Noffke Papers, 1953-1998
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/ft7v19p029 No online items Inventory of the William "Will" Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 Processed by The Graduate Theological Union Archives staff; machine-readable finding aid created by UCSC OAC Unit Graduate Theological Union Archives 2400 Ridge Road Berkeley, California, 94709 Phone: (510) 649-2523/2501 Email: [email protected] URL: http://gtu.edu/library/information/special-collections © 2001 The Graduate Theological Union. All rights reserved. Note Arts and Humanities--Film, Television, and Broadcasting--Broadcast MediaArts and Humanities--Religion--Sects and Cults Inventory of the William "Will" GTU 2001-8-01 1 Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 Inventory of the William "Will" Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 Accession number: GTU 2001-8-01 Shelf location: 5/C/3-5/F/6 The Graduate Theological Union Archives Berkeley, California Contact Information: Graduate Theological Union Archives 2400 Ridge Road Berkeley, California, 94709 Phone: (510) 649-2523/2501 Email: [email protected] URL: http://gtu.edu/library/information/special-collections Processed by: Clae Styron Date Completed: 10/2001 Cataloged: 10/2001 Encoded by: UCSC OAC Unit © 2001 Graduate Theological Union. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: William "Will" Noffke Papers, Date (inclusive): 1953-1998 Accession number: GTU 2001-8-01 Creator: Noffke, William Extent: 57 linear ft. Repository: The Graduate Theological Union. Berkeley, California Abstract: William "Will" Noffke was a Bay Area radio host. He interviewed spiritual and political leaders on various programs, including The Meeting of the Ways, New Dimensions and New Horizons. His papers include administrative materials, background information on the interviewees and organizations, and 2,000 reel to reel tapes and cassettes of radio shows. Shelf location: 5/C/3-5/F/6 Language: English. Source and Date 9/2001 Access Collection is open for research. Publication Rights Copyright has not been assigned to The Graduate Theological Union. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Graduate Theological Union as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Preferred Citation Inventory of the William "Will" GTU 2001-8-01 2 Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 [Identification of item], William "Will" Noffke Papers, GTU 2001-8-01, The Graduate Theological Union Archives, Berkeley, CA. Acquisition Information Gift of William Noffke. Biography William "Will" Noffke, 1929 - 1997, was a radio-host whose life work documents the cultural and religious changes which began to emerge in the 1960s in California. Originally a New York City Off-Broadway set designer, he settled in the San Francisco Bay Area where over the course of two decades, 1970 to 1990, he hosted and produced radio programs on KQED-FM and KPFA-FM, as well as in his own performance space and bookstore, Shared Visions, in Berkeley, California. As a radio host he interviewed hundreds of spiritual leaders and luminaries who expressed new cultural perspectives and inspired innovation, including Joseph Campbell, Buckminster Fuller, Jacob Needleman, Fritjof Capra, Robert Hillman, Reshad Field, Ram Dass, Jean Houston, Werner Erhard, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Marilyn Ferguson, Mark Satin, Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg. While Noffke's range of conversations and panels, in this regard, included many religious leaders from a diversity of spiritual traditions, including Krishnamurti, it also included politicians, such as John Vasconcellos, health practitioners and physicians, such as Andrew Weil, indigenous leaders, social activists, and local flower children, of diverse traditions, knowledge, and sensibilities. From 1972 to 1974, Noffke hosted "The Meeting of the Ways", a radio program on KQED-FM. It was a program featuring interviews that gave voice to the diverse spiritual constituency that had assembled under a local umbrella organization by the same name. "Meeting of the Ways" also staged a number of celebratory events in the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco during that time period. From 1975 to 1979, Noffke co-hosted, with Michael Tom at KQED-FM, a popular Saturday night radio program called "New Dimensions". From 1979 to 1990, Noffke produced and hosted his own show, "New Horizons", on KPFA-FM. Among his other activities, he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Dancer's Workshop of San Francisco, and belonged to the Melvana Foundation. Noffke, who died of an AIDS-related illness in 1997, described his spiritual path in his own words as "Vedanta/Sufi/Taoist!-unity of existence!" Scope and Content The Noffke collection includes 2,000 audiotapes and cassettes (some duplicates) that span two decades of radio interviews embracing a rich diversity of subject matter and personalities. His papers include administrative materials that reflect his role as producer and radio host, such as scripts of interviews and publicity material. Also included are resource materials from different organizations and individuals he assembled in the course of researching and preparing interviews. Noffke's correspondence reveals his work as an idealistic networker and loving friend. Among his papers are handwritten manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, newsletters, periodicals, a large collection of ephemera, including posters, pamphlets, brochures, flyers, and publicity materials. When the Graduate Theological Union Library first received his donation, some of his collection, primarily ephemera but some correspondence, was removed from the Noffke Papers and filed into the New Religious Movements Organizations: Vertical Files Collection (GTU 99-8-1). See that collection for further Noffke material. Noffke materials in the Vertical Files Collection are identified by his name on any file folder containing items and on the Container List in the finding aid. Arrangement The collection has been organized into seven series: Correspondence, Programs, Personalia, Proagram Resources, Periodicals, Posters, and Audiotape collection. Indexing Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of htis collection in the library's online public access catalog. Subjects United States--Religion--1965 Sects--United States--History--Sources Cults--United States--History--Sources Buddhism--United States--20th Century Divine Light Mission--United States Hinduism--United States--20th Century Islam--United States--20th Century Metaphysical Movements--20th Century Neopaganism--United States--20th Century Inventory of the William "Will" GTU 2001-8-01 3 Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 Occultism--United States--20th Century Satanism--United States--20th Century Scientology--History--Sources Sikhism--United States--20th Century Sufism--United States--20th Century Taoism--United States--20th Century Unification Church--United States Yoga--Religious aspects Zen Buddhism--United States--20th Century Lewis, Samuel L., 1896-1971 Series I Correspondence, 1971-1992 Physical Description: Box 1:1-38 Scope and Content Note This series contains correspondence. Arrangement Out-going correspondence is arranged chronologically. In-coming correspondence is arranged alphabetically. Box-folder 1:1-3 Correspondence, Out-going, ca. 1971-1979 Box-folder 1:4-38 Correspondence, In-coming, 1972-1992 Series II Programs, 1971-1990 Physical Description: Box 1:39-65 Scope and Content Note The second series contains program notes, promotional and outreach material for Meeting of the Ways, New Directions, and The New Horizons. The New Horizons material in addition includes interview scripts with Beshara, Jonathan Daemion, Fellowship of the Path to Oneness, Barbara Marx Hubbard, Hunger Project, promotion and outreach material, including cassette catalogs and calendar copy. Arrangement Arranged alphabetically by a project. Box-folder 1:39-44 Meeting of the Ways, 1971-1974 Box-folder 1:45 New Dimensions, 1975-1979 Box-folder 1:46-64 New Horizons, 1979-1990 Box-folder 1:65 Shared Visions, n.d. Series III Personalia, 1977 Physical Description: Box 1:66, 1 folder Scope and Content Note This series contains an obituary Arrangement No arrangement. Box-folder 1:66 Obituary, 1997 Inventory of the William "Will" GTU 2001-8-01 4 Noffke Papers, 1953-1998 Series IVProgram Resources, 1953-1998 Series IV Program Resources, 1953-1998 Physical Description: Box 1:67 - Box 6, about 1.5 linear ft. Scope and Content Note Most of the resources are from California. Of note are manuscripts and correspondence by and about Samuel L. Lewis and Nyogen Senzaki. Arrangement Resources arranged alphabetically by subject, personal name, or corporate name. Box-folder 1:67-88 A Academy of Parapsychology and Medicine Academy of World Studies Acos Foundation Advaita Fellowship Aesculapia Aikido of Northern California Aivanhov, Omraam Mikhael Ajari, Bishop Dr. (Lopon Rikpai Yeshe) Alliance for Magical and Earth Religions Alwun House Amadonia American Friends Service Committee (Simple Living Project) American Meditation Society Amitabha Foundation Ananda House Ancient Ways Animals--Religion Anti-Cult Movement Box-folder 2:1-37 A Aquarian Festivals of Light Arcosanti Ascended Masters Brotherhood Association for Humanistic Psychology Association for Transpersonal Psychology Astrology Avatar Center of San Francisco Box-folder 2:1-37 B Barzak Educational Institute Bawa Muhaiyadden Fellowship Bellah, Robert Neelly Berkeley Center