Guide to the Dr. Edward E. James Papers 1950-2011
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Dr. Edward E. James Papers
- Creator
- James, Dr. Edward E.
- Collection Number
- MSS 853
- Extent
- 14.25 linear feet (3 boxes, 10 shelf volumes, 1 oversized box)
- Date
- 1950-2011
- Abstract
- Dr. Edward E. James is the first medical director of the Coraopolis Health Center in Coraopolis, Pa., which he founded in 1959. His wife, Joan Bolden James, was a teacher at Sewickley Academy where she established a Black History program during the mid-1980s. The Edward E. James Papers consists of family histories, speeches, correspondence, newspaper articles, certificates, photographs, and videotapes primarily documenting the professional lives of Dr. Edward E. James and Joan Bolden James.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
History
Dr. Edward E. James is the first medical director of the Coraopolis Health Center in Coraopolis, Pa., which he founded in 1959. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Morgan State College, and a degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. In addition to directing the Coraopolis Health Center, he served on the staff of several area hospitals, including Sewickley Valley Hospital. He married Joan Bolden, and they had two sons: Edward Joseph and Robert Alexander.
Joan Bolden James was a teacher at Sewickley Academy where she established a Black History program during the mid-1980s. Her parents were Joseph and Pauline (Allen) Bolden. After graduating from Westinghouse High School in 1952, she earned a degree at the University of Pittsburgh. Prior to her marriage, James taught elementary school for six years. After taking time off to raise her sons, she was hired as Sewickley Academy's first African American teacher in 1977. Around 1983, she established programs at Sewickley Academy and at Quaker Valley Schools to celebrate Black History Month with plays, art exhibits, and performances. Class assignments and projects were geared toward learning about African American history. James brought in African American artists for the programs, such as Gordon Parks, Gwendolyn Brooks, and Fred Morsell.
Scope and Content Notes
The Dr. Edward E. James Papers consists of family histories, speeches, correspondence, newspaper articles, certificates, photographs, and videotapes. The materials primarily document the professional lives of Edward E. James and Joan Bolden James, while some materials document the Bolden and Allen families and the marriage of Edward J. James to Loren Wilder, the daughter of former Virginia governor L. Douglas Wilder.
Series I. Dr. Edward E. James 1950-2011 (Boxes 1, 3, and 4; Shelf Volumes 1-5) This series includes Coraopolis Health Center expense records, business proposals, staff correspondence, and staff position descriptions. Additional materials in the series include Dr. James's bound Chi Delta Mu speeches, Coraopolis Health Center photographs, VHS videotapes of events at the Coraopolis Health center, and four scrapbooks that include newspaper articles, greeting cards, and photographs. Three of the scrapbooks document events at the Coraopolis Health Center. The remaining scrapbook documents Chi Delta Mu events and was put together for her husband by Joan James.
Series II. Joan Bolden James 1960-2011 (Boxes 1-3; Shelf Volumes 6-8) This series includes Joan James's Black History speeches at Sewickley Academy; programs, articles, and photographs of Black History programs, Sewickley Academy class photographs. VHS videotapes that document Black History plays and events at Sewickley Academy, and scrapbooks that include correspondence, newspaper articles, and photographs related to Black History events at Sewickley Academy.
Series III. Family c1950-c2000 (Boxes 2-4; Shelf Volumes 9 and 10) This series includes Allen and Bolden family histories, a few family photographs, and oversized materials such as a small scrapbook depicting Edward J. James's marriage to Loren Wilder, and a photograph of Edward J. and Robert James as children
Arrangement
The Dr. Edward E. James Papers are housed in 2 boxes, 1 oversized box, and 6 shelf volumes, and have been arranged into the following three series:
Series I: Dr. Edward E. James (Boxes 1, 3, and 4, Shelf Volumes 1-5)
Series II: Joan Bolden James (Boxes 1-3, Shelf Volumes 6-8)
Series III: Family (Boxes 2-4; Shelf Volumes 9 and 10)
Conditions Governing Access
None
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift from Dr. Edward E. James and Joan Bolden James in 2011.
Archives accession # 2011.0205
Preferred Citation
Dr. Edward E. James Papers, 1950-2011, MSS 853, African American Collection, Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center
Processing Information
Preliminary processing by Kelly J. Smith on 10/15/2012.
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 Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.
Separated Materials
The museum division maintains several of Dr. James's items, including his doctor's coat, stethoscope, and desk nameplate.
Subjects
- Coraopolis Health Center (Coraopolis, Pa.)
- Sewickley Academy.(Sewickley, Pa.)
- James, Dr. Edward E.
- James, Joan Bolden, 1934 -
- Black History Month
- African Americans -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh