The Parsons School of Design Alumni Association records contain correspondence, financial records, minutes, photographic materials, printed materials, scrapbooks of newsclippings, and subject files documenting the organization from its founding in 1952 until 1970, when Parsons School of Design became affiliated with the New School for Social Research. The records also include documents generated by earlier alumni associations that the Alumni Association incorporated into its working files.

Individual alumni/ae files, which make up the largest series in these records, primarily comprise correspondence between the Alumni Association and individual alumni/ae. Materials in these files yield a great deal of biographical information, including areas of study and graduation dates, military service, marriage and death dates, children (names and dates of birth), residential history and employment history, and exhibitions. Files may also contain photographic documentation of alumni/ae design work. A name index for the alumni/ae files is available upon request as is an index to a series of ten scrapbooks.

Collectively, the Alumni Association records document the impact of Parsons School of Design over the course of thirty years on the fields of advertising, fashion, marketing, interior design and decoration, and art instruction. These records will be of interest to researchers investigating the development of Parsons from the 1940s through 1970, as seen by former students. It will also be useful to those researching fund raising and public relations efforts. The Alumni Association records contain extensive documentation of dinners, dances, cocktail parties, and exhibitions intended to raise the profile of Parsons School of Design while simultaneously accruing funds for scholarships and library materials. The records generated by the Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Fund Drive contain comprehensive documentation on planning strategies, advertising, and analysis of returns.

The Alumni Association records also contain materials created by non-alumni/ae. Examples include a 1920 speech typescript on the relationship between architecture and interior design by architect Alfred M. Githens and a 1956 speech by August Heckscher in which he considers the effects of overconsumption on the design professions. Biographical files on recipients of the 1956 Parsons Medal include but are not limited to Italian designer Franco Albini, Brazilian architect Lucio Costa, and British furniture designer Sir Gordon Russell.

The Parsons School of Design Alumni Association records (PIC.03.002) contain correspondence, financial records, minutes, photographic materials, printed materials, scrapbooks of newsclippings, and subject files documenting the organization from its founding in 1952 until 1970, when Parsons School of Design became affiliated with the New School for Social Research. The records also include documents generated by earlier alumni associations that the Alumni Association incorporated into its working files.

Individual alumni/ae files, which make up the largest series in these records, primarily comprise correspondence between the Alumni Association and individual alumni/ae. Materials in these files yield a great deal of biographical information, including areas of study and graduation dates, military service, marriage and death dates, children (names and dates of birth), residential history and employment history, and exhibitions. Files may also contain photographic documentation of alumni/ae design work. A name index for the alumni/ae files is available upon request as is an index to a series of ten scrapbooks.

Collectively, the Alumni Association records document the impact of Parsons School of Design over the course of thirty years on the fields of advertising, fashion, marketing, interior design and decoration, and art instruction. These records will be of interest to researchers investigating the development of Parsons from the 1940s through 1970, as seen by former students. It will also be useful to those researching fund raising and public relations efforts. The Alumni Association records contain extensive documentation of dinners, dances, cocktail parties, and exhibitions intended to raise the profile of Parsons School of Design while simultaneously accruing funds for scholarships and library materials. The records generated by the Alumni Association’s annual Alumni Fund Drive contain comprehensive documentation on planning strategies, advertising, and analysis of returns.

The Alumni Association records also contain materials created by non-alumni/ae. Examples include a 1920 speech typescript on the relationship between architecture and interior design by architect Alfred M. Githens and a 1956 speech by August Heckscher in which he considers the effects of overconsumption on the design professions. Biographical files on recipients of the 1956 Parsons Medal include but are not limited to Italian designer Franco Albini, Brazilian architect Lucio Costa, and British furniture designer Sir Gordon Russell.