Distinguished African-American Alumni Honored for Service, Achievements; Pittwire, July 12, 2017

Pittwire, Distinguished African-American Alumni Honored for Service, Achievements

"Trailblazers, role models and inspirations are just a few words to describe five Pitt alumni who were recognized in June for their accomplishments and community outreach.

The alumni, Elayne Arrington (ENG ’61), Martha Richards Conley (LAW ’71), Robert Grier (BUS ’57), Dame Vivian Hewitt (SIS ’44) and Cecile Springer (GSPIA ’71) were each honored by the African American Alumni Council with its Distinguished Alumnus Award.

More about the honorees:..

Dame Vivian Hewitt

Hewitt received her library science degree from Pitt’s School of Library and Information Sciences. She began her career as the first black librarian for the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Later, she became the first black chief librarian at The Rockefeller Foundation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the Council on Foreign Relations. Hewitt and her husband began buying works of Haitian and African-American art while still a young couple, and now the Hewitt Collection is considered to be one of the finest collections of its type in the world. It was purchased by Bank of America and gifted to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Art + Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina. The collection recently was on display at Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center."

Remembering Clara Stanton Jones; Library Journal, 12/27/12

Maurice Wheeler, Library Journal; Remembering Clara Stanton Jones: "Clara Stanton Jones was a giant in this profession and urban libraries, in particular, owe her a special debt of gratitude. Jones’s professional accomplishments during a career that spanned 40 years included many, many “firsts.” From the time I joined the American Library Association (ALA) as a student I heard of Clara Stanton Jones, the first African American president of ALA. It was not until much later in my career that I became aware of the significance of the other monumental ‘first’ in her career. In 1970, Jones became the first African American and the first female director of the Detroit Public Library (DPL). However, of perhaps even greater historic significance is that her elevation to that position in Detroit also made her the first African American in the nation to lead a major public library... Much of what I know of Jones on a personal basis has come from people at DPL who knew her well. Many shared stories that are a reminder that Jones was not only a trailblazing professional, but also a warm and caring person. Carolyn Moseley, her secretary (who has also served five subsequent DPL directors) stressed that Jones genuinely cared about people and felt a responsibility to use her position and resources to provide opportunities for others to be successful... She was graceful and gracious, and her personal style enhanced the already abundant qualities that led to her tremendous success. Jones was elegant and fashionable, and keenly aware of how physical presentation, even the timbre of her voice, could be used to garner support for causes in which she believed... Jones was keenly aware that we all stand metaphorically on the shoulders of those who came before us, and she embraced the fact she was heir to a long line of trailblazers."