Series Description
Series I. Legislative Files: 1967-94 (5 record center boxes; 5 linear feet) houses legislative materials generated and collected by Reibman while in office. Subseries 1, Bills and Resolutions, contains printed versions of bills and resolutions supported by Reibman and also includes supplementary material such as analysis by legislative aids, written commentary and notes by Reibman, background research and documents, and related correspondence. These files are arranged alphabetically by bill or resolution topic. Senate Bill [S.B] and Senate Resolution [S.R.] numbers are also noted on folder headings, followed by the year. Files in Subseries 1 primarily date from the 1980’s and provide an excellent record of Senator Reibman’s areas of legislative interest. Subseries 2, Reports, primarily contains printouts prepared by the Pennsylvania Legislative Data Processing Center and is arranged alphabetically by type of report and then chronologically within each report type. These documents list bills co-sponsored and prime-sponsored by Reibman throughout her career and date from the late 1960’s until the Senator’s retirement in 1994. Other reports within Subseries 2 were published within the Pennsylvania State Senate and provide weekly updates on legislative actions and issues. Finally, Subseries 3, Roll Call Votes, contains printouts generated by the Pennsylvania Legislative Data Processing Center. Arranged chronologically, this subseries provides Reibman’s voting record from the 1970’s through the 1990’s.
Series II. Publicity Files: 1958-1998 (7 record center boxes; 7 linear feet) contains publicity files produced by Senator Reibman’s office. Subseries 1, Speeches, is arranged chronologically and documents remarks given by Reibman at conferences, meetings, panel discussions, television and radio appearances, and political functions throughout the 18th Senatorial District. Files contain rough draft and final copies of remarks as well as supportive documents such as letters of invitation, programs, and research. Speeches date from the beginning of Reibman’s political career through her retirement, with a large portion occurring during the 1980’s. These files provide a detailed view of issues important to the Senator as well as legislation she supported. Subseries 2, Press Releases, is arranged chronologically by year and represents the Senator’s positions and accomplishments as reported by her office to the public. Press releases generally appear in a 1-2 page format and read like a newspaper article. These documents date from the 1970’s through Reibman’s retirement and document her legislative record. Subseries 3, Clippings, chronicles Reibman’s career in the form of newspaper and magazine clippings and is arranged chronologically by year. Clippings span from the late 1950’s through the late 1990’s. These files were maintained by Reibman’s legislative office as a record of the media’s interpretation of her career.
Series III. Campaign Files: 1966-1990 (2 record center boxes; 2 linear feet) is arranged chronologically by campaign years and contains position papers, questionnaires, committee lists, contributor lists, letters of endorsement, general correspondence, election results, campaign give-aways (matchbooks, emory boards, and sewing kits) and press materials (small-scale posters, flyers, and pamphlets). Files also include background information on opponents and detailed descriptions of the issues pertinent to each campaign. Documents appear in manuscript, typescript and printed form and are written by Reibman or her campaign staff.
Series IV. Subject Files: 1961-1996 (21 record center boxes; 21 linear feet) is the largest series of the Reibman Papers and is organized into three subseries. The files of Subseries 1, General are arranged alphabetically by topic and contain documents generated and received by Reibman’s legislative office that pertain to the significant issues of her career. These include education, environment, arts, children, women, families, and the aging. Documents appear as reports, correspondence, notes, photographs, pamphlets, booklets, and other types of printed supportive material. A significant portion of this subseries is devoted to commissions, committees, task forces, and study groups on which Reibman served throughout her career. These files contain much of the general background material used by Reibman when drafting her legislation.
Subseries 2, Larsen Impeachment contains materials collected and generated by Reibman as one of the six state senators appointed to a committee to conduct evidentiary hearings regarding the 1994 Articles of Impeachment against Pennsylvania Justice Rolf Larsen. Larsen, elected to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 1977 for a ten-year term and then reelected for a second ten years in 1988, was charged by the Pennsylvania Judicial Inquiry Review Board (JIRB) in 1988 with violations of the Pennsylvania Constitution. In 1991 the JIRB produced a report which recommended that Larsen be publicly reprimanded. In 1992, Larsen filed a petition for the recusal and disqualification of two of the Justices involved with the JIRB report. After a year of grand jury hearings, no credible evidence to support Larsen’s allegations was found, and in 1993 criminal charges were filed against Larsen. In 1994 Larsen was convicted after a five-day trial in the Court of Common Pleas and the Pennsylvania House of Representatives adopted seven Articles of Impeachment against him. Reibman participated as one of six senators on the committee which provided the Senate a full report on the evidentiary hearings. After receiving this report, the Senate voted 44 to 5 to convict Larsen on Article II, acquitting him of the other six Articles.
Subseries 2 contains the Impeachment Trial Committee Books, Managers’ and Respondents’ Exhibits, Stenographic Reports, clippings and Reibman’s personal files relating the court case. These documents are arranged by type of record and then chronologically within record type and primarily date from 1994. Complete inventories of Managers’ and Respondents’ Exhibits are located in Box 33, Folders 2 and 21. Three audiocassette tapes from the Larsen Impeachment hearings are located in Series VII.2, Box 48.
Subseries 3, Marks vs. Stinson Contested Election contains materials collected and generated by Reibman relating to the 1993-94 contested election for the Second Senatorial District in Pennsylvania. Reibman was appointed to the Subcommittee on the Election Contest in response to allegations of voter fraud in the election. Court documents, exhibits, clippings, and Reibman’s personal files pertaining to the contested election are arranged chronologically within this subseries and document the struggle between Bruce Marks, Republican candidate, and William Stinson, Democratic candidate. At the conclusion of the Subcommittee hearings, Marks was declared the winner of the election and installed as the Senator for the Second Senatorial District.
Series V. Correspondence: 1955-1997 (4 record center boxes; 4 linear feet) contains the much of correspondence received and generated by Reibman’s legislative office. Correspondence appears in the form of manuscript and typescript letters and invitations. Subseries 1, General includes the incoming and outgoing constituent correspondence focusing on legislative issues and concerns. This subseries is arranged chronologically, with the bulk dating between the mid 1950’s through her retirement. These general correspondence files were maintained by Reibman’s legislative assistants. Much of this correspondence is filed with related, supportive material (such as pamphlets or articles) which was received with the letter. Subseries 2, Invitations contains a chronological arrangement of invitations to political functions, conferences, and meetings received by Reibman while in office. Invitations appear in the form of manuscript and typescript letters as well as printed cards. This subseries dates only from 1986 through 1989; consequently, it only represents a small portion of the invitations received by Reibman during her political career.
Series VI. Appointment and Guest Books: 1977-1988 (1 record center box; 1 linear foot) houses appointment and guest books maintained by Reibman from the mid-1970’s through the late 1980’s and records her attendance at various political functions, conferences, and appearances during this period. The appointment books also serve as record of Reibman’s travels and her attendance while the Senate was in session in Harrisburg.
Series VII. Audio/Visual Material: 1974-1996 (2 record center boxes and 10 special format boxes; 8.25 linear feet) houses audio/visual materials in the form of videocassette, audiocassette and audio reel tapes. Sixty-six videocassettes are stored in a chronological arrangement within the two record center boxes of Subseries 1 and primarily record Reibman’s television appearances during the 1980’s and the 1990’s. These videocassette tapes came from Reibman’s Senate office video library. “Senate Journal” and “Capital Connection” are two programs which appear frequently throughout this series. Senator Reibman hosted these local television programs, offering a different topic each week. The inventory for this series provides a list of all current events explored during these programs and also indicates any guest speakers. Other videocassette tapes contain background information sent to Reibman’s office by various organizations and deal with issues brought before the General Assembly. Subseries 2 contains ninety-four audiocassette tapes arranged chronologically and document Reibman’s participation in legislative hearings, forums, and meetings throughout the 18th Senatorial District. Dating from the mid-1970’s through the early 1990’s, these sound recordings include topics such as recodification, subsidy, oversight hearings. Recordings of vocational education hearings and Education Commission of the States meetings are also included in this subseries. Subseries 3 contains four audio reel tapes which record the Bethlehem hearings relating to the Department of Transportation under Senate Bill 1214.