State Assemblyman Mark Weprin and the Mets -- A Highlight from the Weprin Collection

Howard Johnson, Nettie Mayersohn, Saul and Mark Weprin

With the Mets’ season in full swing, the La Guardia and Wagner Archives released a new video this week which features former New York Council Member and State Assembly Member Mark Weprin recounting the championship season of the 1986 New York Mets and his own participation in the team’s Old-Timers Day on July 12, a celebration of the 25^th Anniversary of the Amazin’ Mets.  The video goes up just as our Archives YouTube channel reaches over 300,000 views.

This latest video oral history is just one treasure among many from the Weprin family as the Archives has collaborated with the Special Collections and Archives at Queens College to digitize a selection from the Saul Weprin Collection, the entire print collection of which is housed in the Queens College Special Collections and Archives.  

The collection documents Saul Weprin’s tenure as both the 24^th District Assembly Member and as Speaker of the Assembly and his actions on political, social and cultural issues that impacted the Queens neighborhoods under his jurisdiction.

Two of the many particularly interesting documents include the Bias-Related Violence Act in 1991—legislation that preceded federal hate crime laws by three years, as well as his support of the 1993 Stalking Law.

The addition of this collection, especially in a conveniently accessible digital form, adds another dimension to the study of New York City history and politics for researchers and students.

As always, we invite you to engage with the wonderful wealth of materials in our collections.  Our website offers user friendly finding aids and computerized indexes facilitate rewarding research.  A number of our videos and images can be viewed at our YouTube Channel and Flikr page.  Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  Or come and see our materials first hand here at the Archives itself.  We’re located at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY, 31-10 Thomson Ave., Room E-238, Long Island City, NY 11101.  Hours for researchers are generally Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Those interested in using the collections should call or write the Archivist to make an appointment. We look forward to your use of our materials.