Alex Molnar papers, 1990-1997

Author / Creator

Molnar, Alex

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Summary

Papers of Molnar, a member of the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee education faculty, primarily documenting his leadership in the Military Families Support Network (MFSN), a national organization...

Papers of Molnar, a member of the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee education faculty, primarily documenting his leadership in the Military Families Support Network (MFSN), a national organization formed in 1990 after a letter Molnar wrote opposing the build-up for the Persian Gulf War appeared in the "New York Times." Included is extensive correspondence received from supporters and opponents of the war; additional administrative correspondence, promotional literature, and reports; fragmentary board records, clippings, and newsletters; and files documenting lobbying efforts in Washington, D.C., and on the Fund for New Priorities which sponsored the organization of MFSN. In addition there are numerous video and audio recordings of public service announcements and interviews with Molnar and other MFSN leaders. Among the broadcast and political leaders documented in these formats are Phil Donahue, Sam Donaldson, Daniel Ellsberg, Bryant Gumbel, Morton Halperin, Henry Hyde, Larry King, Gerald Klezcka, Charles Kuralt, Gene La Rocque, John McCain, James Moody, and Harry Smith. Other personalities include Ron Kovic. (An unrelated interview with Hank Aaron is present on one of the tape recordings.) The photographs include views of Molnar and his family, the MFSN office in Milwaukee, and snapshots of military life in Saudi Arabia.

The remainder of the collection documents Molnar's educational philosophy and activism. The tape recordings document his regular call-in educational program "Molnar on Education" broadcast by Wisconsin Public Radio during the 1990s. These programs refer to many of the most important educational issues of the period, and the guests included John Benson, Paul Wellstone, and many leading educators. In addition there are recorded spot announcements, campaign literature, and clippings pertaining to Molnar's unsuccessful candidacy for the position of superintendent of public instruction.

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