Guide to the Irving N. Elbling Papers, c.1950-1995
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Irving N. Elbling Papers,
- Collection Number
- MSS 572
- Extent
- 1 linear foot
- Date
- c. 1950-1995
- Abstract
- Irving N. Elbling, an award-winning research chemist, was involved in Pittsburgh's Jewish community as a member and elected officer for many organizations in the Greater Pittsburgh region. He was a past president of the B'nai B'rith Pittsburgh Council, District Grand Lodge No. Three, and Freedom Lodge No. 1780. The collection contains records primarily from his involvement in both local and international B'nai B'rith chapters, with the bulk of the collection containing publications by District Grand Lodge No. Three and Freedom Lodge No. 1780.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Irving N. Elbling, a longtime Pittsburgh resident and member of the Jewish community, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, in July 1920. He attended Northeastern University in Boston and graduated with a BS in chemistry. During his college years, Irving was involved in football, basketball, golf, and tennis. In 1943, he moved to Pittsburgh after being recruited by Westinghouse to conduct war-related research. Irving N. Elbling worked at Westinghouse for forty-two years, and he developed eighteen patents involving coatings technology (an example of this technology is the plastic-like substance coating a dishwasher rack). Further, he was the head of one of Westinghouse's major research laboratories.
After moving to Pittsburgh, Irving N. Elbling became involved with the Young People's League at Congregation Beth Shalom. Irving married Gloria G. Raffle in 1946 and had four children: Julian, Cookie, Howard, and Denise. He was actively involved with his children and served as the leader of his son's Boy Scout troop at Linden School in Point Breeze, in addition to managing a Little League team. Further, he was a teacher at Beth Shalom and Rodef Shalom. In his spare time, Irving enjoyed studying Hebrew, and he attended the University of Pittsburgh to further his studies in this area.
From 1950 to 1990, Irving N. Elbling was extensively involved in many local and international organizations. He was a former president of the B'nai B'rith Pittsburgh Council, the B'nai B'rith Men's Council, and its District Grand Lodge No. Three, which served Pennsylvania, West Virginia, New Jersey, and Delaware. He also served as president of Freedom Lodge No. 1780. Further, he was a past chairman of the Hillel Foundation Advisory Board of Pittsburgh and a lifetime member of the Board of Trustees of Congregation Beth Shalom. He traveled to Israel a total of 29 times including twice as a World Zionist Congress Delegate. His international involvement included serving on B'nai B'rith's International Board of Governors and the board of Israel Bonds. He started the B'nai B'rith Bond Club, which he chaired for forty years.
Irving N. Elbling passed away on August 13, 2000, and is survived by his wife Gloria Elbling-Gottlieb.
Scope and Content Notes
The Irving N. Elbling Papers are housed in two archival boxes and are arranged alphabetically according to group and folder title. All of these records pertain to Irving N. Elbling's local and international participation in B'nai B'rith. The bulk of these records are from District Grand Lodge No. Three and Freedom Lodge No. 1780, during the time when Irving was either president or a council member. Finally, a small portion of the records capture information on Irving's involvement with other lodges. These papers consist of constitutions, convention pamphlets, directories, membership reports, notes, publications, and one photograph.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Irving N. Elbling on November 30, 1995.
Preferred Citation
Irving N. Elbling Papers, c. 1950-1995, MSS# 572, Rauh Jewish Archives, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Megan Rentschler on November 3, 2010.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Related Materials
The Rauh Jewish Archives also houses other collections related to B'nai B'rith, including materials related to Irving N. Elbling's involvement in B'nai B'rith District Grand Lodge No. Three. These can be found in the papers of his wife, Gloria Elbling Gottlieb, MSS#545, Series II.
Separated Materials
The following materials have been separated to the serial collection:
The American Jewish Outlook, Vol. 50, No. 25, October 16, 1959.
The Jewish Criterion, Vol. 135, No. 2, October 16, 1959.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 68, Nos. 8 and 11, 1954.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 69, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 1954.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 70, Nos. 1, 5, 11, 1955.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 71, Nos. 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 1956-1957.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 72, Nos. 1, 4, 6, 8, 1957-1958.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 73, No. 1, 2, 3, 1958.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 74, No. 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 1959-1960.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 75, No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 9, 11, 1960-1961.
The National Jewish Monthly, B'nai B'rith, Vol. 76, No. 2, October 1961.
Subjects
- B'nai B'rith. District Grand Lodge No. 3.
- B'nai B'rith. Freedom Lodge No. 1780
- B'nai B'rith International
- Elbling, Irving, 1920-2000
- Gottlieb, Gloria Elbling
- Pittsburgh (Pa.)
- Jews--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh
- Jewish organizations--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh