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Urban Archives Center
Descriptive Finding Guide for

ALBERT ZORASTER COLLECTION

1948 - 1979

1.5 linear feet

11 oversize maps

Prepared by

Robert G. Marshall, Archivist and Claire C. LaFia, Student Assistant, November 1985

Revised by Autumn Hayner, J. Paul Getty Trust, Student Assistant, October 2004

© 2004 Oviatt Library, California State University, Northridge. All rights reserved. For additional information, please contact Urban Archives Center .

CATALOGING INFORMATION

PROVENANCE

The papers of Albert Zoraster were donated to the Urban Archives Center on August 5, 1980 by Mr. Zoraster. The collection was inventoried in February 1981, and archivally processed in the Fall of 1985. This descriptive finding guide was revised in October 2004, in part under a generous gift from the J. Paul Getty Trust to update the finding guides. The collection is open to research without restrictions.

HISTORY

As a resident of the San Fernando Valley from 1920 to the mid-1970s, Albert Zoraster devoted much of his life to improving the quality of services in the community, particularly in the areas of transportation and municipal services. An active committee volunteer, Mr. Zoraster worked with the Los Angeles City Board of Education, the Mayor's Valley Transportation Committee, Los Angeles City Department of Airports, Valley Presbyterian Hospital and California State University, Northridge. From 1954 to 1975, he served as the director of the West Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce, and served as president of the organization from 1958-1959, again from 1962-1963 and again in 1965. Mr. Zoraster was also actively involved with California State University, Northridge, serving as president of the CSUN Presidents Club from 1971-1973, a member and trustee of the CSUN Foundation in 1973-1974, and a member of the CSUN Advisory Club from 1973-1975. Some of his contributions to CSUN include the establishment of the Zoraster Pioneer Scholarship Fund and the Zoraster Endowment for Adaptive Physical Education, as well as a number of monetary donations to CSUN's Urban Archives Center.

Mr. Zoraster was a member and leader of several Valley rotary clubs and chambers of commerce including the Van Nuys Rotary Club which he was a charter member of from 1954-1975, and the Van Nuys Chamber of Commerce which he was a member of from 1928-1975. He also served on many advisory committees for the improvement of the Valley, most notably, the Industrial Association of the San Fernando Valley [now the Valley Industry and Commerce Association]. He received various civic awards, including the prestigious Fernando Award in 1975 for his philanthropy. Zoraster continued to donate his time to Valley causes throughout his retirement until his death after a long battle with cancer in April 1995.

SCOPE & CONTENT NOTES

Mr. Zoraster's personal collection of papers relates to various aspects of his civic career, and covers such topics as Birmingham High School, city planning, land use, the proposed Malibu Freeway Project and general transportation in the Valley, and the development of the Van Nuys Airport. The collection is especially conducive to the study of legislative lobbying techniques. The records date mostly from 1951 to 1979, and include correspondence, maps, minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs, press releases, reports, resolutions, and speeches. A biographical outline of Mr. Zoraster's involvement in the San Fernando Valley is located in Appendix A of this finding guide.

RELATED UAC COLLECTION

Additional material relating to Mr. Zoraster's activities and city planning in the San Fernando Valley may be found in the following collections:

RELATED DIGITAL COLLECTION & PROJECTS

RELATED RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

Related research sources on major topics covered in this collection are located in the following institutions:

SECONDARY SOURCES

Located in the CSUN Oviatt Library are books pertaining to major topics covered in this collection. They include:

IMPORTANT SUBJECTS & PERSONALITIES

Important personalities and subjects found in the collection include:

CONTENTS & SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

3 manuscript boxes


11 oversize maps

SERIES I: URBAN PLANNING SUBJECT FILES, 1948-1978, Boxes AZ 1-3

This series contains articles, correspondence, editorials, memoranda, reports, resolutions and related material on the urban development of Los Angeles County. Of particular interest are the files pertaining to the Malibu Freeway controversy, issues surrounding the growth of San Fernando Valley Airport and the Van Nuys Airport, studies of population and housing in the San Fernando Valley, the development of transportation systems in the San Fernando Valley, and San Fernando Valley's early attempt to succeed from Los Angeles County in 1976 [an issue that would be revisited in 2003]. The files are arranged in alphabetical order by subject, and chronologically within.

NON-MANUSCRIPT MATERIAL

23 photographs have been removed from the manuscript material and placed in the UAC Audio-Visual Collection and indexed separately.

11 oversize maps have been removed from the manuscript material and placed in the UAC Map File. [Note: An index to the maps can be found in Appendix B, page of this guide].

DISPOSED RECORDS

All duplicate and non-archival papers have been returned to Mr. Albert Zoraster.

MICROFILM REEL NUMBERS

(Microfilming was not done for this collection.)

BOX LISTING

SERIES I: URBAN PLANNING SUBJECT FILES, 1948-1978
Boxes AZ 1-3

Box AZ 1 [AS/RS 3 0700 10425 6424]

Box AZ 2 [AS/RS 3 0700 10425 6432]

Box AZ 3 [AS/RS 3 0700 10425 6440]

[End Box Listing]

APPENDIX A:
BIOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE - ALBERT ZORASTER

APPENDIX B
Index to Oversize Maps (non-manuscript materials)

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