The 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 The first series, Environmental Research Papers, is comprised primarily of Howells' writings, both published and unpublished.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. There are also photographic portraits of more than thirty people.
David H. Howells was the first director of the 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 in 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. Howells was also well known for his considerable skills as a black-and-white photographer, his water photos were often featured in WRRI publications.
David 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.
The 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.
The 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:
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
[Identification of item], David H. Howells Papers, MC 00263, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of Virginia E. Howells, November 1998 (Accession no. 1998-0015) and November 2005 (Accession no. 2005-0020).
Processed by Lindsey Tear, 1999.
Encoded by Steven Mandeville-Gamble, 2005.
The collection is organized into four principal series:
Correspondence.
Outline and abridged typescripts.
Addenda.
Correspondence.
Correspondence.
Discussion.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Contact prints and negative contents list (also includes Oregon - Columbia Gorge - Grotto).
Negatives.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Untitled print.
Negatives.
Slides (2) of framed prints.
Slide of framed print.
Color slides (114).
1 slide
Untitled print (color) (no negative).
Color slides (74)
Color slides (74)
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Negatives.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
23 slides : color.
Slide of framed print.
Framed print.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints
Negatives.
Prints.
Prints
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Negatives.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Slides (2) of framed prints.
Negatives and contact prints.
Color slides (5).
Negatives.
Slides (3) of framed prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Color slide.
Negatives
Prints.
2 black and white slides
1 black and white slide
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Color slides (35).
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Prints.
Prints.
Color slides (5).
Slides (2) of framed prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives
Untitled print.
Slide of framed print.
1 black and white slide
Prints.
Prints.
Color slides.
Color slides (5).
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slides (2) of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Color slides (11).
Negatives.
Color slides (2).
Slide of framed print.
Color slides (6).
Color slides (6).
Color slides (13)
Color slides (39).
Color slides.
Print.
Color slides (7).
Prints.
Prints.
Color slides (10).
Prints.
Color slides.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Framed print.
Slides (2) of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slides (2) of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Correspondence regarding, 1995.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slides of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Color slides (16).
Color slides (7).
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Color slides (97).
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints
Prints.
Prints.
1983
Correspondence regarding,
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Negatives.
Slide of framed print.
Print.
Contact prints.
Negatives.
Color slides (17).
Negatives.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Prints.
Negatives.
Prints.
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Negatives.
Color slides (9).
Negatives.
Color slide.
Color slide.
Negatives.
Prints.
Color slides (3).
Slide of framed print.
Prints.
Color slides (2).
Negatives.
Negatives.
This collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access to digital files may require additional advanced notice.
For more information contact us via mail, phone, or our web form.
Mailing address:
Special Collections Research Center
Box 7111
Raleigh, NC, 27695-7111
Phone: (919) 515-2273
[Identification of item], David H. Howells Papers, MC 00263, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The nature of the NCSU Libraries' Special Collections means that copyright or other information about restrictions may be difficult or even impossible to determine despite reasonable efforts. The NCSU Libraries claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials.
The materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Any materials used for academic research or otherwise should be fully credited with the source.
This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which North Carolina State University assumes no responsibility.
