Seton Hall University Professor Emeritus Richard Connors will commemorate the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I with a lecture Wed., Oct. 8, 3 p.m. in the Walsh Library Archives Reading Room on the South Orange campus. “World War I: A Centennial Perspective,” will explore the military and geopolitical ramifications of the Great War that was supposed to be “the war to end all wars.” The public is invited to the free lecture.
“Historians see World War I as the defining event of the 20th century. It destroyed four empires and marked the end of a Europe-centered world,” said Connors. “What emerged were a new perspective and a new reality – a world society, a global economy, a world politics. When we think of the 20th century – of the U.S. and Japan as world powers, of Hitler, Mussolini and Stalin, of World War II and the Cold War, of Middle East and Balkan crises – the seeds go back to 1914-19.”
In conjunction with his lecture, Connors’ collection of World War I models, maps, books, posters and pictures are on exhibit at the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center in the University library.
We are pleased to have Dr. Connors bring his knowledge of World War I to Seton Hall and share his personal collection with us. A natural story-teller, his talk will generate interest in a war which saw “so many people die for so little reason” – a war which changed how wars are fought and how we see our country and our world. “Our personal and cultural perspectives are largely shaped by our history,” he said. “That’s why it is so important to revisit it regularly.”
Category: Exhibits
WWI: A Centennial Exhibition
The first installment of our three-part series commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Great War is now on display in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, and will remain until 31 October 2014.
This portion of the exhibit is focused on the beginning of the war, including a set of lead figurines depicting the assassination of Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and a diorama of a trench which illustrates the crowded, cramped quarters that were endured by soldiers on the Western Front.
In addition, there are figurines depicting early French and German uniforms, models of planes used in the war, and figurines depicting Ottoman soldiers during the Gallipoli campaign in 1915. The objects in the exhibit curated by Brianna LoSardo, Special Collections Assistant, are on loan from former history professor and Provost, Dr. Richard Connors.
Throughout the exhibit we are showcasing rare books from our Archives which contain photographs and illustrations of the war, as well as a collection of poetry written during and about the Great War. Maps and art prints complete the display.
The exhibit can be viewed any time the Walsh Library is open, in the display cases across from Walsh Gallery. It will be followed by the second installment on 1 November 2014.
Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center Commemorates the Centenary of World War I
On 28 June, 1914, Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary, and his wife, Duchess Sophia, were assassinated by a Bosnian Serb, setting in motion the events that would erupt into what became known as the Great War, the War to End all Wars, World War I. As we know, it did not end all war, but as commemorations take place over the next year to remember the 100th anniversary, we will be adding our commemoration by means of an exhibit in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, ground floor, Walsh Library.
We begin with items that refer to two famous pilots – the Red Baron, Manfred von Richthofen (2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), and The American Ace of Aces, Eddie Rickenbacker, (October 8, 1890 – July 27, 1973).
Then in August, we will present three installments over nine months combining models, dioramas, figures and prints with archival material to commemorate the inception of the Great War.
The first installment, running from 1 August through 31 October, 2014, includes figures of the assassinations of the Archduke and his wife, a British trench and armored car, maps of Europe at the beginning of the War and of the Schleiffen Plan, illustrations of French and German uniforms, and figures representing the Galipoli Campaign which began 15 April 1915. Poems by writers including Clinton Scollard, Katharine Tynan, Rupert Brooke, Josephine Burr, G. K. Chesterton, John Drinkwater, Violet Gillespie, Corporal Malcolm C. Murray and Joyce Kilmer, along with plates from rare volumes of the time, will amplify these exhibits.
Second, from 1 November 2014 to 31 January 2015 we will show models of British, French and German artillery, the Red Baron’s ACE01 Fokker DR1, Eddie Rickenbacker’s Sopwith Camel, as well as other planes, tanks and armored cars paired with archival memories of the time.
Last, from 1 February – 30 April 2015 we will show a map of Europe after the War, British and German foot soldiers, a regimental aid post where care was provided to the wounded, women in the war, T. E. Lawrence and the Arab Revolt, along with poems and depictions of uniforms.
Please come to enjoy the evolution of our exhibit.
Better Living Through Chemistry & Setonia – An Exhibit Honoring the 50th Anniversary of the First Ph.D. Program on Campus
The history of Chemistry at Seton Hall had its start as a study option from the beginning days of its move to South Orange as part of the early “Mathematical Course” during the mid-nineteenth century. From here, Chemistry became a very popular attraction from which pupils found a means of scientific expression that would expand greatly after World War II on both the undergraduate and graduate level prior to the introduction of doctoral level offerings by the mid-1960s. This discipline has subsequently grown and endured as an important major choice of many students into the present day. With this in mind, a celebration of Chemistry and its place on campus is presently on display at the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center.
This exhibit will provide a brief textual and visual overview showcasing the evolution of how the wonder of Chemistry has made its impact on the life of students, faculty, and the world at large. Included are various early nineteenth century written works and mid-twentieth century primers from our Rare Book and Setonia Text Book Collections that celebrate the development of Chemistry experimentation and have practical applications to pioneering practitioners in the field.
On a more local level, viewers will find lecture notes taken by Seton Hall student Alden A. Freeman during the 1879-80 term, information about pioneering faculty members, and photographic examples that show the evolution of lab space and structures over the years from Alumni Hall to the present day McNulty Science complex. Of particular note is the dissertation and a biographical sketch acknowledging the contributions of our first Ph.D. recipient Dr. William N. Knopka during the mid-1960s. Additional textual examples from the University Archives and tools of the trade on loan through the courtesy of Mr. David Edwards from the Science Department show further details regarding the curriculum, public programming, and student life associated with the Chemistry Department over its last five decades of educational outreach to the scientific community.
Hopefully your reaction will be a positively charged one while taking in the historical relevance of how Chemistry and Seton Hall evolved successfully over time.
Second Vatican Council Event Thursday, November 21 in the Chancellor’s Suite
50 years after the Second Vatican Council, scholars, clergy, and Catholics all over the world are still considering the impact of one of the major Church events of the last century. For those with an interest in religious studies or Church history, this is an important time of discussion, analysis, sharing, and review.
The Department of Catholic Studies has put together the event “Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Second Vatican Council: Celebrating the Decree on Ecumenism,” taking place tomorrow, November 21 2013. This afternoon event will feature speakers and a panel discussion on Unitatis redintegratio, the Council’s document on ecumenism. The full program linked above lists the speakers, topics, and timeline, and the main portion of the event will take place from 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m in the Chancellor’s Suite.
The Archives and Special Collections Center is participating in this special event with a display of collection materials related to the Council. Including materials from the John M. Oesterreicher papers, the George Shea papers, the Martin W. Stanton papers, the Walter W. Curtis papers, and the Mrs. Frank Whitrock scrapbooks, this selection highlights the involvement of some of those from the Archdiocese of Newark who participated in the Council, as well as how those at home saw it unfold. This display shows photographs, Council documents, writings, pamphlets, newsclippings, and invitations from these five collections and is just a small sample of related materials held at the A&SCC. More information can be found in the flyer put together by the Department of Catholic Studies. For more information on research materials related to the Second Vatican Council held by the A&SCC, consult our LibGuide page on Vatican 2 collections.
The A&SCC wishes to thank Dr. Ines Murzako and the entire Department of Catholic Studies as well as Dr. John Buschman, Dean of University Libraries, for inclusion in this event.
Leonard Dreyfuss and New Jersey Civil Defense Display in the Archives
Currently on display in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room are items from the Leonard Dreyfuss papers, 1786-1972 (bulk 1931-1972), Mss 0001.
Leonard Dreyfuss was a resident of Newark and the city’s Outstanding Citizen of the Year in 1942. A businessman in advertising, Dreyfuss was also very active in war efforts on the home front during World War 2, and continued his civil defense involvement after the war.
The United States Civil Defense was a non-military organization created to prepare and educate Americans on potential military attacks. Their purpose was to create and inform civilians of evacuation plans, fallout shelters and routes, survival skills, and alerts. Local chapters of Civil Defense created newsletters, passed out pamphlets, and held demonstrations and test alerts so citizens would be prepared. Leonard Dreyfuss was heavily involved with the organization’s activities in New Jersey, particularly in Newark, and served on the Governor’s Civil Defense Advisory Committee during the 1950s.
Items on display include materials related to Civil Defense activities in New Jersey, including photographs and newsclippings, and items published or distributed by Civil Defense, including pamphlets, armbands, and a poster. These items demonstrate the kind of organized efforts made by local citizens to prepare for conflict. During the Second World War, Americans were concerned with supporting the war effort and about the possibility of the conflict suddenly coming to American soil; after the war, nuclear war and weapons of mass destruction became a major concern for most Americans. The materials on display reveal one aspect of how local people tried to address those concerns and prepare for the worst.
How do you see these activities and materials from the 1940s-1960s, and how does that compare to similar concerns today? How do you think people deal with fear of conflict at home, and do you think it has changed over time? View the materials on display and get a historical perspective!
These items will be on display through November, 2013. Special thanks go to Lucia Alvarez, intern at the Archives and Special Collections Center, for putting much of this display together.
Online exhibit from the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA)
The Archives and Special Collections Center at Seton Hall University is proud to be a part of the new web exhibit Treasures from the Catholic Research Resources Alliance (CRRA): Women Religious. This exhibit, conceived of by SHU Librarian Marta Deyrup, highlights archival and special collections materials related to women’s religious orders held by a variety of institutions, both by members of the CRRA and non-members. Thirteen institutions contributed images on a variety of topics and in a variety of formats, making for a diverse and fascinating exhibit.
Each contributing institution gave information about the collection from which they included images. Some collections focus on a particular school, highlighting the academic and service contributions of the sisters and educators, while other collections focus on a particular order, documenting the missionary, nursing, or other work performed by the sisters of that order. Some collections belonged to an individual, highlighting the range of activities of one remarkable woman. All of the materials provide insight into the depth and breadth of women religious, and the many accomplishments or contributions they have made to their orders, schools, families, and communities.
The exhibit can be browsed or searched in several ways. Images can be viewed by contributing institution, geographic region, time period, format, or subject, or browsed through from the home page. There is also a search box available. Each image allows commenting, and viewers are invited to comment, or to share information about additional resources not included in the exhibit. Information about several institutions not included in the exhibit is provided on the Additional Resources page, but the exhibit creators would welcome further suggestions. Information about the exhibit and links to the CRRA and the home institutions are also provided. The exhibit will be live through the end of October 2013, and will be available online after that, but comments and questions will no longer be answered.
Marta Deyrup of Seton Hall Libraries was the main motivator behind this exhibit, and Tracy Jackson (that’s me!) of Seton Hall Archives helped deal with the images, as did Tom McGee (who created the site) and Mike Soupios of Seton Hall’s Teaching Learning and Technology Center (TLTC). Jennifer Younger and Pat Lawton of the CRRA were very helpful and supportive as well, as were all of the institutions who contributed, and the hardworking archivists, librarians, and special collections folks at each who selected and scanned the images, wrote the description, and sent them along.
Check out the exhibit, and then explore the related resources via the CRRA’s Catholic Portal!
Literature as Art exhibit in Special Collections Center, Walsh Library
A new exhibit in the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center, Literature as Art, will be available through September 15th. Volumes of world literature published by the Limited Editions Club founded in 1929 by George Macy were beautifully bound and illustrated by artists of the day, in limited number to subscribers.
Attention was paid to the covers, the dust covers as well as to the works and their illustrations. Some are leather bound with embossed designs related to the content. For instance, Daphnis and Chloe by Longus has a golden boss very like a Greek coin with the profiles of the title characters. The Man without a Country by Edward Everett Hale sports an embossed outline of the map of North America while Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage depicts a Union and a Confederate soldier contending over a flag. Other interesting cover concepts include the water silk cover of Samuel Butler’s Erewohn and the bold red and black theme exemplifying Stendhal’s The Red and the Black. The Coverley Papers taken from Addison and Steele’s The Spectator of 1711-1712 is clothed in flowered chintz while Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights wears illustrations of her famous characters, Heathcliff and Cathy, and her own portrait.
Sometimes themes from the book have been used in the cover and dust cover designs as the running penguin motif imprinted on Anatole France’s Penguin Island. In the case of Gargantua & Pantagruel by Rabelais, a mural takes shape across the bindings of the five volumes when they are beside each other in the dust cover. Another period binding technique is the use of marbleized paper. Often used to line the inside cover of a volume, it was used on the dust cover for William Makespeace Thackeray’s The Rose and the Ring and on Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables.
Illustrations take the form of pen and ink drawings, wood cut block prints, lithographs or watercolor paintings. Not only do these limited editions provide the subscriber with hours of reading from the canon of Western Literature, they preserve work of regional, period artists and craftsmanship in the production of books rarely seen today in an age when books are often published electronically without any physical form at all. These sumptuous volumes can be seen on the ground floor of Walsh Library, opposite Walsh Gallery whenever the Library is open.
New Exhibit at Archives, Walsh Library
The Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center has installed a new exhibit in the cases facing the Walsh Gallery. Comprising recent acquisitions of objects in the Archdiocese of Newark collections, varied pieces related to bishops, priests and parishes illustrate the rich and varied history of the Catholic Archdiocese for which Seton Hall is the University.
In the bishops’ case there are pogs commemorating Pope John Paul II’s visit to New York and New Jersey in 1995 along with a scarf and medals for the Jubilee year 2000 under Archbishop, now Theodore Cardinal McCarrick. There is also a glass box celebrating his 25th anniversary of episcopal ordination when he became a bishop. Archbishop Emeritus Peter Leo Gerety who this past summer celebrated his 100th birthday making him the oldest bishop in the Western Hemisphere received the Humanitarian of the Year Award from the Sr. Rose Thering Endowment in 2000 which can be seen along with several pins and buttons from St. Patrick’s Day parades, Cathedral masses and related to the Holy Name Society and the World Trade Center.
The second case contains materials related more to priests and parishes from Rev. J. A. McHale’s police chaplain’s badge and identification to playing cards observing the Sesquicentennial [150th Anniversary] of Holy Trinity Parish, Hackensack and a T-shirt honoring the annual Feast of St. Gerard celebrated by the parish of St. Lucy, Newark.
The exhibit can be seen any time the Walsh Library is open from the hallway between the Walsh Gallery and the Msgr. William Noé Field Archives and Special Collections Center on the ground floor of the Walsh Library. For hours please visit the Library’s home page.