A.I. and Fay Botnick Civil Rights Collection

Fay Waldoff Botnick:

Fay Waldoff Botnick was born in 1926 and grew up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. She was the oldest child of Paul and Eva Waldoff, who owned and operated the Waldoff's department store in downtown Hattiesburg for many years. She retired from Tulane University in New Orleans where she served as Assistant to the Provost of the University. She continues to live in New Orleans.

Adolph (A.I.) Botnick:

Adolph (A.I.) Botnick was born in 1924 to Louis and Madge Botnick of New Orleans, Louisiana. He spent his early years in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He graduated from Gulf Coast Military Academy in Gulfport, Mississippi and served in the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. After the war, he earned a degree in sociology from Louisiana State University, where he met his wife Fay. The Botnicks moved to Hattiesburg after their marriage, where they lived until 1961 with their three children: Michael, Wendy, and Lori.

Mr. Botnick accepted a position with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in Atlanta in 1961. He became the Director of the Anti-Defamation League's South Central Regional Office in New Orleans in 1964, a position which served Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas. His assumption of this position coincided with the murder of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Mississippi. Because two of the three victims were Jewish, the ADL began to monitor the Ku Klux Klan (KKK) more closely.

In 1968, Mr. Botnick was involved in a FBI plot to capture Klan bombers in Meridian. During the ensuing battle, one of the bombers was killed and another seriously injured. Following this incident, Mr. Botnick became a frequent target of the KKK, with the Klan continuing to monitor him into the early 1970s. The FBI apprehended Klansman Byron de la Beckwith as he attempted to bomb the Botnick home in New Orleans in 1973.

Despite the incident, Mr. Botnick continued to be an outspoken voice for civil rights in the Mississippi and Louisiana area through his efforts with the ADL. He continued to hold his position in the organization until his retirement in 1992. He died in 1995.

Anti-Defamation League:

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) was founded in 1913, and is the self-proclaimed "world's leading organization in combating anti-Semitism through its programs and services." The ADL played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement, because it was committed to the protection of the rights of all Americans. A major task for the ADL was to combat renowned hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).