A PERSONAL ALBUM OF AUTOGRAPHS, PHOTOGRAPHS, NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS ETC. RELATING TO FORMER PORT ELIZABETH MAYORS & MAYORESSES

This private album of handwritten letters, photos, funeral programmes, newspaper clippings etc. relating to former Port Elizabethan Mayors and Mayoresses was put together over numerous years by Shaun B. Claasen, a citizen of P.E. In many of the letters one can see that the office bearers were most keen to assist Mr. Claasen with his project and even struck up a friendship with him, with Mayor John Vieira and his wife even sending him a few signed Christmas cards.

Includes:

A program for a concert at the Feather Market, 1920, attended by Mayor and Mayoress John S. Young.

A photo of the unveiling of the Dias Cross, 1951, with Mayor Boet Erasmus and Governor-General E. G. Jansen.

Handwritten letter from Mayor Boet Erasmus with municipal office letterhead, dated 1981, and two additional blank leaves.

Another handwritten letter from Mayor Boet Erasmus, dated 1981, with a list in his hand of the P.E. mayors who were still alive at that time, presumably to aid Mr. Claasen in his hunt for autographs.

A funeral program for Mayor Erasmus, 1986.

Mayor Louis Dubb's autograph.

A handwritten letter from Mayor Struan Robertson and photograph.

A signed typed letter with Office of the Mayor letterhead from J. Graham Young, a photograph, a handwritten letter, dated 1988, and funeral programme dated 2003.

A few cards signed by Mayoress Bettie Young with photograph.

The list continues with signed letters, handwritten letters, photographs etc. from Mayors Solly Rubin (1987), J. W. Kleynhans (1973-75), Dan Rossiuw (1975 & 78), Neville Cohen, H. van Z. Cillié, Ivan Krige (1985), Ben Olivier, John Vieira (1989), Jacobus Coenrad Nel (1991), Charles Garai (1993), Alan Ward Able - Mayor of Walmer which, at the time of his office (1961-1963), was a separate municipality.