Collection inventory

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Gerald F. Reidenbaugh Papers

An inventory of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives

Finding aid created by: Steffi Chappell
Date: 2014

Revision history:

Biography

Gerald Francis Reidenbaugh was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on February 8, 1925. He enrolled at Syracuse University in 1946 and graduated magna cum laude with his bachelor’s degree in drama in 1949. Reidenbaugh immediately entered into the graduate program at SU and received his master’s degree in drama in 1951. His master’s thesis was an original play, My Heart Don’t Say So, a drama about the Pennsylvania Amish. Eventually Reidenbaugh also received his PhD in communications from SU, in 1966.

Reidenbaugh met his future wife, Shirley Ann Fenner, in the drama department at Syracuse University. They acted together in many school productions and in community theaters over summer breaks. The couple married on June 16, 1956 and eventually had three children: Jonathan Edward, Melissa Anne, and Gerald Francis, Jr.

Reidenbaugh devoted much of his life to the education of others. He began teaching at Syracuse University in 1949 as a graduate assistant in the drama department while working to obtain his master’s degree. After receiving that degree in 1951, Syracuse University hired Reidenbaugh as a full-time assistant professor of drama. He held this position until 1961, at which time Reidenbaugh was named acting chair of the drama department. Six years later, in 1967, he was named the permanent chair of the drama department. During Reidenbaugh’s time as chair the department experienced many changes. Reidenbaugh played an important role in developing a relationship between the University's drama department and the Syracuse Repertory Theatre, an acting company formed in 1963. Today known as Syracuse Stage, the Repertory Theatre was founded with the intent to bring more live professional theater to Syracuse. Reidenbaugh was one of the founders of the Repertory Theatre and served as its artistic director for many years. He also took part in the consolidation of the School of Art, the School of Music, and the departments of speech and drama into the College of Visual and Performing Arts in 1971. Reidenbaugh became the dean of administration for the College in 1972 and associate dean in 1975. He retired from Syracuse University in 1989, after forty years of teaching and administrative work.

Reidenbaugh was passionate when educating students of all ages about the theater. In 1982 he worked to develop a Shakespeare program at Corcoran High School in Syracuse, named the Corcoran Shakespeare Company, which he directed until 1989. The program was designed to improve the English language skills of high school students through the study and performance of a classic Shakespeare play. Students would study a chosen play for a number of weeks in conjunction with an English class and then work with Reidenbaugh to perform the play for their community. The popularity of the program is a testament to Reidenbaugh’s commitment to his students, no matter their age or educational background.

Throughout his teaching and administrative career, Reidenbaugh was very active in theatrical productions, both at Syracuse University and in community theaters. He performed in and directed over 250 productions, ranging from those produced by the Boar’s Head Dramatic Society (a student-run organization at Syracuse University) to various community theaters around Central New York. Reidenbaugh was also a guest director for many productions around the country. His original play The Strongest was optioned for Broadway in 1957 but unfortunately was never produced. In 1961 University College and the Syracuse University drama department opened the New Playhouse, a professional summer theater. Reidenbaugh was named director and producer. In this capacity he directed multiple shows over the course of four summers. Reidenbaugh also directed a performance of his original play My Heart Don’t Say So at the Royal Poinciana Playhouse in Palm Beach, Florida while on a leave of absence from teaching in 1960, and he had his directing debut with the Syracuse Repertory Theatre in 1967. Reidenbaugh took great pride and pleasure in both performing and directing, and in 1975 he received the Mary Eva Duthie Award at the New York State Community Theater Association’s annual conference for his contributions to community theater.

Gerald Reidenbaugh passed away on July 9, 1994 in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Scope and Content Note

The Gerald F. Reidenbaugh Papers are divided into five series: Correspondence, Negatives, Subject Files, Teaching Materials, and Theatrical Productions.

The Correspondence series contains general correspondence and letters between Reidenbaugh and current and former students.

The Negatives series contains several hundred identified negatives of theatrical productions at Syracuse University performed between the years 1932 and 1967.

The Teaching Materials series contains materials used by Reidenbaugh when teaching drama classes at Syracuse University. Included in the materials are many lecture notes as well as assignments and handouts.

The Theatrical Productions series contains materials relating to Reidenbaugh’s involvement with theatrical productions at Syracuse University and in private community theaters. The folders in this series contain programs, photographs, newspaper clippings, and promotional materials for shows in which Reidenbaugh performed or which he directed.

The Subject Files series contains materials mostly relating to Reidenbaugh’s career as a professor of drama at Syracuse University. Highlights of this series are folders with information on guest speaking engagements Reidenbaugh participated in, arts festivals and conferences he or his students attended, a number of photographs (some of which document a visit Peter Falk made to Syracuse University in 1965), newspaper clippings, the text of Reidenbaugh’s master’s thesis, My Heart Don’t Say So, and correspondence and production information regarding Broadway’s optioning of his original play The Strongest.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

In addition to these papers, the Syracuse University Archives holds a clippings file and a portrait file on Gerald F. Reidenbaugh as well as the papers of Reidenbaugh's wife, Shirley Fenner Reidenbaugh.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Reidenbaugh, Gerald.
Syracuse University -- Alumni and alumnae.
Syracuse University -- Faculty.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Theater.
College teachers.
Higher education.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Gerald F. Reidenbaugh Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

The materials in the Gerald F. Reidenbaugh Papers were donated to the Syracuse University Archives by Shirley Fenner Reidenbaugh in 1997 and 2007.

Processing Information

The materials have been processed and placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Table of Contents

Correspondence

Negatives

Subject Files

Teaching Materials

Theatrical Productions

Inventory