A Guide to the Angelina Kretzschmar Papers, 1974-1997 (bulk 1989-1996)

Biographical Note

Angelina Kretzschmar, a social activist and feminist, worked for the U.S. Army at Fort Sam Houston from 1974-1996. After earning a BBA degree in 1974 from St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Kretzschmar was hired as a Budget Analyst at Fort Sam Houston where she was active in the National Federation of Federal Employees Union-Local 28. Kretzschmar served as Treasurer of the Union from 1989 to 1991, and also served as Steward for a few months during that time. As a union official, Kretzschmar filed grievances on behalf of herself and other employees, and represented the Union on health and safety issues. In addition, Kretzschmar filed approximately 75 Unfair Labor Practice charges for the Union. Twenty of the charges were complaints in which Kretzschmar was the primary witness.

Kretzschmar's own treatment in her job prompted her to file several charges of discrimination against Fort Sam Houston management officials. A number of the charges were settled out of court, but three times Kretzschmar proved charges of discrimination in court. No single employee had prevailed that many times. Kretzschmar initiated charges of discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, and national origin (German). She also filed several grievances and complaints against Fort Sam Houston Management officials on the basis of reprisal for her previous union activity and for the act of "whistle blowing" information to the Inspector General on misappropriated funds. Cases centered on discrimination in the form of harassment, low performance appraisal ratings, work overload, denied requests for ongoing job training, impediments to her security clearance, improper release of EEO files, and derogatory comments against her.

As part of a settlement to several complaints, Kretzschmar accepted the position of Equal Employment Opportunity specialist in 1992. In her new position, Kretzschmar continued to file against reprisal acts until her retirement in 1996. In 1996, Kretzschmar was awarded payment of medical bills, backpay for lost job advancement opportunities, and removal of all adverse records from her permanent personnel files.

In addition to her personal struggle fighting discrimination in the workplace, Angelina Kretzschmar was and continues to be a feminist and social activist. She has been a member of over fifteen local, regional, and national women's and social action organizations. Kretzschmar has been most closely involved in Federally Employed Women, Inc. and Bexar County Democratic Party. Kretzschmar has also devoted her time to a variety of feminist and social action causes and events, all of which are well documented in her papers.

Kretzschmar earned a paralegal degree in 1991 from the University of Texas-San Antonio. After retiring in September 1996 from civil service, Kretzschmar went to work as a paralegal for Mr. T.A. Guajardo on a class action lawsuit filed under the Equal Pay Act for 321 women educators (excluding teachers), against the San Antonio Independent school district. The lawsuit moved from Mr. Guajardo's office to Mr. Fred Deyeso's law office in 1998.

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Scope and Content Note

The papers of Angelina Kretzschmar, 1974-1997 (bulk 1989-1996), document discrimination cases (1989-1996) that Kretzschmar filed against management at Fort Sam Houston. Also included are records Kretzschmar collected as a member of more than fifteen local, regional, and national organizations. Documenting the discrimination cases are transcripts of hearings, reports of investigation, process documents tracking the scheduling and administrative decisions in the legal process, compiled files of documentation, judge decisions, and settlement agreements. Materials that Kretzschmar amassed in the sixteen years as a community activist include correspondence, newsletters and other publications, brochures, pamphlets, campaign materials, government documents and other legislative materials, minutes, newspaper clippings, and ephemera. The papers also include materials related to events and projects she worked on as a social activist in the San Antonio area.

The collection is divided into four series. The bulk of the collection documents Discrimination Cases in the Workplace covering charges initiated by Kretzschmar in the form of Unfair Labor Practice charges, grievances, complaints, and violations of negotiated settlements. This series documents: litigation on ongoing discrimination and reprisal acts against a federal employee active in the Union, resulting repercussions for her health and career, legal actions she took to end the harassment, and the response of management and federal entities consulted during litigation. The series offers a sense of the procedures involved in filing and litigating discrimination complaints within a federal work place, particularly within the Equal Employment Opportunity Office itself. Cases are tracked by their designated docket numbers. Since one case may be assigned various docket numbers under several agencies, an index listing file date, complaint issues, and assigned docket numbers is included in this finding aid.

The Agencies/Organizations series includes materials Kretzschmar collected as an active member of over fifteen different women's and social action organizations. The bulk of the materials in this series are records from Federally Employed Women, Inc., and span the years 1986-1996. Three other organizations, Bexar County Democratic Party, Mission City Business and Professional Women's Clubs, Inc., and San Antonio Chapter of the National Organization for Women, are also significantly represented in this series.

The Events/Projects series illustrates causes and events of special interest to Kretzschmar along with a wide range of community activities in which she was involved and political candidates she supported. Subseries include Announcements and Invitations; Brochures; Campaign Materials; Fliers and Programs; Major Causes; and Special Events. Finally, the Ephemera series includes newspaper clippings and religious materials.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials.

Usage Restrictions

Permission to publish from the Kretzschmar Papers must be obtained from the UTSA Library, Archives.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Angelina Kretzschmar Papers, 1974-1997 (bulk 1989-1996), MS 23, Archives and Special Collections, Library, University of Texas at San Antonio.

Acquisition Information

All the materials in this collection were donated by Angelina Kretzschmar in 1996-1998 (Acc. 1996-014 and 1998-003).

Processing Information

First accession processed by Laura Micham, Processing Archivist, July 1997.

Second accession Processed by Toni Jeske, Processing Archivist, November 1998; finding aid by Gerrianne Schaad.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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