Hugh Hawkins Papers, 1914-2012 (bulk 1950-1990)

Requests for permission to publish material from the Hugh Hawkins Papers should be directed to the Archives and Special Collections. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.

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Biographical Note

Hugh Hawkins was born in Topeka, KS on September 3, 1929, and raised in El Reno, OK. He received a Bachelor's degree from DePauw University in 1950 and a Ph.D from John Hopkins University in 1954. He served in the U.S. Army, 1954-1956, and taught at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, 1956-1957. Hawkins began teaching History and American Studies at Amherst College in 1957. He was active in several notable social movements and causes, including academic freedom and anti-McCarthyism, the Civil Rights movement, nuclear disarmament, the anti-war movement (both the Vietnam War and the Gulf War), and LGBT rights.

In 1976 Prof. Hawkins was instrumental in designing the first-year introduction to Liberal Studies curriculum at Amherst College and helped build both the History and American Studies departments. He is a distinguished scholar of American higher education, the American South, and of cultural and intellectual history, and in particular is the author of several notable publications on the history of higher education in the United States. These include The Emerging University and Industrial America (1972); Between Harvard and America: The Educational Leadership of Charles W. Eliot (1972); Banding Together: The Rise of National Associations in American Higher Education, 1887-1950 (1992); and Pioneer: A History of the Johns Hopkins University, 1874-1889 (1960 and 2002). In 2006 he published Railwayman's Son: a Plains Family Memoir. Upon his retirement from the faculty in 2000 after a teaching career of forty-three years at Amherst, Hawkins was the Anson D. Morse Professor of History and American Studies.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

Correspondence, manuscripts, diaries, appointment books, committee records, printed materials, audiotapes, and newspaper clippings related to Hugh Hawkins. Much of the collection consists of correspondence between Hawkins, his colleagues, family, and friends. Manuscripts include fiction, poetry, plays, academic writings, lectures, and notes. Much of the material relates to Hawkins's career as a professor, historian, and activist.

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Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into five series:

• CORRESPONDENCE (1914-2011, bulk 1950-2001)
• WRITINGS (1950-2012)
• COURSE MATERIALS (1957-1994)
• PRINTED MATERIAL (1940-2010)
• OVERSIZED MATERIALS (1964-1971)

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SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE

Series 1 is organized into three sub-series, each arranged chronologically:

Sub-Series A: GENERAL

Sub-Series B: EVENTS

Sub-Series C: COMMITTEES, REPORTS, MEETINGS, AND PANELS

Sub-series A: GENERAL

Sub-Series A: GENERAL, spanning over fifty years, includes letters between Hawkins and his family, friends, and colleagues. There are many letters from friends regarding the draft in 1950-51. There are several letters from Hawkins to his family during his time in the army between 1954 and 1956. There is a good deal of material regarding Amherst College beginning in 1957 until present day, including first impressions of the college and faculty. In box 4, folder 32, there are letters from Senators Kennedy and Kerry, as well as White House statements regarding US intervention in Kuwait.

Sub-series B: EVENTS

Includes correspondence regarding specific events in Hawkins's personal and professional life, including topics such as the Westover Protest and the arson of the Plainfield home that Hawkins shared with Walter Richard.

Sub-Series C: COMMITTEES, REPORTS, MEETINGS, AND PANELS

Contains correspondence and other materials of the many panels, committees, and events that Hawkins was involved in. Highlights include SCLC's SCOPE project (which Martin Luther King Jr. participated in), which includes an audiotape of speeches, newspapers, and more. Several academic committees are included, such as the Task Force on Admission and Financial Aid.

SERIES 2: WRITINGS

Series 2 is organized into three sub-series, each arranged chronologically:

• Sub-Series A: FAMILY
• Sub-Series B: DIARIES AND APPOINTMENT BOOKS
• Sub-Series C: ACADEMIC AND CREATIVE WRITINGS

Sub-series A: FAMILY

Includes a notebook that was shared by the Hawkins family, audiotapes, and notes regarding genealogy.

Sub-series B: DIARIES AND APPOINTMENT BOOKS

Documents the daily life of Hugh Hawkins.

Sub-series C: ACADEMIC AND CREATIVE WRITINGS

Consists of poems, short stories, plays, novels, academic writing, lectures, recollections, notes, and schoolwork.

SERIES 3: COURSE MATERIALS

Series 3 is organized into two sub-series:

• Sub-Series A: HAWKINS'S MATERIALS
• Sub-Series B: STUDENT WORK

Sub-Series A: HAWKINS'S MATERIALS

Consists of syllabi, lecture notes, and other documents arranged chronologically.

Sub-series B: STUDENT WORK

Includes student papers, prize paper submissions, questionnaires, and tests.

SERIES 4: PRINTED MATERIAL, 1940-2010

Contains material from organizations such as the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE).

Chronological

SERIES 5: OVERSIZE ITEMS, 1964-1971

Contains an oversized diary and nine of ten parts of the Chapel Hill Weekly series, "Williamston," featuring the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)'s Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) project.