Annual Christmas Letter 2019

Dear Friends,

It's that time of year again!  I hope that 2019 was a happy, healthy, and productive year for each of you. Can you believe that we are rounding the corner on a new decade?

As I reflect on this past year, the first thing that comes to mind was the tremendous loss that the university experienced in the passing of former president, Dr. William DeLauder.  I am sure that this holiday season will be difficult for his family, and I wish them to know that they are in my thoughts. I was honored to have met Dr. DeLauder several years ago, and I am eternally grateful for his  donation to the archives.  Included in his donation were some Board of Trustee minutes that are highly valued.

The second thing that comes to mind is the outstanding progress that has been made in the digital realm. Amazingly, 113 volumes of yearbooks and course catalogs have been digitized in 2019 and we're not done yet! In the next few days before the holiday you can expect to see several more catalogs hit the web.

The number of reference interactions in 2019 was up by 23% from last year! This is a significant increase, and I am so delighted to have met so many new faces.  Our constituents continue to be representative of a diverse population. This year's patrons included individuals from Dartmouth College, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Delaware Historical Society, University of Colorado, University of Maryland, New Jersey State Library, Phoenicia Public Library, and of course all of my favorite alumni, administrators, and students. It is my pleasure to serve you.

What will next year hold for the archives? For starters, it will be a new year under a new president. When we return to campus on January 6th we will welcome Dr. Tony Allen as our fearless leader. Second, I am looking forward to using my organizational skills on behalf of the university for a very exciting and vital committee assignment. Third, I hope to continue to expand the digitized collections by moving on to the Board of Trustee minutes. Whatever happens in 2020 I hope that you will continue to join me on this journey.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and desire all the best for you in the new year.

Cheers,
Joy

New Athletics Exhibit Open

In keeping with tradition, the archives kicked off the new school year with by installing a new gallery exhibit.

The focus of this year's display is Delaware State University's vibrant athletics history. It features athletics artifacts and photographs spanning from as early as 1950 through the current day.  Archival photographs represent our oldest history while more recent history is represented through signed jerseys, game balls, and other paraphernalia on loan from the athletic advising department. The room is additionally festooned with historic pennants from the Prettyman family collection.

I invite you to come view the exhibit. The gallery is open during library hours of operation from 8:00 am until 12:00 am Monday through Thursday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm on Friday, 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Saturday, and 2:00 pm to 10:00 pm on Sunday. See you soon!

Archives Artwork in the New Dorm

Strips of Hornet newspapers
make up this wallpaper

Hello Archives Friends! You may have seen the university's recent Facebook posts about the opening of Tubman Laws Hall or the flikr images from move-in day. If you have, you've seen a beautiful, modern, comfortable space for students to live, study, play, and relax.  Did you know, however, that the university archives made significant contributions to the interior decor?

For a year and a half, I worked to provide a design contractor with archival materials. The archival images, historic slogans, vintage hornet, and Hornet student newspapers were transformed into unique interior decor features.

The most obvious feature is a mural of significant university figures and buildings. For the students walking by, the mural looks like an awesome collage of hand-drawn figures.  To me, and maybe my astute patrons, however, I can pinpoint specific photographs that helped to create this work of art. Additional features include wallpaper in the mailroom which is made from strips of Hornet newspapers, framed black and white images on the walls, a historic campus map framing the bricks and cornerstones from Tubman and Laws, and the vintage Hornet mascot that graces the wall behind the front desk in the entry way.

I never got to see the mock-up art before its final installation, but I'm glad.  It was far nicer to be surprised by the final product.  In the end, this is yet another way that the archives is making its presence felt on campus and contributing to the university.

Do you see this barn and tractor in the collage below? 

Collection Spotlight: DSC Sports Photographs, 1945-1965

Hello friends! I hope you’ve had a wonderful summer.  Classes resumed this week, and August is quickly passing. It’s been a while since I featured a collection so I thought I’d shine the spotlight on the Delaware State College Sports Photograph collection, an acquisition from January 2017.

This collection is comprised of black and white sports photographs from the era of Bennie J. “Catfish” George.  Mr. George was an athletic coach and physical education teacher at Delaware State College starting in the 1950’s and continuing well into the 1960’s. Mr. George held a bachelors degree from DSC (1947), and during his time as a student he was captain of both the football and basketball teams.  Due to his quick, "slippery" moves on the football field, he ultimately earned the Catfish moniker.  Two years after graduation, Mr. George's athletic performance earned him an appointment as the assistant football and basketball coach, and head baseball coach.  Over his men's basketball coaching career, he attained a record of 360 wins and 125 defeats with only two losing seasons in a 30-year period. Mr. George was named coach of the year for baseball (1954), football (1956), and basketball (1966) in the CIAA conference.

Given the significance and formidablity of Bennie George's career, it was therefore thrilling to receive a collection of men’s basketball, baseball, football, and fencing photographs dated between 1945 and 1965. This accession additionally fills the sizable gap in the Office of Public Relations photographs which are largely from 1960 and later.

As always, I invite you to visit the archives to view this and other collections. Give me a call at 302-857-6130 to set up an appointment. I hope to see you soon! 

Welcome back students!

It's a big week from Delaware State University! The faculty and staff are looking forward to welcoming the incoming freshman starting tomorrow and the upperclassman later this weekend.  Campus will be buzzing as students either make new friends or get reacquainted with their classmates.

Over the next few days they will be settling into their residence halls, and some of them will have the pleasure of being the first-ever residents of our newest hall (word around town is that it will be called Tubman-Laws, but we'll found out during a dedication ceremony later this semester). 

For those of you will be embarking on a shopping excursion with your roomate or suitemates, I thought you would enjoy some inspiration from these archival photographs.

1) Chic Curtains: These circa 1990s Medgar Evers residents must have had some help from their moms or girlfriends. Either way, I'm diggin' the matching bedspreads and curtains.

2) Statement furniture: When confronted with bland white walls and standardized furniture, nothing brightens up a college dorm like a comfortable chair. It makes those long study nights a little more bearable. Houseplants are also a must. 

3) Pictures of Home: No room would be complete without a picture of mom. It's nice to have a reminder of those who love you and who are supporting you in your journey. Don't forget to say thank you.

3)Homey Bedspreads: Okay so this one isn't actually a dorm room. It's the home economics practice house, but all the same, it's something to aspire to.  A bedspread is one of the most personal statements a student can make. Don't forget to make it in the morning.

From the staff of the William C. Jason Library, I wish you the best of luck this semester!  Don't forget that we are always here to support your research and to help you become a better scholar. See you soon! 

Digitization continues

Hello everybody,

A quick update about the DSpace digital repository- I'm moving forward with a second collection!  Back in February I completed the digitization of the yearbooks and I watched to see how the community would use them.  I'm happy to say that these digital resources have been a game changer for both administrators and alumni.  Both constituent groups are able to independently conduct research.

I am now advancing the digital repository further by adding course catalogs. The catalogs describe not only the courses of study and credit counts, but also the physical campus, faculty credentials, expenses, rules for students, and social activities. In the case of our earliest catalogs, there are also annual reports from the president.

As of today, there are 25 course catalogs uploaded to DSpace.  The digitization of the catalogs is currently ongoing and the content will be uploaded as it is created.  Check back regularly to see new additions to the collection.  https://desu.dspacedirect.org/handle/20.500.12090/399

Yours,
Joy

Tubman Hall Time Capsule Opened

As Tubman Hall was demolished this summer a time capsule was removed from the building's cornerstone. A few weeks after, I found myself standing alone in my office with hammer in hand, poised to pry open the box.  Remember the guy in Indiana Jones whose face melts when he gazes upon the arc of the covenant? That's what I was thinking about. I wondered what form of boogieman might pop out.

Unfortunately, the box was one giant disappointment.  Not only were there no monsters, but the paper disintegrated and any secrets contained within were permanently lost.  It was not difficult to guess what happened.  When I first looked at the led capsule I noticed a pinhole in one of the corners.  In fact, I used that weak spot as the starting point to pry it open.  Significant moisture must have leached into the box through the hole and destroyed all of the contents.  The paper did not bend or fold as one would expect.  Instead it crumbled at the slightest touch.

When I first peered into the box the papers looked whole. Within a the span of just a few blinks of the eye, however, it looked like a confetti bomb had deployed in my office.   The first item that I removed, a small booklet, exploded in mid-air and fluttered to the ground.  I never even had a chance to read it.

Regrettably, the vast majority of the contents ended up in the library cleaning lady's vacuum cleaner where it is forever lost to me. A reel of film was easily identified, but the emulsion that held the images onto the film was washed away. I was able to salvage a few items - an architectural drawing of campus, a high school dance recital program, a 1951-1952 freshman handbook, a 1950-1952 student handbook, a program from the laying of the Tubman cornerstone, and an Omega Psi Phi fraternity "Trusting Hearts" event program.

If you are interested in viewing the time capsule content I would be happy to email you the scans or photographs that were captured for each item. Please note that due to preservation concerns, access to the physical items is restricted.
 

Goodbye Tubman Hall

Tubman Hall in 1977. Named for Harriet Tubman, the building was three stories with a 108 bed capacity.  Although it served both male and female students across its lifespan, Tubman was primarily home to female freshmen. 

Last summer we "turned the lights out" at Laws Hall in order to start the construction of a new 620-bed housing facility. As the academic year passed we watched the building grow to a stature we never imagined and at a rate we could hardly believe.

This summer we are saying goodbye to yet another residence hall. Just days after students moved out of Tubman Hall, the construction workers moved in and began demolition.  The building must be removed in order to make way for the second section of the new facility (projected to be completed in August).

Personally, I am sorry to see Tubman Hall go.  Unlike many of you, the alumni, I do not have sentimental attachments. However, for me, Tubman was symbolic of this our predecessors' perseverance and faith in the future. Tubman was built at a very uncertain time in DSU's history.  In 1949 the institution lost accreditation and was immediately thrown into turmoil.  Most significantly, there were talks of merging Delaware State College with University of Delaware.  Tubman was constructed in 1952 despite  tremendous uncertainty.  The very fact that Tubman was constructed, and with state appropriations, tells me that there were individuals with confidence in the college.

Sixty-seven years later, Tubman has served its purpose.  It was a voice for the future and it got to be a part of the drastic growth at Delaware State College. Today Tubman must bow out in order to allow the current generation to make new assertions for the future. Even as it closes its doors, Tubman remains a symbol of the aspiration and foresight of our leadership.

Did you live in Tubman? Do you have any fond memories? Comment below.

Left:Tubman Hall in the initial stages of demolition, May 22,2019.  Right: Phase I of the new dormitory under construction

Book Binding School

Last month I attended a book binding workshop in order to learn how to replace and rebuild a hardcover. It was much more intense process than I ever imagined. Before beginning the workshop I thought, perhaps like you, that a cover was simply cloth-covered cardboard that is glued to paper pages. I couldn't have been more wrong! There are so many more components - bookcloth wrapped around binding board, peach board, paper tubes, endbands, ribbon bookmarks, two different kinds of tissue paper linings, paste, glue, and fabric.  Making a book also requires numerous tools including two kinds of presses, board shears, two kinds of scalpels, and rulers and other measuring devices just to name a few.

My introductory education into book binding was a two-day process in which an instructor demonstrated the techniques and tools required. By following along, I was able to repeat these steps on a book of my own.  By the end of the workshop I had completely rebuilt my book and made it stronger than ever.

A result of my education was a deeper understanding of how the construction of books affects their preservation.  For example, when applying the book cloth to the binding book (ie the outer most layer of the cover) I folded the fabric incorrectly resulting in a small bulge at the corner of the cover.  In the future that bulge will likely result in a hole in the cloth because of the increased friction as the book slides on and off a shelf. It is this level of minutia detail that I was previously unaware of and did not know how to look for. I believe that this workshop will make me a better archivist as I continually seek to preserve DSU's collections. It may also inspire a new hobby.

My book was stripped of its original cover and all of the
glue and linings that held it together. Here it has been
reduced to the text block which is held together only by stitching.

After a new cover was measured and cut, my book was placed in a
nipping press where it was "trained" to form the
characteristic dip or crease between the spine and the covers. 

In addition to building a cover, I also learned to set type
in order to print the gold leaf title for a spine label.

In Memoriam: President Emeritus William B. DeLauder

Delaware State University is grieved to announce the passing of Dr.William B. DeLauder, President Emeritus.  Dr. DeLauder served as the president of Delaware State College, later University, from 1987 until his retirement in 2003.

President DeLauder's tenure was marked by significant growth in every aspect of the campus community. This  included student enrollment, infrastructure, the addition of seven masters degree programs, fundraising, and the development of the Office of Sponsored Programs which set the university on the path towards becoming the research institution that it is today.

At the time of Dr. DeLauder's passing the archives was nearing the completion of the processing of his collection.  It is anticipated that the Office of the President - William B. DeLauder collection will be finalized and made publicly available by the end of the month.  Patrons can expect to find series related to correspondence, subjects, travel, reports and publications, meetings, and grant awards. This post will be updated when the finding aid is published online.

Please see the University's official statement: https://www.desu.edu/news/2019/05/campus-mourns-passing-former-president-william-delauder

**UPDATE: 5/31/2019 The Office of the President - William B. DeLauder collection finding aid has been published to the DSU Archives LibGuide. https://desu.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=48490111

MayDay! MayDay! Preservation tips for your personal records

Every May 1st the cultural heritage community (libraries, archives, and museums) evaluate their disaster plans and come together to advocate for the continued safety of our communities' valued collections.  MayDay! MayDay! Get it? Librarians have a very punny sense of humor.

In all seriousness, tragedies such as the recent fire at Notre Dame demonstrate that the unthinkable is possible.  I'd wager that the average French citizen in Paris on the morning of April 15, 2019 never dared to imagine that several hours later their nation's priceless artifacts would be threatened or lost. Although we walk through daily life without fear of disaster, threats may loom.  Even if a tragedy never strikes, it's important to be prepared. 

Toward that end, I hope that this MayDay you will take caution for your personal records and treasures. The following are some suggested steps that you can take to safeguard your papers. 

1. If you do nothing else, remove your records from the attic or basement. These are the most hazardous places for paper materials. Records stored here are more likely to be damaged by pests or deteriorate due to significant fluctuations in temperature and humidity. Flooding or leaking roofs are also a factor. 
2. Know where your irreplaceable records are and store them together.  In the event you have to leave your home quickly you will want personal records to be easily accessible and transportable. "Irreplaceable" documents include Passports, Social Security cards, birth certificates, deeds, insurance papers, etc.  This is in contrast to sentimental records which evoke strong emotions and have personal meaning. If you have "go-box" for records, don't weight it down with the sentimental records.
3. Make copies and store them separately of the originals. If you have photographs or records that hold great meaning to you, consider making duplicates.  Don't store the originals and the copies together. Better yet, put geographical distance between them by sharing copies with family members.  This same principle applies to digital records.  Don't entrust all your records to one computer or external storage device.
4. Keep records at least two (2) feet off the floor.  It is advisable to keep records out of flood-prone areas including anything lower that two feet off of a ground-floor. Four feet is better. 
5. Label, label, label. Unfortunately, human memory is also fallible. I have innumerable photographs in the DSU archives that are unidentified and there are few people alive today who can recall the individuals or events depicted.  Although you think you know what's happening in a photograph today, tomorrow might be another story.  Preserve your personal and family history by labeling photographs and home videos. 

Hopefully these are steps that you can take today with little or no expense.  The purpose of MayDay is not to decry lack of funding or inhibitions to disaster preparedness. The purpose is to recognize that we all have steps that we can take to mitigate disaster to our treasures and ourselves. Look around.  What can you do to promote safety?

The Delaware State University Mace

The countdown to commencement is running with just ten days to go until we recognize the class of 2019. Also, shout out to the DSC class of 1969 who will be commemorating the 50 years since their graduation! 

At this moment the university is preparing the grounds, and we, the faculty, are pulling our regalia out of the closets. Among the heraldry being "spiffed up" is the university's academic mace (pictured above in 1986). 

The tradition of a ceremonial mace dates to the middle ages when the processional of a sovereign or high official would be marked by a proceeding mace-bearer. Today maces are most commonly seen in government and academic institutions.  The United States House of Representatives, for example, has a highly symbolic mace of 13 ebony rods held together by silver strands and is topped by a globus and eagle. 

Delaware State University's mace is simplistic in appearance but contains much symbolism.  It was designed and constructed in 1963 by John McCollough, an assistant professor of art education. It is reminiscent of traditional English ceremonial maces from the 14th century.  It is composted of a crowned globus to signify royal authority.  The mace is constructed from silver and wood from seven continents - ebony from Africa, lace wood from Australia, rosewood from Africa and India, mahogany from the Philippines, pear wood from Switzerland, lignum vitae from South American and walnut from North America.  The globus, or sphere represents the universe and the roles of art and science within it. The globus has a second meaning in that it is also meant to be symbolic of an atom.  The silver crown, shaped like a star at the top of the globus represents the increasing significance of the space and technology age (the mace was made in 1963 when NASA was only five years old). 

The mace was formerly carried by Dr. Ulyssess S. Washington who served as the university's grand marshal from 1953 until 2004. Thereafter, the title and the honor of bearing the mace was bestowed on Dr. Mable Renee Morrison, associate professor of music.  Dr. Morrison has been a highly respected faculty member for 57 years. On May 11, 2019 she will again lead the commencement processional just ahead of President Wilma Mishoe. 

President Wilma Mishoe holds the mace on the occasion of her investiture ceremony on December 8, 2018. 

The mace at the 1969 commencement. 
Congratulations to the class of 1969 on your golden anniversary. 

Happy National Library Week! April 7-13, 2019

Hello Friends! It's National Library Week! This year the American Library Association has chosen a theme of Libraries = Stronger Communities.  As ALA says, "Libraries are at the heart of our cities, towns, schools and campuses, providing critical resources, programs and expertise. They also provide a public space where all community members, regardless of age, culture or income level, can come together to connect and learn." Here at Delaware State University the William C. Jason Library is both the physical and intellectual intersection of campus. We are a link between science and art, social and academic, faculty and student, campus and community. We strive to serve all and we are proud to be your librarians.

In honor of Library week I thought we would take look at the history of the library and it's namesake:

The William C. Jason Library is named in honor of Delaware State University's longest serving president. President Jason's tenure, from 1895 to 1923, was punctuated by expansive growth of both the student body and campus infrastructure.  His achievement is fully appreciated with the recognition that, despite being a public school, financial support from Delaware State was initially insufficient.

In 1902 the Board of trustees approved President Jason's request to public ally raise $1,000 for campus improvements.  The president's fundraising efforts took the form of a speaking tour that resulted in 700 pledges largely received from the African American community.  While the pledges totaled $1,112, regrettably, only $533 was received.

The money was frugally applied to the construction of a chapel (left).  In lieu of hiring laborers, the professors of the industrial arts program developed courses around the chapel's construction. Additionally, bricks from the slave quarters of the Loockerman plantation were recycled to lessen the cost of materials.

By the 1920's the perpetual pattern of college-wide growth required the chapel to be converted into a library.  Further growth resulted in the construction of the current library in 1975 with an addition in 1991 (below). The early chapel structure, now known as the Thomasson Building, remains today and can be found at the end of the campus mall.

The expansion of the current William C. Jason Library in 1991. 

This month in History: March 1966 response to NAACP resolution

On February 23, 1966 the Delaware State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP, issued a resolution stating "We contend that education provides the fundamental medium for the perpetuation of segregation and discrimination in our society. Delaware State College continues as this medium of injustice."  It accused DSC of "tokenisum" by virtue of the small number of white students. Furthermore, the resolution calls for the closure of Delaware State College in order to perpetuate the integration of University of Delaware which was begun in 1950.

The letter bearing the resolution was sent to DSC President Mishoe by Littleton P. Mitchell, President of the Delaware State Conference of NAACP.  Mitchell had been a member of the NAACP since he was thirteen.  In the 1930's he completed high school at Howard High and spent two years at West Chester University of Pennsylvania on an athletic scholarship. His collegiate education was cut short when he joined World War II as a flight instructor for the Tuskegee Airman.  I personally wonder how these experiences, attending a segregated high school and serving the US Army in a segregated unit, must have impacted him. Mitchell became a formidable force for the NAACP and served as a conference president for more than thirty years. Among his many accomplishments he successfully led the movement for the desegregation of Delaware hospitals.

In March of 1966, after receiving the NAACP resolution,  President Luna I. Mishoe was obviously dismayed with its message. He drafted a thirteen page special report to the Board of Trustees and painstakingly responded to every accusation Mitchell had publicly laid against Delaware State College.  His chief message was "From all evidence available to me, this College is at least 10% integrated and the chart is still moving upward.  This cannot be accurately called tokenism when most of this happened within the past THREE years...Our faculty is more than 30% integrated."

To me, what is interesting is that today's society commonly perceives the NAACP as fighting against white institutions that barred blacks. What this resolution reminds us is that the NAACP fought against all segregation. In fact, the NAACP resolution states, "It is our position that each of Delaware's institutions of higher learning is segregated...As a result, therefore, Negro and white students of both institutions continue to receive an inferior education." I don't wish to speak for Littleton Mitchell, but what I would like to think he was conveying is the idea that students of any race cannot learn from each other's experiences if they do not learn together. 

The NAACP resolution may be viewed in the Harriet R. Williams Collection; box 2; folder 5, part 2.  If you would like to study the current statistics on the make-up of the student body you may be interested in the Delaware State University Factbooks viewable at https://www.desu.edu/academics/academic-affairs/institutional-effectiveness/institutional-research-planning-analytics/fact-book. 

Department of Nursing Records Acquired

This month the archives acquired a substantial number of records from the nursing department. I am very pleased to say that this is a valuable and surprisingly complete acquisition. 

Up to this point in my tenure at DSU I have acquired the bulk of the archives' records from basements and abandoned closets.  Consequently, I am accustomed to working with collections that are frequently disjointed, have large gaps in data, lack provenance, or are disheveled to the point that they cannot be pieced together. I am pleased to say that in the case of the Department of Nursing records it was the quite the opposite! The records were shockingly well-ordered and made my job nearly effortless.

The nursing collection is complete in the sense that it contains a nursing degree program proposal from 1972 when the idea for a nursing course was first conceived. The development of the department through the 1970s may be clearly seen through written proposals, funding requests, and supporting documentation.  Additionally, patrons will be able to clearly trace the history of department through a large number of reports drafted for accrediting institutions and the Delaware Board of Nursing. All in all, while gaps do exist (primarily for the 1980s) they are not extensive.

I'd like to give a huge shout out to the Nursing Department for making this big step forward! The faculty and senior secretary deserve recognition for their clear appreciation for history.  Not only were the records well organized, but the department sought me out.  I did not have to cajole them into transferring records.  Rather, they were eager to contribute and recognized the benefits for all parties involved. Thank you Nursing Department!

Patrons may view the finding aid on the archive's LibGuide at https://desu.libguides.com/c.php?g=548691&p=3764808.

Delaware State College/University Yearbooks now being Digitized

Visit the digitized University Archives at: https://desu.dspacedirect.org/handle/20.500.12090/348

 I am excited to announce that the DSU archives has launched a new tool for sharing digitized content and making it just a little bit easier for long-distance patrons to access archival collections.  DSpace is a digital repository or what could be described as a virtual representation of the physical archives. Although it will take some time, the most prominent collections of the DSU archives will be digitized and made available online. 

Last month I conducted a survey of 50 constituents to learn how you, the users, might use the repository and to determine what content would be most valuable.  The overwhelming majority (90% of participants) specified that yearbooks would be the most useful collection.  As a result, I made the digitization of the yearbooks a top priority.  To date, the 1985-2007 yearbooks have been digitized and uploaded to the repository.  More are on the way! You can view them here.

Thank you to all who participated in the survey.  Please know that your input is valued and I will do my best to meet your requests.  If you didn't participate in the survey but would like to comment or offer suggestions you can do so in the comments below or email me at rscherry@desu.edu. Any feedback is welcome. 

Lastly, the archives has several gaps in the yearbook collection.  I would love to hear from you if you possess or have any information about the Statesman yearbooks listed below.  Even if you are not willing to be parted with your yearbook, would you consider loaning it so that may be digitized?

• any Statesman made prior to 1960 except for 1947
• 1962 Statesman
• 1963 Statesman
• 1964 Statesman
• 1965 Statesman
• 1977 Statesman
• 1978 Statesman
• 1984 Statesman

***3/18/2019 UPDATE: All of the yearbooks have now been digitized.  https://desu.dspacedirect.org/handle/20.500.12090/348

#ColorOurCollections

Each year the New York Academy of Medicine hosts a #ColorOurCollections imitative.  Participating archival and library institutions submit digitized coloring books composed of  sketches and artworks found within their collections.  Patrons are encouraged to color the images and post them to Twitter with the hashtag #ColorOurCollections. You can view the coloring books at https://library.nyam.org/colorourcollections/

Although the Delaware State University Archives is not a formal participant in the movement, I thought it would be fun to offer you a similar opportunity. Share your artworks @desu.library and  #ColorOurCollections. I can't wait to see your artistic skills.

Below: This artwork was scanned from the 1976 Statesman yearbook.  The artist is Allen Smiley  who was a Freshman at the time of publication.

Found: Harriet R. Williams research notes

While sifting through some of the remaining unprocessed collections I came across a box full of handwritten notes on yellow notepads.  Each note contained cramped, cursive handwriting that filled the entirety of the page with notations about the history of Delaware State College.  At first glance there was no identifying information to be able to know to whom the research belonged. However, a second flip through the pages revealed clues - reminders about hair appointment, the chemistry club, and Administrative Council meetings.

It became evident that this was the work of Harriet Ruth Williams, a chemistry professor and prominent university figure from 1941 until c. 1993.  She is the second-longest serving professor in the history of the university and was a central figure in the growth of the science department during Luna I. Mishoe's early presidency. She additionally served the university as an administrator for public relations, alumni relations, admissions, and academic affairs to name a few.

Toward the end of her career and into retirement Dr. Williams had been compiling a comprehensive history of then-Delaware State College with the hopes of writing a book. She never completed the book and for a long time the location of her research notes was unknown to us.  Myself and campus historians believed them to be forever gone.

It therefore with great pleasure that I announce the existence of the notes and drafts for what appears to be "Chapter One" of Dr. Williams' manuscript.   The research primarily discusses the history of the Loockerman Family, Morrill Acts, and the incorporation of the college.  There are additionally scattered notes for the Webb and Gregg presidencies.  If you would like to view the full finding aid for the collection you may find it on the archives LibGuide or at https://desu.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=46335455

.

Mr. Townsend and the Polish Prince by Mike Gastineau

The DSU archives is celebrating yet another landmark achievement! For the first time ever, the archives and I, by name, have received acknowledgement in a book.

Last year Mr. Mike Gastineau visited the William C. Jason Library to conduct research regarding the 1981 DSC football team and its controversial coach, Mr. Joe Purzycki. At that time he examined Board of Trustee records, news clippings, and sports media guides. These records, in conjunction with conversations with Mr. Purzycki, led to a book.

Mr. Townsend and the Polish Prince tells the story of the racial tensions that resulted from an unprecedented move by Delaware State University to hire a white coach football. After a embarrassing 1980 season, concluded by a 105-0 loss to Portland State University, the then-athletic director, Nelsen Townsend, decided a radical change was necessary. Townsend hired Purzycki, the assistant football coach at University of Delaware.

When Purzycki came to work on his first day, he had to force his way through a picket line of students protesting his presence on campus and seventeen scholarship players immediately quit the team. Despite these and numerous other challenges, Purzycki won the admiration of the DSC community and ultimately turned the team around.

I haven't read Mr. Townsend and the Polish Prince, yet, but I am eager to begin.  This a chapter of University history that I was hitherto unaware of, and I'm grateful to Mr. Gastineau for bringing it to the limelight.

If you'd like to learn more about this story you can checkout the book's website at https://thepolishprince.com/ or you can purchase the book on Amazon.  It is available in both paperback and kindle editions. https://www.amazon.com/Mr-Townsend-Polish-Prince-redemption/dp/1728922488

Congratulations Mr. Gastineau and Mr. Purzycki!