Blackwelder Family A prominent family from Chicago and St. Louis; the Blackwelder’s were a family that lived for knowledge. They were teachers, professors, travelers, artist, writers, and philanthropists who worked to make the world a better place. Below are biographies on the family members who figure prominently in the collection. Eva E. “Betsy” Blackwelder Born in 1912, Eva Elizabeth Blackwelder, or Betsy as she was known to her friends and family, was the only child of Paul Blackwelder and Maud Del Mar. She was an extraordinary woman who had a passion for both education and travel. She received her bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State Teacher’s College in 1945. She went on to earn her master’s degree from Indiana University in 1954, where she majored in outdoor recreation and leadership and minored in audio/visual. Her minor would help incorporate her travels to the classroom where she had a knack for bringing social studies to life. Her teaching career began in a one-room Missouri schoolhouse near Robertsville, MO. She would eventually take a position with the Lafayette school system in East Saint Louis, IL. She then taught in the St. Louis public school system for nine years before going back across the Mississippi River to Illinois. Her love for education and the outdoors kept Betsy busy for the duration of her life. This began at an early age, most likely because of her Uncle Eliot, who was a geology professor at Stanford University. She was involved with the Webster Groves Nature Study Society and with the Girl Scouts, where she specialized in camp craft, nature craft, photography, and folklore music and dancing. Her time as a Girl Scout counselor served her well and would eventually lead her all over the world as a camp counselor, for example she spent eight months as a program director at an international camp in Denmark. Betsy truly enjoyed being a camp counselor, she continued to correspond with many of the children from all over the world she met while she worked at the camps. Betsy had a passion for traveling and her adventures took her all over the world where she made friends with whom she kept in contact through correspondence. In all, she traveled to over fifty countries on seven continents and amassed a collection of slides, pictures, and travel ephemera. She was also fond of cruise lines, and even helped set up group entertainment on board the ships. Betsy was a namesake of another Betsy who was a decorated heroin in the Revolutionary War. Betsy’s namesake went behind enemy lines on horseback to rescue her family who had been captured. Because of this Betsy was involved in the Daughters of the American Revolution throughout her life. She was also a member of the Illinois Education Association and a lifetime member of the National Education Association. She passed away in Cape Girardeau in 1989. Paul Blackwelder Paul Blackwelder was born on April 7, 1878 in Morgan Park, Illinois. He was the son of Isaac Simeon and Gertrude Blackwelder. In 1908 he married Maud Del Mar of New York and together they had one daughter, Eva Elizabeth, or Betsy, as she became to be known. His education included Morgan Park Academy in his hometown; he then went on to Columbia University and eventually Harvard, where he graduated in 1900. In 1901, he moved to St. Louis to become the principal of Laclede and Washington schools. In 1902 he developed the summer program that used the school’s playgrounds for arts and crafts and provided a place for underprivileged children to come and have fun in a safe environment. He spent 13 years as the assistant librarian for the St. Louis Public Library before becoming a mortgage broker for the Federal Housing Authority in St. Louis from 1934 to 1964. As a child he was master in a boy’s choir with a beautiful soprano voice. As an adult he was involved in the Glee Club and Mandolin Club while at Columbia University. He remained very involved in social activities throughout his life and of course was a perfect ‘daddy’ to his little girl Betsy. Maud Del Mar Blackwelder Maud Del Mar Blackwelder was born on April 23, 1872 in Brooklyn, New York. She was the seventh child of Alexander and Emily Jose Del Mar and married Paul Blackwelder in 1908. Her daughter Eva Elizabeth or Betsy, as she was known, was born in 1912. She received her education in France at the L’ecole Sevengie in Sevres and continued her education at the London Royal Academy of Music and King’s College also in London. She was a classically trained pianist as well as being an artist and a sculptor. She was also a published author; The Life of Emperor Hadrian and The Fluctuations of Gold and the Law of Payment were among some of her works. Maud had a knack for fundraising which she put to good use while being active in both her church and community. Lucille Blackwelder Lucille Blackwelder was the daughter of George Henry Blackwelder and at the time of her death she requested that her personal papers be destroyed. Our only glimpse into her life is through her letters written during her travels through Asia from 1929 to 1931 and small number of other correspondence. These letters show her vivid eye for detail and an exquisite ability to describe her surroundings. Her travels took her through China, Vietnam, Japan, and India during which she kept detailed accounts on the cultures in which she encountered. While Lucille had a way with words, her accounts were not always of the positive; in some of her letters she documents the level of decay amongst the cities of her travels. While in China she stayed in the former capital city of Peking (modern day Beijing) during the middle of the Central Plains War where Yen His-Shen, a general of the Shanxi province, with the help of other generals, attempted to overthrow the government of Chiang Kai Shek. Their aim was to separate the Northern provinces from China, bringing the capital back to Peking. Had the rebellion been successful, Lucille’s life would have almost certainly been in danger. It is evident by her style of writing that Lucille was well educated and had an extensive knowledge of Asian cultures. In every letter she goes into detail about the local cultures that she encounters, from peasants on the streets on to the lavish lifestyles of the rich. While in Cambodia she attended the birthday celebration for the king. She also visited several monasteries that allowed her to participate in their rituals. She transformed her travels into beautiful poetry under the name Lucille LaFarge. Dr. Eliot Blackwelder Dr. Eliot Blackwelder, born June 4, 1880, was married to Jean Bowersock for sixty years and they had seven children. Dr. Blackwelder, a noted geologist, was Professor Emeritus at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California. At an early age Eliot showed a keen interest in entomology, assembling a collection of more than 6,000 specimens of beetles and butterflies. In college he initially studied Latin and Greek at the University of Chicago, where he graduated in 1901, but during his final year of study he fell in love with geology, eventually making it his life’s study. He taught at the University of Chicago for two years after graduation before participating in an expedition to China. He also spent time teaching at Harvard before settling into a professorship with Stanford as the head of the geology department in 1921. He taught at Stanford for twenty-three years before retiring in 1945. Dr. Blackwelder’s bod of work consists of 138 published articles and books. He was also president of the Geological Society of America and a member of the National Academy of Science. After retirement he worked on a project of a closer union of the democratic nations of the world, which in his opinion, was the only hope for attaining world peace. Frederick MacCoy Frederick MacCoy was born on November 11, 1866. He attended Purdue University and Columbia University and worked as a chief engineer for various silver mines in Mexico. His daughter, Ella MacCoy married Dr. Richard Blackwelder, Betsy’s first cousin.