Ogden, Don

Don Ogden is a poet, writer, roofer, and activist from western Massachusetts. He writes mainly on ecology and social concerns.

The Don Ogden Collection consists of newspaper clippings, pamphlets, an unpublished book, and letters that document primarily anti-war protests in Amherst dating from 1972-2000. Articles in the Union News and The Greenfield Recorder detail the IRS seizure and eventual auction of Randy Kehler and Betsy Corner’s home resulting from their refusal to pay taxes as a form of war protest. The Massachusetts Daily Collegian and the Hampshire Gazette cover the arrest of activists protesting against the CIA’s foreign policy. The Gazette also documents Gregory Levy’s suicide in protest of the Gulf War.

In addition to anti-war protests, Ogden’s collection includes materials concerning “None of the Above,” a Pioneer Valley Pro-Democracy Campaign, which would allow voters to reject all candidates in office. As a member, Randy Kehler wrote an article on this topic and submitted it to the Boston Globe. The Insurgent, a Newsletter of the Committee to Fight Repression, and The Valley Advocate each discuss the events of the Ohio 7 who were put on trial for Seditious Conspiracy. The Daily Hampshire Gazette follows the story of the Yankee Rowe Anti-Nuclear Plant Campaign from the plant’s plan to renew its license, to the increase in awareness of the dangers of the plant, to the Board of Directors’ decision to permanently shut the plant down.

For materials related to peace movements and activists in the Special Collections and University Archives, see:
Randy Kehler Papers, MS 396
Traprock Peace Center Records, MS 80
Valley Peace Center Records, MS 301