A Man of Many Talents: Documenting the Life and Achievements of Foster Furcolo

Author: Victoria Kent Worth, Archival Field Fellow

As an Archival Field Fellow with the Roving Archivist Program, I was paired with Berkshire Community College’s archives in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to process the Foster Furcolo (John Foster) Papers. This collection documents Furcolo’s work, representing a lifetime of exceptional achievement and influence. My project focused on bringing order and preservation to a hybrid and sweeping collection that combines Furcolo’s own writings with commentary of others on his accomplishments, demonstrating Furcolo’s dedication to political and educational service, illustrated in letters, articles, photographs, and ephemera. Overall, these papers reflect the phenomenal legacy of Foster Furcolo.

Foster J. Furcolo (1911-1995) had an illustrious and diversified career in public service as a lawyer, writer, professor, United States congressman (1948-52), state treasurer, and two-term governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1957-1961). During his time as governor, Furcolo convened the first civil rights conference in America. In the field of education, Furcolo is recognized nationally as the father of the Massachusetts Community College, having authored the bill that created the first community college system in the state, as well as the program for loans to underserved students throughout the United States. In addition, Furcolo expanded the University of Massachusetts Amherst with the Furcolo Education building and the Foster Furcolo Scholarship Program (December 12, 1985), working with the Massachusetts legislature, while also serving as a member of the Massachusetts Board of Regents of Higher Education (now the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education). Furcolo completed his term as governor on January 5, 1961.

The Foster Furcolo (John Foster) Papers include biographical and personal materials; Furcolo’s contributions to improving the educational opportunities across the state, as well as those specific to educational institutions; Furcolo’s numerous and varied writings, including books (some written by Furcolo), plays, speeches, magazine and newspaper articles, poetry, and short stories, along with the reviews and correspondence pertaining to these writings; general correspondence and newspaper articles from a wide range of admirers regarding Furcolo’s life and work, particularly on the occasion of his death, directed to his widow, Constance (Connie) Gleason Furcolo; photographs and portraits of Furcolo, with some including Connie. 

The collection also includes DVD’s, VHS tapes, a phonograph album, and realia including the political campaign button shown below.

My initial steps involved conducting a thorough survey of the materials, identifying preservation concerns, and drafting an inventory and processing plan, modeled after guidance from my MA SHRAB advisor, Thomas Doyle, which helped to pave the way for completing the finding aid and rehousing materials. The arrangement of the papers into nine series, shaped by a chronological and thematic structure, reflects the collection’s depth and potential for research. 

When I arrived, there were no accession numbers and only one date of accession. The records were mostly contained in two boxes by material type. In addition, a substantial group of loose materials was found in the collection without enclosures, partially organized in various groupings, but not arranged. The collection was, for the most part, in good condition but lacked appropriate enclosures and required rehousing. 

All photographs had to be rehoused, as did some of the framed portraits. Photographs were organized by size, and by format (black and white or color prints). Black and white prints were interleaved with buffered paper, while color prints were interleaved with unbuffered paper. Prints were placed in acid-free file folders in an archival photo box that allowed for easy access and better preservation. One photograph, contained in a plastic frame, was removed from its original enclosure and rehoused together with other photographs. The existing housing was retained for two metal framed photographs, but the backing board was temporarily removed to add a piece of unbuffered interleaving paper for the color print and buffered interleaving paper for the black and white print. The double metal framed pictures were not adjusted due to the difficulty of removing them safely. All metal framed photographs and pictures have been placed in archival boxes.

One book was in fragile condition and required a special preservation enclosure that was fitted for its size. VHS tapes, DVDs, and a phonographic album were rehoused and will require digitizing at some point in order to be accessible for future discovery and for preservation purposes. Since we did not want to incur additional costs for supplies, Tom outfitted the phonographic album with a handmade enclosure. It was impressive to see how he adapted existing materials for this purpose using a ruler, blade cutter, and sealer.  

This collection has historical value. The first Community College in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Berkshire Community College (BCC) was the brainchild of Furcolo, whose vision was to increase higher education opportunities for everyone. Furcolo spent years working with the Massachusetts legislature and with members of the Berkshire County community to achieve this goal, which was finally realized with the opening of the BCC in 1960.

Foster Furcolo’s widow, Constance (Connie) Furcolo [1924-2022] compiled the Foster Furcolo (John Foster) Papers and was in possession of the collection prior to her death in 2022. Connie wanted to ensure that the collection was properly and appropriately housed in an archive that appreciated Furcolo’s important contribution as the creator of the community college system in Massachusetts. Connie and Mark D. Mason, the Furcolos’ attorney, agreed that a community college would be the most suitable repository, and BCC requested permission to receive the collection. On May 5, 2024, BCC took possession of the Foster Furcolo (John Foster) Papers, at which point they were donated to the college and subsequently placed in the college’s archives.

Researchers seeking information regarding Furcolo’s life’s work will be rewarded with extensive commentary on his numerous achievements. The collection does not include primary documentation regarding the events and Furcolo’s contribution leading up his many efforts, such as the legislative documents surrounding the formation of community colleges in Massachusetts. However, evidence can be found in the numerous newspaper articles and correspondence written about Furcolo contained in the collection. These were mostly written posthumously and attest to his efforts and the impact he made on the lives of so many people throughout the state. Besides his achievements to expand education equality in Massachusetts, the Foster Furcolo (John Foster) Papers illustrate his dedication to the legal system, politics, and civil rights. 

I would like to thank Eleanore Goerlach for her support with this collection, and to Thomas Doyle for being an amazing source of knowledge that helped me tremendously during my work on these papers. In addition, I am grateful to the many people at Berkshire Community College’s library and MA SHRAB for giving me this wonderful opportunity.

The Archival Field Fellowship is a grant offered by the Roving Archivist Program. The Fellowships increase hands-on assistance to Massachusetts repositories and provide emerging archivists with professional experience and mentorship. In 2025-2026, two institutions representing a diverse cross-section of archival repositories are hosting field fellows. As the fellowships are completed, field fellows share reflections and insights about their site experience on the MA SHRAB blog.  This program is funded through support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.