Charles H. Snow Collection on NYU During World War I
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Creator
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Abstract
Charles Henry Snow was a dean of New York University's (NYU) School of Civil Engineering. This collection consists of material generated or collected in conjunction with Snow's unpublished manuscript, "The Camp on Campus: The Great War as Observed From a College Campus," which chronicles New York University's involvement with the military during World War I.
Biographical Note
Charles Henry Snow was born in New York City on March 24, 1863. He attended New York University's (NYU) School of Civil Engineering and graduated in 1886. He received an honorary Sc.M. in 1894 and a Sc.D. in 1898 from the Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh). He joined NYU's Engineering faculty in 1891, and, in 1897, became Dean of the School of Civil Engineering.
In 1899 school's name was changed to the School of Applied Science (and was later changed to the College of Engineering). With Dean Snow at its helm, the school played a leading role during World War I, as NYU was one of the first universities to respond to President Woodrow Wilson's call for the training of engineering personnel. Dean Snow was the civilian director of the National Army Training Detachment (later Student Army Training Corps, Section B), where eleven hundred "Fighting Mechanics" were trained at NYU's campus at University Heights. As civilian director of these units, Dean Snow acted as liaison between the U.S. War Department and the University.
Dean Snow was author of "The Principal Species of Wood," (1903, 1908); "Wood and Other Organic Structure Materials," (1917); and several other papers in transactions with technical societies. He was also a member of New York City Mayor's Commission for National Defense, 1915-18; New York City Mayor's Committee of Citizens to arrange the Public Celebration of July Fourth, 1916-17; and a U.S. War Department appraisal expert, aircraft production, service at large, 1919.
Dean Snow served as Vice President of the NYU Senate from 1920 to 1931 and was named emeritus dean in 1930. He died October 29, 1957.
Arrangement
The collection has been arranged into two series. Series I contains correspondence and memoranda Dean Snow collected in obtaining source material for his manuscript. Series II contains several different versions and revisions of the manuscript itself over a period of thirteen years.
Missing Title
- Series I: Correspondence and Memoranda
- Series II: "The Camp on Campus" (Manuscript)
Scope and Contents
The collection consists of materials collected by Charles H. Snow for his unpublished manuscript, "The Camp on Campus: The Great War as Observed From a College Campus." The majority of the materials are drafts of the manuscript itself, which chronicles New York University's involvement with the military during World War I. Additional material includes twenty years of correspondence and memoranda which Snow collected while conducting research for the manuscript. Photographs illustrating various historical points made in the manuscript are also included.
Series I includes original research material collected by Dr. Snow containing contemporary documentation from the World War I era. Also included is general correspondence ranging over eighteen years; some letters describes buildings and life on campus during the war years, and others relate to research and publication of the manuscript.
Included in Series II are many different versions of the manuscript preface, table of contents, eighteen chapters, appendices, and index. A 1943 note from Dr. Snow details what the object of his manuscript was and why he decided not to publish it.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the creator are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from New York University Archives, (212) 998-2646, university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item, date (if known); Charles H. Snow Papers; MC 25; box number; folder number; New York University Archives.
Location of Materials
Custodial History
The papers of Charles H. Snow were a part of a larger College of Engineering historical collection that covered the years 1897-1956. The collection was most likely accumulated at the University Heights Library over a period of approximately twenty years and was transferred to the University Archives when the School of Engineering closed in 1973.
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Processing information before 2019 is unavailable.