Guide to the David H. Howells Papers, 1957-1995Collection Number MC 263
Descriptive Summary
Information for Users
Biographical NoteDavid H. Howells was born in Albany, Oregon, on June 15, 1920. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Howells enrolled at Oregon State University, where he received a B.S. in Civil Engineering in 1949. He spent most of the next sixteen years as an engineer for the U.S. Public Health Service, taking time out to acquire a master's degree in Sanitary Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1955. In 1965, Howells became the first director of the newly formed Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI) of the University of North Carolina system. During his tenure at WRRI, Howells also served as Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University and Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition to his work within the state, Howells served on several national and international water program evaluation commissions. He received numerous honors for his contributions to water pollution control, including the U.S. Public Health Service Commendation Medal and a Presidential Citation. Though Howells retired in 1976, he remained an active conservationist, continuing to work with WRRI, volunteering with the Triangle Land Conservancy and the Sierra Club, and serving as Professor Emeritus at North Carolina State University. Howells was also well known for his considerable skills as a black-and-white photographer; his photographs regularly placed or received honorable mention in juried exhibits throughout North Carolina. Water was a recurring theme in his photographic work, and his water photos were often featured in WRRI publications. Scope and Content NoteThe collection includes both David H. Howells' writings and his photographic work, with photography making up the bulk of the collection. This collection is divided into two series. The first series, Environmental Research, is comprised primarily of Howells' writings, both published and unpublished. Topics include water quality management and planning, sediment pollution control, water pollution from toxics, ground water management, and water pollution from agriculture. The second series, Photography, includes negatives, prints, slides taken of black-and-white prints on display, and color slides. Information on Howells' participation in photography exhibits is also included, as well as some examples of published photographs. The subject matter of the photographs varies greatly, but there is a strong emphasis on water and the natural world throughout the United States, including California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New England, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, Virginia, and Washington, D.C.; and other countries, including Antigua, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Dominica, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Mexico, Netherlands, Peru, and Russia. Also included are portraits of more than thirty people, including self-portraits of Howells. Organization of the CollectionThe Environmental Research papers, arranged in date order, document Howells' work in a professional capacity as an environmental engineer. There are two subseries; the first, Publications, consists of articles, editorials, and monographs written by Howells, including any drafts, typescripts or abridgements. The second subseries, Conferences, Speeches, Etc., incorporates Howells' unpublished work. It consists mostly of speeches and papers presented at conferences. The Photography series includes Howells' photographs and related documents. The first subseries, Photographs and Slides, is arranged as nearly as possible in original order: by geographic location if possible, else by subject. Within each category - location or subject - are listed where applicable first color slides, then negatives, then prints (including any slides made of a given print). Since prints are of widely varying sizes, often items from any one category are scattered throughout various boxes. The second subseries, Exhibitions, Contests, Auctions, includes records of the exhibition of Howells' work and is arranged alphabetically by exhibit. The third subseries, Published Photographs, Etc., consists primarily of published photographic material, and also includes miscellaneous documents relating to Howells as photographer. While the collection is arranged intellectually by subject, items are housed by size and type; therefore, items pertaining to the same topic may be scattered throughout several different boxes. The physical arrangement of the items is as follows:
Online Catalog TermsThe following terms have been used to index the guide to the collection in the NCSU Library's online catalog. Individuals
Corporate Entities
Topics
Geographic Names
Genre
Occupations
Detailed Description of the Collection
|