Ernest Singer photographs of Harvard and Massachusetts events
Overview
Ernest Alfred Singer received his Harvard AB in 1941, his I.A. in 1942, his MBA in 1946, and his M.Ed. in 1954. The collection consists mostly of photographs taken by Singer at various Harvard commencement ceremonies from 1959 to 1996. These photographs capture many honorary degree recipients, as well as political activism, including the 1970 housing protest and the 1993 movement to lift the ban gay people serving in the United States military. It also includes photographs and ephemera related to the 25th and 50th reunions of the Harvard Class of 1941, photographs of a 1965 march led by Martin Luther King from Roxbury to Boston Common, and photographs of the 1963 Boston College centennial convocation, at which John F. Kennedy spoke.
Dates
- Creation: 1959-1996 and [undated]
Creator
- Singer, Ernest Alfred, -2009 (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Extent
1 cubic feet (1 flat box, 1 document box, 1 extra-tall document box)175 photographs
The collection mainly consists of photographs taken by Harvard alumnus Ernest Singer at various Harvard Commencement ceremonies from 1959 to 1996. The majority of the photographs are of honorary degree recipients, including Archbishop of Boston Richard Cardinal Cushing, McGeorge Bundy, Niels Bohr, Robert McNamara, Lionel Trilling, Adlai Stevenson, Colin Powell, Julia Child, Ravi Shankar, and Al Gore. A significant number of photographs also capture activism at the ceremonies, including the 1970 demonstration led by activist Saundra Graham protesting the lack of affordable housing in Cambridge, and photographs of students with “lift the ban” ephemera, referring to the 1993 movement to lift the ban on homosexuals in the United States military. Also included are photographs, newspaper clippings, and ephemera related to the 25th and 50th reunions of the Harvard Class of 1941. Singer's photographs also capture significant moments in Boston history, including the 1963 Boston College Centennial convocation, at which John F. Kennedy spoke, the 1965 march led by Martin Luther King from Roxbury to Boston Common, as well as the 1961 Brandeis University Commencement ceremony.
Biographical note on Ernest Alfred Singer
Ernest Alfred Singer received his Harvard AB in 1941, his I.A. in 1942, his MBA in 1946, and his M.Ed. in 1954. He married Betty C. Lipsitz in 1948; the couple had two children, David and Judith. Singer died on August 12, 2009.
Arrangement
Series in the collection
- Harvard College Commencement and reunion photographs, 1959-1996 and [undated]
- Harvard College Class of 1941 25th reunion photographs and ephemera, 1965-1966
- Harvard College Class of 1970 Commencement photographs, 1970
- Massachusetts events photographs, 1961-1965
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Judith Singer Swartz, June 2017; accession 2018.173.
Processing Information
This finding aid was created by Olivia Mandica-Hart in July 2019. Processing included physical re-housing and the creation of this finding aid. Titles were transcribed from the documents; titles enclosed in brackets were devised by the archivist.
Creator
- Singer, Ernest Alfred, -2009 (Person)
- Title
- Singer, Ernest Alfred, -2009. Ernest Singer photographs of Harvard and Massachusetts events, 1959-1996 and [undated] : an inventory
- Author
- Harvard University Archives
- Date
- May 20, 2019
- Description rules
- dacs
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- hua41018
Repository Details
Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository
Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.
Pusey Library
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