Extent: 7 cartons (7 linear feet) Finding Aid to the Mike Hippler Papers, 1966-1991 (1990-12) Access: Collection is open for research with the exception for medical records in Carton 2. Please contact the Managing Archivist for more information. Publication Rights: Copyright was transferred to the Processed by: staff; finding aid revised by Marjorie Bryer, May 2011. Funding for processing this collection was provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC). Creator: Hippler, Mike Biographical Information Born in Bethesda, Maryland on February 7, 1952, Mike Hippler spent his formative years in Atlanta and graduated magna cum laude from Duke University in 1974 with a degree in English. After teaching high school English for two years in Covington, Virginia and one year in Los Angeles, he studied dance on a scholarship from the Joffrey Ballet in New York City before moving to San Francisco in 1979. Two years later he received his Masters degree in secondary education from San Francisco State University. In 1982 Mike Hippler became a columnist for the Bay Area Reporter, where he covered and commented on the political struggles and personal short-comings in the gay community, as well as his own life. A prolific writer, he held this position for nearly a decade, earning three consecutive Cable Car Awards and a place in their Hall of Honor. His work also appeared in the Advocate and New York Native. Hippler was also the author of So Little Time: Essays on Gay Life, and Matlovich: The Good Soldier. He died of complications due to HIV infection on April 2, 1991. Scope and Content of Collection The Mike Hippler papers document the author s personal life and literary accomplishments, and chronicle nearly two decades of gay life in San Francisco and beyond. Hippler (1952-1991) was an award-winning columnist for the Bay Area Reporter for nearly a decade, from 1982 to 1991. He was also the biographer of Leonard Matlovich ( Matlovich: The Good Soldier, 1989) and author of So Little Time: Essays on Gay Life (1990). In addition, Hippler wrote for numerous other publications and wrote several unpublished novels. His papers are divided into six series: Correspondence; Subject Files; Personal Journals; Writings; Photographs; and Oral Histories.
With very few exceptions the collection s original order was maintained, as Mike Hippler imposed a good sense of organization on all his work, collected materials and correspondence. The bulk of the correspondence was received in bundles arranged alphabetically by sender and by date. The address of the sender and, at times, the postmark date was penciled in on the top left-hand corner of each letter. There is incoming and outgoing correspondence to family members, fans, friends and loved ones. These letters add depth to his daily observations about himself and about the development of the gay community from later 1971 to 1991. The subject files supplement Hippler s diaries with information about various aspects of his personal and professional life. The Hippler family history folders contain a variety of writings by Mike and other family members. Also included are copies of course papers prepared for written assignments when he was a student at Duke and San Francisco State, including a teacher s guide to gay literature prepared for his Master s degree. This series also includes rejection notices from publishers. The personal journals are probably the most important and informative component of the collection. These diaries cover the greater part of Hippler s adult life, from 1971 until his death in 1991. They chronicle not only the meaningful events of his life but also those he wrote about in the BAR and other LGBT publications. For unknown reasons, diary entries from April through May 1988 are missing. The writings are a complete record of Hippler s literary achievements over the last 10 years of his life. They include drafts for his published and unpublished works, including articles he wrote for the BAR and other publications, as well his novels and Blue Thursday, his overview of how the gay community confronted the AIDS crisis in the 1980s. There are also drafts of unpublished articles. Hippler kept his tear sheet copies of BAR articles in a scrapbook; for preservation purposes, these articles were photocopied and arranged in folders chronologically. The photographs include photographs that accompanied the publications of Matlovich: The Good Solder and So Little Time. The oral histories include recordings of interviews with Matlovich, Cleve Jones, Cheryl Crane and Randy Shilts. Container List Carton 1: Incoming Correspondence organized alphabetically Folder 1: Amen, Barbara, 1974-1985 Folder 2: Bram, Chris, 1989 2
Folder 3: Brooks, Randall K., 1980-1988 Folder 4: Campbell, John W. and family, 1975-1986 Folder 5: Colvin, Elizabeth Ann, 1970-1980 Folder 6: Cowan, Lionel, 1981-1986 Folder 7: Craig, Martha, 1990 Folder 8: Dahlberg, Tim, 1982-1988 Folder 9: Daikin, Julie Ann and Christopher G. Oechli, 1976-1987 Folder 10: Davis, Alrah and Alice, 1974-1988 Folder 11: Gibbons, Jim, 1991 Folder 12: Greenleaf, David Nikita W., 1971-1987 Folder 13: Greshman, Richard, 1990 Folder 14: Hedrick, Noel, 1991 Folder 15: Hippler, Jim and Lib, 1974-1987 Folder 16: Hippler, Lucille (Michael s grandmother), 1969-1984 Folder 17: Hippler family members, Various dates Folder 18: Hippler, Michael (a letter to himself), 1971 Folder 19: Holleran, Andrew, 1985-1986 Folder 20: Howe, Randall, 1970-1983 Folder 21: Howe, Randall (letters from Michael), 1970 Folder 22: Kirkman, Alice, 1974-1987 Folder 23: Kirkman, Alice (letter from Michael), 1975 Folder 24: Koors, Tim, 1976-1977 Folder 25: Kunert, Rosalie, 1976-1987 Folder 26: Levine, Adam, 1987-1988 Folder 27: Levine, Rob, 1974-1985 Folder 28: McDonald, Brown, 1979-1985 Folder 29: Newquist, Jay Lars, 1986-1987 Folder 30: Ogelton (?), Harold, 1970 Folder 31: Ormsby, Robert, Margarett and Marsha, 1970-1985 Folder 32: Pless, Larry, 1973-1988 Folder 33: Prettyman, John, 1979-1987 Folder 34: Puris Smith, Sallie, 1969-1987 Folder 35: Richardson, Steve, 1972-1976 Folder 36: Seiter, Neal, Various dates Folder 37: Shuman, Robert Baird, 1975-1988 Folder 38: Smart Martin, Missy, 1973-1981 Folder 39: Snowden Fowler, Martha, 1969-1971 Folder 40: Snowden Fowler, Martha, 1972-1988 Folder 41: Stratton, Michael, 1991 Folder 42: Talbot, Robert and Daniel (?), 1987-1988 Folder 43: Weaver, Tom and Gig, 1975-1988 Folders 44-45: Weckerling, Susan Leigh, 1969-1986 3
Folder 46: Wheeler, Paul, 1981-1987 Folder 47: Williams Allen, Lynn, 1967-1986 Folder 48: Williams, Pauline (Michael s grandmother), 1966-1975 Folder 49: Williams, Tom and Fran, 1974-1982 Folder 50: Unidentified addressers, Various dates Folder 51: Original letters, Various dates (may include letters from named correspondents) Carton 2: Correspondence family, fan and business letters Folders 1-3: Hippler, Mary Louise (Michael s mother), 1966-1976 Folders 4-6: Fan letters, Various dates Folder 7: Business letters, Various dates Subject Files organized alphabetically Folder 8: Alleghany County High Schools - Teaching assignments and student responses, circa 1975 Folder 9: Alyson Publications - Memorandum of agreement, correspondence and related materials, 1987-1990 Folder 10: Anthology queries - correspondence, 1987 Folder 11: Birthday verses written for and by Hippler family members, Various dates Folder 12: Celestial Arts [Publishers] - Memoranda of agreement, correspondence and related materials, 1989-1990 Folder 13: Christmas letters, 1983-1988 Folder 14: College course papers, Various dates Folder 15: Contracts, 1977 Folder 16: Disability - State of California, 1986-1987 Folder 17: Duke University Class of 1974 reunion Folder 18: Friends, undated Folder 19: Health and medical records, Various dates RESTRICTED Folder 20: Hippler, Jack and Phyllis (Michael s stepmother) - Wills and other estate related materials, 1981-1984 Folder 21: Hippler, Louise (Michael s grandmother) - Will and other estate related materials, Various dates Folders 22-23: Hippler family history - parts 1 and 2, Various dates Folder 24: Hippler family records - genealogy, undated Folder 25: Interview notes, undated Folder 26: Job search - correspondence, 1983-1984 Folder 27: Lease, 1980 Folders 28-29: Matlovich: The Good Soldier - Press packet, reviews, promotional and other related materials, 1989 (Photos were moved into the Photo Files) Folder 30: Medi-Cal application, Various dates--restricted 4
Folder 31: Passports, Various dates Folder 32: Picture lust - Male photographic images clipped from commercial publications, undated Folder 33: Portfolio - Listing of published articles, 1982-199? Folder 34: Rejections, 1977-1988 Folder 35: Rejections - Blue Thursday, 1986-1987 Folder 36: Rejections - Dave and Dean in New York, 1985-1986 Folder 37: Rejections - North Falls, 1981-1984 Folder 38: Resumes, undated Folder 39: Romania, 1990 Folder 40: Schoofs, Mark - Articles by and about Schoofs and related materials, Various dates Folder 41: School records - Transcripts, test scores and certifications, Various dates Folder 42: SSI entitlement, 1990 Folder 43: So Little Time - Reviews and related materials, 1990-1991 Folder 44: Substitute teaching, Various dates Folder 45: Teaching credentials - Virginia and California, Various dates Folder 46: Vanity Fair - Articles and photographic images, Various dates Folder 47: Miscellany, undated Carton 3: Personal Journals, arranged chronologically Folder 1: Early writings, 1967 Folders 2-5: June 1971-December 1972, Durham & Atlanta Folder 6: January-March 1973, Atlanta, Coventry & The Road Folder 7: April-June 1973, Coventry & The Road Folder 8-9: July 1973-June 1974, Durham & Atlanta Folder 10: July-December 1974, The Road, Maine & Virginia Folders 11-13: January 1975-June 1976, Virginia Folder 14: July-December 1976, Virginia, The Road & Los Angeles Folders 15-16, January-December 1977, Los Angeles Folders 17-18 January-December 1978, New York City Folder 19: January-December 1979, New York City, The Road, & San Francisco Folders 20-24: January 1980-June 1982, San Francisco Carton 4: Personal Journals, arranged chronologically Folders 1-21: July-March 1989, San Francisco Carton 5: Personal Journals, arranged chronologically 5
Folders 1-3: April-December 1989, San Francisco Folder 4: January-March 1990, Mexico & San Francisco Folders 5-6: April-September 1990, San Francisco & Europe Folders 7-8: October-December 1990, San Francisco Manuscripts - Articles Folder 9: Advocate articles, 1986-1988 Folders 10-21: Bay Area Reporter articles, 1982-1991 Carton 6: Manuscripts - Articles Folder 1: New York Native articles, 1983-1987 Folder 2: Windy City Times articles, 1988-1989 Folder 3: Other published articles, Various dates Folders 4-5: Unpublished articles, Various dates Manuscripts - Books Folders 6-9: Blue Thursday (unpublished) - Data sheets, interview notes and research materials, first draft, final draft, 1987, undated Folders 10-12: Dave And Dean In New York (unpublished), 2 nd draft, final draft, 1984-1985, undated Folders 13-18: Matlovich: The Good Soldier (published 1989) - Interviews, notes and research Materials, 1 st draft, final draft, uncorrected page proofs, 1989, undated Folders 19-20: North Falls (unpublished), includes final draft, 1981 Carton 7: Manuscripts - Books Folder 1: Anthology - Early compilation of articles for So Little Time, undated Folders 2-6: So Little Time (published 1990) - Proposed version, accepted version, corrected page proofs, undated Folder 7: Southgate, Summer 1976 Published Works - Articles Folder 8: Au Courant articles, 1988 Folder 9: Advocate articles, 1986-1988 Folder 10-12: Bay Area Reporter articles, 1982-1991 6
Folder 13: Bay Windows article, 1988 Folder 14: Bravo article, 1988 Folder 15: Christopher Street article, 1983 Folder 16: Drummer article, 1986 Folder 17: Fag Rag article, 1977 Folder 18: GLC Voice article, 1988 Folder 19: Gay News (Seattle) article, 1986 Folder 20: Gay People s Chronicle article, 1988 Folder 21: Learning article, 1980 Folder 22: Montrose Voice article, 1988 Folder 23: Networks article, 1983 Folder 24: New York Native articles, 1983-1987 Folder 25: The News article, 1988 Folder 26: Out Front article, 1988 Folder 27: The Philadelphia Gay News articles, 1988-1989 Folder 28: The San Francisco Bay Guardian articles, 1983 & 1990 Folder 29: San Francisco Chronicle article, 1984 Folder 30: Update (Los Angeles) article, 1985 Folder 31: The Weekly News (Miami) articles, 1985-1989 Folder 32: Windy City Times articles, 1988-1989 Folder 33: Articles from unidentified publications, Various dates Published Works - Books Folder 34: Matlovich: The Good Soldier, 1989 Folders 35-36: So Little Time, including review/press copy, 1990 Ephemera Folder 37: Columnist of the Year Award, 1988-1989, Passalacqua drawing, undated, Metropolitan (Washington, D.C.) Police Collateral Receipt (March on Washington), 1987 Folder 38: Phone Messages, 1989 Photographs Folder 39: Publicity photos of Matlovich, Hippler, 1989-1990 Folder 40: Michael Hippler and Hippler family members, circa 1980 s Folder 41: Hipplers Friends and their families, Hippler s Fans, 1980's Folder 42: Kitten Natividad - Signed photo used in the BAR article, My Night with Kitten, December 5, 1985 Folder 43: Mike Hippler s addresses, 1967-1991 (see Appendix A for list) Oral History Interviews 7
Folder 44 (in half manuscript box): Leonard Matlovich, Cleve Jones, Cheryl Crane, Randy Shilts, Carrington Boggan, Jack Campbell, David Addleston, H. Rhoden, Richard Maulsby, Bruce Voeller, Michael Bedwell, Allen (Gunther) Fraulob, Mort Downey 8
Appendix A: Hippler s Addresses Jul 1967 - Jun 1969 6465 Colebridge Road Atlanta, GA 30328 Jun 1969 - Oct 1969 Box 801 Wesleyan College Macon, GA 31201 Oct 1969 - Sep 1970 6465 Colebridge Road Atlanta, GA 30328 Sep 1970 - Jun 1971 Box 5569 Duke Satation Durham, NC 27706 Jun 1971 - Sep 1971 6465 Colebridge Road Atlanta, GA 30328 Sep 1971 - Jan 1973 Box 7484 College Station Durham, NC 27708 Jan 1973 - Jul 1973 N-17 Rootes Hall Warwick University Coventry, England CV4-7AL Jul 1973 - Oct 1973 6465 Colebridge Road Atlanta, GA 30328 6465 Colebridge Road Atlanta, GA 30328 and c/o Emmet Howe Bethesda Motor Hotel 7740 Wisconsin Ave. Bethesda, MD 20014 Jul 1974 - Aug 1974 c/o Theodore Mitchell RFD Hulls Cove, ME 04644 Aug 1974 - Jul 1975 Route 4, Box 222-A Covington, VA 24426 Jul 1975 - Jan 1976 5536 Pineglen Road La Cresenta, CA 91215 Jan 1976 - Aug 1976 Route 4, Box 222-A Covington, VA 24426 Aug 1976 - Sep 1976 c/o Tommy and Judy Bello 2226 N. Kensington Road Arlington, VA 22205 Sep 1976 - Jan 1978 5536 Pineglen Road La Cresenta, CA 91214 Oct 1973 - Jun 1974 7623 College Station Durham, NC 27708 Jun 1974 - Jul 1974 Jan 1978 - Feb 1978 c/o Bello 2226 N. Kensington Road Arlington, VA 22205 and 9
c/o Olive Johnson 77 Perry St. - #1-A New York, NY 10014 Feb 1978 - Oct 1978 207 West 10th Street - #15 New York, NY 10014 Oct 1978 - Aug 1979 39 East 12th Street - #207 New York, NY 10003 Aug 1979 - Sep 1980 4096 17th Street - Apt. 110 San Francisco, CA 94114 Sep 1980-1991 1397 Page Street San Francisco, CA 94117 10