Guide to the Vivian Davidson Hewitt Papers, 1920-2006
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Vivian Davidson Hewitt Papers, (bulk)
- Creator
- Hewitt, Dr. Vivian Davidson
- Collection Number
- MSS#460
- Extent
- 1.25 linear feet (2 boxes)
- Date
- 1920-2006
- Date
- 1970-2006
- Abstract
- Dr. Vivian Davidson Hewitt, the first African-American librarian employed by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, was Head Librarian for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former president of the Special Libraries Association (SLA) Along with her late husband, John H. Hewitt Jr., Dr. Hewitt amassed a collection of African-American art that was sold to Bank of America in 1998. This collection, which includes correspondence, awards, and copies of articles and speeches, documents Dr. Hewitt's library career and art collecting activities, as well as her educational and family life.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Dr. Hewitt was born Vivian Ann Davidson on February 17, 1920, in New Castle, Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, to Arthur Robert and Lela Luvada (Mauney) Davidson and was the fourth of five children. The family attended the Bethel AME Church in New Castle. Dr. Hewitt graduated from New Castle High School in 1937 and then continued on to Geneva College, graduating in 1943. Following graduation from Geneva College, Dr. Hewitt moved to Pittsburgh where she attended the Carnegie Library School. At the time, the Carnegie Library School was a program of Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University). She was the second African American to graduate from the program, earning her Bachelor of Science Degree in Library Science in 1944. In 1962, the Carnegie Library School was transferred to the University of Pittsburgh and renamed the School Library of Information Sciences. Therefore, Dr. Hewitt is recognized by both Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh as an alumna.
Upon the completion of her library degree, Dr. Hewitt was employed by the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, beginning her career at the Wylie Avenue Branch in the Hill District and later moving to the Homewood Branch. Dr. Hewitt holds the distinction of being the first African-American librarian employed by that institution.
While living in Pittsburgh, she boarded with Nancy H. Lee and joined the Aurora Reading Club. Hewitt pursued post-graduate work at the University of Pittsburgh from 1947 until 1948. She next accepted a position as librarian and instructor in the Graduate School of Library Science at Atlanta University and began in her new position on September 16, 1949.
In 1951, Dr. Hewitt relocated to New York City where she worked for Crowell Publishing Company as a researcher in its Readers' Service Division, from 1953 until 1955. In November of 1955, she became Librarian for the Rockefeller Foundation. She held this position for the next seven years. During her time working for the Rockefeller Foundation, she spent the summer of 1958 operating the agricultural program library in Mexico City. In February of 1963, she became the Head Librarian for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. She held this position until her retirement in 1983, after which she accepted a position at the University of Texas, Austin, where she taught two courses during the summer of 1985.
Throughout her career, Dr. Hewitt was an active member of the Special Libraries Association (SLA). Joining in 1952, she was invited to represent the Association at the Pacem in Terris Convocation in 1965. In that same year, she was the SLA representative to the White House Conference on International Cooperation. She also served as the SLA's United Nations Non-governmental Organizations Observer from 1964 until 1970 and chaired the International Relations Committee from 1968 until 1973. In 1970, she became the first African American president of the SLA's New York chapter. From 1974 to 1979, she represented the SLA at the International Federation of Libraries and Associations (IFLA), attending conferences in Hungary, France, Switzerland, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany and Canada. In 1978, Dr. Hewitt became the international president of SLA.
Dr. Hewitt received a number of awards during her career. She was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Citation from the University of Pittsburgh-Carnegie Library School Alumni Association, the Merit Award from Carnegie Mellon University, and the L.H.D. (Honorary Doctorate) from Geneva College. She was also a recipient of the American Library Association (ALA) Black Caucus Award for Distinguished Service to Librarianship. In 1979, Dr. Hewitt was awarded Pittsburgh's First Blacks in Business and Professions Award.
While at Atlanta University, Vivian Davidson married John Hamilton Hewitt Jr. on December 26, 1949. They had one son, John H. Hewitt III, who was born January 29, 1952. Throughout their married life the Hewitts collected African-American and Haitian art. They became quite well known for their collection of fine paintings and began lending them to various institutions for exhibitions. In 1998, they sold fifty-five paintings to Bank of America. Since 1999, Bank of America has been underwriting a traveling exhibition of the works to museums and cultural centers throughout the United States.
The Hewitts celebrated fifty years of marriage in 1999. John H. Hewitt Jr., died on February 25, 2000, just a few months after their anniversary. Dr. Vivian Hewitt continues to be active in cultural activities in both her adopted home of New York City and in the Pittsburgh area.
Scope and Content Notes
The collection is housed in two boxes and contains materials relating to Dr. Hewitt's life including correspondence, materials from the colleges and events she has attended, some information about her husband and son, documents about her life as a special libraries professional and her time spent in publishing. The materials date from 1920 until 2006. Included in the collection are her professor's comments on her essays from Geneva College, her grades from the Carnegie Library School, passports, programs from various events that she attended, copies of speeches, copies of CMU magazine, materials related to her Geneva College reunions, articles that she's written and articles that have been written about her.
The Hewitts spent over fifty years collecting African-American and Haitian art. As a result they've collected articles and brochures about artists and the galleries that show their work. Also included in this section is a folder that deals exclusively with the Hewitt's art collection and the exhibits in which the paintings that they've collected have been displayed. The Hewitts also saved quite a few articles about the Sewickley Academy (Sewickley, PA) exhibit that was assembled for Black History Month in 1998.
There are a few items related to the Aurora Reading Club in Dr. Hewitt's collection. This folder contains articles about the club, meeting minutes, correspondence and some other materials. The biographical information included on Dr. Hewitt contains a couple of short biographies, presumably written by her, curriculum vitae, expired passports, blurbs that were written about her in Who's Who in America, and more. Next is a folder that contains information about the Frank Bolden Historical Marker that was erected in 2003. Another folder relates to the Carnegie Library School and contains her grades, announcements about her graduation and graduation memorabilia. Dr. Hewitt also saved those Carnegie Mellon Magazines, which she receives as an alumna of the Carnegie Library School, that contain information about her and information about homecomings and reunions, which she attends.
Dr. Hewitt has an extensive amount of correspondence in her collection. The bulk of her correspondence spans the time from the 1970s until 2006 and has been arranged chronologically. These folders contain letters, greeting cards and thank you notes, postcards, invitations, emails, and clippings. Also included in this section are copies of family newsletters and correspondence that Dr. Hewitt sent to others.
Dr. Hewitt has, over the years, saved the memorial bulletins and some news articles from friends that have died. This material is located in the folder titled, "Memorial Services." The folder titled, "Miscellaneous" contains a D.W. Griffith stamp, covers of BlackGlama magazine, mailing lists, lists of African-American artists, church bulletins, and fragments of letters. The folder "Speeches and Articles" contains articles that she wrote for E.J. Josey's The Black Librarian and The Black Librarian Revisited, her Distinguished Alumni speech from 1978, and tributes and speeches that she gave. The University of Pittsburgh folder contains information about the African Heritage room in the Cathedral of Learning as well as some correspondence for a donation that Dr. Hewitt made to the institution.
The collection also contains material about the Hewitts' visit to the White House in October 1996 for the ceremony commemorating the addition of a painting by African-American artist Henry O. Tanner, who was born in Pittsburgh, to the White House's permanent collection. The folder contains copies of the program, newspaper articles about the artist and the painting, a transcript of the remarks made by President and Mrs. Clinton, and a thank-you letter from the White House social secretary. Additionally, there is a single piece of correspondence signed by Bill Clinton thanking Vivian Hewitt for her support and encouragement.
The final group of papers consists of four folders related to Dr. Wendell Wray, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh's School of Library and Information Sciences. Included are materials about the Wendell Wray collection at Chatham College, correspondence, memorials and articles about his death in 2003, and a booklet from the New York Public Library on Wray's work on the North Manhattan Project of the New York Public Library.
Conditions Governing Access
No Restrictions.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
This collection, a gift of Dr. Vivian Davidson Hewitt, is comprised of six accessions received during the years 1995 through 2005.
Preferred Citation
Vivian Davidson Hewitt Papers, 1920-2006, MSS# 460, Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
This collection was processed by D'Arcy Jackson in June 2007.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Separated Materials
The Vivian Davidson Hewitt Photographs have been separated and cataloged as MSP #460. A separate finding aid has been created for the photographic materials.
An audio cassette pertaining to Nancy H. Lee has been separated and cataloged as MSC #460.
Pages from Dr. Hewitt's scrapbook have been cataloged as MSO#460. These pages hold memorabilia from Dr. Hewitt's life in Pittsburgh in the 1940s. They include newspaper articles, bulletins, letters and pamphlets. All of the scrapbook pages have been photocopied so that their original layout can be seen but some of them have been dismantled in order to preserve the photographs and pamphlets in a separate location.
Eight books have been transferred to the library collection.
Subjects
- University of Pittsburgh--School of Information Science.
- Aurora Reading Club.
- Geneva College.
- Carnegie Institute of Technology--Carnegie Library School.
- Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
- Hewitt, Vivian Davidson (1920-)
- Hewitt, John H., Jr.
- Lee, Nancy H.
- Wray, Wendell (1926-2003)
- Brochures
- Pamphlets
- Correspondence
- Special libraries--United States
- Art--Private collections
- African American librarians