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Advice needed



We just received a very nice collection of about 20,000 photographs that
pose a bit of a problem.

One of our members, identified as Mr. X, does a lot of contract photography
for heavy equipment manufacturers. He also solicits and accepts donations of
records for us. Around 1995, while being shown around the factory of one his
clients (Y&Z Inc.), Mr. X found these photographs in a cabinet marked for
disposition (i.e., landfill). He did some fast negotiating with the plant
manager, who released them to him. However, one of the manager's assistants
apparently took exception to the photos going anywhere but the dump. This
chap's objections were overruled, and our man took the photos home (1,500
miles from the plant), where he stored them until I picked them up last
month.

In the intervening years, the plant manager who released the photos to Mr. X
retired, and the new manager is the fellow who was so unhappy about the
photos being saved. Mr. X says that this gentleman could cause him, his
business relationship with Y&Z Inc. and, potentially, us some problems if
he's reminded of what happened in 1995, so he advised me to use discretion
in announcing the donation publicly. He received the photos legitimately, on
the authority of the former manager, but nothing was ever put in writing
that he knows of. No paperwork was ever done on our end either until I got
them in the door here, as all this occured before I started here; in fact, I
didn't know these circumstances until Mr. X explained them to me in reply to
my e-mailing him a rough draft of my initial description of the collection.

Mr. X says the former plant manager's name shouldn't be cited in our
documentation or publicity for the donation, as he (the former manager) was
aware of his future replacement's problems with the situation. Nor does
Mr. X want the specifics of the donation (i.e., what the photos were used
for) publicized, for fear of getting the new manager riled up again should
word get back to him that we have them. He even has reservations about
citing the Y&Z Inc. name on it, but he doesn't want to take all the glory
for it himself either.

Just to keep matters interesting, the new plant manager is also on our
vice-president's list of contacts as a potential funding source.

With all that in mind, how should the collection be identified, who should
be credited as the donor, and how should it be acknowledged in our magazine?

All advice is welcomed and appreciated.

Best wishes,

Thomas Berry, Archivist
Historical Construction Equipment Association
16623 Liberty Hi Road
Bowling Green, Ohio 43402
Phone 419-352-5616
Fax 419-352-6086
tberry@wcnet.org
http://www.bigtoy.com

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