San Diego LGBT Pride Official Souvenir Guide 2014 | Page 27

STONEWALL SERVICE AWARD

LAMBDA ARCHIVES OF SAN DIEGO
Founded by San Diego LGBT community pioneer Jess Jessop, the Lambda
Archives of San Diego has been collecting our community history for nearly 30
years by amassing a treasure trove of documentation, artifacts, photography,
and stories honoring the growth of the LGBT community. As one of this
country’s largest collections of LGBT history, Lambda Archives is a hub for
innovative LGBT historical research.
The Archives is on the cutting edge of preservation techniques and one of
the most respected institutions of its size and kind in the country. In addition
to preserving what is believed to be this country’s largest collection of
Pride materials, the Archives holds thousands of collections reflecting our
community history. Photo digitization is a large part of the current effort and
leverages social media tagging and facial recognition technology to identify
individuals in our community history. You are welcome to help, either on-line at www.flickr.com/
people/lambdaarchives or in person.
With the exception of a dedicated contracted archivist, the Archives is completely volunteer run
by its hardworking board of directors, led by Maureen Steiner, Vice-Presidents Cheli Mohamed and
Garold Wampler, Secretary Chuck Kaminski, Treasurer Haydee Sam, Membership Chair Thomas
Negron, Events and Exhibits Coordinator Vicky Heithaus, Marketing Director Fernando Lopez, and
Personnel Chair Drew Ector. It works hard every single day to ensure the community has access to
materials documenting our past and diligently strives to educate the community through exhibitions,
presentations, and partnerships with local organizations and campuses. Lambda Archives has a terrific
student training program that enlightens our young people about the struggles and achievements of
our community’s past.
The Archives is one of the most marvelous and valuable assets our community has. In recent years, it
has undertaken a major expansion to accommodate
the ever growing collections donated by you, our
community. Lambda Archives provides a space for the
community to visit and learn about our community’s
collective journey and the struggles and dedication of
our fore-runners to arrive where we are today. It is timely
and appropriate that the organization is the recipient
of this year’s Stonewall Service Award on this, the 40th
anniversary of San Diego Pride.
Learn more about Lambda Archives and its history at
www.lambdaarchives.us

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