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The George R. Moscone Collection鈥攖he  career  work of a prominent 老司机福利网 graduate who was a highly regarded elected official and a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion鈥攊s complete and now available digitally to historians, researchers, journalists, students, and the public.

The six-year archival process began in 2015, when the family of Moscone 鈥�53, a legendary California state senator and mayor of San Francisco, chose Pacific to archive and house his official papers.

Tragically, the collection could have been much more in-depth had Moscone鈥檚 life not been cut short in 1978 at age 49 in a brazen attack at San Francisco City Hall by a political rival, who also gunned down Supervisor Harvey Milk.

Mike Wurtz, head of special collections at the William Knox Holt Library and Learning Center on the Stockton Campus, said the Moscone Collection has been available for research since the family entrusted it to Pacific. The difference, however, is much of it is now digitized and .

鈥淭he steps include preserving, or putting the materials in acid-free folders,鈥� Wurtz said, noting they filled 65 boxes in the library鈥檚 archives. 鈥淭hen there is arranging to make sure it鈥檚 all in order. You have to describe it, to help people find what they are looking for. And then there is digitization, which makes the material more widely available for sharing. Those parts that are not digitized still can be accessed.鈥�

Pacific roots shaped visionary leader, killed at height of his influence

Moscone was raised by a single mother in the Bay Area and, after starting at Santa Rosa Junior College, he transferred to Pacific on a basketball scholarship. In addition to athletics, he was an active campus leader.

鈥淚t was an unusual time to be on campus in some respects,鈥� he said years later in an interview for the Pacific Review publication. 鈥淭here was the fact that it was a co-ed campus and I was from a very urban area and many of the students I met were not.鈥�

He also admitted to being a 鈥渂it of a scalawag鈥� at Pacific.

After law school at University of California Hastings College of Law and a short private practice, Moscone was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisor in 1963. He became state senator in 1966, and later majority (Democratic Party) leader. In 1975, he was elected the 37th mayor of San Francisco.

Moscone鈥檚 short mayoral stint was impactful, as he successfully pushed for greater diversity and fairness in government.

That social progress was halted on the fateful day of Nov. 27, 1978. Dan White, who had just resigned from the Board of Supervisors, asked Moscone to give him his job back. Supervisor Harvey Milk lobbied against the request. White snuck into City Hall through a window and shot and killed both Moscone and Milk.

Correspondence between Moscone and White in the weeks and days leading up to the shootings is contained in the Moscone Collection. 

Varied collection depicts Moscone鈥檚 caring, firm nature

The Moscone Collection includes a showpiece produced by Pacific faculty and students, the 2018 acclaimed documentary Directed by Nat Katzman and written by Steven Talbot, the 57-minute film was produced by Teresa Bergman, Pacific professor and chair of the communications department. Pacific students were involved in research and photography.

鈥淢y students are always blown away when they see the film and learn about Moscone鈥檚 life and all that was involved in Bay Area politics in the 1970s,鈥� said Bergman, who uses the documentary in her filmmaking class. 鈥淲hat I really would like is for more people to see the film. With the archives now complete, perhaps that opens doors for the film. So much of what George Moscone was fighting for back in the 1970s is similar to the issues we are facing today.鈥�

One of Bergman鈥檚 assignments was for students to make a 5-minute documentary about Moscone鈥檚 life. Class videos by students , and in 2018 focused on his impact on people of color, farmworkers and citizens facing challenges.

They were complementary to the larger documentary, which included interviews with elected leaders such as former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, Sen. Dianne Feinstein and former Gov. George Deukmejian.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 think George ever measured whether or not he would do something based on if it could be done,鈥� Brown says to open the film. 鈥淕eorge was much more interested in doing it because it was the right thing to do.鈥�

Bergman recalls a moment during a screening of the film in San Francisco when she glanced at Moscone鈥檚 widow, Gina, and saw her shedding tears.

鈥淭he family鈥檚 positive reaction meant a lot,鈥� Bergman said.

Wurtz and those working on the overall collection meticulously put together what archivists call a 鈥渇inding aid,鈥� an inventory and 鈥檚 contents.

There are special sections about Moscone鈥檚 , including interviews with campus publications and his time as a basketball player. Also included are sections on his service as a and as . Moscone鈥檚 successful efforts to to Toronto also are chronicled.

There are dozens of oral histories or about Moscone culled from interviews with governors, senators, federal and state representatives and others. The more in-depth interviews are available upon request.

Why Moscone and his legacy remain relevant today

Moscone鈥檚 sons鈥擩on and Chris鈥攁re pleased the collection has been completed. They would like to see the archives and documentary bring light to many of their father鈥檚 efforts鈥攁nd how they mesh with current social issues.

鈥淭he story is that of a man who continued to develop his power to help provide opportunities for others to have power,鈥� Jon Moscone said. 鈥淭his is not just a story about him. It鈥檚 a story about what he did.鈥�

Added Chris Moscone: 鈥淭he hard work has been done and, in a lot of ways, the question now is 鈥榳hat鈥檚 next?鈥� I would like to see if there is a way my father鈥檚 work could be woven into public school curriculum.鈥�

The current emphasis on diversity, equity and inclusion throughout education and society could be a fit with the Moscone Collection, Wurtz said.

鈥淭he first African-American sheriff in San Francisco was hired when Moscone was mayor,鈥� Wurtz said. 鈥淭he first woman to lead the board of supervisors. The first openly gay supervisor. All of those and so much more happened when Moscone was mayor.鈥�

The potential for diversity, equity and inclusion work and studies focusing on their father鈥檚 legacy is intriguing to his sons.

鈥淒EI could be a very interesting path,鈥� Jon Moscone said. 鈥淭here is so much that we are fighting for moving forward that is reflective of the issues he faced in the legislature and in San Francisco City Hall.鈥�

Learn more about the George R. Moscone Collection

Contact Mike Wurtz at (209) 946-3105 or mwurtz@pacific.edu