In Memoriam: Design Master
Charles Harrison (1931-2018)
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Charles "Chuck" Harrison
, the groundbreaking industrial designer, who rethought hundreds of ordinary household items, passed away on November 29, 2018, at the age of 87. He was the creator of the see-through measuring cup, plastic garbage can, and the 3D View Master. The hallmark of his work was its simplicity. In high school, Harrison was diagnosed with dyslexia, in his later life he tried to make all of his products intuitive. Harrison noted,
"
I couldn't learn things through the written word. I had to learn things from hearing it or seeing it, and so, I became a very visual person."
[Charles Harrison, THMDA, 1.1.6.].
Harrison went on to become one of the first African American executives at Sears & Roebuck in 1961, when he became chief product designer.
Fellow industrial designer
Noel Mayo
, r
emembered when Harrison got his start at Sears, "
He was doing freelance work for the people at Sears, but the design director's boss never saw Harrison, they just saw the work. So they kept feeding him work and after a while, they were so successful, they said, 'Would you like to work here?' Then, when the actual interview came with the designer's boss there, he got a letter saying, 'Sorry, the job doesn't exist.' The design director kept feeding him work for years and then finally they hired him about ten years later, but it was quite a struggle."
[Noel Mayo, THMDA, 1.2.7.].
Barbara Samuels
, the national buyer for Sears, recalled her start at the company and meeting Harrison,
"Chuck Harrison was an industrial designer, one of the best in fact."
She continued,
"He and I got to be really good friends...but Chuck was working out of his home, because people didn't know how to take him or what to do with him."
[Barbara Samuels, THMDA, 1.3.1. & 1.2.6.].
Harrison helped usher in the golden age of industrial design and his work improved the quality of life for millions of Americans. He sat down with The HistoryMakers in 2002, when asked about his legacy he stated, "
I really believe that [what] I've made available to humanity, some products made their life better. I made them happier and pleasant. I made products that are easy to use, that are more pleasant to look at...I've given something to humanity, at least that's what I hope."
[Charles Harrison, THMDA, 1.5.4.].
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SWEET HOME CHICAGO:
THE HISTORYMAKERS AT AHA 2019
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Last weekend, The HistoryMakers team was on site at this year's American Historical Association Conference at the Hilton Chicago in Chicago, Illinois right down the street from our headquarters in the historic South Loop neighborhood! From Friday, January 4, to Sunday, January 6, 2019, we met with a number of students and faculty from institutions across the world to discuss their research and the importance of the digital humanities. Throughout the weekend, we were able to attend relevant panels and engage with scholars to share how
The HistoryMakers Digital Archive
could enhance their research. We were also excited to share information about our many fellowship opportunities and upcoming Higher Education Advisory Board meeting at the University of Virginia Darden Sands Family Grounds in February.
We made new contacts and forged potential future partnerships with scholars and institutions. We look forward to next year's AHA conference and would like to thank all of those who stopped by our booth!
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The HistoryMakers
Higher Education Advisory Board Meeting February 3-4th, 2019
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On February 3-4, 2019, The HistoryMakers will host its fourth annual Higher Education Advisory Board Meeting at the University of Virginia, Darden Sands Family Grounds in Arlington, Virginia. Over 70 faculty will join to discuss their use of the digital archive for classroom instruction and will workshop their ideas to increase the use of the digital archive on the campuses of our subscribing institutions.
We are still missing faculty from the following institutions:
Boston University
,
Case Western Reserve University
,
Columbia University
,
Emory University
,
Smith College
,
University of Chicago
,
University of Illinois, Chicago
,
University of Michigan
,
University of Oregon
,
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
and
Yale University
.
If you are faculty members at any of the institutions mentioned above and are interested in joining us, please contact Dionti Davis at (312) 674-1900 or [email protected]. Your airfare and accommodations will be provided.
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2019-2020 Fellowship Opportunities!!
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The HistoryMakers is excited to offer three (3) fellowship opportunities open to faculty and students!
Application Deadline:
Friday, March 1, 2019
Eligibility:
Applicants must be currently enrolled graduate students who have passed their general examinations, or current faculty at one of
The HistoryMakers
subscribing institutions. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or unconditional permanent residents. Applicants need not have special expertise in African American history.
Fellowship Duration:
April 2019 – September 2019
Award Amount:
$7,500
Description:
The HistoryMakers
– the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive – invites applications for one of
four $7,500 Academic Research Fellowship awards
created from funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for the period of Summer 2019 (April–September 2019). Submission is open to: 1) faculty at all stages of their careers,
and
2) graduate students who have passed their general examinations. Applicant’s work must use or be inspired by content from
The HistoryMakers
Digital Archive.
The HistoryMakers
Academic Research Fellowship awards will be awarded to faculty or graduate students pursuing advanced research that is of value to humanities scholars, general audiences, or both. Recipients will produce articles, websites, blogs, digital materials, lesson plans and syllabi, conference presentations/papers, and/or other scholarly resources in the humanities. Award funds are meant to enable recipients to set aside time for writing; and provide funding for research, travel, and project support. The fellowship awards are expected to culminate in the realization and presentation of the proposed work, as well as its presentation. Finished products generated by awardees will be featured on
The HistoryMakers
website, and will compete for inclusion in
The HistoryMakers
20
th
Anniversary Celebration at the Library of Congress (November 6-7, 2020).
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Application Deadline:
Friday, March 1, 2019
Eligibility:
Institutional access to
The HistoryMakers
Digital Archive is not required, it will be made available for awardees. Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or unconditional permanent residents. Applicants need not have special expertise in African American history.
Fellowship Duration:
April 2019 – September 2019
Award Amount:
$5,000
Description:
The HistoryMakers
– the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive – invites applications for one of
two $5,000 Digital Humanities Fellowship awards
created with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for the period of Summer 2019 (April–September 2019). Submission is open to individuals or groups of faculty at all stages of their careers, as well as undergraduate and graduate students. Applicant’s work must use or be inspired by content from
The HistoryMakers
Digital Archive.
The HistoryMakers
Digital Humanities Fellowship awards will be awarded to digital humanities scholars pursuing interpretive research projects that require digital expression, analysis, and/or digital publication. Projects must advance a scholarly argument through digital means and tools, and should incorporate visual, audio, and/or other multimedia materials or flexible reading pathways to address issues in African American history, the digital humanities, or general humanities, Project proposals should articulate an active distribution plan for sharing results. Stand-alone databases and other projects that lack an interpretive argument are not eligible. Award funds are meant to provide research, travel, and project support. The fellowship awards are expected to culminate in the realization and presentation of the proposed work, as well as its presentation. Finished products generated by awardees will be featured on
The HistoryMakers
website, and will compete for inclusion in
The HistoryMakers
20
th
Anniversary Celebration at the Library of Congress (November 6-7, 2020).
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Application Deadline:
Friday, March 1, 2019
Eligibility:
Applicants must be currently enrolled students or faculty members at one of
The HistoryMakers
subscribing institutions (see below). Applicants must be either U.S. citizens or unconditional permanent residents. Applicants need not have special expertise in African American history.
Fellowship Duration:
April 2019 – November 2019
Award Amount:
$5,000
Description:
The HistoryMakers
– the nation’s largest African American video oral history archive – invites proposals for one of
two $5,000 Creative Study Fellowship awards
created from funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, for the period of
April–November 2019
. Submission is open to both established and emerging artists (faculty and students) at all stages of their careers. Applicants work must use or be inspired by content from
The HistoryMakers
Digital Archive.
The HistoryMakers
Creative Study Fellowship awards will be awarded to composers, choreographers, performance artists, visual artists, writers or other kinds of artists or humanists working in prose (fiction and creative nonfiction),
performance
(theatrical productions, documentaries, monologues),
visual/conceptual arts
(painting, printmaking, sculpture, graphic art, experience-based art), and poetry, to enable recipients to set aside time for writing; provide research, travel, and project support. The fellowship awards are expected to culminate in the realization and presentation of the proposed work, as well as its presentation. Finished products generated by awardees will be featured on
The HistoryMakers
website, and will compete for inclusion in
The HistoryMakers
20
th
Anniversary Celebration at the Library of Congress (November 6-7, 2020).
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"You Are Already Perfect. If You Don't Believe That, It Is Due To A Poverty Of Your Understanding. Get Rid Of That Understanding And You'll Be Rich."
-
Stacey F. Tisdale,
journalist
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We're here to help!
Please direct questions about The HistoryMakers Digital Archive to:
[email protected]
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