Affonso Gil “Ferreira Mendes” Mendes Ferreira collection of Portuguese musical recordings
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of 48 78 RPM shellac disc recordings. They are not dated, but were probably manufactured between 1930 and 1960.
Dates
- 1930-1950
Language of Materials
Recordings are in Portuguese
Biographical / Historical
Affonso Gil Mendes Ferreira was born in Portugal, and immigrated to Taunton, Massachusetts in 1920. He was known to his listeners in Rhode Island and Massachusetts as “Ferreira Mendes”, and first aired his radio program, “A Voz de Portugal” (Voice of Portugal) in 1930. He also founded the first daily Portuguese radio station in United States, which operated from 1952 to 1967, in Providence, Rhode Island. Over the years, he solicited more than $500,000 in charitable donations from his listeners for various humanitarian causes. He also biannually published “O Heraldo Portugues”, a Portuguese newspaper, from 1925-1976. In 1983 the Portuguese government awarded him the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator, the highest award presented to a civilian, for his pioneer work in the field of broadcasting and journalism.
Extent
1.5 Linear Feet (3 boxes)
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The collection was donated by Otilia Ferreira, daughter of Affonso Ferreira-Ferreira Mendes in 2005 and 2006.
- Title
- MC 54, Affonso Gil “Ferreira Mendes” Mendes Ferreira collection of Portuguese musical recordings
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Maura McGurk
- Date
- January 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the UMass Dartmouth Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives Repository
Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Rd.
N. Dartmouth MA 02747 USA
jfarrar@umassd.edu