Collections

Start Over Names Ellis, Bill, 1950- Level Collection
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.

Bill Ellis papers

.03 Cubic Feet 1 letter folder

This collection contains the papers of Bill Ellis related to the the May Day protests of 1970 at the University of Virginia. Ellis participated in these events as a student, and the collection contains material created and collected during this time. The papers comprise of four computer-generated banners, a bulletin, posters, and a summary report by the Virginia Strike Committee. The report details the events when State and Local Police confronted protesters on the U.Va. campus and Rugby Road, arresting many students for unlawful assembly on May 8 -9, 1970. The computer-generated banners read "It is the hand of Wynd," Rake Wenga Strike," and "I'd Prefer not to." "It is the hand of Wynd" is printed against a repeated pattern of "punt punt punt." Wynd is a reference to the Tolkien "wyrd (meaning "fate" in Anglo-Saxon), "Punt" referred to doing something enjoyable. The banner likely encouraged people to take a break from mid-term exams. The second reads "RAKE WENGA STRIKE" against a repeating background of "raw*ton*this*tae*" etc. etc. Both of those reflect a concern for administrative actions against profanity as students with signs that included profanity were arrested for public obscenity. The slogan was thus coded and would have been understood as meaning "F--K AGNEW-STRIKE" with the Vice President's name written backward. The final slogan, "I'd Prefer not to," was printed against a repeating background of "Bartleby* died*for*your*sins...strike*strike*strike, " a literary reference to Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener.

1 result

Bill Ellis papers .03 Cubic Feet 1 letter folder

Ellis, Bill, 1950-

This collection contains the papers of Bill Ellis related to the the May Day protests of 1970 at the University of Virginia. Ellis participated in these events as a student, and the collection contains material created and collected during this time. The papers comprise of four computer-generated banners, a bulletin, posters, and a summary report by the Virginia Strike Committee. The report details the events when State and Local Police confronted protesters on the U.Va. campus and Rugby Road, arresting many students for unlawful assembly on May 8 -9, 1970. The computer-generated banners read "It is the hand of Wynd," Rake Wenga Strike," and "I'd Prefer not to." "It is the hand of Wynd" is printed against a repeated pattern of "punt punt punt." Wynd is a reference to the Tolkien "wyrd (meaning "fate" in Anglo-Saxon), "Punt" referred to doing something enjoyable. The banner likely encouraged people to take a break from mid-term exams. The second reads "RAKE WENGA STRIKE" against a repeating background of "raw*ton*this*tae*" etc. etc. Both of those reflect a concern for administrative actions against profanity as students with signs that included profanity were arrested for public obscenity. The slogan was thus coded and would have been understood as meaning "F--K AGNEW-STRIKE" with the Vice President's name written backward. The final slogan, "I'd Prefer not to," was printed against a repeating background of "Bartleby* died*for*your*sins...strike*strike*strike, " a literary reference to Melville's Bartleby the Scrivener.

Content Warning

ARVAS is an aggregator of archival resources. ARVAS does not have control of the descriptive language used in our members’ finding aids.

Finding aids may contain historical terms and phrases, reflecting the shared attitudes and values of the community from which they were collected, but are offensive to modern readers. These include demeaning and dehumanizing references to race, ethnicity, and nationality; enslaved or free status; physical or mental ability; religion; sex; and sexual orientation and gender identity.

Many institutions and organizations are in the process of reviewing and revising their descriptive language, with the intent to describe materials in more humanizing, inclusive, and harm-reductive ways. As members revise their descriptive language, their changes will eventually be reflected in their ARVAS finding aids.

Limit your search