Davis, John P. (John Preston), 1905-1973
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc Micro R-5858
Writings and research files, along with personal papers, and corrrespondence documenting Davis' multifaceted career, 1923-1972. Includes material on the AMERICAN NEGRO REFERENCE BOOK, 1966, edited by Davis; papers relating to Frederick Douglass,...
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Writings and research files, along with personal papers, and corrrespondence documenting Davis' multifaceted career, 1923-1972. Includes material on the AMERICAN NEGRO REFERENCE BOOK, 1966, edited by Davis; papers relating to Frederick Douglass, including letters to Douglass from his sons, Lewis and Frederick; historical novel about a frontier family in Louisville, Kentucky; compilation of biographies of black athletes called "Jump High;" short stories and poetry; and manuscript about Liberia entitled "Bitter Canaan," by Charles S. Johnson. Correspondents include Mary M. Bethune, Ralph J. Bunche, and Dwight D. Eisenhower.
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Johnson, Jack, 1878-1946
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 525
0.75 linear feet (3 boxes)
Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was the first African-American boxer to win the heavyweight title. A controversial figure, Johnson was famous for the furor that surrounded his heavyweight championship, his flamboyant...
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Heavyweight boxing champion Jack Johnson (1878-1946) was the first African-American boxer to win the heavyweight title. A controversial figure, Johnson was famous for the furor that surrounded his heavyweight championship, his flamboyant lifestyle, and his association with white women. His victory against retired boxer Jim Jefferies, who was referred to in the press as "the great white hope", triggered riots in many cities throughout the United States. Johnson lost his title in 1915 against white boxer Jess Willard, and continued to box until 1938, when he fought his last professional fight. The Jack Johnson Scrapbooks include numerous newspaper clippings and programs of his fights and the 1967 play,
Great White Hope, which was based on his life. There is additional printed material with images of Johnson boxing with a variety of opponents such as Joe Jeannette, Jess Willard, Jim Jeffries, Sam Langford, Tommy Burns, and Sam McVey. The clippings cover all aspects of Johnson's life in and out of the ring, including his run for public office in Chicago. Other articles document his trial and conviction in 1913 for violating the Mann Act. Promotional material and reviews of Johnson's autobiography,
Jack Johnson in the Ring and Out (1927), are included.
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Walker, John Snookie, 1919-1985
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 535
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
John "Snookie" Rendall Walker was a Harlem business entrepreneur and organizer/manager of several Harlem-based youth and professional athletic teams. He lived his entire life in Harlem (1919-1985), opening the Sugar Bowl Restaurant on West 137th...
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John "Snookie" Rendall Walker was a Harlem business entrepreneur and organizer/manager of several Harlem-based youth and professional athletic teams. He lived his entire life in Harlem (1919-1985), opening the Sugar Bowl Restaurant on West 137th Street and Seventh Avenue in 1947, which he co-owned with his wife, Dolores. In 1950, he organized Snookie's Sugar Bowl Five basketball team, which featured semi-professional and professional players and had its glory years from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. In 1951, Walker helped to reorganize the New York Renaissance, or Rens, the well-known professional basketball team, and was the team's manager-coach through the mid-1950s. In 1957, he organized the boys' Biddy Basketball League of Metropolitan New York and became its first commissioner. Walker's "Biddy" teams went on to win national and international basketball tournaments from the mid to late 1960s. He also formed youth leagues in softball and baseball for pre-teens throughout the 1950s to the 1970s, and an all-women's basketball team, the Harlem Globe Travellettes, in the early 1950s. The John "Snookie" Walker scrapbook consists primarily of printed material relating to the activities of several of the athletic clubs Walker organized and managed from the early 1950s to the 1970s. Included are a history of the Renaissance Basketball Team and news clippings about the team under his management, as well as Snookie's Sugar Bowl Five, the Biddy Basketball League, and the Harlem Globe Travellettes. The articles discuss games and players. There are also programs for tournaments in which these teams competed in New York City and out of state, 1950-1974. The collection includes a file of letters written by executives in various athletic organizations as well as from Jackie Robinson (1961) during his tenure as vice president of personnel with Chock Full o'Nuts. Information about "Snookie" himself is foundd in news clippings in addition to letters pertaining to a salute honoring him in 1985, recognizing his many years contributing to Harlem life.
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Writers' Program (New York, N.Y.)
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc Micro R-6544
4.48 linear feet (10 boxes, 5 reels)
The studies for this collection were compiled by workers of the Writers' Program of the Works Projects Administration in New York City. This collection consists of 41 studies of the history of Blacks in New York City. Included are biographical...
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The studies for this collection were compiled by workers of the Writers' Program of the Works Projects Administration in New York City. This collection consists of 41 studies of the history of Blacks in New York City. Included are biographical sketches and studies relating to cultural achievements, history, slavery, economics, sports, theater, churches, as well as other subjects. Authors of the studies include Ralph Ellison, Abram Hill, and Ellen Tarry. Also included is a manuscript of
The Negro in New York: An Informal Social History edited by Roi Ottley, which was originally prepared by the Federal Writers' Project of New York City.
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Sharp, Louis, 1901-1976
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 534
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
Louis R. Sharp, African-American singer and actor graduated from the University of Kansas, where he sang with the University quartet. Moving to California in 1926, he studied voice with Theodore Ricardo, and settled in Harlem in the 1930s. A...
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Louis R. Sharp, African-American singer and actor graduated from the University of Kansas, where he sang with the University quartet. Moving to California in 1926, he studied voice with Theodore Ricardo, and settled in Harlem in the 1930s. A tenor, Sharp performed in concerts and recitals, singing in six languages. In 1931 Hall Johnson hired Sharp as a choral member of
The Green Pastures in which he also played Cain. He had a major role as Toussaint L'Ouverture in the 1938 Federal Theatre Project's production of
Haiti opposite Canada Lee's Christophe. Sharp was also in the original Broadway cast of such productions as
Conjur Man Dies,
Mamba's Daughters,
Cabin in the Sky,
South Pacific,
St. Louis Woman,
Finian's Rainbow, and
Set My People Free. The Louis Sharp scrapbooks are comprised of two volumes. The first (1926-1946) contains news clippings and programs regarding Sharp's career, initially as a tenor performing in concerts, later as a singer and actor in
Finian's Rainbow and in Broadway's
St. Louis Woman, and
Haiti, among other productions. There are several congratulatory letters and telegrams, including from Cab Calloway. The second scrapbook (1942-1947) consists of news clippings about African-American sports figures such as boxer Joe Louis and baseball player Jackie Robinson.
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Miller, Buster
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 529
0.46 linear feet (2 boxes)
Grover C. "Buster" Miller was a sports reporter who worked for The New York Age and whose columns included "Sports Parade" and "Sports of the Age." In 1938, he was credited as a guest columnist and from 1939 onwards as the sports editor. Buster...
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Grover C. "Buster" Miller was a sports reporter who worked for The New York Age and whose columns included "Sports Parade" and "Sports of the Age." In 1938, he was credited as a guest columnist and from 1939 onwards as the sports editor. Buster Miller Scrapbooks (5 volumes) contain mostly clippings about blacks in sports, particularly Negro National League (baseball), boxing, tennis, collegiate athletics and football, 1938-1942. Also included are ticket stubs, correspondence with college athletic departments regarding black student athletes, writings including several write-ups on Black jockeys and a compilation of important American racing stakes won by Black jockeys, and printed matter.
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M. Smith (New York, N.Y.)
Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Sc Photo Morgan and Marvin Smith Collection
<2387> items (4.4 cubic ft., 20 boxes). <1032> photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 26 x 21 cm. and smaller. <712> photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. and smaller. <26> photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 36 x 29 cm. and smaller. <1> photographic print : col ; 26 x 21 cm. <575> negatives : b&w ; 18 x 13 cm. and smaller. <41> transparencies : col ; 18 x 13 cm. and smaller
The collection primarily documents people, places and events in Harlem from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. The collection consists of studio and candid portraits of mainly African American personalities, Harlem residents, and fashion models;...
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The collection primarily documents people, places and events in Harlem from the early 1930s to the mid-1950s. The collection consists of studio and candid portraits of mainly African American personalities, Harlem residents, and fashion models; views of various social and political events in Harlem; and coverage of sports events and other news stories, representing the Smiths' freelance photography work for the New York Amsterdam News, the New York Age, and other African-American newspapers. Images depicting the personal activities of the Smith brothers are limited.
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Wills, Harry, 1892-1958
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 191
0.02 linear feet (2 folders)
Harry Wills was a professional boxer and leading heavyweight contender in the 1920s. The Harry Wills collection consists of passports, correspondence, clippings, a program of his fight with Luis Firpo in 1924, a poster, and two volumes of the...
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Harry Wills was a professional boxer and leading heavyweight contender in the 1920s. The Harry Wills collection consists of passports, correspondence, clippings, a program of his fight with Luis Firpo in 1924, a poster, and two volumes of the Everlast Boxing Record, 1922 and 1925, listing Wills's major matches.
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Photographs and Prints Division. Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture | Sc Photo Sports
1204 items (8 boxes, 1.8 linear feet). 432 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. and smaller. 546 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 26 x 21 cm. and smaller. 105 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 19 x 13 cm. and smaller. 78 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 13 x 19 cm. and smaller. 5 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 33 x 23 cm. and smaller. 6 photographic prints : silver gelatin, b&w ; 28 x 36 cm. and smaller. 6 photographic prints : col ; 28 x 36 cm. and smaller. 8 photographic prints : col ; 36 x 28 cm. and smaller. 3 photomechanical prints : halftone, b&w ; 21 x 26 cm. and smaller. 11 photomechanical prints : halftone, col., some b&w ; 22 x 28 cm. and smaller. 3 photographic postcards : silver gelatin, b&w ; 9 x 14 cm
The Sports collection depicts some aspects of African-American participation in sporting events and athletic competition, mainly from the 1940s to the mid-1980s. Sports represented in the collection consist of: baseball, basketball, body...
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The Sports collection depicts some aspects of African-American participation in sporting events and athletic competition, mainly from the 1940s to the mid-1980s. Sports represented in the collection consist of: baseball, basketball, body building, bowling, boxing, car racing, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, hockey, horse racing, martial arts, miscellaneous sports, the Olympic Games, roller skating, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and field. The collection consists of individual and group portraits and candid shots of professional, amateur and youth group athletes, mostly male, as well as some coaches, owners and sports fans; views and candid shots of sporting events and competitions; some views of sports classes and athletic training sessions; views of sports award ceremonies and charity events; and some publicty shots. The sports most heavily depicted in the collection are baseball, basketball, boxing, football and track and field. The collection is limited in depicting sports figures and events from the nineteenth century to the 1930s, and from the 1990s to the present.
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Troupe, Quincy
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 635
83.51 linear feet (193 boxes, 5 volumes, 3 tubes); 3.51 gigabytes (575 computer files)
Quincy Troupe (born 1939) is a poet, author, and editor, perhaps best known for co-writing
Miles: The Autobiography (1989) with the influential jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. His father, Quincy Trouppe, Sr., was an all-star...
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Quincy Troupe (born 1939) is a poet, author, and editor, perhaps best known for co-writing
Miles: The Autobiography (1989) with the influential jazz trumpeter Miles Davis. His father, Quincy Trouppe, Sr., was an all-star catcher in Negro league baseball. The Quincy Troupe papers, dating from 1915 to 2008, mainly document Troupe's career from the mid-1970s to 2008. They also hold the scrapbooks of Quincy Trouppe, Sr.
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Huiswoud, Chris
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 661
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
This scrapbook consists of clippings, dating ca. 1918-1940, which denote Huiswoud's career as a referee as well as reflect his management of the New York Blue Belts. The clippings are from various newspapers, such as the more
This scrapbook consists of clippings, dating ca. 1918-1940, which denote Huiswoud's career as a referee as well as reflect his management of the New York Blue Belts. The clippings are from various newspapers, such as the
Amsterdam News, the
Tittler Tattler, and the
Liberator. The scrapbook also contains general sports articles and his sports column.
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Gates, Pop, 1917-1999
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 689
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
William "Pop" Gates was a professional basketball player. He played for several professional teams, ending his career with a five year (1950-1955) tour of duty with the Harlem Globetrotters, as both a player and a coach. This collection consists...
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William "Pop" Gates was a professional basketball player. He played for several professional teams, ending his career with a five year (1950-1955) tour of duty with the Harlem Globetrotters, as both a player and a coach. This collection consists of a scrapbook on Gates.
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Smith, Anna Jackson, 1913-1998
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division | Sc MG 301
0.21 linear feet (1 box)
Born Anna Jackson in 1913, Anna Jackson Smith attended East Rutherford High School in New Jersey where she distinguished herself on the "Wonder-Girls" Basketball Team of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Anna Jackson Smith papers focus on...
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Born Anna Jackson in 1913, Anna Jackson Smith attended East Rutherford High School in New Jersey where she distinguished herself on the "Wonder-Girls" Basketball Team of the late 1920s and early 1930s. The Anna Jackson Smith papers focus on Smith's athletic achievements at East Rutherford High School.
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