Leon Varjian papers, 1952-1985
A Guide to his Papers at the Indiana University Archives
Finding aid prepared by Andrea Barbour
Summary Information
Repository
Indiana University Archives
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library E460
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-1127
Email: archives@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/archives
Creator
Varjian, Leon, 1951-2015.
TitleLeon Varjian papers, 1952-1985
Collection No.
C664
Extent
6.5 cubic feet
Language
Materials are in English
Abstract
Leon Varjian (1951-2015) was a graduate student at Indiana University from 1972-1975, known primarily for his
comedic news publications such as
Fun City and his organized antics on the IU campus. He ran for mayor of Bloomington in 1973
and IU Trustee in 1976, though his campaign platforms were humorous and satirical. After his time in Bloomington, Varjian
attended University of
Wisconsin-Madison, where he continued similar political theatre antics and produced a successful local access cable television
show called
Vern & Evelyn through 1984. This collection contains his personal papers, including documents and memorabilia from his mayoral
campaign, flyers from his social events, notes and drafts, newspapers and clippings, and correspondence, and materials from
Vern &
Evelyn
.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open for research. Advance notice required.
Biographical Note
Leon Varjian was born on September 15, 1951. After earning his bachelor’s degree at Montclair State University, Varjian enrolled
at Indiana University as a
graduate student in mathematics. It was at IU that Varjian began to build his reputation as the “funny man” on campus, perhaps
beginning with his public
mockery of President Richard Nixon. Public performances, what he would refer to as “street theater” or “guerilla theater”,
were his primary medium of
expression, as he often held comedic demonstrations or events. One of his most famous events was the annual April Fools’ Day
Banana Olympics held on campus,
which included activities such as floating banana races down the Jordan River.
He had an active political presence during his time at Indiana University. He first ran for student government leadership
in 1973, representing the “Birthday
Party.” Later, Varjian ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Bloomington on the “Fun City” ticket in 1975. This campaign gained
a lot of traction and attention in
the media, despite being openly nonsensical. He ran with promises such as turning the downtown area into a giant Monopoly
board and planting copious amounts
of marijuana. Varjian remained at IU for a year after he received his master’s degree and ran for IU Trustee on a typically
humorous platform but did not
win.
Varjian was the publisher of the alternative news journal
Fun City and also participated in the production of
Primotimes, both of which are featured in this collection.
After leaving IU, Varjian travelled to Washington D.C. for a short-lived career as a computer programmer. He abandoned the
job to return to graduate school at
the University of Wisconsin-Madison (he did not complete a degree there), where he joined with Jim Mallon to create the “Pail
& Shovel Party” and was
elected vice president of the campus student government in 1978. The pair put together several nationally famous pranks such
as covering Bascom Hill with a
thousand pink flamingos and placing a replica of the Statue of Liberty’s head and torch on frozen Lake Mendota.
While living in Madison, Varjian, Mallon, and Stu Baker co-produced the local public-access cable television show
The Vern & Evelyn
Show
at the Madison Community Access Center beginning in January 1980. The show starred two live mice (named Vern and Evelyn)
and a cast of
supporting actors (humans and mice) in a variety of humorous storylines. Show skits satirized politics, religion, and popular
culture; music was provided by
local bands such as Spooner (later the band became Garbage); and interviews with special guests included the likes of Allen
Ginsberg. Varjian funded the
production’s tapes, props, transportation, and filming fees with a job as a computer programmer for the State of Wisconsin.
Vern &
Evelyn
was initially broadcast every Monday-Thursday at 6pm on local Cable 4. Beginning in June 1981, the production shifted to
WISC-TV, a CBS
affiliate station.
In addition to taping the show, Varjian interacted with fans through the Vern & Evelyn Fan Club and bi-monthly
Vern & Evelyn
Gazette
, promotional events such as parties, public auditions, and contests, and public memorials for the Vern and Evelyn mice when
they died. In
1981 the show received a positive review in Variety. Publications such as
Cable Monthly,
The Capital
Times
, and
The Badger Herald also covered the show in the press. Due to a variety of factors, including finances and
studio disagreements,
Vern & Evelyn ceased production in 1984.
Varjian then returned to New Jersey to teach high school mathematics for 29 years. He earned the state’s honor of “Math Teacher
of the Year” in 1996. Varjian
died in 2015.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into three series: General, Newspapers, and Vern & Evelyn. The Vern & Evelyn series contains four
subseries: Administrative,
Correspondence, Promotional, and Production.
Scope and Content Note
This collection documents Leon Varjian’s experiences as a graduate student at Indiana University from 1972 to 1976 and at
University of Wisconsin-Madison from
1978-1985. It is organized into three series: General, Newspapers, and Vern & Evelyn.
The General series dates from 1952-1985. This series contains Varjian’s personal papers, including documents and memorabilia
from his Bloomington mayoral
campaign, flyers and materials from events he organized on the IU's and University of Wisconsin-Madison's campuses, original
artwork, notes and drafts for
articles and announcements, and correspondence.
The Newspapers series dates from 1970-1981 and includes newspaper clippings and full issues that Varjian collected, mainly
from the
Indiana Daily Student and other regional newspapers in 1970s. The clippings and papers include articles Varjian himself, as well as general
writings related to politics and humor.
The series also features full issues of humorous publications that Varjian contributed to at Montclair State College, Indiana
University, and University of
Wisconsin-Madison, including 10 issues of
Primotimes (1975, based in Bloomington) and 24 issues of
Fun
City
(1975-1976, based in Bloomington). Finally, Varjian collected copies of the
Indiana Daily Stupid and
Daily Horrible-Terrible, satirical April Fools’ Day versions of the
Indiana Daily Student and
Daily Herald-Telephone that were distributed by IU student Steve Danzig beginning in 1974.
The Vern & Evelyn series dates from 1980-1984 and documents Varjian’s production of
Vern & Evelyn, a successful local
access cable television show in Madison, Wisconsin that featured satirical skits, interviews, and storylines with continuing
characters including two mice
(named Vern and Evelyn). This series includes administrative and business records, correspondence and fan mail, the
Vern & Evelyn
Gazette
(a newsletter for fans), promotional materials in various drafting stages (including flyer and newsletter paste-ups), scripts,
production
notes, props used on the show, and show recordings.
-
Indexing Terms
-
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
IUCAT, the IU
Libraries' online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the catalog using these
terms.
-
-
Separated Material
Duplicate copies of newspapers and select collected materials (calendars, publications, etc.) were discarded.
Original photographs have been removed and stored in the Indiana University Archives Photograph Collection. Ask staff for
details.
Related Material
Related photographs may be available in the
University Archives Photograph
Collection
.
Additional papers of Leon Varjian are held at the University of Wisconsin-Madison University Archives:
Leon Varjian papers, 1974-1984
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Accessions: 2017/017, 2018/078, and 2019/103
Usage Restrictions
Copyright interests for this collection have been transferred to the Trustees of Indiana University. For more information,
contact the Indiana University
Archivist.
Preferred Citation
[Item], Leon Varjian papers, Collection C664, Indiana University Archives, Bloomington.
Provenance
2017/017 Transferred by Doris Cross (Varjian’s sister) and Scott Mindock in 2017. 2018/078 trasnferred by Scott Mindock in
2018. 2019/103 transferred by
Scott Mindock in 2019.
Processing InformationProcessed by Andrea Barbour.
Completed in September 2017
Container List
Series:
General, 1952-1985
Scope and Content
This series contains Varjian’s personal papers, including documents and memorabilia from his Bloomington mayoral campaign,
flyers and materials from
events he organized on IU’s and University of Wisconsin-Madison’s campuses, original artwork, notes and drafts for articles
and announcements, and
correspondence.
Arrangement
The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Box 1
Artwork, 1973-1975 and circa 1970s
Box 4
Artwork, sketch of Varjian, circa 1970s
(oversize)
Box OS9
Banana Olympics flyers, circa 1975-1976
(oversize)
Boom Box Parade flyers, circa 1983
(oversize)
Box 1
“Biographical sketches of candidates for alumni trustee, Indiana University, 1976", 1976
Box 6
CIA hiring poster, circa 1970s
Ask Staff Ask Staff
Cockroach Funnies paste ups, 1970s
Box 1
Correspondence, general, 1970-1976 and undated
Correspondence with Sylvia, 1977
Box 6
Event photographs, circa 1979
Original photographs have been removed and housed in the University Archives Photograph Collection. See staff for details.
“Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers", circa 1971
Flyers, circa 1970s
Mainly publicity for events and student government campaigns on the Indiana University Bloomington campus.
Fun City materials, 1976 and undated
Box 5
Fun City t-shirt, circa 1976
Box 1
Indiana University experimental courses, 1973
Box 6
Madison City Council flyers, circa 1979
Madison events, 1980s
Box 1
Mayoral Campaign,
Buttons, circa 1975
Clippings, 1975
Correspondence, 1975 and undated
Flyers, 1975
Miscellaneous, 1975
Notes, 1975
Box 6
Nick and Leon’s Emporium, circa 1970s
Box OS12
"No Time for Archie," by Popo La Fontaine, undated
Box 1
Notes and drafts, circa 1970s
(3 folders)
Box 6
Original artwork, circa 1980s
“The Paper Trip: The How and Why’s of Getting False I.D.’s,” circa
1970s
Box 1
People’s Bicentennial Commission kit, 1973
Box 6
Prototype for commentary and satire series, 1985
Resume draft, 1982
State of Wisconsin employee request for transfer, 1984
“Students for PEZ”,
Box 1
Correspondence, 1973
Flyers & ads, 1973 and undated
Notes, circa 1970s
Dispenser patents, 1952, 1968
Press cards, circa 1970s
“Spock for President” Peace and Freedom Party bumper sticker, circa 1970s
Technological American Party (TAP), 1973-1974
Box OS9
Various campaign and rally signs, 1970s-1980s
(oversize)
Box 2
War Tax Resistance, 1969-1972 and undated
Box 6
Wisconsin-based clippings, 1980s
Wisconsin Student Association, 1977
Box 2
Youth International Party Line (YIPL), 1973
Series:
Newspapers, 1970-1981
Scope and Content
The Newspapers series dates from 1970-1981 and includes newspaper clippings and full issues that Varjian collected, mainly
from the
Indiana Daily Student and other regional newspapers in 1970s. The clippings and papers include articles Varjian himself, as
well as general writings related to politics and humor.
The series also features full issues of humorous publications that Varjian contributed to at Montclair State College, Indiana
University, and University
of Wisconsin-Madison, including 10 issues of
Primotimes (1975, based in Bloomington) and 24 issues of
Fun City (1975-1976, based in Bloomington). Finally, Varjian collected copies of the
Indiana Daily
Stupid
and
Daily Horrible-Terrible, satirical April Fools’ Day versions of the
Indiana
Daily Student
and
Daily Herald-Telephone that were distributed by IU student Steve Danzig beginning in
1974.
Processing Note
Clippings have received minimal processing.
Arrangement
Newspaper clippings appear first in rough chronological order, followed by full issues in alphabetical order by publication
title.
Box 2
Clippings,
1974-1976
Clippings about Varjian1972-1979
Box 6
Badger Herald, vol. XXXIII, no. 16, April 13, 1981
Box 3
Batsto Citizens Gazette, Spring 1970
Berkeley Barb, July 1975
Box 6
Day Shift, Vol. III, no. 3 (Montclair State College), December 1971
Box 3
Georgetown Law Weekly, 1976
Daily Herald-Telephone , April 1, 1978
Indiana Daily Student, April 1973, December 1979
Indiana Daily Stupid,
April 1, 1974
April 1, 1975
Indiana Daily Stupid and the
Daily Horrible-Terrible,
March 31-April 1, 1976
(3 copies)
April 1, 1977
Box 6
Isthmus of Madison, Vol. 5, No. 9, February 28-March 6,
1980
Box 3
Moneysworth, April-May 1975
Montclarion, 1973 November 1
Box 4
Primotimes,
Nos. 16-19, May-July 1975
Nos. 20-22, July-August 1975
Nos. 25-26, 28, September 1975
Box 3
The
Republic (Columbus, IN), August 11, 1975
Box 4
Rolling Stone
Fall 1979
Box 3
Wood-Ridge Independent, May 15, 1975
Series:
Vern & Evelyn, 1980-1984
Scope and Content
The Vern & Evelyn series dates from 1980-1984 and documents Varjian’s production of
Vern& Evelyn, a successful
local access cable television show in Madison, Wisconsin that featured satirical skits, interviews, and storylines with continuing
characters including
two mice (named Vern and Evelyn). This series includes administrative and business records, correspondence and fan mail, the
Vern
& Evelyn Gazette
(a newsletter for fans), promotional materials in various drafting stages (including flyer and newsletter paste-ups),
newspapers and clippings about the show, scripts, production notes, costumes, and props used on the show.
Arrangement
This series is arranged into four subseries: Administrative, Correspondence, Promotional, Production, and Audiovisual. The
first four subseries are arranged alphabetically by
folder title. The Audiovisual series is arranged chronologically.
Subseries:
Administrative, 1981-1984
Box 6
Auditions, 1981-1983
Business, 1981
Channel 3, 1982
Good Stuff, 1981-1983
Newsletter mailing lists, circa 1981-1984
Subseries:
Correspondence, 1980-1984
Correspondence and postcards, 1980-1984
(2 folders)
Box 7
Fan mail, 1981-1983
(10 folders)
Subseries:
Promotional, 1981-1984
Box 6
Cable Monthly, vol. 2, no. 11 (contains feature on
Vern & Evelyn),
October 1983
Clippings, 1981-1982
Festival entries, 1982-1983
“How the Pink Flamingo Man Became a Big Time Television Producer of a Big Time TV Show,” by Leon Varjian, 1982
Press kits, 1981-1982
Box 4
Variety (contains review of
Vern & Evelyn), July 1, 1981
Box OS5
Various event posters and
Vern & Evelyn Gazette copies, 1982
(oversize)
Box 6
Vern & Evelyn Fan Club membership cards, circa 1981-1984
Vern & Evelyn Gazette newsletters, October
1980-August 1983
(2 folders)
Vern & Evelyn Gazette notes, 1982
Ask Staff Ask Staff
Vern & Evelyn paste ups, 1980s
Ask Staff Ask Staff
Vern & Evelyn promotional paste ups, 1980s
Subseries:
Production, 1980-1984
Box 10
Costume clothing (includes Senator Filibuster’s jacket), 1980s
Box 8
Cuckoo clock, 1980s
Box 9
Dollhouse furniture (for mice set), 1980s
Box 6
Filibuster newspapers, 1981-1982
Joe Fodor pieces for Vern & Evelyn, 1983
Notes, 1980-1983
(2 folders)
Production planning, 1980-1984
Production props, circa 1980s
Script drafts, 1981-1984
Box OS5
Show signs and props, circa 1980s
(oversize)
Box OS6
Show signs and props, 1981
(oversize)
Box 6
Track sheets, circa 1980-1983
Subseries:
Ask Staff
Audiovisual, 1980-1984
Scope and Content Note
This series consists of 178 recordings from the
Vern & Evelyn Show in various stages of production. For additional
details, please contact the University Archives staff.
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