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Theodore Brinton Hetzel papers and graphics

 Collection
Identifier: HC.MC-1168

Scope and Contents

Theodore Brinton Hetzel papers and graphics include newsletters, correspondence, memos, and minutes from the American Friends Service Committee and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, as well as records of the Indian Program Subcommittee and the Associated Committee of Friends on Indian Affairs. From Haverford College, the collection includes faculty minutes, engineering department correspondence, minutes and correspondence of the Committee on Graduate Curriculum and the Social and Technical Assistance program, photographs of Haverford buildings, sporting events, and groups and individuals, occasionally well-known, such as Bayard Rustin. The collection includes photographs related to the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, photographs related to Native American programs of the American Friends Service Committee, and printed materials from organizations involved in Native American affairs, such as the Alaska Conservation Society and American Indian Development. A significant portion of the papers is concerned with the Friends Kinzua Dam Project.

Letter writers include: Hugh Borton, John Coleman, Ada Deer, Elihu Grant, Fritz Janschka, George McGovern, Arthur E. Morgan, Walter Taylor, and Gilbert White.

All correspondence dates are standardized rather than transcribed, viz: yr mo/day.

Though not all letters are listed individually, those that are highlighted are done so on the basis of content of the letter or historical importance of the letter writer.

An addition to the Hetzel papers is in boxes 1-17 & 20-26. Boxes 18 & 19 were received earlier and their accession numbers are not recorded.

Dates

  • Creation: 1866-1987
  • Creation: Majority of material found within 1930 - 1987

Creator

Access Restrictions

The collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Laws Apply (U.S. Title 17).

Biographical/Historical note

Theodore Brinton Hetzel (1906-1990) was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania and attended Westtown School and Haverford College, graduating Phi Beta Kappa in 1928. He completed graduate studies in mechanical engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, the Technical University of Munich (Germany), and Pennsylvania State University. He returned to Haverford College in 1936 as a member of the faculty and later chair of the department of engineering, remaining on the faculty until 1972. While at Haverford, he also served on the Committee of Arts and Service, as a member of the Corporation, on the Eighth Dimension Advisory Committee, and as advisor to the Social and Technical Assistance Program. He was secretary of the faculty from 1965 to 1971.

Hetzel served on the Indian Committees of the American Friends Service Committee and Philadelphia Yearly Meeting. In 1955, the Indian Rights Association asked him to join its board of directors. In 1969, the Association appointed him its executive director and editor of its publication, Indian Truth. In 1971, he was named general secretary. Adopted by the Seneca Nation of Indians, he was given the Seneca name Ong Gwa Dao, meaning “our friend.” An avid photographer, Hetzel was contracted by Haverford College for a number of years. His photographs were also used for Friends’ periodicals and for projects with which he was affiliated.

Hetzel was a member of Quaker organizations which worked with Native Americans, perhaps especially American Friends Service Committee. Among the projects with which he was connected was the Friends Kinzua Dam Project. In the 1950s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers planned a dam named Kinzua on the Allegheny which would flood nearly the entire Seneca reservation, but would protect the city of Pittsburgh. However, there was an alternative: by utilizing a naturally occurring glacier hole to create a reservoir, the Conewango dam would produce three times as much flood water at less cost than Kinzua. The Seneca asked that this alternative be investigated prior to final decision, though the Corps of Engineers was adamant. The Friends group worked to alleviate this situation.

Sources:

Information from internal evidence and the Dictionary of Quaker Biography.

Extent

13 linear ft. (26 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Theodore Hetzel (1906-1990) was a Quaker professor of engineering at Haverford College in Haverford, Pennsylvania, whose interests led him to involvement with Native American and Quaker issues. An avid photographer, the materials in this collection are primarily photographic, as well as correspondence and documents.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The Theodore Brinton Hetzel papers and graphics were donated to Special Collections, Haverford College by Rebecca Wills Hetzel through Janet Hetzel Henderson.

Related Archival Materials note

  • Fort Lewis College, Center of Southwest Studies: Theodore Hetzel papers and related collections


  • Haverford College Archives: HCV: Papers from the Haverford College Social and Technical Assistance graduate program


  • Swarthmore College Peace Collection: Theodore Hetzel collection and photographs.

Processing Information

The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’s “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.

Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos; completed October, 2010.

Title
Theodore Brinton Hetzel papers and graphics, 1866-1987 (bulk 1930s-1980s)
Author
Haverford College Library Special Collections
Date
October, 2010
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English
Sponsor
The creation of the electronic guide for this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’s “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. Finding aid entered into the Archivists' Toolkit by Garrett Boos.

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections Library

Contact:
370 Lancaster Ave
Haverford PA 19041 USA US