Collections News | January 2020

Here are some new and updated finding aids, reflecting work by archivists in archival processing, collections management, and university archives. – KWS Arthur Mitchell Papers “Arthur Mitchell (1934-2018) was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and founder and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. This collection contains materials related to his career as a dancer […]

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As seen on TV: more on the Apollo Theater through oral history

Don’t be trying to half-step on us. If you half- step on us, we are going to let you know. You will not get any applause, we will boo you. Weaving together archival footage, music, comedy, and dance performances, #TheApolloDoc chronicles the unique history and contemporary legacy of the New York City landmark. The film […]

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In tribute | First African-American psychoanalyst, Margaret Lawrence dies at 105

The New York Times reports that Columbia alum Dr. Margaret Lawrence died on 4 December 2019. Though not defined by the discrimination she faced, the obituary notes that despite being a Cornell pre-med graduate, she was denied entrance to the Cornell’s medical school. Dr. Lawrence, “absorbed the shock, then applied to Columbia University’s College of […]

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In the Desert

On December 19, 1933, the Columbia Lion football players set out on a cross-country trip to Pasadena, California to play in the 1934 Rose Bowl against the heavily favored Stanford. Every player making the cross-country trip was insured for $5,000 to guard against possible injuries on the train ride to California and back. The Lions […]

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Cliff Montgomery

In preparing the “Roar, Lion, Roar” Columbia football exhibition (on view at the Rare Book & Manuscript Library’s Chang Octagon through December 20), we found a great detail about the 1934 Rose Bowl game in the New York Times obituary for Cliff Montgomery, the quarterback and MVP of Columbia’s victory over Stanford. According to the […]

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