My home institution, the University at Buffalo (UB), provided a supportive environment for the research and writing of this book. Grants awarded by UB’s Civic Engagement Fellowship and Baldy Center for Law and Social Policy provided funding for interviews and archival research. The Baldy Center funded a manuscript workshop at the American Sociological Association annual meeting in Chicago in 2015. I am greatly indebted to Professors Rodney Coates, Cedric Johnson, and Michael Maly who signed on to the manuscript workshop, read a complete first draft, and provided me with critical comments and supportive encouragement over three amazing hours. My understanding of the sociology of race improved immensely thanks to Nancy Denton, David Wilson, and several other excellent scholars who attended a workshop on new forms of racial segregation that fellow UB sociologist Robert Adelman and I co-organized at the Baldy Center. The workshop provided an opportunity for all of us to try out new ideas and led to the publication of a co-edited book, Race, Space, and Exclusion: Segregation and Beyond in Metropolitan America (2015).
I am indebted to several individuals who have provided many different kinds of support in seeing this project through from start to finish. Margaret Johnson, the coordinator of the Delaware County Historical Society Research Library is exceptionally knowledgeable of all things Chester. The research librarians at UB, the University of Delaware, Widener University, Temple University, and Swarthmore College were always accommodating and helpful. Over the course of research and writing this book, I benefited from the support of Errol Meidinger and Laura Wirth of the Baldy Center and steady encouragement from my colleagues and graduate students in the Departments of Sociology and Geography at UB, particularly Robert Adelman, Aaron Lee, and Peng Gao. Many thanks as well to Kelly Crean and Diane Holfelner for putting up with my many requests. I am especially grateful to Jean Kaplan for all her hard work and diligence as an amazingly skillful editor. I am very thankful for the support and encouragement of Ilene Kalish, executive editor, and Caelyn Cobb, assistant editor at NYU Press.
My friends and family members graciously tolerated my many years of obsession with anything to do with Chester. I am particularly grateful for the love, support, and kindness of Charles Hallmark, Genevieve Hinkle, Kelly Hinkle, Emilie Broderick, Mary Miller, Monica Alvarez, Amy Taylor, Val Marie Johnson, Diane Levy, and Victor Mirando. I thank you all.