February 2013

Clifton H. Johnson Club

$5,000+

Thomas Wirth  

Cinque Club

$1,000+

Edgar John Bullard III

Karen Burgess

Robert P. Johnson

Paul J. Leaman, Jr.

Harriet Tubman Club

$500+

Kim Boyle

Conchetta White Fulton

Lee Hampton

Ora Myles Sheares

Carter G. Woodson Club

$250+

William H. & Gloria Armstrong

Andrea G. Jefferson

Henry C. Lacey

Sybil Haydel Morial

Rodney Page

Stephanie E. Spottswood

Frederick Douglass Club

$100+

Laura Rosanne Adderley

Delores Bradley-Briggs

Benjamin Dent

Steven Doiron

James Guidry

Christopher Harter

Beverly Wade Hogan

Estate of Ulysses H. Jones

Vivian Lucas

Lewis H. Meyers

Doris J. Newton

Bill Shurtleff

Margaret Stevens

Sojourner Truth Club

$50+

Archives and Manuscripts Donors

Lynn Abbott Collection, circa 1920s-1953, 3 items

donated by Lynn Abbott

Harlan Paul Douglass Typescript (undated but post-1929), 1 item

donated by Special Collections, Drew University

Fred P. Ensminger Letter, (1937), 1 item

donated by Patricia Bailey

Tony Gleaton photographs (2012), 4 items

donated by Tony Gleaton

Larney Goodkind Collection (1950-1991), 5.8 linear ft.

donated by Rob Goodkind

Arthur Douglass Gray Papers (1937-1990), 0.2 linear ft.

donated by Clarice A. Gray

Ulysses H. Jones papers (1954-2011), 2.4 linear ft.

donated by Hugh H. Jones

Louis Montault Estate Slave Bill of Sale (1852), 1 item

donated by Suzanne Kravitz

Archives and Manuscripts Donors to Existing Collections

Alpha Kappa Alpha Inc., Alpha Beta Omega Chapter Records (2012), 1 item

donated by Conchetta White Fulton

James E. Blackwell Papers (1963-2012), 0.4 linear ft.

donated by James E. Blackwell

Chicago Chapter Friends of Amistad Collection (2012), 1 folder

donated by Willie Lee Hart

Carolyn M. Dejoie Papers (1973-2005), 1.2 linear ft.

donated by Carolyn M. Dejoie Trust

Harold E. Doley Jr. Papers (1972-2009), 13.0 linear ft.

donated by Harold E. Doley Jr.

Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church Collection (1997-2005), 14 items

donated by Andrew G. Jefferson

James H. Hargett Papers (2007-2011), 0.6 linear ft.

donated by James A. Hargett

Antoinette Harrell-Miller Family Papers (1910-2011), 1.6 linear ft.

donated by Antoinette Harrell

Joseph A. Labat Collection (circa 1926-1992), 1 folder

donated by Joseph A. Labat

Archibald LeCesne Papers (1936-1983), 1.34 linear ft.

donated by Charmaine LeCesne Young

M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons of Louisiana Records (1870-2002), 30.0 linear feet

donated by M.W. Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free & Accepted Masons of Louisiana

Ronald E. Mickens Papers (2010-2012), 7 items

donated by Ronald E. Mickens

Reuben Myles Papers (1946-1982), 3.2 linear feet

donated by Ora Myles Sheares

Robert and Lillian Dunn Perry Papers (1941-1986), 1 folder

donated by Beatrice Soublet

Alvin J. Schexnider Papers (1930-2011), 4.0 linear ft.

donated by Alvin J. Schexnider

Hale Smith Papers (1950-2010), 0.8 linear feet

donated by Juanita Smith

Philip Sterling Papers (1939-1970), 1.2 linear ft.

donated by Anne Fausto-Sterling

Vernon "Dr. Daddy-O" Winslow Collection (1920s-1960s), 4.4 linear ft.

Library Donors

Akashic Books

Robert H. Calvert

Janice Eatman-Williams

Rachel L. Emanuel

Ina Fandrich

Willie Lee Hart

Christopher Harter

High Museum of Art

Estate of Lesley Himes

Hogan Jazz Archive

Mary E. Howell

Georgette Ioup

Harmut Keil

Ann Lee

Belvin Louie

Miriam Ching Yoon Louie

Elizabeth Nash

James B. Newman

Katherine K. Newman

Nancy Nyberg 

Vincent B. Orange Sr. 

Lawrence N. Powell

Lance Query

Darrel J. Saizan
Andrew Salinas

Alvin J. Schexnider

Russell Stockard Sr.

Reed Taylor 

Mary Violasse

Ellen Weiss

Cleota Wilbekin

Examples of Amistad's audiovisual holdings

Amistad Research Center continues emphasis on the manuscript collections, which are the core of its operations. However, readers of e-Amistad Reports and of Amistad's social media posts are aware of the Center's recent focus on its audiovisual holdings. Great strides have been made in identifying and adopting effective preservation measures while expanding access to the audiovisual holdings.

Amistad's 2012 Annual Appeal featured an audiovisual wish list, which attracted special support for in-kind purchases. We were especially pleased to receive donations from two members of Amistad's board. Directors Edgar John Bullard III and Janice Sumler-Edmond targeted their gifts toward the purchase of new equipment that will enhance researcher access to and preservation of both sound recordings and moving images at Amistad.

With generous contributions from the two directors, the Center will dedicate space in its reading room for a proposed playback station that will provide access to Amstad's most frequently requested media formats. In addition, a digital workstation utilizing state-of-the-art analog to digital converter equipment and software will allow staff to reformat older audiovisual holdings for preservation and access.

An exhibition on poet Countee Cullen rounded out Amistad's 2012 exhibition schedule.

Our donor honor roll is also opportunity to provide recognition to those who give from the goodness of their hearts without desire for recognition of any kind, saying simply it is the right thing to do.

The above introduction describes Paul A. Leaman Jr., who would be quick to downplay his recognition. But, there is no denying that the overwhelming success of last year's combined exhibit "Yet Do I Marvel: Countee Cullen and the Harlem Renaissance" and book talk by Cullen biographer Charles Molesworth is largely attributable to Leaman's generous sponsorship gift.

The format of Amistad's public programs in 2012 allowed attendees to enjoy social interaction at opening receptions followed by spirited discussion and enlightening presentations. These activities also attracted new audiences, which the Center encourages for its programming. We are honored by Mr. Leaman's commitment to sponsorship and grateful for his assistance in outreach efforts at Amistad.

Advertisement poster for a 1956 performance by William Warfield at the Haile Selassie 1st Theatre in Ethiopia.

The founding director of the Amistad Research Center, Clifton H. Johnson, was a tireless collector, and he frequently canvassed the country to cultivate relationships with potential donors, packaged collections to be shipped to Amistad, and conducted oral history interviews with individuals with connections to existing collections at Amistad. In 1988, Dr. Johnson interviewed Larney Goodkind, a New York-based talent agent who represented a variety of artists, including William Warfield, whose papers are housed at the Amistad Research Center.

 In 2011, the son of Larney Goodkind, Rob Goodkind, contacted the Amistad Research Center, seeking a potential home for the papers of his late father. Rob Goodkind learned of the connection between his father, Warfield, and the Amistad Research Center through an internet search, and communicated with staff to learn more about the Center and its collections. As a result of staff professionalism and efficient communication, the Larney Goodkind Collection arrived in several installments throughout 2012, with more yet set to come later in 2013.

Larney Goodkind was a quiet champion of civil rights and one of the few White talent agents who represented African American clients. The papers of William Warfield contain a letter Goodkind wrote to President Harry Truman regarding recurring incidents of racial discrimination faced by Warfield in seeking hotel lodging while on tour in Truman's hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. Larney Goodkind's own collection includes programs and stage bills for hundreds of Warfield's performances throughout the world, photographs, correspondence, and sound recordings. Highlights from the collection include programs and posters for Warfield's 1956 performance at the Haile Selassie 1st Theater in Ethiopia, programs for dozens of iterations of Porgy and Bess including the 1952 opening at the National Theater in Washington, and a photograph of the wedding of Leontyne Price and William Warfield.