A Guide to the Papers of Mitchell Van Yahres, 1993-2006
A Collection in
Special Collections
The University of Virginia Library
Accession Number 13444
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Preferred Citation
Papers of Mitchell Van Yahres , Accession #13444, Special Collections, University of Virginia Library, Charlottesville, Va.
Acquisition Information
This collection was a gift from Mitchell Van Yahres, Charlottesville, Va., on November 30, 2005.
Biographical/Historical Information
Virginia Delegate Mitchell Van Yahres was born on October 21, 1926 in Long Island, New York. He received a degree in Bachelor of Science from Cornell University where he studied agriculture. He was in the United States Army from 1944 to 1945. He moved to Charlottesville, Virginia in 1949 where he started a local tree company, Van Yahres Tree Company. He was a local business man and worked actively for his church until he was asked to run for office. He was on City Council from 1968 to 1976, former mayor of Charlottesville from 1970 to 1972 and Delegate of the 57th District from 1981 to 2005. He was referred to as the 'Don Quixote' of the 57th and as the "Conscience of the House". In 1975 he was the first person to receive the McIntire "Citizen of the Year" award.
His legislative record is described as "being an eclectic mix marked by looking out for the little guy." Van Yahres has been called "courageous, inspiring and progressive as a veteran legislator." During his twenty-four years as a Delegate, he served on committees for education, agriculture, finance, health, and welfare. His accomplishments included remediation in the Virginia standards of learning, establishment of a public defender's office for Charlottesville, initiation of the first productive meetings between Virginia's health and tobacco communities, and long time advocacy for industrial hemp as an alternative crop for struggling tobacco farmers. He also received national attention for his resolution of a 'first in the nation' apology for the eugenics movement.
Scope and Content
This collection consists of the political papers of Mitchell Van Yahres, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates from 1981 to 2006. The collection consists of ca. 4,000 items (8 linear feet, 19 Hollinger boxes, including 2 cubic boxes) from (1975) 1993-2006.
The bulk of the collection contains topical files including campaigns, issues concerning the city of Charlottesville; commissions and conventions; correspondence with constituents from 2001-2003 and press releases; education programs; environmental issues such as hog farming; chip mills; and recycling; eugenics; healthcare; hemp; higher education; housing; legislation; photographs; speeches; taxes; transportation; Charter status for the University of Virginia; University of Virginia communication with the City of Charlottesville; University of Virginia and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); University of Virginia building projects including the Ivy/Emmet Street parking garage; news clippings; and hand-made posters (oversize). There are also oversize maps of several voting districts in Virginia including the 57th ; calendars, date books, and trophies belonging to Van Yahres. Also included in the collection are 28 videotapes, and one audiotape of Van Yahre's public access television program "Community Focus" and a videotape from a political event.
Van Yahres was a strong advocate for recycling and the use of environmentally sound practices, particularly in the construction of new buildings. There are files on Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and legislation he drafted in an attempt to engage more state facilities to construct LEED buildings. (House Joint Bill 108, 109, 110 and House Joint Resolution 798).
Other topical files on the environment contain information on loggers training and efficient ways to cut trees for the preservation of the environment. (Sustainable Forest Initiative) As Van Yahres was an arborist, there are several files on the landscape and habitat of trees in Charlottesville, including a deodora that was felled in front of City Hall; trees at the Hollymead Town Center; and legislation for trees and power lines.
A significant topic in this collection is legislation by Van Yahres regarding the Commonwealth's past involvement in eugenics. He received national attention for a bill that he wrote requiring the General Assembly to apologize for Virginia's role in eugenics. (House Joint Resolution 607). He also wrote correspondence suggesting that the history of eugenics should be taught in the schools. There are several articles on eugenics by Paul Lombardo and news clippings about the famous Carrie Buck vs. Bell case. There is also some information on the proposed name change for the DeJarnette Center to the Carrie Buck Center. Van Yahres also created a repository for eugenics archives with Dr. James S. Reinhard, Director of the Department of Mental Health Mental Retardation and Substance Abuse Users.
Healthcare was another strong interest of Van Yahres. There are files on healthcare and insurance for children, women (coverage for breast reconstructive surgery and prescribed contraceptives) and the elderly. He sponsored legislation (House Bill 1920) to ensure that retirement communities for the elderly could not close without first setting up a relocation plan to help residents secure other housing. There is correspondence with Gordon Walker and the Jefferson Board for the Aging (JABA) including a letter from Walker to the Governor of Virginia, James S. Gilmore. Van Yahres also supported the proposal that at least one resident of the retirement facility should serve on its board. There are also topical files on the Commmonwealth's handling of a contracted transportation service for the elderly residents; Healthcare: Logisticare.
Van Yahres was a devoted supporter of education. There are topical files on higher education, which include some published articles from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges. There is information from the State Council of Higher Education (SCHEV), and educational institutions, particularly George Mason University as well as a study from a commission on higher education (SJR 90). There is also an article about an award winning SCHEV organization called "Technology Tamers" that helps disabled individuals excel in their careers by teaching them computer skills.
Van Yahres' passionate interest in industrial hemp is well-documented. He was very active in attending conferences on hemp and he was embroiled in a battle to save legal hemp products from being declared illegal by the Drug Enforcement Agency's campaign, SABRE: Substance Abuse Reduction Effort, which set out to illegalize all products containing trace amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The files contain general information on hemp including a 1997 Briefing Book by Jon Gettman to Ken Patterson for a joint committee on industrial hemp and information about conferences such as the North American Industrial Hemp Conference, NAIHC. There is also correspondence with Senator John Warner, Thomas Bliley, Jr., Virgil Goode, and V. Earl Dickinson. Legislation includes House Bill 1428, House Joint Bill 605, and House Joint Resolution 94.
Topical files on housing issues are also in the collection as well as legislation on various topics such as the affirmation of marriage act abolished (House Bill 1633); blue laws (Senate Bill 6001-6002); restoration of civil rights to persons convicted of felonies (HJ 582/583, SJ 307, SJ 252); drivers license suspension (House Bill 2772); migrant workers (annual reports of the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry and the minutes of the Migrant and Seasonal Farm Workers Board); open source software (House Bill 842); patents; photo-red (House Bill 1916, 974, 1860, 2197, 2270, SB 414); pill bill (House Bill 154); recordation tax (House Bill 1845); and a water supply emergency ordinance (House Bill 1631).
There is also information on Christine Solem's struggle with state regulations and legislation regarding sanitization and pasterurization of cheese and milk products from her goat farm in Albemarle County. (Senate Bill 1164 and House Bill 2030).
There is legislation that Van Yahres put forth for a commendation to the University of Virginia Pep Band (HJ 284) on their 30th year anniversary.
He also proposed legislation encouraging the members of the General Assembly to go on a welfare diet for two weeks. Although they laughed at him, he argued that it was a good way for them to understand the needs of the people that use food stamps. There is also information on his legislation regarding interstate wine distribution.
There are files containing photographs of Van Yahres at political events, and other poses of him for campaigns. There is also a photograph album of Van Yahres in the General Assembly that was a gift from Bruce F. Jamerson, clerk of the House of Delegates. There is a photograph of Van Yahres with former Governor Charles S. Robb and one of Van Yahres with former Governor Mark Warner. There is also a signed photograph of former President William Jefferson Clinton.
In the topical files, there are notes from speeches and speech files; information on taxes; and several files on transportation issues including the Meadowcreek Parkway; roundabouts; Route 29 Bypass; and the Transdominion Express , a study on new rail travel. Correspondents include former Charlottesville mayors Maurice Cox and mayor Blake Caravati, Stephen D. Newman, L. Preston Bryant, and Robert Hodous.
There is some information on the University of Virginia and legislation regarding its charter status. Correspondents include University of Virginia faculty member Jeffrey Rossman, University of Virginia spokesperson Nancy Rivers, legislators Creigh Deeds, Steven Landes and many others. There is also information on the University of Virginia Hospital including complaints and a staff realignment and efficiency improvement plan.
There is also material showing the attempts of Mitchell Van Yahres to improve communication between the University of Virginia and the City of Charlottesville. Van Yahres met several times with University of Virginia Board member William Crutchfield to discuss ways that the University could share information with the city about its meetings, plans and activities.
There is information in the topical files on the University of Virginia and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), specifically a letter from Priscilla L. Whiting, Chair of Education at the Albemarle Charlottesville branch of the NAACP to the University of Virginia President John Casteen where she strongly suggests that there is racial disparity at the University.
There is extensive information on the University of Virginia's construction of the parking garage on Emmet Street and the University's interactions with the City of Charlottesville. Relating to the construction of the parking garage, there is significant correspondence between the University of Virginia, the City of Charlottesville, some of the state agencies of Virginia and constituents in Charlottesville. Correspondents include University of Virginia President John Casteen; University of Virginia Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Leonard Sandridge; University of Virginia Rector John P. Ackerly III; University of Virginia Board of Visitor member William Crutchfield; University of Virginia spokesperson Nancy Rivers; Director of University of Virginia facilities Robert P. Dillman; Virginia Secretary of Administration Sandra D. Bowen; Department of Environmental Quality Ellie Irons; Director of Economic Development Aubrey Watts; former Charlottesville mayors Maurice Cox, Blake Caravati and Meredith Richards; Congressman Creigh Deeds; President of the Lewis Mountain Neighborhood Arthur Lichtenberger; Wilbur Smith Associates; Glatting Jackson Kercher Anlin Lopez Rinehart Consulting Firm; Parson Brinkerhoff (traffic study); Virginia Department of Transportation representative Angel Deem; Virginia Director of Transportation Planning and Environmental Affairs Jeffrey C. Southard; Virginia Department of Transportation representative Karen Kilby; Director of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Robert G. Burnley; Delegate John J. Davies III; House Appropriations committee representative Tony Maggio (provides a timeline of parking garage issues) and the law firm Feil Pettit & William and attorneys David B. Franzen and S. Craig Brown (city attorney). The files include drawings of the parking garage; a chronological account of the developments; arguments for reviewing traffic studies; discussions about payment for delaying construction and the need for cooperation between the University and the city, as well as correspondence from constituents and attorneys.
There is also information regarding other University of Virginia projects. There is a list of projects under the General Obligation Bond including a heating plant, concert hall and thirteen other projects. Correspondence is included from the University of Virginia Vice President for Management and Budget Colette Sheehy.
Other information concerning the University of Virginia consists of a letter written by Charles Bly complaining that his nuclear physics PhD program was being abused by University of Virginia administrators and faculty. There is also information on the termination of Dr. James S. McCarthy for his alleged misuse of University funds.
Also in the topical files are news clippings that Van Yahres collected by date from 1999 to 2004 and news clipping by topic for the year 2001- 2002. The topics range from abortions and births, campaigns, community, education, eugenics, judicial, miscellaneous, money, Photo-Red legislation, spanking by foster parents, to voting rights.
Arrangement
The topical files are arranged alphabetically by subject heading with the papers in chronological order within each folder. The calendars, date books and trophies are organized by date.
Contents List
There are also hand-made posters that were given to Van Yahres by unknown persons who appreciated his service to the community.
Articles on campaign reform from the Horizon Institute, The Daily Progress , the Virginia Democracy Coalition and a Government Ethics paper titled, Why the Charlottesville Watchdog Committee Failed , by Jack Edwards (2003).
Including a broadside for the opening ceremonies (1976) and a design report of the mall.
Commission for Future Virginia Cities (named the MOSS Commission for House Speaker Thomas W. Moss, a judge who sponsored Resolution 432 creating the commission) which studied the development and growth issues of cities. Included are articles, notes from summits and legislative recommendations that were reported to the Governor and the General Assembly.
Subcommittees studying hog farms that left North Carolina for Virginia after legislature in that state began limiting their farming).
Correspondents on these issues include former mayor Maurice Cox, former mayor Blake Caravati, Stephen D. Newman, L. Preston Bryant, and Robert Hodous.
Bly was a University of Virginia nuclear physicist who charged that the administration and faculty abused his nuclear engineering PhD program. The folder contains his letter to the University, the Federal government and state politicians.
Correspondents include University of Virginia faculty member Jeffrey Rossman, University of Virginia spokesperson Nancy Rivers, Legislators Creigh Deeds, Steven Landes and many others.
There is material showing the attempts of Mitchell Van Yahres to improve communication between the University of Virginia and the City of Charlottesville. Van Yahres met several times with University of Virginia Board member William Crutchfield to discuss ways that the University could share information with the city about its meetings, plans and activities.
Includes a report by the American Association of University Professors (AAUP) concerning the dismissal of Dr. James S. McCarthy based on a charge that he misused grant monies. The report includes a rebuttal letter from University of Virginia President John Casteen. The folder also contains correspondence between McCarthy and Mitchell Van Yahres. McCarthy was a tenured professor of physics and Director of the university's Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics.
There is information in the topical files on the University of Virginia and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), specifically a letter from Priscilla L. Whiting, Chair of Education at the Albemarle Charlottesville branch of the NAACP to the University of Virginia President John Casteen where she strongly suggests that there is racial disparity at the University.
There is extensive information on the University of Virginia's construction of the parking garage on Emmet Street and the University's interactions with the City of Charlottesville. Relating to the construction of the parking garage, there is significant correspondence between the University of Virginia, the City of Charlottesville, some of the state agencies of Virginia and the constituents of Charlottesville. Specifically the correspondents are University of Virginia President John Casteen, University of Virginia executive vice president and chief operating executive Leonard Sandridge, University of Virginia Rector John P. Ackerly III, University of Virginia Board member William Crutchfield, University of Virginia spokesperson Nancy Rivers, Director of University of Virginia facilities Robert P. Dillman, Virginia Secretary of Administration Sandra D. Bowen, Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Ellie Irons, Virginia Director of Economic Development Aubrey Watts, former mayor Maurice Cox, former mayor Blake Caravati, former mayor Meredith Richards, Congressman Creigh Deeds, President of the Lewis Mountain Neighborhood Arthur Lichtenberger, Wilbur Smith Associates, Glatting Jackson Kercher Anglin Lopez Rinehart Consulting Firm, Parson Brinkerhoff (traffic study), Virginia Department of Transportation representative Angel Deem, Virginia Director of Transportation Planning and Environmental Affairs Jeffrey C. Southard, Virginia Department of Transportation representative Karen Kilby, Director of Virginia Department of Environmental Quality Robert G. Burnley, Congressman John J. Davies III, House Appropriations Committee representative Tony Maggio (provides a timeline of parking garage issues) and the law firm Feil Pettit and William and attorneys David B. Franzen and S. Craig Brown (city attorney). The files include drawings of the parking garage; a chronological account of the developments; arguments for reviewing traffic studies; discussions about payment for delaying construction and the need for cooperation between the University and the city, as well as correspondence from constituents and attorneys.
There is information regarding the University of Virginia on other projects. Under the General Obligation Bond there are plans for a heating plant, concert hall and thirteen other projects. Correspondence is included from the University of Virginia Vice President for Management & Budget Colette Sheehy.
There are topics including abortion/births, campaign, community, education, eugenics, judicial, miscellaneous, money, photo/red, spanking by foster parents, and voting rights.