Dr. Charles Darrett Churchwell was the second African American to receive a Ph.D. in library science from the
University of Illinois. A native of Dunnellon, Florida, Dr. Churchwell was born on Sunday, November 7, 1926 to John Dozier Churchwell and Leeannah Delaughter Churchwell. Dr. Churchwell was also a veteran of the United States Army. After the military, he attended
Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, graduating in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. Dr. Churchwell then attended the Atlanta University Library School (
Clark-Atlanta University), receiving his MLS (Master of Library Science) in 1953. He earned his doctorate (Ph.D.) in library science from the
University of Illinois in 1966.
During his career, Dr. Churchwell held several positions in libraries across the country, including Alabama State College (
Alabama State University),
Prairie View A & M University, the
New York Public Library, and the
University of Illinois before becoming the first African American to serve as Assistant Director of Public Services & Associate Professor at the
University of Houston. He remained at the University of Houston until 1970. That same year, Dr. Churchwell became the director of the
Miami University of Ohio's libraries, serving for four years. Afterwards, he served as director of the
Brown University Library, the dean of libraries at
Washington University in St. Louis, and a library science professor at
Wayne State University. His final years of librarianship were spent as the dean of the library science program at
Clark-Atlanta University. He retired in 1999.
Although
Dr. Carla Hayden is the first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress, she was not the first African American to be considered for the job. When Librarian of Congress
Lawrence Quincy Mumford (L. Quincy Mumford) retired from the
Library of Congress in 1974, Dr. Churchwell was among several candidates recommended by the American Library Association Executive Board as Mumford's replacement. Even though Churchwell wasn't selected for the position, the fact that he was recommended is an accomplishment in and of itself.
Dr. Churchwell wrote several articles, contributed chapters to books on library science, and was the author of The Shaping of American Library Education. He also testified before the Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and Humanities of the United States Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources in October 1979 during hearings on the Higher Education Amendments of 1979 and before the Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education of the United States House of Representatives' Committee on Education and Labor in September 1985 during hearings on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
Dr. Churchwell passed away in 2018 at the age of 91 in St. Louis, Missouri.
Some works of Dr. Churchwell:
Churchwell, Charles D. "The Evolution of the Academic Research Library in the 1960s." College & Research Libraries 68.2 (Mar. 2007): 104-105. Print.
Churchwell, Charles. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective II." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of U of Illinois, 1998. 136-140. Print.
Churchwell, Charles D. "A Historical Introduction to Library Education: Problems and Progress to 1951 (Book Review)." College & Research Libraries 38.1 (Jan. 1977): 74-75. Print.
Churchwell, Charles D. The Shaping of American Library Education. Chicago: American Library Association, 1974. Print.
Churchwell, Charles D. "Education for Librarianship in the United States: Some Factors Which Influence Its Development between 1919 and 1936." Diss. U of Illinois, 1966. Print.
Update 6/27.2020:
*Note: The first African American to receive a doctorate in library science from the University of Illinois was Dr. Jessie Carney Smith. Dr. Smith received her Ph.D. in 1964. Many thanks to Jamillah Gabriel for bringing this to my attention!!
Sources: Figa, Elizabeth and Macpherson, Janet. "Brown v. Board of Education and Its Effect on Libraries and Library and Information Science Education: Mapping and Storytelling a Historical Journey Fifty Years in the Making." Unfinished Business: Race, Equity, and Diversity in Library and Information Science Education. Ed. Maurice B. Wheeler. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2005. 21. Print. ; Holley, Edward G. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective I." and Churchwell, Charles. "Racial Integration at the University of Houston: A Personal Perspective II." Untold Stories: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship. Ed. John Mark Tucker. Champaign: Board of Trustees of U of Illinois, 1998. 129-140. Print. ; Jordan, Casper LeRoy and Josey, E.J. "A Chronology of Events in Black Librarianship." Handbook of Black Librarianship. Ed. E.J. Josey and Marva DeLoach. 2nd ed. Lanham: Scarecrow, 2000. 12, 15. Print. ; "Charles D. Churchwell Obituary." A Guide to African American Studies, Washington University in St. Louis. 14 Feb. 2020. Web. 30 May 2020. ; United States Congress Senate. Committee on Labor and Human Resources. Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and the Humanities. Higher Education Amendments of 1979: Hearings before the Subcommittee on Education, Arts, and the Humanities of the Committee on Labor and Human Resources, United States Senate: Ninety-Sixth Congress, First Session on S. 1839 to Extend the Higher Education Act of 1965, and for Other Purposes: October 10, 11, 23, 25, and November 9, 1979, Part 2. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1980. Print. ; United States Congress House. Committee on Education and Labor. Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education. Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act: Title II (College Libraries); Title VI (International Education); Title VIII (Cooperative Education); Title X (F.I.P.S.E.); Title XI (Urban Grant Universities): Hearings before the Subcommittee on Post Secondary Education of the Committee on Education and Labor, House of Representatives, Ninety-Ninth Congress, First Session: Hearings Held in Washington, DC, September 6 and 10, 1985. Volume 8. Washington: U.S. G.P.O., 1986. Print. ; "SWIDC Meets." The Prairie View Standard 45.4 (Dec. 1954): 3. PDF file. ; "Dr. Churchwell Nominated." The Miamian 3.31 (May 1974): 1. Digital file. ; Pearson, Lois R. "Outside Consultant's Plan Causes Churchwell to Resign from Washington U. Libraries." American Libraries 18 (Mar. 1987): 164. Print. ; "Charles D. Churchwell." The History Makers. The History Makers, 16 Oct. 2007. Web. 1 June 2020. "American Council on Education Fellows." Wright State University Research News 3.10 (Apr. 1971): 3. PDF file.
