Walsh Gallery, on the first floor of Walsh Library
Starting in the Fall semester of 2021, the Archives and Gallery (Special Collections) will operate out of a single reception space at the front desk of Walsh Gallery. Visitors looking for both archival and museum materials, as well as individuals with appointments in the department, or researchers looking for rare books or Archdiocesan materials will come here to be directed to where they need to go.
The Archives Reading Room will remain open by appointment only. Researchers needing to consult with archival documents or view museum objects will be able to make an appointment to see materials. The Archives Reading Room will also continue to host classes incorporating archival materials. Additionally, events centered around Seton Hall’s museum and archives collections may take place in the Reading Room.
Welcome back to campus! We look forward to seeing you during the 2021-2022 academic year!
Finished coloring the Special Collections Coloring Book? Still curious?
Look no further! Below are the original images of those in the Special Collections Coloring Book along with their information.
William F.J. Ryan
Seton Hall University coat of arms
Gouache on board
16” x 13”
Mid 20th century
2021.04.0001
Ryan designed coats of arms for many dioceses throughout the United States. The scroll at the bottom bears the university’s motto, “Hazard Zet Forward”, which translates from Latin to “whatever the peril, ever forward” in English.
Design for medal
paint on paper
12 ⅞” x 10 ½”
1970
2018.17.0001.a
Sketch, Prepared for the Society for the Preservation of Setoniana by Dieges & Clust jewelers, established in New York in 1898. The company also produced the Heisman Trophy from 1935 through 1979, as well as the first Most Valuable Player Award for Major League Baseball.
Pirate Pennant
wool flannel
11 ⅜” x 35”
mid-20th century
2019.06.0001
Former nicknames for the Seton Hall University sports teams include “White & Blue,” “Villagers,” and in the case of the baseball team, “The Alerts,” prior to 1931 when Seton Hall adopted the currently used name “Pirates.”
Design for Design for Renovation for Existing Tester
Paint on paper
11 ⅛” x 6 ¼”
1963
2016.03.0001
Robert Robbins Studios of New York City was retained to complete the restoration of the Chapel of the Immaculate in 1963. This sketch shows the canopy design which hangs above the altar.
Enamel Vase
glazed porcelain
19th century
8 ¼” x 3 ¾”
76.40.2
Wang Fang-yu Collection of Asian Art
Gift of Dr. Marvin Boris
The period in which this Qing Dynasty vase was made marks the last dynasty in the imperial history of China. The Qing Dynastry was established in 1636, and ruled China from 1644 to 1912, with a brief restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming dynasty and succeeded by the Republic of China.
Mss 0029: Herbert Kraft manuscript and book leaves, Box 11
From Sebastian Munster’s “Cosmographia Universalis, printed in Basle, 1559.
Mss 0029: Herbert Kraft manuscript and book leaves, Box 11
From Luther’s “German Translation of the Bible”, printed in Wittenberg, 1584.
Mss 0029: Herbert Kraft manuscript and book leaves, Box 11
From “Las Quatorze Decades de Tito Livio”, printed in Saragossa, 1520.
Mss 0029: Herbert Kraft manuscript and book leaves, Box 11
A beautifully bound medical text containing the research of the pioneering 19th century physicians Drs Corvisart and Auenbrűgger was recently donated to Special Collections at Walsh Library by Anthony Valerio, a writer who used it in the research for a biography he wrote. One of the authors, Dr. Corvisart, was Napoleon I’s private physician. Instead of joining Napoleon I’s campaign to Italy, he stayed behind and translated his predecessor Auenbrűgger’s writings from Latin to French. Auenbrűgger developed the percussive technique of physical examination, which led to the invention of the stethoscope. His father was a merchant, and young Auenbrűgger played with his father’s wine barrels as a boy, which made different sounds according to how he drummed them, inspiring his later discovery. These works – and the stories behind them – inspired Valerio to write his biography depicting a similar medical breakthrough.
Valerio’s book tells the story of the Hungarian physician Ignaz Semmesweis, who did groundbreaking work in obstetrics. In Valerio’s words, “The field of obstetrics, then, was relatively new. In Vienna’s medical school, which Semmelweis attended, it was an elective of a few months. Dr. Skoda, a famed diagnostician and internist, was Semmelweis’s mentor and teacher. Skoda taught Corvisart’s work on the heart. Upon obtaining his medical degree, Semmelweis sought a job with Skoda but one was not open. Semmelweis then trained with famed surgeon Dr. Karl von Rokitansky, who performed all autopsies in the hospital. Semmelweis obtained a degree in surgery and sought a job with Rokindansky. Again, one was not open. But an assistant’s job did open in a relatively new field, obstetrics. Semmelweis took this job at a time when childbed fever was the scourge of Europe, the pandemic of his time, women dying of this terrible disease at alarming rates. Theories were advanced as to its cause and means of prevention. Semmelweis rejected them all. He was determined to find those causes and means of prevention—which journey I attempted to describe in detail in my book. Semmelweis did not know what he was looking for. His approach included his studies of Corvisart on the heart, Skoda’s work on palpitation, Auenbrűgger’s work on the varied sounding of the human body with a stethoscope. Semmelweis read and researched after his daily tour of rounds, in his small room in the Vienna hospital.”
This medical text and the biography it inspired demonstrate that literature can evolve from science, just as scientific advances can be derived from childhood games. Insight and inspiration know no disciplinary boundaries.
To see this book in person, or investigate other Special Collections materials, our Research Appointments page has details on how to proceed.
Seton Hall University – University Libraries (Fall 2021)
Application Deadline: July 15, 2021
Fellowship Period: Fall 2021
Background
Seton Hall University Libraries support excellence in academic and individual work, enable inquiry, foster intellectual and ethical integrity and respect for diverse points of view through user-focused services and robust collections as the intellectual and cultural heart of the University. Walsh Gallery, based in the Library, manages the University’s museum collections, and the Library’s Data Services division assists the University community in managing and presenting their data.
One of Seton Hall University’s most distinguished collections, the D’Argenio Collection of Coins and Antiquities, includes coins of ancient Greece, the Roman Republic, the Roman Empire and Byzantium as well as a small collection of related Byzantine and Etruscan artifacts: oil lamps, game pieces, weights and terra cotta figurines. Donor Ron D’Argenio became interested in ancient coins when taking courses in Greek drama and history as an undergraduate at Fordham University in the 1970’s. In 2001, he generously donated his collection to Seton Hall University in memory of his father, Rinaldo J. D’Argenio, who served in World War II and was awarded a Bronze Star for his valor. Ron D’Argenio is a practicing attorney working in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. The collection is available for study and research by students and scholars.
Data Services offers consultations to SHU community members assisting them with every stage of a data project from conceptualization, to choosing tools, to data analysis, to sharing results. Find more on the tools supported here: https://library.shu.edu/data-services.
Request for Proposals
The University Libraries seeks fellowship proposals using the Ron D’Argenio Collection as the basis for projects in the following two areas:
Classics, Art History or History : a scholar from one of these fields, a related field or interdisciplinary scholar who would be able to analyze the collection in its historical context and add to our knowledge of the objects.
Data Visualization: a specialist in data visualization, who would be able to create – in conversation with the humanities scholar (above) – an interactive visual representation of the collection that would allow users to explore the objects by interpreting and presenting the data in a number of ways (see all the coins within a certain date range, or all coins from a particular region, for example).
Specialists who have at minimum completed all coursework for the the terminal degree in their area are invited to propose research projects that fall under one or both of the above areas. Preference will go to the strongest applications that are both feasible for this collection and our technology infrastructure. All projects should incorporate the Ron D’Argenio Collection of Coins and Antiquities. The final product for the Classics/Art History/History scholar would take the form of a short (5-7 page) written report interpreting the collection which would additionally be shared with the University community as an article or lecture. The Data Visualization scholar would be responsible for producing a data visualization project which would be publicly presented on the University Libraries website and the process of creation described in an article or lecture. Beyond the duration of the fellowship, the work of both fellows will inform future initiatives with the collection.
Scholars who at minimum have completed all coursework for the terminal degree in their field may apply. Work can be performed remotely for the most part. Access to the collections on site is conducted in a socially distanced environment compliant with all recommendations aimed at stopping the spread of COVID-19. The University Libraries will provide each fellow with access to its library databases and resources, accounts in and support for the data software available, an email address and access to Microsoft Teams software for collaboration and Sharepoint for storage space. Fellows will be expected to give a presentation or write an article on their project to share with the University community by the fall of 2022.
Fellows will be paid a stipend of $2500 for projects that focus on one of the two areas. Half will be paid on award, half on project completion. Applicants may propose a project that incorporates both Classical scholarship and data visualization for a combined $5000 to be disbursed in the same way.
Procedures
Submit a single pdf including the following components as an email attachment to library@shu.edu :
an application cover sheet (which includes your name, project title, contact information and a short bio.
a two-page statement (roughly 500 words), describing your research project and its relation to the Ron D’Argenio Collection of Coins and Antiquities, in which you explain how it fits into your past research (if applicable) and future plans.
a curriculum vitae
a recent example of scholarship
Notifications
Submissions must be received by July 15, 2021. Applicants will be notified by September 1, 2021. Research should take place in the fall of 2021, and the project results (written work or data visualization) completed by May 31, 2022. The lecture or article on the project should take place in the spring or fall of 2022. Please contact Sarah Ponichtera, Assistant Dean of Special Collections and the Gallery at sarah.ponichtera@shu .edu with any questions.
Dragon Ewer (15th-16th century) China Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University.
The Walsh Gallery has launched a new exhibit in Google Arts and Culture featuring some of the highlights of Seton Hall’s collection of ceramics. The exhibit draws from Wang Fang-yu’s Asian Art collection, Ron D’Argenio’s collection of Coins and Antiquities, and Herbert Kraft’s Archeology and Anthropology collection to show connections between material cultures widely disparate in both time and place. According to Gallery Director Jeanne Brasile, this exhibit is not only about the formal qualities of the pieces but most importantly how they reveal the technological development of cultures from the Neolithic era to the twentieth century. The wealth of world cultures featured in this exhibit demonstrates the breadth and scope of Seton Hall’s museum collections.
January of 1974 marked the advent of Women’s Intercollegiate Athletic competition on the South Orange campus of Seton Hall which came six years after full co-education was approved by school administration officials. From the tip, female student-athletes who began the trend of competitive success on the Basketball Court or Fencing “Piste” that Winter (to be joined in the Spring by Swimming and Tennis, and in subsequent years by Softball, Volleyball, Golf, Track & Field and other sports) would ultimately become trailblazers in the annals of Setonia sports history.
Prior to the mid-1970s, women had the opportunity to participate on club or intramural teams which were more informal than competition between various institutions of higher education. Known as either the “Pirates” or colloquially as the “Bucettes” (the female equivalent of a Buccaneer, i.e. – Pirate) Women-centered squads were created in part to provide student activity opportunities for all co-eds, but also required as a result Title IX federal legislation. This public law enacted during the June of 1972 required that all college campuses across the nation establish equity in the establishment of athletic opportunities for both male and female students. Initially, Seton Hall played a number of local teams across New Jersey and the metropolitan area under the banner of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) founded in 1971 prior to joining the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) by the early 1980s.
Icon depicting Women’s Sports at Seton Hall, 1974
Fortunately, Women’s Athletics have been documented by the student and local press from the first games ever contested in early 1974 onward. An account of the start of the Basketball and Fencing programs from that era was covered in detail by Ms. Gail Elrick in an article entitled: “Women’s Sports are alive and well at Seton Hall” published in the 1974 Galleon (Seton Hall Student Yearbook, p. 119) is quoted in part here . . .
“Up until three years ago women’s sports were practically non-existent at Seton Hall. With the completion of the Women’s Residence hall in 1971, the need for athletic and recreational activities for women became necessary. In 1971 . . . Volleyball, basketball and softball intramurals were organized. A women’s fencing team (club) was already in existence and club basketball was introduced. A very popular activity was a noncredit modern dance class . . . This year the Athletic Department was fortunate to have Sue Dilley as the new assistant director of recreation to head women’s athletics . . . The program greatly expanded due to better organization and an increase of interest . . . Dilley believes that preparation should begin in college. If programs are organized in which women may compete, their skills would improve . . . The Recreation Department . . . encourage their participation . . . volleyball intramurals, the first activity planned this year, revealed that some success had been achieved. There were six more teams than the preceding year. Intramurals were also offered in basketball, softball tennis, swimming and badminton . . . Plans are to advance one club sport to the varsity level each year. Basketball was raised to the varsity status, joining fencing as the only two women’s varsity sports . . . As these opportunities are taken advantage of, more will become available. Women have to prove themselves by actively participating in organized athletics. The Recreation Department’s job is to organize and preside over activities, while it will always be the students that keep athletics alive on campus.”
Forward Christine Mapp (10) drives to the baseline as Kathy Keating (22) looks to help out during a 1974 contest
Reports were also made on individual sports within the 1974 Galleon (p. 120) to compliment the overall article above. When it came to the inaugural Basketball lineup, Ms. Cathy Meyer gave a detailed account of the establishment of the sport from December 1973 when a call for volunteers was made with 30 answering the call. After tryouts had completed 12 players were selected to make the squad under Coach Sue Dilley. They had their first scrimmage with Bergen Community College that month and Ms. Maureen Keenan became the first team captain. Their inaugural game was contested on January 5, 1974 when the played the City College of New York (L, 33-42) and registered their first victory against Ramapo College by a score of 57-15 on January 19, 1974. They ended the 1973-74 campaign with a 9-4 record and just missed the AIAW New Jersey State Colleges Playoff of that year, but would rebound to have a 13-5 mark and make the AIAW National Tournament.
1973-74 Seton Hall Women’s Fencing Team .LEFT: Kneeling: Linda Hall, Liz Carol, Lesley Sharrock, Nancy Cucci. STANDING: Gregory Boutsikaris, Claudia Cantemi, Brenda Hand, Barbara Williams, Sue Brown, Coach Harry Boutsikaris.
Success also came to the Women’s Fencing force of 1973-74 and reporter Ms. Judy Rothrock (also of the 1974 Galleon Yearbook, p. 129-131) wrote the following testimonial for those who competed in épée, foil, and sabre. “Perhaps the most inspiring sport for women at Seton Hall in the past four years is the women’s fencing team. Up until this year, it was the only varsity sport made available on the campus. Its success has been outstanding . . . The team started on a club basis, only to receive varsity status its second year . . . Since that time, the program has been open to all women on campus regardless of fencing experience. They begin with individual instruction and are immediately included in the dual meets as they improve. However, there is no long wait before they may participate . . .” The first contest for Setonia came against Caldwell College and resulted in a 13-3 for the Pirate “Swordswomen” and on the season they hovered around the .500 mark, but this would turn around to consecutive winning records later that decade.
Women’s Fencing Action, c. 1974
From its beginnings in 1974, the Women of Setonia Athletics have continued their path of sustained play on behalf of their alma mater, individual and team success along with increased popularity that has endured to the present day. Go Bucettes and Pirate Swordswomen!
Full-text and additional illustrations on Seton Hall Women’s Athletic Teams featured within the pages of our Galleon Yearbooks (1974-2006) can be discovered through online resources of these texts can be found via the following link: https://scholarship.shu.edu/yearbooks/index.2.html
Additional details on all aspects of the Athletic and Recreation Program at Seton Hall can be found within our Special Collection connected to sports on campus. The link to our ArchivesSpace catalog can be found via the following link: https://archivesspace-library.shu.edu/repositories/2/resources/420
For more information and questions about the Athletic History of Seton Hall, contact Alan Delozier, University by e-mail at: Alan.Delozier@shu.edu or by phone at: (973) 275-2378.
Not only is December the month when the world celebrates the dawn of the Lord Jesus Christ, but within the annals of Seton Hall history, the last part of the year is also known for the birth of our first (and third) College President (from 1856-57 and 1859-66), Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid. Born on December 15, 1823, McQuaid was an important figure in the christening of the Catholic College of New Jersey during its early years and the impact of his vision and belief in the worth of higher education lives on through his early and enduring initiatives and memorials in the latter day including McQuaid Hall (Home to the School of Diplomacy) and the McQuaid Medal (the highest honor bestowed on those affiliated with the University) among other landmarks outside South Orange.
McQuaid Hall (Home to the School of Diplomacy and International Relations), c. 2015McQuaid Medal – Front Side of the Award, c. 2000
According to The Catholic Encyclopedia (1911) and the seminal work The Catholic Church in New Jersey of 1904 (found online within the Library Guide – https://library.shu.edu/nj-catholic-history and in hard copy form within our Rare Book Collection, Call Numbers – BXZ841.C25 and BXZ1415.N5 F6 1904 respectively), the following highlights have been recorded in relation to the life and legacy of Bishop McQuaid. The trailblazing president of Seton Hall, McQuaid (1823-1909) was born in New York City and his parents were of Irish Catholic origin and the family made history as they played host to the first Mass said in Powel’s Hook (presently known as Jersey City) in 1829. Inspired by his practice in the Catholic faith, McQuaid was educated in Quebec and later at St. John’s Seminary at Fordham prior to his ordination in 1848. He was assigned as a priest to the Diocese of New York and preceding the creation of the See of Newark (five years later) and was made a curate at St. Vincent Martyr in Madison, New Jersey.
Bernard J. McQuaid, c. 1855
When Bishop James Roosevelt Bayley became the first Bishop of Newark he assigned McQuaid to cover multiple missions including the rectorship of St. Patrick’s Pro-Cathedral in Newark, and co-founding of Seton Hall College along with aid in establishing the Seton Sisters of Charity in Madison during the 1850s prior to becoming Vicar-General of the See in 1866.
During the mid-nineteenth century, the accomplishments made by McQuaid at Setonia were often tied into school firsts. Seton Hall College was initially located in Madison, New Jersey, and commenced operations on September 1, 1856 with an initial enrollment of five students. Those who were included on the registration rolls under the leadership of McQuaid could expect to endure a structured seven-year Classical, Liberal Arts program (three year prep and four year college study) with heavy emphasis on Theology, Philosophy, Latin, Greek and Foreign Language offerings. during his second term as chief executive, McQuaid helped with the move of the Seton Hall College campus from Madison to South Orange in 1860. The College was Incorporated by Act of the New Jersey State Legislature on March 8, 1861. McQuaid also belonged to the first Board of Trustees and co-authorized approval of the first Bachelor of Arts degree (A.B.) that was awarded to Louis Edward Firth in 1862. The earliest corporate seal included the Seton Family coat of arms and image of the Blessed Mary along with the enduring motto — Hazard Zit Forward — “No Matter What The Hazard, Yet Forward” was subsequently designed and adopted by the institution during May 1864 with sanction offered by McQuaid.
Bernard J. McQuaid, c. 1900
McQuiad was later appointed the first Bishop of Rochester (New York) in 1868 and continued forward with his primary cause of Catholic education in creating a strong parochial school systems, seminary, and was instrumental in working with the State university in the city on collaborative educational initiatives, all of which was generated in earnest during his time at Setonia and served the See of Rochester until his death in 1909.
More details on Bishop Bernard J. McQuaid can be found via our varied collections within the Monsignor William Noé Field Archives & Special Collections Center and the Seton Hall University Libraries. Finding aids and lists can be found via the following links below . . .
For more information and to inquire about obtaining information off-site or looking into a future research appointment please feel free to contact us by phone at: (973) 275-2378, or via e-mail at: Archives@shu.edu
Portrait of Monsignor Fahy, from the Seton Hall Vertical File
I learned about Monsignor Fahy in the spring semester of 2018. It was at an intergenerational panel discussion at the Walsh Library of former Seton Hall student-activist leaders. The event was organized by the Concerned 44, an activated student group. The panel discussion was a teach-in about the history of protest on Seton Hall’s campus and discussion about the progress of the then student movement. You can follow the Concerned 44 on Instagram. If it weren’t for this panel discussion I would not have learned about President Fahy and I’d still be pronouncing Fahy Hall wrong. As an alumna, I can’t help but be angry that it took this long. I became more interested and invited colleagues into the journey of getting to know Fahy.
Alan Delozier, University Archivist, did the work to uncover the Fahy Inaugural address which is as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. The CORE has integrated the speech as a required reading for the Journey of Transformations course. And this article intends to showcase a digital
Monsignor Fahy with the leadership of the Black Studies Program, Newark Star Ledger, April 21, 1975
communal reading of the text as an activist performance practice. The point of the project is to position the text and its ethos as a cultural imprint on our collective memory. To me, Fahy is a white anti-racist abolitionist ancestor who risked and used his power to benefit others. Social justice is a term we’re hearing a lot. What is it? How do you define it? What does it look like? Everyone will have a different answer. I define it as: righting a wrong. If it doesn’t right a wrong, it is not justice. Not only did Fahy leverage his power to right a wrong with some of the most impactful undertakings of Seton Hall’s history but he acknowledged the problem. Often, we rush to solutions without first doing the self interrogation to name the problem. He used this moment, his inaugural address, when everyone was listening and we’re still listening 50 years later.
The video, this collective recitation, brings many voices together for one message. Faculty and students, separate, but together. It carves a lineage. There are protests now as there were 50 years ago. In the streets and on our campus.
Greg Iannarella offers insight into what moved him to gravitate toward one of the most unwavering parts of Fahy’s speech, “This section always felt really powerful to me. The description, the intentional language, invoking real scenes and real communities, conjuring the people! It’s a moment where he turns the gaze outward and challenges the audience to see what is relevant.”
Participants were encouraged to think about their location as a backdrop. These choices offer additional meaning and subtext. Virtual performance lets us become our own set designers. Brooke Duffy presented her portion outside of a new school. “It is a public elementary school in Teaneck that was recently renamed for Theodora Smiley Lacey, a civil rights activist, ‘living legend.’ The NorthJersey.com website describes, ‘it was because of her efforts that Teaneck became the first city in the United States to voluntarily integrate its public schools.’”
Program of Monsignor Fahy’s Inaugural Address, October 14, 1970, from Seton Hall’s Vertical Files
This isn’t the last we’ll hear of Fahy’s address. Jon Radwan describes a new participatory oral history project designed to ensure access, inclusion, and equity in its research process to document and preserve the entirety of this part of the University’s history. “We are confident that the Inaugural Address is only the beginning of learning about Msgr. Fahy’s social justice leadership. Our recent proposal to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities seeks funding for a large scale oral history project. We plan to contact alumni, faculty, and administrators who worked closely with Fahy to record their stories about SHU’s collaboration with Newark activists to launch the Black Studies Center.” To support this project please contact Angela Kariotis and Jon Radwan.
Centering historical figures creates their own mythology. Retrospectives are not without their limitations. But there are so few white allies to look up to for this work. Allies must dig deep, activating themselves, stepping into their consciousness. We can extend the Fahy legacy and course correct. Like 50 years ago, it is a transformative yet fragile time. We must have the will to meet it.
Donald M. Payne served as a U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 10th Congressional District from 1989 through 2012 and was the state’s first African American congressional representative. Born and raised in Newark, he is an alumnus of Seton Hall University where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1957 before continuing his studies at the graduate level at Springfield College in Massachusetts.[1] Before his life in politics, Donald M. Payne was an executive at Prudential Financial, served as vice president at Urban Data Systems and taught in Newark’s Public Schools. In 1970, he became the first black president of the National Council of Y.M.C.A.s before becoming Chairman of the World Y.M.C.A. Refugee and Rehabilitation Committee. In 1972, Payne ran for a seat on the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders and was elected – serving three terms in total. He also served three terms on the Newark Municipal council from 1982 to 1988.[2]
During his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Payne served on many important committees and was a leading advocate for education, democracy, and human rights. In his first term as congressional representative, Donald Payne was appointed to the House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. During his subsequent eleven terms in Congress, he also served on the following; Subcommittee on Workforce Protections; the Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education; the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health, of which he was also the chairman; the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere; and the Subcommittee on Organizations, Human Rights, and Oversight. He was also a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, serving as chair from 1995-1997. He belonged to several other congressional caucuses, including the Progressive Caucus and the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, and co-founded the Sudan Caucus in 2005. [3]
from the left: U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks – NY (L) with Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Wangarĩ Muta Maathai, Representative Donald Payne and Ambassador Leonard Ngaithe – Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections, MSS 0078
In 1994, Representative Payne led an official delegation to Rwanda, seeking to end the ethnic violence that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives. He was also among the first to publicly denounce the Sudanese genocide in the country’s Darfur region in 2003. Later, Payne called for an international tribunal which brought Sudanese militia members responsible for the massacres to justice.[4] Representative Payne championed the Africa Growth and Opportunities Act (2000) to promote African economic development and trade with the US. He sponsored or co-sponsored dozens of bills to help African countries economically, support peace, expand agricultural programs, provide safe drinking water and promote educational opportunities for millions of children. In 2008 he had a key role in the authorization of up to $48 billion over 5 years to fight HIV/AIDS, a substantial portion of it going to Africa.[5]
Upon his death in 2012, Professor Alemayehu G. Mariam, professor of political science at California State University, San Bernardino and expert in human rights law, eulogized Representative Payne in EthiopianNews and Views: “His passing marks a major setback to the cause of freedom, democracy and human rights in Ethiopia and Africa. But Don Payne has left us a rich legacy of human rights advocacy and legislative action spanning over two decades. It is now our burden — indeed our moral duty — to build, to expand and to deliver on that legacy.”[6] The son of a chauffeur and lumber handler, Representative Payne worked his way through college while attending Seton Hall University. He said, “We have to understand there are no more impossible dreams for black youngsters. They can do basically anything they want to do, and if I’m a prime example of that, all the better.”[7] Whether serving on a global scale as a human rights activist, or motivating black youth locally, both messages are inspiring and demonstrate Payne’s unwavering commitment to service. The Donald M. Payne Sr. Global Foundation continues Representative Payne’s work as a global human rights advocate and community activist. You can watch this documentary video, The Life of Congressman Donald M. Payne, Sr. to learn more about his life’s work.
Seton Hall University’s Department of Archives and Special Collections holds the professional papers of Donald M. Payne from his time as U.S. Representative for New Jersey’s 10th congressional district. The materials are related to Congressman Payne’s legislative work, particularly for the
Letter from Representative Gregory Meeks to Donald Payne, 2005 – Courtesy of Archives and Special Collections MSS0078
House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, as well as his work on behalf of his district and state. There are also background materials on a wide variety of issues, projects, events, and pieces of legislation relevant to Congressman Payne’s career, and materials related to his involvement in congressional organizations and activities, including a large number of press clippings, recorded appearances and speeches, and photographs depicting Congressman Payne with notable public figures and celebrities including Presidents of the United States and several other countries.[8]
The images and materials shown here are but a small part of the vast patrimony available to students, faculty and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, complete a research request form to set up an appointment or contact us at 973-761-9476.
Pomo basket Plant fiber and shell
5” x 20” x 9 ½”
c. 1880
Collected by Brian Templeton, Seton Hall University Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology
M2125
NOVEMBER IS NATIONAL NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
“Among our people, both men and women were basket makers. Everything in our lifestyle was connected to those baskets. Our lives were bound the way baskets were bound together.” -Susan Billy, Ukiah Pomo, master weaver and teacher[1]
This canoe-shaped gift basket with geometric designs and shell bead decoration is from the Pomo of California who are world renowned for their basketry. The Pomo are native to Mendocino, Sonoma and Lake Counties in Northern California. Historically, the Pomo were comprised of seven different groups with distinct dialects, each living in different areas. They lived in small groups linked by geography, lineage, cultural expression and marriage. However, they are not linked socially or politically as a unified group. Today there are more than 20 independent communities that make up the Pomo people.[2]
Pomo basketry comes in all shapes and sizes and both coiling and twining techniques are adeptly used. Coiling begins at the center of a basket and radiates outward in spirals. Each spiral is sewn to the one that precedes it. Twining is a technique in which one thread is woven over another to form a strong foundation of horizontal and verticals. Historically, the Pomo were known for making baskets woven so tightly they were naturally waterproof. Sedge grasses, willow roots and bullrushes gathered in local coasts and wetlands are commonly used in basket-making, in addition to bird feathers and shells.[3] Once collected, materials are dried, cleaned, split, soaked and dyed.[4] A common design in many Pomo baskets is the Dau, also called the “Spirit Door” which allows good spirits to come circulate inside the basket. There is no specific way for it to be designed – it could be depicted in a minute change in the stitching or an opening between stitches.[5]
In the past, baskets were decorative and given as gifts to respected elders and loved ones, while others served practical purposes in daily life. Women produced most Pomo baskets, specifically those for cooking, storage, and religious ceremonies, while men traditionally made baskets for trapping, fishing, and cradles.[6] Beginning in the 1880’s the tourist industry boomed and a demand for woven goods invigorated production for sale rather than use.
This Pomo basket is from the Seton Hall University Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology (SHUMAA) collection. It is but a small part of a vast collection of artifacts from the SHUMAA collection, founded by Seton Hall Professor Herbert Kraft (1927-2000), a leading archaeologist and authority on the Leni Lenape tribe which inhabited New Jersey, Delaware, southern New York and eastern Pennsylvania at the time Europeans arrived in the Americas. For almost forty years, Kraft cultivated the collection with artifacts excavated from archaeological digs conducted throughout the region. Kraft was also instrumental in securing donations of artifacts from noted collectors and archaeologists. The SHUMAA collection includes over 26,000 Native American, Asian and African art and artifacts.
The Walsh Gallery has a considerable collection of fine art, artifacts and archeological specimens for use by faculty, students and researchers. For access to this or other objects in our collections, contact us at 973-275-2033 or walshgallery@shu.edu to make a research appointment.
