Hector McBean Hart (1890-1971) was born in Gallup, NM, but was raised in Scotland. Returning to the United States in 1910, he entered WSC in 1912 and graduated in 1916. Receiving his M.A. from Columbia, he taught Economics at New York University then spent 25 years teaching at a school in Greenwich, CT, where his student included a very young George H.W. Bush. That was followed by 10 years writing and teaching in Scotland, until he retired to Wilmington, VT, where he spent to rest of his life.
The collection consists primarily of one small (6”x8.5”) photo album, containing 128 photographs of Hart’s time at Washington State College, as well as some images from Wisconsin just before coming here. Approximately 96 photographs are from WSC, and then about 32 date from his travels to WSC.
The WSC images draw primarily, but not exclusively, from his fraternity life, in Kappa Sigma. They begin in 1912, and end before his 1916 graduation.
The non-WSC images include what appears to be his train ride out here, as well as lumberjacking or adventuring in Minnesota in about 1910-1912. Labeled places include Duluth, the St. Louis River, and the Vermillion River; some pictures may be Minneapolis. One single photo is a home in Keuen Lake, NY.
A few small additional items are with the album, including a nine-page 1966 reminiscence of his WSC time, an eleven page photocopy of his remembrances of his 1911 canoe trip, a biographical article written by his daughter, and two pieces of minor correspondence.
This collection is open and available for research use.
Copyright restrictions apply. Unpublished photographs taken by Hart remain in copyright until 2041; previously published photographs are in the public domain.
[Item description]
Hector McBean Hart Photo Album, 1910-2023 (PC 209)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Lilias Hart is the daughter of Hector McBean Hart; the materials had remained in the possession of her or her brother since their father’s death.
Lilias Hart, of Wilmington, VT, donated this collection to the Washington State University Libraries on March 24, 2023, where it was retained as UPC 2023-01.
University Archivist Mark O’English processed this collection in March, 2023. A few donated items were not retained; see donor correspondence (folder 4) for details.
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.