{"value"=>"<p>The correspondence files provide evidence of Weston's energetic presence within the Harlem community and the depth of his connections throughout New York City and beyond.</p> <p>Relationships Weeston maintained with his clergy colleagues are well documented in these files. Among these, correspondence with Bishop Paul Moore and Bishop Horace Donegan, stand out. Weston was frequently in touch with New York politicians and city officials, including Mayor Abe Beame; Mayor John Lindsay; Governor Nelson Rockefeller; Congressman Charles Rangel; Senator James Buckley; David Dinkins, prior to his term as mayor; and Hubert Humphrey. In correspondence with political figures, Weston often prevailed upon them for services for the community, to request that they appear at church fundraising events, or sometimes to offer his support to their election campaigns. Letters to and from prominent African American intellectuals, civil rights activists, and other luminaries such as: Percy Sutton; Thurgood Marshall; Jackie Robinson; and Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are also included. One such letter from Langston Hughes reveals that Weston attempted to interest the author in writing a history of St. Philip's Church. Another letter from Alex Haley invites the pastor and Mrs. Weston to visit Haley in the West Indies. Most correspondence with outside clergy, political figures, authors and celebrities can be found in the Names section of this subseries.</p> <p>A significant portion of the correspondence is with St. Philip's parishioners. Weston kept correspondence files on new members of the parish, files of condolence letters sent to family members when parishioners died, and files of letters of thanks sent to and from parishioners. Correspondence predominantly consists of formal business correspondence, but some personal letters and cards are also sporadically included. Most parishioner correspondence can be found in the Subjects section of this subseries. Dallas R. Selsey, a lawyer who served as Development Officer of the church and who functioned for a time as Weston's primary associate, is Weston's most frequent correspondent. Selsey files fill three boxes dating from 1970 to 1978 in the Names section of this subseries. Numerous notes and memoranda between Weston and \"DRS,\" as Selsey often signed his letters and notes, also appear throughout the entire collection. Letters to church staff reveal Weston's hands-on involvement in managing church personnel, handling day-to-day church affairs, and overseeing facilities. Some drafts of letters in shorthand, address lists, and rolodex cards are also included in this section. Most correspondence on such church matters can be found in the dated section and the Subjects section of this subseries.</p>"}