{"value"=>"<p>Copy Berg's correspondence files contain incoming and outgoing letters, postcards, greeting cards, faxes and printed copies of e-mail messages which document his family background, his personal relationships, his service in the United States Navy and his career as an artist. The series is arranged chronologically, with some further sorting by correspondent of material from earlier years. During the late 1980s and 1990s Berg filed nearly all of his incoming and outgoing correspondence together in rough chronological order, though he sometimes separated printed e-mail messages and faxed letters from other items. Highlights of the series include letters written during the 1960s by the artist's father, Vernon Berg, Jr., while he served as a United States Navy Chaplain in Vietnam (Box 1, Folder 10 and Box 2, Folder 1). Copy Berg's education at the United States Naval Academy and his subsequent service with American forces based in the Mediterranean are documented by letters dating from the early 1970s. Also included is important correspondence concerning Berg's groundbreaking fight against his discharge from the Navy (Box 3, Folder 4 and Box 4, Folders 2-3). These letters are complemented by legal documents, news clippings and other records that pertain to the discharge case filed in Series V of the collection. Copy Berg's successful career as an artist is documented throughout the correspondence files dating from the 1980s and 1990s. Many outgoing letters from these years were sent by Berg via fax machine and are illustrated with cartoons and sketches done in the artist's characteristic late style. Researchers interested in this period of Berg's career should also examine several folders of \"fax art\" filed in Series II (Boxes 27-30). Many of Berg's faxed letters include poignant descriptions of his difficult struggle with HIV and AIDS. The series also contains hundreds of pages of printed e-mail messages concerning Berg's interest in sadomasochism and his participation in public performances of \"S/M scenes\".</p>"}