Finding Aid of the Stephen H. Forbes Papers, 1935 - 1967, PC.1885
Abstract
Stephen H. Forbes (1910-2003 ) attended Black Mountain College from 1935-1938 and
1940-1942. Later, he became a friend and financial supporter of the school.
His papers include correspondence dating from 1937 to 1959 concerning administration
of the college, faculty changes, campus and physical plant development, operating
finances and issues relating to property owned by the college. Other materials include
pages from a journal kept by Forbes; class notes and exams; and notes on financial
situations and other issues.
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Stephen H. Forbes Papers
- Call Number
- PC.1885
- Creator
- Forbes, Stephen Hathaway
- Date
- 1935 - 1967
- Extent
- Language
- English
- Repository
- Western Regional Archives, State Archives of North Carolina
Restrictions on Access & Use
Access Restrictions
Available for research.
Use Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of these materials, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law (Title 17 US Code). Individual researchers are responsible for using these materials in conformance with copyright law as well as any donor restrictions accompanying the materials.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], PC.1885, Stephen H. Forbes Papers, State Archives of North Carolina, Raleigh, NC, USA.
Collection Overview
The Stephen H. Forbes Collection includes correspondence relating to the school dating
from 1937 to 1959 concerning administration of the college, faculty changes, campus
and physical plant development, operating finances and issues relating to property
owned by the college. Three of the letters provide interesting insights into two faculty
members who subsequently attained a degree of celebrity in the field of literary criticism,
Alfred Kazin (December 7, 1944, and June 20, 1945) and Eric Bentley (August 15 and
December 7, 1944). Others of the letters provide substantive information on Anni Albers
and her weaving room at the college (March 16, 1944), theater productions (April 22
and May 29, 1944), the Summer Music Institute (July 10, 1944), and efforts by the
college to bring a degree of racial intergration into its programs (March 11, 1943,
February 25, 1944, and April 22, 1944). Correspondents include Ted Dreier, William
Robert ("Bob") Wunsch, Natalya ("Natasha") Goldowski, David H. Corkran, Dan Rice,
Nell Aydelotte Rice, Frank Aydelotte, Toni Dehn, Flola Lake Shepard, Charles Olson,
and Wesley Huss.
Other materials in the collection include pages from a journal kept by Forbes during
a visit to the college, November 19-25, 1949; class notes and exams from the period
when he was a student in 1935-1938; notes on the 1935 financial situation of the college;
Howard Haines Brinton's ten "Integrative Forces in Planned Communities" drawn from
his experience at the Quaker institution, Pendle Hill, in Pennsylvania; notes on the
remarks of a labor operative from the United Mine Workers of America concerning unions
and coal strikes of the 1930's; notes of the meeting held at the time of the visit
of Louis Adamic to Black Mountain College in 1935; notes on other meetings held at
the college between 1936 and 1941; and a 1941 "Survey on Physical Labor" at the college.
Biographical and Historical No
Stephen H. Forbes (1910-2003), son of Mr. and Mrs. Waldo E. Forbes, and a native of Milton, Massachusetts, was educated at Milton Academy (1923-1930), Harvard College (1930-1934), Black Mountain College (1935-1938, 1940-1942), and Temple University. Looking back nearly 30 years later, Forbes recalled his time at Black Mountain College as the happiest of his life. First as a student, then as a friend and financial supporter, Forbes maintained a close relationship with the college for nearly two decades.
Contents of the Collection
Subject Headings
Acquisitions Information
Gift, Stephen H. Forbes, 1998.