William J. Coonly Collection

DONOR:

Mrs. William J. (Bebe) Coonly

SIZE:

56+ cubic feet

SCOPE & CONTENT:

Documents relating to the St. Michael's Foundation, El Paso, Texas.

BIOGRAPHY:

The St. Michael the Archangel Foundation was founded in the 1960's in El Paso, Texas.

Mrs. Bebe Coonly collected 56+ cubic feet of research materials focusing primarily upon Mexican American groups and border issues.

The collection includes partial runs of various journals, a multitude of newspaper clippings from a clipping service, various copies of the Congressional Record, research on the sanctuary movement, Latin America, Saul Alinsky, and Cesar Chavez.

Mexican American groups covered include: LULAC, ALIANZA, United Farm Workers and labor unions, student protesters and various religious organizations. The collection also contains a large amount of information on the Theology of Liberation.

This vast range of documents is organized into research files and spans two distinct time periods. The first period, 1968-1972, focuses on Mexican Americans, student protestors and Liberation Theology. The second period, roughly 1980-1985, focuses on political issues regarding the United States - Mexican border. The research of both time periods focuses geographically upon the El Paso area, reaching out into Texas and New Mexico as well.

Researchers of Mexican/American organizations in the 1960's and 1970's will find the newspaper clippings invaluable. Likewise, those researching border issues in the 1980's will find this collection very informative. This collection will provide researchers interested in religion and religious issues in the border region with many useful sources.