Love Canal Collections at the University Archives

Finding Aid for the Adeline Levine Love Canal Research Materials (Part I)
22/3F/634

  Historical Note | Scope and Content Note | Collection Arrangement | View full finding aid

Historical Note:
In 1978 Adeline Levine, professor of Sociology at the University at Buffalo visited the Love Canal days after it was declared a national disaster. After speaking with local residents and government officials, Levine was motivated to research the psychosocial impact of toxic waste dump site on the local community. Her published book, Love Canal: Science, Politics, and People (1982) examined the crisis at Love Canal by following the development of local community organizations and scrutinizing the government's response.

In 2007 Levine wrote an described how she became involved in researching the Love Canal environmental disaster.

"Motivated by curiosity I visited the Love Canal for the first time nine days after it was declared a health hazard... The situation was very chaotic at that time. On that first visit I saw people moving out of their well-kept homes, met a pregnant woman convinced she was carrying a monster; spoke to another woman afraid that her daughter would be unable to bear children; saw worried men and women lined up to get information from newly established government offices; talked to some of the government workers trying to bring some order out of the chaos; and met the young woman (Lois Gibbs) who was suddenly thrust into prominence as the leader of a brand new citizen's organization. After eight hours, I came home, determined to do research at Love Canal."¹

¹Levine, Adeline G. "The Love Canal: Social Science Research in a Community in Crisis." Research in Social Problems & Public Policy, 2007, Volume 14, pages 19-29

Scope and Content Note:
Reports, documents, photocopies of correspondence and other material used by Dr. Adeline Levine, Department of Sociology, State University of New York at Buffalo, as background for her book Love Canal: Science, Politics and People published by Lexington Books in 1982. The bulk of the documents date from 1978-1981, but few items concern the original transfer of the Love Canal site to the Niagara Falls Board of Education in 1953.

Arrangement:

This collection was arranged in alphabetical order by author.