September 2024
RLHS Reorganizes With New Governance Structure
For a period of 15 months that concluded in March 2024, a committee of Rutgers Living History Society members worked diligently to develop a restructured governing process for the organization. That process concluded in April 2024, when the new governing structure was approved at the Rutgers Oral History Archives Annual Meeting.
The new governance structure seeks to increase engagement of RLHS members in the organization while adopting the revised mission statement and activities of the Rutgers Oral History Archives. Below is the revised mission statement of the Rutgers Living History Society approved by the membership in April 2024.
The purpose of this organization shall be:
- To recognize those persons who participate in or support the practice of oral history at Rutgers University, and
- To promote the practice of oral history, the development and maintenance of the Rutgers Oral History Archives and increase material, financial and institutional support for the Rutgers Oral History Archives and the Rutgers History Department.
- To support documentation of the culture and history of Rutgers and NJ's diverse populations using the practice of oral history.
- To support the work of the Rutgers Oral History Archives to collect and process oral histories, produce interview transcripts and participate in community events to celebrate the diverse and inclusive histories of Rutgers and New Jersey's many communities.
To realize the organization’s purpose and fully embrace the diverse individuals and groups represented in the Rutgers community and the state of NJ, the committee also included a revised statement on diversity, equity and inclusion consistent with University policy.
“The Society aspires to be an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion by creating and maintaining a high-performing collection of volunteer members and leaders who reflect all the communities we serve. RLHS will foster a collaborative, inclusive, and respectful volunteer environment that welcomes all contributors. We support the Rutgers University diversity statement: "We are called to integrate the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of our university," articulated at https://diversity.rutgers.edu/. By Engaging Diverse Voices, we support ROHA's efforts to document and tell the whole story of Rutgers and New Jersey's many communities: past, present and future.”
Governance
To govern the RLHS, a new Community Liaison Committee has been created, consisting of a chairperson and five vice-chairs. Each vice-chair will lead one of the following committees: Membership, Fundraising, Events, Outreach and Constitution and Elections. For the period September 2024 through December 2024, an interim CLC Chair and set of interim Vice-chairs will manage the CLC’s affairs, with an election scheduled for early December 2024. During a nomination process commencing this Fall, RLHS members will be eligible to put their names forth to serve as CLC Chair or as a vice-chair of one of the five committees. Once that election has occurred, the new vice-chairs will appoint the Chair of CLC for the period Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2026.
September 24, 2024 Open House Program
To learn more about the RLHS and ROHA, you are invited to an Open House at the Rutgers Oral History Archives (ROHA) on Wednesday, Sept. 24. There will be two sessions: from 11-1 pm in person, and from 7-8:30 pm on Zoom. The purpose of the Open House is to showcase the work of ROHA and invite you to participate in the reorganized committees of the Rutgers Living History Society. Please RSVP to Shaun Illingworth if you are going to attend the in-person event: send him an email to
Bill Fernekes
RC ‘74
Interim Chair, CLC
ROHA Interviewee Simon Liberman Honored By Friends of the National World War II Memorial
The Friends of the National World War II Memorial recently posted an online birthday card for the 100th birthday of Simon Liberman, RC '49. Raised in Bound Brook, NJ, Si served as a crewman on a B-24 with the 8th Air Force in the European Theater of Operations during World War II. He used the GI Bill to graduate from Rutgers in 1949 and went on to enjoy a long career as a journalist with The Asbury Park Press.
You can sign his birthday card by visiting this website: https://www.wwiimemorialfriends.org/birthday-card/si-liberman
You can read his interview with ROHA here: https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/alphabetical-index/interviewees/1074-liberman-simon
Special Thanks to Joe Capo '76 for sending this news our way.
National Make-A-Will Month
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