A Royal Decree!

Our amazing volunteer manuscript processor James shared this cool little item he came across while processing the Mabel Smythe-Haith papers. Everyone loves a big fancy decree, deed, or diploma -- something with seals and stamps and stuff. Pretty cool. What’s even cooler? Mabel Smythe-Haith herself.

Mabel Smythe-Haith, a native of Montgomery, Alabama, was a brilliant student – leaving home to study at Spellman College in Atlanta at the age of fifteen. She left Spellman in her senior year, graduating from Mount Holyoke College. She went on to receive a Master’s degree in Economics from Northwestern and a PhD from University of Wisconsin.

Dr. Smythe-Haith was married to Hugh H. Smythe while he was an ambassador to Syria from 1965-1967 and ambassador to Malta 1967-1969. President Johnson appointed her the US envoy to UNESCO in Paris, France, in 1964. She was the U.S. ambassador to the United Republic of Cameroon concurrently with the Republic of Equatorial Guinea from 1977-1980. She worked with Thurgood Marshall on the preparations for Brown v. Board of Education. After a distinguished career as a U.S. ambassador and civil rights advocate, Ms. Smythe-Haith served as Melville J. Herskovits Professor for African Studies at Northwestern. Additionally, she was awarded two honorary law degrees and other academic honors. She later worked as deputy assistant secretary of state for African affairs until 2000. She passed away in Tuscaloosa in 2006. There are additional papers at the Library of Congress, and the Mabel Smythe-Haith papers at the Hoole Library will be open to researchers shortly. Stay tuned!

Chahta-Lma.

Among Hoole's many fascinating treasures is this slim manuscript volume - eight pages of hand written text, which came to us as part of the T.P. Thompson Collection. The detail above gives us the words for rain, wind, sun, moon, star, earth, mountain, and stone -- first in French, then in Choctaw.

Written about 1885, this "Vocabulaire de la langue des Indiens Choctaw (lac Ponchartrain) Louisiane" is in the hand of Abbé Adrien Roquette, who was also known by many as "Chahta-Lma", Choctaw for "Like a Choctaw" -- a beautiful sentiment. This name was bestowed upon him by the Choctaw people as a sign of belonging and respect. In hindsight this can be viewed in many ways -- but the simplest notion of all is to see this expression as a reflection of everyone being connected as people -- to say that you are one of us. A pure expression of belonging and connection.

This manuscript volume has been digitized, and is available as part of our digital program here.

The original item is part of the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library. To read more about Abbé Roquette, there is a 1913 biography available via Google Books.






No matter our language or our differences, we are one people. On one great, beautiful terre... yakni...earth...

Sending you Patriotic Wishes!

A few envelopes selected from the Commemorative and Patriotic Illustrated Envelopes
donated by Dr. Wade Hall. Happy Independence Day!

Alabama's Beautiful Gulf Coast Beaches, June 1912

Dauphin Island, 1912
From Roland Harper Photographs Collection
(Collection number 633, Folder number 3.337)

http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0001_2008032_0005179

Alabamians have long enjoyed their beaches, but for the people of Southwest Alabama and the coastal areas of Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the Gulf is a way of life. As the oil from the Deepwater Horizon disaster slowly encroaches on our white sands, Cool@Hoole would like to share a few beach scenes from our collections from Alabama's shores taken by botanist Roland Harper nearly 100 years ago on June 12, 1912.

The Roland Harper Photographs collection, 1878-1966 contains over 7500 photographs, as well as negatives and albums. Subject include botanical and geological subjects like the Orange Beach photographs, as well as images of farms, people, houses and everyday scenes. The photographs cover thirty-one states, the bulk of the collection are from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, California, Arkansas, and Maryland. These images are a powerful and essential resource in understanding the natural history of this region, providing accurate and precise snapshot of the flora and formations of the Alabama Gulf Coast.

The papers of Roland Harper are also housed in the Hoole Library. Sixty three linear feet of materials from Harper, include his diaries, correspondence, research notes, writings, publications, personal and family materials, cemetery records, scrapbooks, as well as photographs, materials relating to race relations, and a substantial collection of transportation timetables and clippings. Some of the photographs and other materials from the collections are available online through our Digital Collections.

Bluffs at the outlet of Perdido Bay

Caption: Bluffs about 10 ft. high made by waves cutting into dunes near outlet of Perdido Bay. 1.31 pm
From Roland Harper Photographs Collection
(Collection number 633, Folder number 187.2)
http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0001_2008032_0005568

Dunes at Orange Beach

Caption: Looking South among older dunes, with Corradina in foreground, Pinus clausa (dead), Quercus myrtifolia, Ceratiola, etc. 2:04 pm.
From Roland Harper Photographs Collection
(Collection number 633, Folder number 187.6)
http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0001_2008032_0005575

Then state Geologist, Eugene Allen Smith on Orange Beach (in a suit, not a bathing suit!)

Caption: Near view of same bluff, showing bedding of sand [E.A. Smith in picture] 1:35 pm
From Roland Harper Photographs Collection
(Collection number 633, Folder number 187.3)
http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0001_2008032_0005569

Thanks to graduate student Alisha Linam, a native of South Alabama for her work with these items!