Hale Smith Papers

Over a decade ago Hale Smith (1925-2009) described himself as "one of America's most famous unknown composers."  However, given the international outpouring of tributes and testaments to Smith after his recent death, the impact of his influence and enormity of his works seem quite apparent.  Noted often in tribute is the fact that America has lost one of its most important composers. Mr. Smith moved to New York and worked as an advisor, copyright consultant, University of Connecticut professor, and arranger, as well as performing as a jazz pianist. Eclectic in his tastes and interests, Mr. Smith also became distinguished for his composition and performance of classical music. Chamber ensembles, string orchestra works, large orchestra pieces, compositions for jazz ensembles and choirs, and incidental music were all part of his creative output. Among Hale Smith's friends, students, and colleagues are an impressive and legendary list, including Chico Hamilton, Dizzy Gillespie, Eric Dolphy, Randy Weston, Melba Liston, Ahmad Jamal, Oliver Nelson, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Marilyn Harris, Isaac Hayes, Quincy Jones, Abbey Lincoln, Jessye Norman, Horace Silver, and Howard Swanson.

Since 2004, the Hale Smith Papers at the Amistad Research Center have consisted of a small collection of correspondence, published music, news clippings, compact discs, and phonograph records, dating from 1960-2004. However, the Center is pleased to announce the receipt of the entirety of Hale Smith's papers. The Smith papers will complement a growing collection of Amistad holdings from famous musicians and composers:  opera singers Annabel Bernard, Carol Lovette Brice, and William Warfield; concert pianist Jesse Covington Dent; composer and Mahalia Jackson biographer Lorraine R. Goreau; classical composer Howard Swanson; lyric soprano Camilla Williams; jazz professor and family patriarch Ellis Marsalis, Jr.; and six time Grammy winner, producer, and record company founder Harold Battiste, Jr.

Janette Faulkner Ethnic Notions Collection

Beginning in the 1950s while still in college, Janette Faulkner began collecting African Americana materials that portrayed racial stereotypes or caricatures. Over the next forty years, she would amass one of the largest collection of such material, which included everything from advertisements to cookie jars to children’s toys to sheet music. Her collection was cited by museums, scholars, fellow collectors, and the media as providing a haunting look into how African Americans have been viewed through the lens of American popular culture.

A social worker, educator, activist, and noted collector of Black memorabilia, Ms. Faulkner passed away in June 2008. Prior to her death, she had worked to disperse her collection, and Amistad was fortunate to acquire over 500 titles of sheet music from her Ethnic Notions Collection in early 2009. This collection, dating from the 1860s to the 1960s, will be a valuable research tool on the topic of 19th and 20th century race relations. An inventory of the collection is available for consultation at Amistad, and the collection will be fully cataloged in the near future. More information about this collection can be found in the December 2009 issue of e-Amistad Reports.

Alan Wieder Collection

Dr. Alan Wieder, Professor of Education at the University of South Carolina, has donated a rich collection of original documents on the desegregation of New Orleans public schools. The materials include three scrapbooks of newspapers clippings, dating from 1960-1979; correspondence and office records of John A. Stewart, who served as principal of McDonogh 19 Elementary School when US marshals escorted Tessie Prevost, Leona Tate, and Gail Nettles into the segregated Lower 9th ward school. Other documents include two journals kept by Betty Wisdom, who was the Public Relations Director for Save Our Schools, Inc., a group dedicated to keeping New Orleans Schools open following desegregation. Her journals contain observations and reflections on that state of local schools, race relations and Louisiana politics.

A Banned Book

Garth Williams, a prominent illustrator of children’s books, was best known for his illustrations for Stuart Little (1945) and Charlotte’s Web (1952). Williams also wrote and illustrated The Rabbit’s Wedding, which was published by HarperCollins in 1958. The book, depicting the marriage between a white rabbit and a black rabbit, caused controversy in some communities and was banned by libraries as pro-segregationists viewed the book as supporting interracial love and miscegenation. Amistad has recently received a copy of Williams’ book from a collector and donor, which was once held by a library in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, and removed due to the controversy surrounding its perceived theme.