Flex-Straw Corporate Records
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Friedman, Joseph Bernard, Dr., 1900-1982
label: Collection Creator
content: Friedman, Betty
label: Collection Creator
content: Flexible Straw Corporation.
label: Collection Creator
content: Flex-Straw Co.
setName: label: See more items in
content: Joseph B. Friedman Papers
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1938-1970
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Archives Center, National Museum of American History
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NMAH.AC.0769, Series 3
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Series 3: Flex-Straw Corporate Records (1938-1967) includes correspondence relating to the company and its formation, financial statements, tax returns, legal documents, patent assignments, royalty information, patent defense case research and records, and documents pertaining to the advertising and marketing of the flexible straw.  Researchers should note that all conceptual and developmental details relating to the straw and its manufacture, as well as the original patents and their specifically associated legal correspondence can be found in Series 2.  

Series 3 is divided into several topically arranged subseries.  Subseries 3.1 consists of the organizational materials for the company, including the minutes, by-laws and limited employee records.  This subseries also contains two day books belonging to Joseph B. Friedman recording his appointments and personal notes from 1947 and 1950.  Subseries 3.2 includes company related correspondence, organized by the correspondent.  It begins with general correspondence, from 1939 - 1963, and continues with the letters of Bert Klein (1945 - 1950), David Light & Harry Zavin (1938 - 1962), and Betty Friedman (1940 - 1954).  Much of the operational information on the company may be found in the letters Betty Friedman wrote and received from her brother.  Subseries 3.3 holds the financial records of the company, including financial statements, ledgers, bank statements, check books, tax returns and royalty statements.  Subseries 3.4 consists of legal records and correspondence, including such topics as changes in entity type, patent assignments, fair trade agreements and patent defense.  Subseries 3.5 contains the advertising and marketing records of the company.  This includes published material relating to the Flex-Straw specifically, as well as some advertising for flexible straws in general.  Pencil concept drawings of Flex-Straw packaging and advertising art are drawn on the reverse of Pette calendar pages, and international advertising materials for the product are also present.  Product testimonials, distributor bulletins, and corporate letterhead that traces the progression of company locations can also be found here.