Collection

Lowe, Sanford Papers

Span Dates: 1953-1995
Bulk Dates:
Volume: 1.1 linear feet

Description

Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Lowe (1935-2005) was a rabbi, biblical scholar and instructor of religious studies at Santa Rosa Junior College. His Bay Area Reporter obituary describes him as a rabbi without a temple and a gay liberationist. Lowe also won medals in swimming at the Gay Games. The bulk of the collection consists of black and white photographs taken by Lowe after 1981. The photos are unsorted but those Lowe labeled were foldered together. Many were taken at his ranch near Windsor, where Lowe hosted and mentored activists and held an annual Buckeye Festival/Karl Marx/Walt Whitman celebration on the land’s pond. There are many portraits of friends, including candid photos of Laine and Carolyn, which he submitted to an “Advocate” contest, “Images from Our Lives.” The collection also has snapshots (dating back to at least 1963), ephemera and posters from the Gay Games and his political organizing, including materials regarding the Briggs initiative (Prop 6); a few letters; self-portraits and process prints; silk screen prints of Schmiel Leib; a Nomenus badge; and his class ring from Brooklyn Technical High School. There is also a small collection of erotica, including videotapes and Sierra Domino publications.

Hist/Bio Note

Dr. Sanford “Sandy” Lowe (1935-2005) was a rabbi, biblical scholar and instructor of religious studies at Santa Rosa Junior College. His Bay Area Reporter obituary describes him as a rabbi without a temple and a gay liberationist. Lowe also won medals in swimming at the Gay Games. The bulk of the collection consists of black and white photographs taken by Lowe after 1981.

Finding Aid

A brief online finding aid is available.
https://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c8z325nk/entire_text/

Location

GLBT Historical Society 989 Market Street, Lower Level San Francisco, California 94103
https://www.glbthistory.org/

Tags

Jewish (ethnic, Reform, Reconstructionist, Orthodox) | Clergy Activist | Radical Faeries | San Francisco | California