Personal Collection of Max Heller Available at Furman University Library
February 21, 2012
Greenville development materials among collection of former mayor
GREENVILLE, SC – February 21, 2012 – The personal document collection of the late MaxHeller is now available for public viewing in the James B. Duke Libraryat Furman University.
Heller, an eminent figure in the Greenville community who wasinstrumental in the revitalization of the city’s downtown area, died inJune 2011.
Made available by Heller in 2009, the first installment of thecollection includes mayoral, congressional and gubernatorial campaignmaterials, South Carolina State Development Board materials, and ahistory of Greenville development as described through magazine andnewspaper articles.
The collection contains many interviews, both audio and video, andnumerous speeches showcasing Heller’s life and contributions toGreenville and South Carolina. His travels to Europe and Asia are alsohighlighted in photographs and documents. Documents, photos, articles,albums and correspondence date from 1942 through 2007.
Earlier this year, Heller’s family donated an additional 15 boxes ofmaterials to Furman’s Special Collections and Archives. An inventory forthis collection is expected by summer 2012 and will be posted on theSpecial Collections and Archives website.
Heller was born in Vienna, Austria in 1919 and escaped the Holocaustin 1938 with his arrival in Greenville, where he worked in a shirtfactory. By 1969, after successfully building his own shirt company, heretired to serve the citizens of Greenville and South Carolina. Heserved on the Greenville City Council, and two terms as mayor. Duringhis tenure as mayor in the 1970s, the revitalization of downtown became apriority. Heller was later appointed chairman of the South CarolinaState Development Board by then Governor Richard W. Riley.
Heller served on the Furman Board of Trustees, and was a trusteeemeritus at the time of his death. He received an honorary Doctor ofLaws degree from the university in 1975, as well as the Bell Tower Awardin 1998 for his exceptional achievements and service to the university. Furman also named its award-winning student volunteer program the Maxand Trude Heller Service Corps.
Furman’s Special Collections and Archives is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.
For more information about the Max Heller Collection, please contact [email protected] or call 864-294-2194.
