AIDS activist Jesse Peel donated his papers to Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives and Rare Book Library, officials said Friday.

Peel, a retired psychiatrist, provided the library with journals, appointment books, subject files, correspondence and photographs. The collection includes more than 80 audio tapes he sent his mom while serving in Vietnam.

The collection demonstrates “the power of courageous inquiry and collective action to benefit the lives and health of so many,” library director Rosemary Magee said.

Peel said he chose Emory because of the library’s dedication “to preserving Atlanta’s history and its desire to include gay and lesbian history.”

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez