Collections : [Bridgeport History Center, Bridgeport Public Library]

Sidney Dowrkin (1933-June 13, 1984) was a major figure in the Republican party of Bridgeport for much of his life. He often served as a campaign manager or advisor, and was noted as a mediator among his fellow GOP members. He served as Judge of Probate from 1970-1974 and held other positions in Bridgeport as well. This collection primarily features campaign material, along with some pamphlets he created as Judge of Probate.

Judith Muniec was a highly active force in Bridgeport's civic life, born in the city and working for the Bridgeport Post before becoming a part of the Bridgeport Public Library. Both she and her husband Victor were massive proponents of revitalizing the city through the arts, and her subject files reflect the work done to accomplish that goal.

Writing as K.B. Gilden, Katya and Bert Gilden were Bridgeport based authors. Their novel >Hurry Sundown (later turned into a film of the same name) focuses on race and class in Georgia following the second World War, and their novel tween the Hills and the Sea is set in a lightly fictionalized Bridgeport and noted for its accuracy of union politics and life on the shop floor. This collection features both their individual papers, the creative process and finished works for their novels, short stories, and screen plays, and Katya's work following Bert's death, including the unpublished The Final Hearing: The Life of Lonnie McLucas, the Death of Alex Rackley.

Lewis Corbit Junior, known as Lew, helped run the Corbit Studio from the passing of his father in 1952 until his death in 1986. Known as a treasure trove of Bridgeport's history thanks to the studio's presence in Bridgeport since 1906, Lew's personal papers reflect his family life and activities outside of the photo studio. This included correspondence to his parents during World War II, material related to his wife Ione's teaching career in Bridgeport, his time as a scout master for the Boy Scouts, and more. There is minimal material related to Corbit Studios in this collection.

Biographical details about Lillian are scant, as the only information documented is in both this collection and her obituary. She was the last president of the Women's Auxiliary of the YMCA in Bridgeport. This collection reflects a snapshot of her life both through personal and YMCA related correspondence.

Louis H. Hertz was born in New York City on May 17, 1922. Around the age of 19, he began to collect toys, with a particular emphasis on model railroading. In quick order, this saw him become an authority on model trains, as well as a remarkable toy historian. His interest included that of the Ives Manufacturing Company, a major model train maker based in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Louis J. Santoianni, born June 21, 1910, loomed large over Bridgeport's labor politics from the 1940s until his retirement in 1975. This collection primarily focuses on the activities of the International United Electrical Workers Union, with newsletters heavily featured.

Lucille Ohland, later Lucille Viets, was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1901. She came to Bridgeport in the late 1930s as a volunteer with the United Way. She was active within that organization and a large number of other Bridgeport non-profits. This collection contains a sampling of some of her work.

Mary Ann Paula Flanagan (later Hornish) was born in Bridgeport in 1927. The material in the collection focuses primarily about life in Bridgeport prior to 1948, with an emphasis on photographs. Later correspondence also includes insight regarding growing up in Bridgeport, and the dictated family histories of Mary Ann's parents contain useful information about childhood in the Great Depression in Bridgeport.

Isabella Maude Winton-Cady Warner, most commonly known as Maude Cady Warner, was an active member of the Fairfield Garden Club and the wife of DeVer Warner. Maude married into the Warner Brothers Company fortune. How money was spent on house, grounds upkeep, and entertaining is reflected in this collection, as is her personal wealth.