Alumni donate George Masa Collection to Hunter Library
Hunter Library鈥檚 Special and Digital Collections received a donation from alums William 鈥淏ill鈥� Hart, Jr., Class of 1962, and Alice Huff Hart, Class of 1961. For decades, Alice and Bill have been avid researchers and collectors of the photography of Japanese American photographer George Masa. Masa鈥檚 iconic photography of the Southern Appalachians, which began after he arrived in Asheville in 1915 and ended with his death in 1933, is regarded as some of the best of this important era.
Bill and Alice鈥檚 impressive Masa collection includes original photographic prints, a variety of period publications featuring Masa鈥檚 work, and Bill and Alice鈥檚 compiled research on Masa. Much of this research culminated in Bill鈥檚 chapter on Masa, 鈥淕eorge Masa: The Best Mountaineer,鈥� in "May We All Remember Well: A Journal of the History & Culture of Western North Carolina, Volume 1" (Robert S. Brunk, 1997). Bill鈥檚 insightful and detailed chapter has long been regarded as the first proper biography of George Masa, exploring the life and work of the elusive and mysterious photographer.
The Hart Masa Collection will join Hunter Library鈥檚 existing George Masa Collection, enabling the library to offer a great depth of resources on the life and work of George Masa and his contributions to Southern Appalachian photography, the Appalachian Trail and the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Bill and Alice donated the collection to Hunter Library in honor of Janet McCue, author and retired librarian, and George Frizzell, author and retired 星空传媒 Special Collections librarian, in recognition of Bill and Alice Hart鈥檚 esteem.