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Tabb J. Bishop Papers

Collection ID

Record Group MS002TB

Collecting Areas

Description

    

This collection is housed at the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection in Sullivan Hall, Temple University Main Campus. Please contact Blockson at 215-204-6632 or blockson@temple.edu for access to this collection.

   
 

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE
Comprising of six linear feet, the collection spans the dates 1988-2002 with the bulk of the documents covering 1996-2002. It consists of lobbyist records, publications, photographs, correspondences, press releases, congressional minutes, handwritten notes, handbooks, newsletters, financial records, business cards, conference literature, news clippings, books, and ephemera. Additionally, there are two microcassette tapes, one 16 mm film, and objects such as a leather piggy bank, mardi gras beads and bottle of wine from the former mayor of the Philadelphia.

The documents are primarily linked to Tabb’s employment as a lobbyist at Wojdak and Associated law firm in Philadelphia in addition to his congressional background. Tabb also served on various executive boards within various community organizations in Philadelphia. The collection includes legislative efforts, civic activities, and information regarding prominent, African American congressional members within the state of Pennsylvania. Tabb Bishop, son of Congresswoman Louise Bishop, donated this collection to the Charles L. Blockson Collection at Temple University.

The collection consists of seven series: Publications, Correspondence, Financials, Law Firm Activities, Memorabilia, Audio/Visual and Personal Notes. Series I, Publications, includes seven subseries and covers 1988-2003. Series II, Correspondence, consists of nine subseries and covers 1996-2002. Series III, Financials consists of two subseries and covers 1996-2002. Series IV, Law Firm Activities, consists of twelve sub series and covers 1996 – 2002. Series V, Memorabilia, does not have any subseries nor does it include any dates. Series VI, Audio Visual, does not have any subseries nor does it include any dates. Series VII, Personal Notes, includes two subseries and no dates. Click on the series below to view that section in more detail.

Series I, Publications

Series II, Correspondence

Series III, Financials

Series IV, Law Firm Activities

Series V, Memorabilia

Series VI, Audio/Visual

Series VII, Personal Notes
 

Biographical Information

TABB J. BISHOP (1965-Present), a native Philadelphian, was a lobbyist, civic leader and advocate of several pieces of legislation that impacted the city of Philadelphia from 1993-2002. Tabb, the son of Democratic Congressional Representative, Louise Bishop, received a bachelor’s degree from Hampton University in 1991. After graduation, Tab gained legislative experience by serving on the staff of two members of the House of Representatives which also took him to Washington. Tabb soon became a executive director of the Philadelphia Delegation in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. During his time with the 23-member Philadelphia delegation, Mr. Bishop worked on several major policy initiatives involving economic development, public transportation, housing, education, and environmental justice. He also was responsible for media relations and served as the delegation's liaison with business, community, and other constituent groups. In 1996, Tabb joined the law office of S.R. Wojdak and Associates, who have been the city’s official lobbyist firm on and off for the past 20 years. While at S.R. Wojdak, Tabb worked to get the stadium referendums pass in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, public school funding reformed and improvement to public housing policies within the Delaware Valley area. In September of 2002, Tabb left the law firm and joined Temple University as the deputy chief of staff in the executive office of the president of Temple University. After his 5 year tenure at Temple, Tabb joined Verizon in 2007 as Director of Public Policy to assist with developing the company's public policy strategies in the commonwealth1. He also will administer Pennsylvania programs of the Verizon Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Verizon Communications.

" Verizon Pennsylvania Names Tabb Bishop to New Public Policy Post ." PR Newswire. 7 Feb. 2007. 9
Aug. 2008.

Series: Publications top

Series Description:

The Publication series covers the dates 1988 - 2003 and includes printed material in the form of books, articles, newsletters, magazines, journals, manuals, and business directories. The manuals are political in nature and cover a variety of operational procedures directly associated with the City of Philadelphia and/or the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania expanding the scope of two mayoral and gubernatorial administrations. This series is housed in boxes 1-3.

  1. Magazines
  2. Manuals
  3. Articles
  4. Directories
  5. Newsletters
  6. Miscellaneous
  7. Books
Box 1   I. Magazines     Description Date   The Plan for the City by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission 1988         The New Philadelphia Story, Fortune 500 Magazine Special Advertising Issue November 14, 1994         Vendor’s Guide- How to do business with the City of Philadelphia April 1996         Chronicle of Higher Education Almanac Issue August 1997         Philadelphia Magazine 1997 (3), 2001, 2002         McCarter News, Volume XXIX Fall 2002, 2003 II. Manuals   Description Date   Philadelphia Home Rule Charter (2 copies) 1991         The Political & Community Service Boundaries of Philadelphia 1992         Coalition of Property Tax Consultants 1992, 1995         Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs Taxation Manual 1995       Box 2 III. Articles Folder Description Date 1 Facsimile copy- “Two Way Street” by Solomon Jones, Philadelphia Weekly October 2, 1996         Facsimile copy- “Will Philly’s next Mayor please stand up” by S.A. Paolantonio, Philadelphia Magazine November 1996         Laminated copy- “Bradley & Bradley overcomes adversity and seizes the opportunity to grow”, Philadelphia Sun February 17, 2002         Facsimile copy- “Betting on the Bull” by Rob Gurwitt, Governing July 2002       IV. Directories   Folder Description Date 2 City of Pittsburgh & City of Philadelphia n/d             3 Municipal Telephone Directory- City of Philadelphia 1996               Facsimile- City Council Directory April 4, 2002         Commissioner’s in Major Cities n/d               Mayor John F. Street Cabinet July 24, 2001       4 & 5 Directory of Certified Firms from the Minority Business Enterprise Council May 1996, 1998       V. Newsletters Folder Description Date 8 Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center Summer 2002         Pennsylvania Letter August 8, 2002
      VI. Miscellaneous Folder Description Date 6 Bradley & Bradley Associates, Inc. Certificate of Certification February 26,2002         Issue Summary, Philadelphia legislation: Predatory & Sublime Lending, 7 copies January 24, 2001       7 Greater Philadelphia World Trade Center, Marketing packet March 18, 2002       Box 3   VII. Books     Description Date   Philadelphia- A picture memory by Bill Harris 1990         American Populist by Stephen Lesher (autographed by author on 10/30/1996) 1994         The Pennsylvania Manual, Volume 112 1995         Heeding the Call- Jewish Voices in America’s Civil Rights Struggle by Norman H. Finkelstein 1997         Field of Schemes- How the great stadium swindle turns public money into private profit by Joanna Cagan & Neil deMauge 1998

Series: Correspondence top

Series Description:
The correspondence series includes Mr. Bishop’s appointment books from 1996-2002, many allotments of business cards, email correspondences, letters to and from several stakeholders, minutes, and professional invitations. The miscellaneous section includes a variety of personal invitations and personal notes. This series is housed in boxes 4-6.

  1. Appointment Books
  2. Business Cards
  3. Electronic Mail
  4. Invitations
  5. Letters
  6. Meeting Minutes
  7. Memos
  8. Personal Notes
  9. Miscellaneous

Box 4 I. Appointment Books   Description Date   One black leather, 8x11 professional appointment book 1996         One, black leather, 3x4 appointment book 1997 - 1998         One black leather, 8x11 appointment book 2001         One black leather, 8x11 appointment book 2002       II. Business Cards   Description Date   One 10x5 leather encasement, business card holder           One, plastic encasement, 4x7 business card holder         Box 5     III. Electronic Mail Folder Description Date 1 Electronic Correspondences 1999-2002       IV. Invitations Folder Description Date 2 Invitation from Mayor Stephen Reed of Harrisburg May 12, 2002         Invitation from Friends of John Myers re-election committee August 23, 2003         Invitation from Friends of John Myers September 7, 2002         Invitation from Friends of State Representative Jewell Williams September 7, 2002         Invitation from State Re. Frank LaGrotta September 8, 2002         Invitation from Arlen Specter September 14, 2002         Invitation from Williams for Senate September 21, 2002         Invitation from State Representative, Ed Wojnaroski September 24, 2002         Invitation from Honorable Joseph Preston, Jr. September 30, 2002         Invitation from Jewel Mann-Lassiter n/d       V. Letters Folder Description Date 3 Letter from John Dawkins           Facsimile- Letter from Arthur Lewis of Sands Hotel & Casino to Anthony Hardy Williams, Pennsylvania State Representative, re: proposed legislation March 16, 1995         Letter from Rosetta Johnson of M.L. Shepard Advisory Board to Tabb Bishop, re: board member invitation June 26, 1995         Letter from Herman Wooden & LeAnna Washington of Local United Food & Commerical Workers AFL-CIO, CLC to Friend, re: Roberts Vaux Chess Team May 28, 1996         Letter to Mayor Ed Rendell from Geneva A. Black October 15, 1996         Letter from Geneva A. Black to Tabb Bishop, Anthony Lewis, Caswell Curtis, Jim Hartling and Don Matzkin October 21, 1996         Letter from Tabb Bishop to Liz Ford February 20, 1997         Letter from Tabb Bishop to Ruth Bazemore July 11, 1997         The African American Business Review, John Dawkins on the cover September 2001         Letter from Joseph Marchese of Gallapher Benefit Services to Tabb Bishop September 21, 2001         Letter from Veronica Wright, CEO of The Wright Solution to Tabb Bishop, with business card and brochure February 1, 2002         Letter from City of Philadelphia to Steven Bradley, re: M-DBE Certification February 25, 2002         Letter from Lisette Shirdian-Harris to Board of Directors re: board meeting April 10, 2002         Letter from Elizabeth Dow to Tabb Bishop, re: Leadership Philadelphia Core 2003, 3 pages and 2 brochures April 17, 2002         Letter from John Dawkins III to Tabb Bishop re: The Center for Career and Employment Training April 23, 2002         Letter from Senator Vincent Hughes Democratic State Senate Campaign Committee to Tabb Bishop April 29, 2002         Letter from Dr. Norma Thomas to Board of Directors- Haddington Multi-Services for Older Adults, Inc. re: Board Meeting May 15, 2002         Letter from Robert Levant of Levant, Tauber & Martin, P.C. to Joseph Marchese, President of Gallagher Benefits Services, 6 pages, enclosed in a folder July 15, 2002         Letter from LeAnna Washington to Gary Burgess August 7, 2002         Letter from House of Representatives member to Tabb Bishop August 13, 2002         Letter from Joseph Marchese of Gallagher Benefit Services of NY to Anthony Biondi of Norristown Borrough August 13, 2002         Letter from Friends of State Representative Jewell Williams to Tabb Bishop           Letter from Congressman Charles B. Rangel to Tabb Bishop, re: National African American Leadership Conference August 15, 2002         African American Leadership Conference Call August 15, 2002         Letter from Friends of John Myers Re-Election Committee to Friend, re: Hawaiian Luau Party August 23, 2002         Letter from Barbara L. Young to Louise Williams Bishop, 6 pages March 23, 2001; October 16, 2001         Letter from Ronin Protection & Security Concepts to undisclosed recipients, 7 pages No date       VI. Meeting Minutes Folder Description Date 1 Joint Meeting of the Senate & House Philadelphia Delegations January 13, 1999       VII. Memos Folder Description Date 4 Memo to Board Members from Geneva A. Black October 13, 1995         Facsimile- Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, 4 pages August 14, 2002         City of Philadelphia Minority Business Enterprise Council- Mayor’s Executive Order 1-93 (10 pages) November 2002                   VIII. Miscellaneous Folder Description Date 5-6 James & Barbara Bishop, Spirit of God Ministries Proclamation, 17 pages May 14, 1996         National Association of Theatre Owners of Pennsylvania courtesy pass n/d         Unknown comic strip, 1 page n/d         Amtrak schedule August 8, 2002         CONFIDENTIAL: Bradley Saunders resume, 4 pages           CONFIDENTIAL: R. Jay Cage, cover letter and resume, 3 pages December 3, 2001         Article “What Doing in Salvador” by Larry Rohter reposted on the October Gallery website; 2 pages December 16, 2001         Quote of the Day, 5 pages n/d         Easter graphics, 2 pages n/d         Flyer- 7th Annual Wadsworth Day September 28, 2002         Letter from Independence Visitor Center Corporation to undisclosed recipient re: Annual Report, 8 pages August 12, 2002         Flyer- 13th Annual Neighborhood to Neighborhood Street Festival August 31, 2002         Letter from City of Philadelphia, Mayor Rendell re:Anti-Graffiti Program n/d         CONFIDENTIAL: Blane Fitzgerald Stoddart’s cover letter and resume, 3 pages October 28, 2001         Resident Empowerment Conference, Sponsorship opportunities July 26-29, 2001         Photocopies of recipe clipping and jazz club schedule           Re-elect Louise Williams Bishop n/d         Essays, no title n/d Box 6     IV. Personal Notes Folder Description Date 1 9x12 envelop of business cards and notes Various dates       2 9x12 envelop of business cards and notes Various dates       3 9x12 envelop of business cards and notes Various dates       4 Assortment of handwritten notes         5 5x7 envelop of handwritten notes Various dates       6 Assortment of personal cards Various dates


Series: Financials top
Series Description:
This series includes the financial and confidential records maintained by Tabb Bishop in relation to his employment at S.R. Wojdak & Associates and spans from 1996 - 2002. This series also includes City of Philadelphia financial records and the Independence Center’s annual financial report all housed in box 7 of this series.

  1. Tabb Bishop Expense Report
  2. Financial Reports
Box 7 I. Tabb Bishop Expense Report Folder Description Dates 1 Omni William Penn Hotel, Pittsburgh August 17, 2001         Slip listings for Tabb Bishop, 20 pages September 1 – 30, 2001         Grand Hyatt Washington Invoice for Tabb Bishop September 12 - 15, 2002         Time sheets, 6 pages, handwritten February 3rd – March 2nd         CONFIDENTIAL: Return check from Committee to Elect Rosita Youngblood, 2 pages October 25, 2001       II. Financial Reports Folder Description Dates 2 Independence Visitors Center Corporation, Annual Report n/d         City of Philadelphia, Five-Year Financial Plan January 23, 1996         Manual- The Mayor’s Operating Budget in Brief for Fiscal Year 2002, 101 pages January 2001         City Council Budget Hearing Schedule, 4 pages January 3, 2001         City of Philadelphia, Five-Year Financial Plan January 23, 2001

Series: Law Firm Activities top
Series Description:
This series included several initiatives advocated by Tabb Bishop during his tenure at S.R. Wojak & Associates from 1996 – 2002. It also contains records of his civic responsibilities to various community organizations in Philadelphia, PA. Note some folders are line description identifiable and some are not. This series is housed in boxes 8 and 9.

Law Firm Activities

  1. Central Atlantic Payphone Association
  2. City of Philadelphia
  3. City of Pittsburgh
  4. Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, Inc.
  5. Housing Association of Delaware Valley
  6. National Organization of African Americans in Housing
  7. Pennsylvania Black Caucus
  8. Philadelphia Eagles
  9. Philadelphia School District
  10. S.R. Wojak & Associates
  11. The National Museum of American Jewish History
  12. United Way of Pennsylvania
Box 8 I. Central Atlantic Payphone Association   Folder Description Dates 1 Letter- from Cecelia T. Roudiez of Verizon Pennsylvania and Alan Kohler of CAPA to Michael C. Athay, Deputy City Solicitor, Intellectual Property, City of Philadelphia to RE: Incorporation of PUC into City payphone ordinance, draft and revision October 25, 2001         Facsimile- Memorandum RE: Central Atlantic Payphone Association, Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and Verizon November 9, 2001       II. City of Philadelphia   Folder Description   2 Mayor John F. Street, Budget Address Speech, 20 pages January 2001         Philadelphia Legislative Agenda, week of February 12, 2001, 2 copies February 9, 2001         Floor Action, Week of February 5, 2001, 5 pages           City of Philadelphia, City Council Calendar, Thursday, February 8, 2001 February 8, 2001         Press Release from Mayor’s Office of Communication September 5, 2001   Memorandum of Understanding regarding treatment of payphone issues affecting Public Health and Welfare Issues between the City of Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission, the Central Atlantic Payphone Association and Verizon Pennsylvania, 8 pages         III. City of Pittsburgh   Folder Description   3 Letter- from Gene Ricciardi to Anthony Deluca, 24 copies April 15, 2002       IV. Cobbs Creek Community Environmental Education Center, Inc.   Folder Description   4 Facsimile: To Tabb from Alan re: teacher training, 2 pages May 9, 2001       V. Housing Association of Delaware Valley   Folder Description   5-6 Housing Association of Delaware Valley 2000-2002 Strategic Plan, 40 pages December 1999         Letter- from Alton El to Tabb Bishop, 6 pages September 28, 2001         Combined Executive Committee & Board of Directors Meeting Agenda, 6 pages June 2002         Memo- Proposed Amendment Bylaws, 15 pages June 18, 2002         Staff Retreat Notes, 25 pages March 9, 2002         Board/Staff Retreat, 17 pages May 15, 2002   Public Housing Alerting Bulletin June 2002         Fair Housing Alerting Bulletin, 2 pages June 2002         Legislative Update, 14 pages June 2002         Summary of Revenue & Expenses, 2 pages April 2002         Article- “Another Showdown on blight-fight$$”, Philadelphia Daily News June 5, 2002       VI. National Museum of American Jewish History   Folder Description   7 Meeting Notes from Wojdak to Museum July 2, 2002           VII. National Organization of African Americans in Housing Folder Description   8 NOAAH Fall Conference, Meeting Agenda, 1 page May 2, 2002         Executive Summary of President Bush’s Homeownership Plan, 3 pages June 17, 2002         NOAAH Fall Conference Progress Report, 4 pages July 11, 2002         Facsimile: Letter to Pamela Browder-Crawley from NOAH, 2 pages August 15, 2002         Letter to Tabb Bishop from NOAH, 4 pages August 16, 2002         2002 Fall Conference Booklet, Philadelphia, PA, 6 pages September 15, 2002         2002 Fall Conference Registration Form n/d         2002 NOAAH Conference Sponsorship Opportunities n/d         NOAAH Fall Conference, Proposed Workshops, 5 pages n/d         NOAAH Fall Conference, ‘2002 Annual Housing Conference, 5 pages September 15, 2002         NOAAH Fall Conference, Proposed Budget, 1 page n/d         NOAAH Sub-committee, 2 pages         IX. Pedestrian &Bicycle Safety   Folder Description   12 Statewide Support for Red Light Cameras, 2 pages n/d         Predatory Lending Legislative Alternative, 5 pages n/d         Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety, n/d X. Philadelphia Eagles   Folder Description   13 Memo to Jeff Lurie & Joe Banner from Joe McLaughlin July 30, 1997         Facsimile- to Steven Wojak from Ed Rendell September 8, 1997         Memo to Tabb Bishop from Dan MacGregor June 30, 1998         Facsimile Copy- “Questions out of the park” by Chris Satullo, Philadelphia Inquirer October 22, 1998         Facsimile- Philadelphia Stadium Development Draft, 2 pages October 26, 1998         Memo to Leo Carlin from Jannie Blackwell October 29, 1998         Memo to Joe Banner from Joe McLaughlin November 9, 1998         Facsimile- The Pennsylvania Legislative Black Caucus Stadium Vote Delay Press Release November 24, 1998         Statement regarding stadium funding December 8, 1998         Remarks by State Rep. Andrew Carn re: Carn-Robinson Stadium Legislation, 4 pages January 5, 1999         Creation of the Sports Facilities Authority Act, 11 pages, 2 copies January 4, 1999         Carn-Robinson Stadium Legislation Analysis 1999         Facsimile Copy- “Plan B Wins” by Frank Reeves & Peter J. Shelly Online Post-Gazette, 4 pages February 4, 1999         Facsimile Copy- “We literally moved a mountain in 8 days” by Robert Dvorchak, Online Post-Gazette, 5 pages February 4, 1999         Facsimile Copy- “The celebration wasn’t premature this time” by TomBarnes & James O’Toole, Online Post-Gazette, 2 pages February 4, 1999         Facsimile Copy- “How they voted in the House and Senate” by The Associated Press, Online Post-Gazette, 10 pages February 4, 1999         Facsimile Copy- “Stadium Funding passes” by Jeanette Krebs, The Patriot News, 2 pages February 4, 1999         Memo to Bill Hankowsky, Joe Banner, Dave Montgomery, Bill Giles & David L. Cohen from Joe McLaughlin February 18, 1999         Memo to Joe Banner from Joe McLaughlin April 5, 1999         Handwritten document entitled “What is all should we help finance stadiums for professional teams” no author No date       9 Mission Statement & Resolution n/d       10 News clippings related to Philadelphia Eagles stadium referendum Sept 97 – Sept 98       11 News clippings related to Philadelphia Eagles stadium referendum Oct 1998 – Jan 99             Box 9 X. Philadelphia School District Folder Description   1 Memo to Mayor Street, Stephanie Franklin-Suber, George Burrell from Joe McLaughlin, 8 pages with handwritten notes May 20, 2000         Facsimile Press Release, Mayor Street September 5, 2001       XI. S.R. Wojak & Associates   Folder Description   2 Pittsburgh Stadium Plan n/d       3 Political Invites n/d             4-9 Company Marketing Material 1996         Letter from Vincent Dopko to Tabb Bishop March 27, 1996         Letter from Tabb Bishop to Vincent Dopko April 4, 1996         Strategic Business Planning Committee Final Report December 1996         Strategic Business Planning Committee Final Report December 1996         Memo to SRWA employees re: 401k Updates February 11, 1997         Clients Billing Code April 1, 1997         Draft Proposal- Revitalization of Independence Mall Funding Request December 2000         S.R. Wojdak & Associates and Bellevue Communications Group Proposal re: The Staubach Company, 11 pages January 2002         Letter- From Michael McShea of The Staubach Company to Stephen Wojdak, re: proposal January 18, 2002         Dale Carnegie class registration, 6 pages April 2, 2002         S.R. Wojdak & Associates Proposal re: Phillip Murray, Inc., 2 copies, 6 pages April 2002         Letter- From Tabb Bishop to Mark Hildebrandt re: Phillip Murray House Project , 2 copies April 26, 2002         Annual Personal Plan & Performance Evaluation, Associates Package N/D       10 Stadium Support plan & Financing n/d             XII. United Way of Pennsylvania   Folder Description   11 Memo to UWP Public Policy Committee with Meeting Minutes from Tom Foley RE: Follow-up to May 8, 2002 Conference Call, 2 pages May 20, 2002         Legislative Update, 3 pages May 1, 2002         Letter from Tom Foley to Tabb Bishop, 3 pages July 17, 2002         Memo to United Way of Pennsylvania Board from Alan Perez, President RE: Board Meeting August 7, 2002      

Series: Audio/Visual top
Series Description:
This series contains two microcassette tapes unlabeled and one16mm videotape labeled “James Bishop Reporter” with no date. This series also contains predominately with unidentified individuals. Half of the images are black and white photocopies and are in good condition. This series also contains photographs of former mayor, Ed Rendell, and former councilman, John Street. This series is located in box 10.

  1. Two microcassettes tapes, unlabeled
  2. Videotape, labeled “James Bishop Reporter”, no date


Folder 1

    1. Three photos 3x5, unidentified
    2. One photo 4x7, Tabb Bishop and unidentified man
    3. One photo, 5x4, Tabb Bishop and others
    4. One photo 8x10, unidentified
    5. Four pages of photocopied photographs

Series: Memorabilia top
Series Description:
This series contains items collected by Tabb Bishop. This series contains 8 items and all items are located in box 11. There were no dates identified on any of the items.

  1. One leather fabricated coin bank
  2. One miniature New Jersey Transit bus
  3. One strand of Mardi Gras beads
  4. One link brush
  5. One bottle of cider from former Mayor John Street
  6. Gift bag
  7. Gold plated bell
  8. Pen refill

Series: Personal Notes top
Series Description:
This series contains a total of twenty notebooks of handwritten notes Mr. Bishop maintained at various times throughout his tenure at S.J. Wojdak. All items are located in box 12 and the dates expand 1996 – 2002.

  1. Two 8x14 handwritten writing pads
  2. Eighteen 8x11 handwritten writing pads

Processed by: Erica Hubbard
October 27, 2008
Charles L. Blockson Collection, Temple University