Alvin Romansky Papers

Biographical Note

Alvin Sylvan Romansky was born in Houston, Texas on March 15, 1907, the only child of Joseph L. Romansky and Kate Flaxman. Following his childhood in Houston, he attended the Wharton School of Commerce and Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Houston Law School, where he received an LLB (Bachelor of Laws) degree in 1929.

Romansky remained in Houston to practice law. He was a member of the Texas State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, and the Commercial Law League of America.

In 1948, Romansky and five others chartered the Contemporary Arts Association, a non-profit organization founded to present exhibits of contemporary art to supplement the more traditional art shown at the Museum of Fine Arts. In 1949, the Association became the Contemporary Arts Museum, with its own building. Romansky served as Vice President of the Contemporary Arts Association/Museum from 1947-1952.

An art patron and collector, Romansky favored French graphics, contemporary French art, and Ashanti objects. He arranged the Rufino Tamayo exhibit and the Contemporary in Cotton exhibit at the Contemporary Arts Museum, and Ashanti Goldwrights exhibit at the University of Texas, as well as many others. He was also active in the Lithography Department of the Glassell School of Art. He donated a collection of graphics to the University of Texas, and an Alvin Romansky Print Room to the Museum of Fine Arts. Romansky was appointed a Life Trustee by the Museum of Fine Arts.

In addition, Romansky served as "Lieutenant Colonel" on the staff of Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson between 1933 and 1935, representing the State of Texas at official functions. He was co-founder of the Harris County Heritage Society, and drafted its original charter. He also served as a member of the Chancellor's Council of the University of Texas at Austin. Alvin Romansky was married to his wife Ethel for nineteen years. He died on March 14, 1994.

Sources: "Contemporary Arts Museum."Handbook of Texas Online.

http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/ (3 May 2001).

Who's Who in American Art. 11th edition. New York: R.R. Bowker Co., 1973.

1994. Deaths. Houston Chronicle. 15 March (B).

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Scope and Contents

The Alvin Romansky Papers include photographs, correspondence, documents, printed materials, scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, and memorabilia related to the life and civic pursuits of Alvin Romansky, his father Joseph Romansky, and his uncle Thomas Flaxman. The bulk of the material (principally that related to Alvin Romansky) dates from the 1950s, but a significant amount of material related to Thomas Flaxman dates from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

The first two boxes in the collection contain loose papers and photographs. Material related to Alvin Romansky comes first in these boxes, followed by material related to Thomas Flaxman, and then material related to Joseph Romansky. The third box holds a silver loving cup presented to Thomas Flaxman by the Directors of No-tsu-oh Association. The fourth box holds portions of two scrapbooks.

Two publications were removed from this collection and cataloged:

• The Houston clubber. Houston, Tex.: Houston Club, 1958. Spec Coll HS2725.H68 H684
• The new Houston Club. Houston, Tex.: The Club, [1955]. Spec Coll Ovs HS2725.H68 H68 1955

Special Collections holds a large number of materials that were donated to the department by Alvin Romansky, including rare books, and art books and catalogues. In addition, Special Collections also holds a large collection of fine art prints which were donated by Alvin Romansky. A large sub-collection of these prints are cartoons from the French Third Empire and the Franco-Prussian War.

The Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution, also holds some microfilmed material on Alvin Romansky. Included is a transcript of a recorded interview with Romansky, conducted by the Archives of American Art. For more information, see their web site:

http://artarchives.si.edu/start.htm

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Restrictions

Restrictions

Photocopying permission will be based on preservation and copyright issues and will be decided on a case-by-case basis by Special Collections staff.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Alvin Romansky Papers, Courtesy of Special Collections, University of Houston Libraries

Acquisition

Donated by Mr. Romansky in 1968 and 1969

Processed by

Monika Zarzycka and Julie Grob, 2000-2001

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Detailed Description

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