Scope and arrangement
The Richard T. Greene Papers document Greene's career in advertising and banking. The papers are divided into Personal and Professional series. The personal papers contain biographical sketches, non-business themed speeches, correspondence, educational records and military files. The latter series covers Greene's tenure at Associated Publishers, Inc., Interstate United Newspapers, and Carver Federal Savings Bank and consists of general correspondence, administrative files, press releases, and speeches.
The Richard T. Greene papers are arranged in two series:
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1932-2006
This series includes biographical sketches; non-business themed speeches; letters of recommendation and other correspondence that deal with his employment search after resigning from API; and documents relating to the sale of an investment property owned by Greene and a former military colleague. The educational records include several lesson plans and college papers such as "A Business and Industrial Survey of the Negro in the State of Ohio and the City of Cleveland". The military files consist of some personal letters written during his service, but mainly contain correspondence to and from the military command which hint at the "Negro personnel problem" that faced the military and its Black soldiers. Also documented in the series is Greene's involvement in Hampton Alumni, Omega Psi Phi, and other organizational activities.
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1945-1995
Represented in this series are Greene's tenures at API, Interstate United Newspapers, and Carver Federal Savings Bank. The Administrative files for API document the company's circulation and advertising concerns as well as responses to the annual reports Greene prepared. Among the Carver general correspondence are multiple letters from Congressman Charles Rangel, invitations to serve on boards, and a letter registering dissatisfaction with Carver's retention of a non-Black auditor. Greene's speeches were made to various audiences – high school students, social clubs, church groups, business and community associations – and generally tackled equality and civil rights, the banking profession, and community affairs. The General file includes fact sheets about Carver, press releases, and a statistics report for the Bedford Stuyvesant neighborhood.