Fredric R. Mann papers

Collection

Call Number: MSS 154

Scope and Contents

The papers primarily document Mann's charitable and philanthropic efforts, particularly of the arts and music, his involvement in the Jewish community and relations between Philadelphia and Israel. The papers also document Mann's governmental work in a variety of posts for the City of Philadelphia, the State of Pennsylvania, and the United States.

Of particular note are the materials related to the history and development of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Palestine Orchestra), the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Robin Hood Dell West/Fredric R. Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, as well as Mann's post as the City Representative for Philadelphia. The correspondence series contains letters from international musicians, public figures, and heads of state.

Materials include correspondence, photographs, newspaper clippings and articles, and audiovisual materials. Digital materials were recorded in 1982 and 1997 onto audiocassette tapes. These tapes were subsequently digitized in 2019. Dates for these files were determined based on the date the original tapes were recorded.

Dates

1910-1999

Creator

Mann, Fredric R. (Fredric Rand), 1903-1987

Language of Materials

Materials are in English, Hebrew, French, and Spanish.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research.

Original audiovisual materials, as well as preservation and duplicating masters, may not be played. Researchers must consult use copies, or if none exist must pay for a use copy, which is retained by the repository. All copies are provided as digital files. Researchers should consult the ordering reproductions information on the Music library website or contact: musicspecialcollections@yale.edu.

As a preservation measure, original digital materials may not be used. Researchers must consult access copies. Contact the Music library at musicspecialcollections@yale.edu to request access.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright is retained by the donor, Alexis Denny Kaufmann, for unpublished materials. After the lifetime of Alexis Denny Kaufmann, copyright passes to Yale University. Copyright status for other collection materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of Alexis Denny Kaufmann, 2020.

Arrangement

The papers are organized in six series: I. Biographical materials, 1910-1997. II. Topical files, 1917-1999. III. Correspondence, 1927-1987. IV. Photographs and photo albums, 1920-1986. V. Scrapbooks 1935-1980. VI. Clippings, Circa 1920-circa 1999.

Digital materials have been integrated into the appropriate series based on content.

Extent

44 Linear Feet ((73 boxes) and 1.80 gigabytes)

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/music.mss.154

Additional Description

Abstract

The Fredric R. Mann papers primarily document Mann's charitable and philanthropic efforts, particularly of the arts and music, his involvement in the Jewish community and relations between Philadelphia and Israel. The papers also document Mann's governmental work in a variety of posts for the City of Philadelphia, the State of Pennsylvania, and the United States.

Of particular note are the materials related to the history and development of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (formerly the Palestine Orchestra), the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Robin Hood Dell West/Fredric R. Mann Music Center in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, as well as Mann's post as the City Representative for Philadelphia. The correspondence series contains letters from international musicians, public figures, and heads of state.

Biographical / Historical

Fredric Rand Mann (1903-1987) was born in Gomel, Russia and immigrated to the United States at a young age with his family settling in New Haven, Connecticut. As a child, he returned to Russia to study concert piano under Arthur Freidheim. However, a car accident in his teens prevented Mann from pursuing a professional career as a musician. He was admitted to Yale College class of 1923, but withdrew after his sophomore year. Mann relocated to Philadelphia and attended the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

Mann started the Seaboard Container Corporation, a corrugated cardboard company, and served as its president until 1953 when it merged with the National Container Corporation. He served as its president from 1954 to 1956, when it was sold. Mann went on to establish another box company, the Industrial Container Corporation of Newark, New Jersey, and served as its president as well as the president of another box comapny, MannKraft Corporation.

Civically engaged, Mann has held several posts with the City of Philadelphia, such as the City Representative and Director of Commerce (1956-1966), Recreation Commissioner (1952-1955), and the President of the Fairmount Park Commission (1951-1986). On the state level, Mann was a member of the Governor of Pennsylvania's Advisory Council on Recreation and a commisioner of the Delaware River Port Authority. Federally, Mann was the American Ambassador to Barbados and United States Special Representative to the Associated States of the West Indies (1967-1969).

As a patron of the arts, Mann was the President of Robin Hood Dell Concerts, which held a summer concert series featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Robin Hood Dell. In 1976 a new concert hall was created in Fairmount Park, the Robin Hood Dell West, which was renamed the Fredric R. Mann Music Center in 1979 and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in 1998. Mann was a member of several music-related boards include the Philadelphia Orchestra Association, the New York Philharmonic, and Carnegie Hall.

Internationally, Mann was heavily involved with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, raising funds with the American-Israeli Cultural Foundation for the develoption of a concert hall in Tel-Aviv, Israel. In 1957 the Fredric R. Mann Auditorium was dedicated in his honor.

Mann passed away in Florida on February 26, 1987 at 83 years old.