Research

Scope and Content Note

This series contains Dr. Albert Meredith's materials relating to his role as the Education Department's coordinator of war programs. An administrative assistant in the department, Meredith was the liaison between the department and the War Council.

Correspondence in this series relates to school lunch programs, adult education, citizen unity programs, physical education, child care, agricultural education, home economics education, the Youth Services Council, and the Civilian Defense Training Program. Exchanges with both federal and local governments concerning these programs are found, in addition to reports to the Lieutenant Governor from Meredith on the status of these programs, sometimes with small amounts of financial information.

The materials include discussions of: school lunch programs and federal assistance for the school milk program; adult education, which details alien registration, and English and citizenship classes; the Section on Citizen Unity program which promoted war goals to the general public; physical education: pre-war pamphlets list regimens for all ages, and include one for handicapped children; child care issues, including curriculum guides, and notes from a conference on war strain in children; and rationing procedures, including a poster explaining use of rationing coupons.

Informational releases from the New York City Board of Education concerning war issues and their effect on schools, and press releases from the governor's office on war issues in general are also found. Minutes and other materials from the Committee to Study the Evacuation of Cities in Target Areas, a special committee appointed by the governor to examine the possibility of evacuating New York's cities and on which Meredith served, are included. Materials from other programs in which Meredith was involved are found, including the Conference on Democratic Processes.