Last Wednesday, the Association for a Buffalo Presidential Center (ABPC) held its inaugural fundraiser at the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum at 220 North St. to increase awareness of its long-term plans.
In 2001, a few women got together for a weekly cup of coffee and friendly discussion. Yet, the topic of choice wasn't what Carrie Bradshaw had worn that week on Sex and the City. Rather, these women wondered why Buffalo, a city of such rich political history, didn't have a center to celebrate the past.
Over a simple coffee date with friends, the ABPC was born. In 2003, the group of women formed a loosely organized committee, joining with other Buffalonians who were dedicated to the cause. Most recently, the association received a charter from the New York State Education Department to operate as an official not-for-profit group.
The group focuses on exploring the historical legacies of the two presidents who have roots in Buffalo – Grover Cleveland and Millard Fillmore. The ABPC also encourages the study of the many influential Western New York citizens who have helped to shape national historical legacies.
"If we are going to understand where we are today and how we are moving to the future, we need to look to the past," said Maryann Saccomando Freedman, Esq., president of the ABPC. "Two men, even with [their] flaws, shaped the presidency."
On Wednesday night, the group and the public met together at the Karpeles Manuscript Museum in Buffalo to celebrate this momentous step, to introduce the association to the public, and also to increase public interest in the project.
The event featured an exhibit entitled "Buffalo's Presidential Legacy." This exhibit showcased many documents and manuscripts related to Presidents Fillmore and Cleveland, as well as many documents related to other presidents and historical figures. Most notably, the exhibit featured letters written by Fillmore during his early days as a lawyer in Buffalo and even a letter written to express his fear of a presidential nomination.
ABPC sees the collection and display of these documents as a vital part of understanding the history that shaped the presidency.
"We're [a group] of collectors and historians," said Bren Price, executive director of the Western New York Educational Service Council at UB and member of the board of trustees for the ABPC.
The event also featured a lecture by Dr. James Campbell, professor and chair of political science at UB. Campbell is currently in the process of a book project in which he examines the way experts and the general public rate the success of presidential leaders.
" I was concerned that experts boiled down [their ratings] to opinion," Campbell said. "It's also very useful to know what the people find about the leadership. History is not as neat as we would like it to be."
His lecture not only examined the ratings of all presidents in U.S. history, but also focused on the four presidents with ties to Buffalo – Fillmore, Cleveland, William McKinley, and Theodore Roosevelt – and connected his ideas with those of the ABPC.
ABPC also outlined the short-term and long-term goals it hopes to achieve. First on the agenda is developing an Internet-based home that contains articles and lectures about the Western New York presidents and other influential Buffalonians.
It would like to develop a virtual museum with a complete inventory of articles and sites that are linked to the presidency. Those viewing the museum will be able to "travel" to historical places through their computer screens and feel as though they are really there. It would also like to develop a tour route that visits significant sites in Buffalo and Western New York.
"[Buffalo] is a link in the chain that starts at the beginning [of history] and carries us through to today," Saccomando Freedman said. "The tremendous presidential history needs to be analyzed, studied, and condemned where it needs to be condemned. As Buffalonians, we need to understand the history and how we were a vibrant, vital part of the national scene."
The ABPC is currently housed in Saccomando Freedman's law office at Cohen & Lombardo, but the group hopes to soon establish a permanent home. The group is open and welcomes everyone who has an interest, and the membership fee is minimal, though not yet determined. For more information, contact Maryann Saccomando Freedman at (716) 881-3010, or Bren Price at (716) 630-7073.
E-mail: news@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
