Guide to the Betty Packer Collection 1870-2000

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Betty Packer Collection
Creator
Packer, Betty
Collection Number
MSS 0628
Extent
.25 linear feet (1 box)
Date
1870-2000
Abstract
Betty Packer performed for more than 45 years with the chorus of the Pittsburgh Opera.The Betty Packer Collection contains Pittsburgh ballet, Symphony Society, and Youth Symphony theatre programs, Tuesday Musical Society music sheets, as well as a photograph album depicting the 1936 Pittsburgh flood.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Alex J. Toner.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Betty Jane (Lake) Packer performed for more than 45 years as a soprano with the chorus of the Pittsburgh Opera. She served as secretary to the Opera's general director from the 1940s to the 1970s, administering the daily operations of the organization. Betty Packer appeared in numerous solo roles, including Musetta (La Boheme), Ellen (Lakme), Sarah Goode (The Crucible), Frasquita (Carmen), and the Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel). She also performed with the Opera Workshop and Tuesday Musical Society, where she chaired the choral division. She was an active member of the Pittsburgh Opera Association Women's Auxiliary, and she served on the committee of the Metropolitan Opera regional auditions. Betty Packer died in October of 2008.

Scope and Content Notes

The Betty Packer Collection contains programs from her involvement with the Pittsburgh Opera and Tuesday Musical Club. These include music and ballet theatre programs, Pittsburgh Symphony and Youth Symphony programs, and Tuesday Musical Society music sheets. The collection also contains pages from a Blair, Wightman, Holmes family bible, a 1949 Pittsburgh railroad schedule, and a captioned photograph album containing images from the 1936 Pittsburgh flood.

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Nancy Packer in 2011.

Archives accession # 2011.0062

Preferred Citation

Betty Packer Collection, 1870-2000, MSS 0628, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Alex J. Toner on 10/31/11.

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.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Pittsburgh Symphony Society
    • Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre
    • Pittsburgh Opera

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Flood-Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh-1936
    • Opera-Pennsylvania-Pittsburgh

Container List