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Alice P. Broudy Papers on Broudy v. United States (MS-00097)

Abstract

The Alice P. Broudy Papers on Broudy v United States (1940-2018) comprise materials collected and created by the wife of Charles A. Broudy during her effort to obtain compensation for his death in 1977, which she believed to be a result of repeated radiation exposure. Materials include government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), correspondence, memos, litigation papers, scholarly reports and articles on radiation exposure and its effects, congressional testimony, speeches, newspaper clippings, books and audiovisual materials. Also included are photographs, slides, and one box of Alice "Pat" Broudy's personal papers. There are two boxes of papers that remain unprocessed.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1940 to 2018

Extent

54.02 Cubic Feet (105 boxes, 3 oversized boxes, and 2 flat files)
54.41 Linear Feet
2 digital_files (0.0142 GB) JPEG

Related People/Corporations

Scope and Contents Note

The Alice P. Broudy papers on Broudy v United States (1940-2018) are comprised of materials collected and created by the wife of Charles A. Broudy, during her effort to obtain compensation for his death in 1977, which she believed was a result of repeated radiation exposure. Major Broudy was born on August 18, 1919 in Detroit, Michigan and served in World War Two and spent his last years in the military at the Nevada Test Site. Materials include government documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), correspondence, memos, litigation papers, scholarly reports and articles on radiation exposure and its effects, congressional testimony, speeches, newspaper clippings, books and audiovisual materials. Also included are photographs, slides, medical records, and there is one box of Alice "Pat" Broudy's personal papers. There are also two boxes of papers that remain unprocessed.

Access Note

Collection is open for research. Arrangements must be made in advance in order to access digital files; please contact UNLV Special Collections and Archives for additional information.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

Materials are divided into eight series:

Series I. U.S. Government Records, 1944-2014;

Series II. Publications and Correspondence, 1945-2007;

Series III. Radiation Research Files, 1946-2006;

Series IV. Legal Files, 1946-2002;

Series V. Audiovisual and Photographic Materials, 1946-2000 and undated;

Series VI. Charles A. Broudy Service Records, 1940-1985;

Series VII. Charles A. Broudy Medical Records, 1941-2006;

Series VIII. Alice Patricia Broudy Personal files, 1967-2018.

Biographical / Historical Note

Radiation survivors advocate "Pat" Broudy was born Alice Patricia Sutton in Overland, Kansas in 1923 at the home of her grandparents. She spent her formative years in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1948, she ventured with friends to San Francisco, California where she met Marine Major Charles A. Broudy. Major Broudy was attending radiological school there. After a whirlwind courtship they were married in 1949. Major Broudy had already served in WWII as a pilot in the Pacific theater. He was among the first to land in Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atomic bombs were dropped. He went on to serve in the Korean War before being sent to El Toro Marine Base in Irvine, California. While there he was directed to the Nevada Test Site to witness the nuclear blasts that were being performed routinely.

From the start Pat Broudy expressed concerns about the amount of radiation exposure to which her husband and many other servicemen were subjected. This fear resurfaced when Charles Broudy passed away in 1977 from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. From 1977 on Broudy dedicated her life to raising awareness about atomic veterans, downwinders, and their families. She worked to bring justice and compensation to the veterans who were exposed to ionizing radiation during the nuclear testing period from 1946 through 1963.

Broudy served as legislative director for the National Association of Radiation Survivors (NARS) and legislative director for the National Association of Atomic Veterans (NAAV). In these positions, she collaborated with many other organizations to call on legislators and staff of the United States House and Senate Veterans Affairs Committees to recognize the injustice of ignoring the pain and suffering of atomic veterans. Her positive relationship with the Department of Veterans Affairs resulted in a helpline to explain to veterans their benefits under the law. She worked closely with the staffs of Senator Alan Cranston and Senator Harry Reid to exact change in antiquated policies.

Ms. Broudy passed away in California on December 31, 2017.

Preferred Citation

Alice P. Broudy Papers on Broudy v. United States, 1940-2018. MS-00097. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

Materials were donated by Alice P. Broudy in 2007 and 2008; accession numbers 2007-27, 2008-05. Additional materials donated in 2017 by Stefani Evans; accession number 2017-151.

Processing Note

Material was processed in 2014 by Joyce Moore and entered into ArchivesSpace by Joyce Moore and Christina Molina. Additional accession was processed in 2018 by Joyce Moore.

Resource Type

Papers

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::MS00097

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English