful for information about the Tuesday and Wednesday at the White House meetings. Other staff files relate to liaison with specific interest groups. Additional information about the Office of Public Liaison may be found in the files of Counsellor John Marsh.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Youth Organizations File, 1973-76.  (Boxes 1-7, 2.8 linear feet)
Information about and communication with youth organizations and organizations that worked with young people. The materials include correspondence, news releases, clippings, and newsletters and other printed materials produced by the organizations. Materials concern Powell's efforts to plan White House visits for groups, facilitate presidential messages and participation in events, and arrange for either herself or others on the White House staff to speak before groups.

Arranged alphabetically by name of organization.

View container list for this series

General Subject File, 1973-76.  (Boxes 8-16, 3.6 linear feet)
Files on various issues important to youth and materials relating to Powell's arrangements for meetings, conferences, speakers, and special White House tours. Also materials concerning involvement of young citizens in the Bicentennial celebration and the 1976 presidential campaign. Files on meetings and conferences are significant, especially Tuesday at the White House meetings and a presidential meeting with national student leaders of major youth organizations in August 1974. Extensive materials appear on preparations for a conference that was not held, the White House Youth Conference on the Third Century.

Arranged alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

White House Interns Subject File, 1973-76.  (Boxes 17-19, 1.2 linear feet)
Materials on the administration of the summer intern program, including press releases, publicity briefs, evaluations of interns, and reports by interns. Primarily for the summers of 1974 and 1975, but also includes some general information on earlier programs and preparatory work for 1976. The program was not held in 1976.

Arranged chronologically by year, and thereunder alphabetically by subject.

View container list for this series

White House Interns Name File, 1974-75. (Boxes 20-21, .8 linear foot)
Name files for the summer 1975 interns. Included in the files are letters of application and recommendation, transcripts and other supporting material, and the intern's assignment sheet.

Arranged alphabetically by name of intern.

View container list for this series

CONTAINER LIST

Box 1 - Youth Organizations File

• AAA - Gold Lifesaving Medal Winners
• American Advertising Federation
• American Cause
• American Council of Young Political Leaders
• American Personnel and Guidance
• American Field Service
• Betty Crocker Awards
• Bicentennial Youth Debates
• Big Sisters International
• Boys Clubs of America
• Boys Nation
• Boy Scouts of America

Box 2 - Youth Organizations File

• California Youth Commission
• Campfire Girls
• Catholic Youth Organization
• Center for the Study of the Presidency
• Cerebral Palsy (Youth)
• Charles Edison Memorial Youth Fund
• Close Up
• Close Up Evaluations
• College Democrats of America
• College Republicans
• Council for American Private Education (C.A.P.E.)
• Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) (1)-(3)
• Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA) - Friends of DECA
• Educational Expeditions International
• Enculturation (Friendship Generation)
• Executive High School Interns of America
• Explorer Congress

Box 3 - Youth Organizations File

• Federation of Americans Supporting Science and Technology (FASST)
• Florida Student Government Center
• 4-H Foundation
• Future Business Leaders of America
• Future Business Leaders of America - Phi Beta Lambda
• Future Farmers of America (FFA) (1)-(2)
• Future Homemakers of America (FHA)
• Future Homemakers of America (FHA) - Information Materials

Box 4 - Youth Organizations File

• Gilbert Youth Research
• Girls Clubs of America
• Girls Nation
• Girl Scouts of America
• Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute
• Junior Achievement
• Junior Civitan International
• Junior Engineering Technical Society
• Kemper Traffic Safety Awards
• Key Club International
• March of Dimes
• Milay Foundation
• Multiple Sclerosis Society
• National Alliance of Businessmen (Youth Programs)
• National Association of Secondary School Principals
• National Association of Secondary School Principals - Bicentennial Seniors
• National Association of Student Councils

Box 5 - Youth Organizations File

• National Collaboration for Youth
• National Conference of Christians and Jews
• National Coordinating Council for Vocational Student Organizations (NCCVSO) (1)-(2)
• National Council of Juvenile Court Judges
• National Explorers (1)-(2)
• National Junior Horticulture Association
• National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
• National Student Association
• National Student Lobby
• Newport News Youth Commission
• Outstanding Young Women of America
• Office Education Association (OEA)

Box 6 - Youth Organizations File

• Positive Active Leadership Program
• Presidential Classroom (1)-(3)
• Project 70001 (DECA)
• Scholastic Press Association (California)
• Student National Education Association
• Teen Age Republicans
• Teen Corps
• UNICEF Youth Programs
• United Nations Youth
• Up With People
• United States Youth Council

Box 7 - Youth Organizations File

• Vocational Industrial Clubs of America (VICA) (1)-(2)
• Vocational Student Organization - Leadership Conference
• Washington Center for Learning Alternatives
• Washington Workshops
• Who's Who Among American High School Students
• Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) - Youth-In-Government Program
• Young Republicans
• Youth for Understanding (1)-(2)
• Youth for Federal Union
• Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)

Box 8 - General Subject File

• American Council of Young Political Leaders - 5/13/76 Meeting
• American Field Service - Chapter Presidents List and Area Representatives List (1)-(2)
• American Youth Week
• Appointees (Boards, Commissions, Councils)
• Arts Meeting, 6/28/76
  - Background Materials
  - General
  - Transcripts
• Bicentennial Celebration
  - Background Materials
  - General Requests
  - Retired Teachers Program
• Briefing Book (President's)

Box 9 - General Subject File

• Chiefs of Mission
• Clippings - Youth
• Colleges and Universities
• Completed Youth Arrangements
• Consumer Information
• Economy
• Education
• Employment
• Ethnics (Republican)
• Ford, Gerald - Miscellaneous
• Gifted and Talented
• Health Organizations - Youth Coalition
• Health Organizations Meeting - Youth, 10/31/1975
• International Youth Internships
• International Students Day
• Kansas City, 10/10/1974

Box 10 - General Subject File

• Listen Mr. President Program (Xerox)
• Major Youth Meetings
• Marijuana
• Media
• Pacanowski, Stan (White House Intern) - Major Projects of Summer 1974
• Photographs
• Possible Speakers, 1975 - Youth Groups - Arrangements
• Powell, Pam - Personal Correspondence
• President Ford Committee (1)-(2)
• Presidential Interview Requests
• Presidential Schedule Proposal for National Youth Organizations
• Presidential Scholars (1)-(2)

Box 11 - General Subject File

• Presidential Youth Meeting, 8/30/74
• Presidential Youth Meeting, 8/30/74 - Correspondence
• Project Friendship
• Regional Meetings (White House Conference on Domestic and Economic Affairs)
• Religious Groups
• Report for Republican National Committee (Statistics on Youth)
• Republican National Committee
• Resumes
  - Miscellaneous
  - Youth - DECA
  - Youth - Miscellaneous
• Speaker Biographies, 1975 - A-Z

Box 12 - General Subject File

• Speaking Engagements - Pam Powell
• Speaking Engagements - Pam Powell (Out of Town)
• Speech Material (1)-(2)
• Standards of Conduct
• Student Government Day, 1975
• Thank You Letters (Speaking Engagements)
• Truman, Harry S. - Scholarship Fund
• Tuesday at the White House
  - General
  - 1/21/75, Vocational Education
  - 2/4/75, White House Organization
  - 2/25/75, Higher Education
  - 3/18/75, Energy Education

Box 13 - General Subject File

• Tuesday at the White House
  - 5/13/75, Law Education (1)-(2)
  - 6/3/75, Presidential Classroom (College)
  - 6/17/75, Presidential Classroom (Teachers)
  - 7/22/75, Presidential Classroom (Teachers)
  - 10/7/75, Gifted and Talented
  - 12/2/75, Youth in Science and Technology
  - 4/27/76, Youth and Work

Box 14 - General Subject File

• United States Senate Youth Programs
• Veterans
• Vietnam Refugees
• Washington Workshop
• Wednesday Meeting - 3/5/75, Federation of Americans Supporting Science and Technology (FASST)
• Wednesday Meetings - General
• White House Director for Youth Affairs
• White House Fellows
• White House Prayer Breakfasts
• White House Regional Conference on Consumer Representation
• White House Tour Schedule

Box 15 - General Subject File

• White House Youth Conference on the Third Century
  - Assessment Team and Co-Sponsors
  - Boy Scouts of America Support
  - Conference Memo
  - General
  - Invitation List and Materials
  - Letters of Appointment to the Steering Committee
  - Miscellaneous
  - Planning Session Minutes of 1/9-10/76
  - Planning Session Minutes of 2/7-8/76
  - Presidential Memo
  - Resource People and Facilitators

Box 16 - General Subject File

• White House Youth Council
• Women
• Young American Awards
• Youth Conventions (National)
• Youth Organizations Meeting, 10/17/75 (not held)
• Youth Status
• Youth Surveys/Polls

Box 17 - White House Interns Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

• 1970-75 - White House Summer Interns Name Lists
• 1973 - Federal Intern Seminar
• 1974 - Press Releases
• 1974 - Publicity Briefs
• 1974 - White House Intern Evaluations
• 1974 - White House Intern Final Reports
• 1974 - White House Intern Forms
• 1974 - White House Intern 171's
• 1974 - White House Intern Program Memoranda and Forms
• 1974 - White House Intern Program Press Information Forms (1)-(2)

Box 18 - White House Interns Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

• 1975 - Congressional Intern Meeting with the President
• 1975 - Correspondence from White House Summer Interns
• 1975 - Fall Intern Applicants
• 1975 - Intern Inquiries
• 1975 - Potomac Magazine Article
• 1975 - Press Releases
• 1975 - White House Intern Evaluations
• 1975 - White House Intern Meeting with the President
• 1975 - White House Intern Program General Information
• 1975 - White House Intern Program Memoranda

Box 19 - White House Interns Subject File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

• 1975 - White House Intern Program Press Information Forms (1)-(2)
• 1976 - Federal Summer Intern Program
• 1976 - Summer Volunteers
• 1976 - White House Intern Program Inquiries

Box 20 - White House Interns Name File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

• Andrews, T. Coleman III
• Appleby, Jean
• Bergsma, Joel J.
• Brock, Lawrence
• Chavez, Christina L.
• Conzelman, James K.
• Garland, Teresa
• Goldfield, H.P.
• Griffin, James Anderson
• Hodges, Scott
• Hopkins, Mary Stewart
• Humphries, John Jefferson
• Kinnard, David W. "Woody"
• Kozub, Diane
• Kryder, George M. III
• Laird, David M.
• Larkin, William V., Jr.
• Lawson, Melanie
• Lieberman, Nancy
• Lowitz, Amy Thea

Box 21 - White House Interns Name File

(Note: Folders with the titles struck through are not yet open to research, but can be added to the Library's review queue.)

• McClearn, Barbara
• McClure, Fred
• Morin, David
• Morrow, Rodger H.
• Norfolk, Lynn
• Oglesby, Catherine E.
• Smith, Rebecca J.
• Smith, Richard N.
• Solak, Cri Cri Marria
• Spackman, Rodney
• Spencer, Karen
• Urbaitis, Karen
• Yost, Eric