%eadnotat; ]> 4121skyi An Inventory of Sky Island Papers, 1945-1947 Finding Aid Prepared by FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2009 Finding aid encoded by FHL Staff 2009 Finding aid written in English. Sky Island Papers FHL staff Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College. 2009 Descriptive Summary Sky Island Papers1945-1947 RG4/121 Pottenger, Flora E., 1890-1980 .2 linear feet Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College.

Swarthmore, Pennsylvania 19081-1399 U.S.A.

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog. Sky Island was a refugee vacation hostel run by the American Friends Service Committee in copperation with the American Christian Committee for Refugees from about 1938 until at least 1947. Flora E. Pottenger was a teacher from Warsaw, Indiana, who worked at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. Her Sky Island papers, all photocopies, include correspondence, reports, and photographs.

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

500 College Avenue, Swarthmore, PA 19081-1399

Phone: (610) 328-8496 FAX: (610) 690-5728

BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL NOTE

Sky Island was a refugee vacation hostel run by the American Friends Service Committee in cooperation with the American Christian Committee for Refugees from about 1938 until at least 1947. After two years in Aberdeen, New York, Sky Island moved to a large home in Nyack lent to the program by its owner, Viola Wertheim Bernard. Operating solely during the summer months, Sky Island accomodated a group of 30-40 refugees and provided a respite from the summer heat for those refugees who otherwise could not have afforded the expense of a vacation. The program relied on a mostly volunteer staff of 8-10 to direct, teach English, and provide an American atmosphere.

Flora E. Pottenger was a teacher from Warsaw, Indiana, who worked at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. She was born in 1890, and married Thurl Pottenger, a hardware store owner, about 1920; they had a son, Hal Walker Pottenger, who was a conscientious objector in World War II and served in Waldport CPS Camp, and a daughter, Peggy. Flora died in Michigan in 1980.

SCOPE AND CONTENT OF THE RECORDS

This collection includes photocopies of Flora Pottenger's correspondence, refugee reports, job descriptions, and other documents. Taken together, the material presents an in-depth view of life at Sky Island during the summer of 1946. Of particular interest is a color photocopy of a photographic album by A. Mamonoff.

ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION Accession information

Gift of Don Nagler, 2003 (2003-008)

Access

Collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions

Copyright has not been assigned to Friends Historical Library All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in to the Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf Friends Historical Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by reader.

Preferred Citation

[Indicate the cited item or series here], RG4/Sky Island Records.

SELECTED SEARCH TERMS DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the Friends Historical Library (TRIPOD). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings:

Refugees -- Services for -- United States. American Friends Service Committee. Society of Friends -- Societies, etc. Quakers -- New York (State) Society of Friends -- New York (State) Sky Island Hostel (Nyack, N.Y.) DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE RECORDS

Note to Researchers: Oringinal folder contents and description have been retained. To request materials, please include the box numbers shown below:

Ser.1 Correspondence Correspondence 1945-1947 1 folder 1

Correspondence received and sent. Includes letters sent from Flora to her husband, Thurl ("Daddy"), as well as letters received by Flora from some of the refugees after their stay at Sky Island.

Ser.2 Miscellaneous Refugee Reports 1946 1 folder 1

Copies of typescript reports on individual refuges with vitals and esssays on family and history, health, personality, education, employment, and future plans.

Miscellaneous Reports and Memos 1946 & n.d. 1 folder 1

Includes copy of confidential memo on the relationship between the staff of Sky Island and the American Christian Committee for Refugees.

Photographic Album 1946 1 folder 1

Album includes photographs by A. Mamonoff of refugees and staff at Sky Island during the summer of 1946.

Newspaper Clippings 1946 & n.d. 1 folder 1