Academic Service-Learning

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Marcel Marceau-William Harris Papers

Authored by Joann M White

Playbill featuring Marcel Marceau from the William Harris Papers

Playbill featuring Marcel Marceau from the William Harris Papers

The William B. Harris Papers are a collection of theater ephemera collected over a period of 30 years. After graduating from college William Harris moved to New York to become a writer. He would eventually be the theater editor for SoHo Weekly News and managing editor of Theatre Crafts Magazine. In the process of doing this work he would accumulate his theater collection. Mr. Harris would die of a massive coronary at the age of 49 on July 27, 2000. His brother John would donate the collection to Marymount Manhattan College, which has a dance and theater program.

 Mr. Harris’s papers are divided into eight separate genres; three are not in the archives at Marymount Manhattan College. The remaining five include unpublished scripts, photographs, posters, one videocassette and the largest part of the collection is in series #2. Series #2 contains 4,450 folders primarily newspaper clipping of reviews, playbills, photographs, postcards, advertisements for performances, as well as personal correspondence. This playbill from 1958 of Marcel Marceau is part of the collection. Continue reading →

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Property for Burial

Authored by: Jimmy Tenney

An original deed from 1937 that was given to a parishioner who has purchased graves.

Cemetery Deed from 1937

Death is a natural part of life; we must respect those who have passed away and treat their bodies with dignity. Every Christian body, if baptized, has a rite to Christian burial (Thurston, 1908).

For my AS-L project I entered information from files into a computer system for the parish of St. John Nepomucene. One type of document that I worked with, are cemetery deeds. Merriam-Webster dictionary explains that a deed is a legal document that proves the ownership of land (1965). A cemetery deed then is the right to be buried on a certain plot of land. The parish makes an agreement with a person, usually a parishioner of the parish, to allow that person to be buried on the church’s property. Continue reading →

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William B.Harris Papers-James Mundy

Authored By: Adina C. Brizel

1989 Theater Review of James Mundy's 'Sinners and Saints'

1989 Theater Review of James Mundy’s ‘Sinners and Saints’

One of the many treasures in the archives of Marymount Manhattan College is the William B. Harris papers. Harris, a theater and dance critic for the SoHo Weekly News and Theatre Crafts magazine accumulated over 96 unpublished play scripts and 4,450 archived boxes of clippings connected to various authors and playwrights over a thirty year period. When Harris died in 2000, his family donated his entire collection to the performing arts library at Marymount. Continue reading →

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Refugees Magazine-April 1985

Authored by Christina Stankewicz

Front cover of Refugees Magazine - April 1985

Front cover of Refugees Magazine – April 1985

The object featured is an issue of Refugees Magazine from 1985 that was published by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR). In this issue the main focus is on the emergency situation in Africa that occurred in the 1980s due to famine. This magazine serves as a way of calling out to give aid to this part of the world and make people aware of the issues at hand.

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Joe Papp and His Contribution to Public Theater

Authored by Crystal Lopez

Photograph of actors Priscilla Smith and Jamil Zakkai in full costume and masks during the production of Agamemnon, from the William Harris Papers at Marymount Manhattan College

Photograph of Priscilla Smith and Jamil Zakkai during the production of Agamemnon, from the William Harris Papers at Marymount Manhattan College

William Balber (Billy) Harris was a drama and dance critic who wrote articles, criticism and reviews for many publications including Art Forum, The New York Times, and The Village Voice. Throughout the course of his career he amassed an impressive collection of papers that his brother John wanted to keep available to the public after Harris’ death. They were donated to Marymount Manhattan College, who are best known for their performing arts program (Brown, 2001). Within Marymount’s collection is this photograph from the play Agamemnon. The play originally debuted in May 1977 at the Vivian Beaumont Theater and was produced by the New York Shakespeare Festival (Playbill, n.d.).

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The Nazi Olympics

Authored by Stephen Young

A telegram written by George G. Battle and Henry S. Leiper to Reverend James M. Gillis

A telegram written by George G. Battle and Henry S. Leiper to
Reverend James M. Gillis

 Introduction

This telegram was written by George G. Battle who formed the
Committee on Fair Play in Sports to boycott participation of American
teams and athletes to compete in the 1936 Olympics hosted in
Berlin, Germany by the Nazi regime. This letter was addressed to
Reverend James M. Gillis on October 1st, 1935.

 

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Father Walter Elliott: From Soldier to Priest

Authored by Melissa Henderson

Letter written by Father Walter Elliot

Letter written by Father Walter Elliot

 

Father Walter Elliott was a Paulist Father and the author of the “Life of Father Hecker.” Prior to joining the Paulist Fathers, Father Elliott was a soldier in the Union Army during the Civil War. Father Elliott is known as not only being an intense American, but for also being a leader among those who were in favor of New American Catholicism (McNamara, 2011). Continue reading →

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Father George Deshon’s Recollections of Ulysses S. Grant

Authored by Melissa Henderson

Father Deshon and General Grant page 1

Father Deshon and General Grant page 1

The letter written by Father Deshon in regards to Ulysses S. Grant highlights the character of our 18th President and provides anecdotal information on how he viewed West Point and how he interacted with his fellow cadets. It also gives historical reference to life at the United States Military Academy. Continue reading →

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Children’s Librarians Assisting History Teachers Website Review

Authored by Chris Lund

http://wwiresources.yolasite.com

Website created by Joseph Pascullo, Tanya Burgess, Roseann Podias and Bernadette Regina

Cpl. Alex Pisciotta in full uniform, France, circa 1917

Cpl. Alex Pisciotta in full uniform, France, circa 1917

This website tells the story of Corporal Alex Pisciotta, an Italian Immigrant who served the United States Army during World War I.  The narratives on the site are presented in the first person, as if written by Pisciotta himself, and are complemented by a series of photographs, all taken by Pisciotta.  The overall presentation gives the feel of a real-time blog written by a World War I soldier.  The underlying purpose of this style of presentation is its potential to attract and engage a younger audience, which in turn can assist school teachers in their efforts to teach students about World War I. Continue reading →

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Hidden Heritage Collections Blog

Authored by Karen Beverly

HHC object2

A screenshot of the homepage of the Hidden Heritage Collections website and blog.

The Hidden Heritage Collections website and blog was created in order to showcase the past and present Academic Service-Learning (AS-L) projects that have been completed under the supervision of Dr. Christine Angel.  While this particular website seeks to display these projects, it also serves as a platform for other objectives such as preserving the past, increasing access to cultural diversity, and linking data across cultures.  Thanks to partnering institutions, the students of St. John’s Division of Library and Information Science have been able to learn how to work with, display, and preserve various documents and objects so that they can be viewed on a grand scale.

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