SPECIAL COLLECTIONS RESEARCH CENTER

HENRY MADDEN LIBRARY STATE UNIVERSITY, FRESNO

RICHARD BARNHART (1937-2009)

PAPERS, 1917-2008 4.75 linear feet

ACQUISITION: The papers were donated by Richard Barnhart in 2008 and 2009.

ACCESS: The papers are open for research.

PHOTOGRAPHS: In boxes 5 and 8.

COPYRIGHT: Copyright has not been transferred to California State University, Fresno.

PROCESSED BY: Adam Wallace, 2009.

Richard Barnhart

Biography

Richard Barnhart was born on May 5, 1937 in San Francisco, California. He attended St. Anne’s elementary school, St. Ignatius High School and graduated from the University of San Francisco. He worked as an editor for the newsletters of the Kaiser and Bechtel corporations. He also taught as a lecturer in the business departments of San Francisco State University and Skyline College for over forty years.

A trip as a young boy to the San Francisco Golden Gate International Exposition in 1940 led to a lifelong fascination with world’s fairs for Barnhart. He became an avid world’s fair collector, buying books and memorabilia from antique shops and used book stores. Barnhart also solicited current world’s fair committees and corporations for materials, resulting in his acquiring of many original and one-of-a-kind manuscript materials. Barnhart also traveled extensively to world’s fairs, visiting the expositions in Seattle in 1962, New York in 1964, in 1967, Spokane in 1974, and in 1986.

In 1960, Barnhart began corresponding with fellow world’s fair aficionado George Leighton following the latter’s publication of two articles in Harper’s Magazine. Their correspondence and friendship continued until Leighton’s death in 1966, with Barnhart giving advice on Leighton’s book “Brief Paradise,” and traveling to New York to visit the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair with Leighton.

In 1974, following publication in the San Francisco Chronicle of an article about Barnhart’s world’s fair collection he was contacted by another ardent world’s fair collector, Don Larson. The two formed a friendship which eventually led to Barnhart donating his collection of world’s fair materials to Fresno State’s Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs in 2008. This donation resulted in Barnhart being named the Madden Library’s 2008-09 Donor of the Year. Richard Barnhart passed away in 2009.

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Scope and Content Note

The Richard Barnhart papers measure 4.75 linear feet and date from 1917 to 2008. The collection is arranged in nine series.

The Artifacts and awards series (1951, 1980-1989, 2005-2008 and undated) consists of honors given to Barnhart relating to his career as an educator and his service to Delta Sigma Pi, a fraternity of professionals. The series also contains objects related to major events in Barnhart’s life, such as his college graduation and the awarding of the Henry Madden Library Donor of the Year Award.

The Clippings series (1964-1966, 1974) includes newspaper articles written about Richard Barnhart and his world’s fair collection. The series also contains articles written about efforts to restore the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

The Correspondence series (1955-1978 and undated) consists of letters written between Richard Barnhart and several friends, associates and worlds fair aficionados, as well as correspondence with several world’s fair corporations and committees.

The Education series (1950-1961, 1985, 2005 and undated) consists primarily of documents relating to Barnhart’s time at the University of San Francisco, where he received his bachelor’s degree and was an editor for “The Foghorn,” the university’s newspaper. The series also contains information about Barnhart’s high school and elementary education.

The Journals and date books series (1955-1988) comprises journals Barnhart kept from his days in college to the time of his retirement. The series also contains date books recording Barnhart’s daily schedule and appointments.

The Personal series (1944-1945, 1961-1974, 1981 and undated) contains documents related to travel, family life, and non-worlds fair interests including his family’s World War II ration books and materials on stamp collecting and San Francisco history.

The Professional activity series (1966, 1988, 2003 and undated) comprises documents relating to Barnhart’s career and work life. Included in this series are his resumes and information about his career as a lecturer at San Francisco State University.

The World’s fairs series (1972-1977, 2008 and undated) consists of materials related to Barnhart’s interest in international expositions and contains materials on world’s fair statistics, papers documenting the loaning of part of his collection for an exhibit, and the donation of his collection to the Henry Madden Library.

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Scope and Content Note (cont.)

The Photographs and illustrations series (1917, 1939, 1986, 2005 and undated) contains of photographs and illustrations of Barnhart himself, his family members and friends.

Related Collections

George R. Leighton collection The George R. Leighton collection contains the research and materials collected by Leighton in the process of writing a photographic history on international expositions.

Donald G. Larson Collection on International Expositions and Fairs The Donald G. Larson Collection is one of the largest comprehensive research collections documenting every aspect of world’s fairs and how they have both reflected and influenced the modern world.

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Box no. Description

Box 1 Artifacts and awards Delta Sigma Pi, 1980-1987 (3 folders) Henry Madden Library Donor of the Year Award, 2008 [oversize: in map case A drawer 26] Miniature mortar board, 1951 N5 Merit Award, undated St. Anne’s School tie clasp, undated San Francisco State University, 1985-1989, 2005 San Mateo County Community College District, 2007

Clippings Miscellaneous, 1964-1966, 1974

Correspondence American Heritage, 1961 Anderson, Judith, 1974 Birthday cards, 1958 and undated Christmas cards, undated Delta Sigma Pi, 1981 Dresel, Verona, 1978 Expo ’62 Seattle, 1960 and undated Expo ’67 Montreal, 1964-1968 Expo ’70 , 1966-1970 Expo ’74 Spokane, 1972-1974, 1978 Expo ’86 Vancouver, undated Harcourt, Richard, 1970-1976 and undated Job opportunities, 1960-1961 and undated Larson, Don, 1974-1977 Leighton, Barbara, 1963-1966 Leighton, George, 1960-1966 and undated Leighton, John, 1966-1974 Long Beach worlds fair attempt, 1963 McCafferty, Phil, 1973-1974 Morse, Rhoda, 1975-1976 New York Worlds Fair 1964-1965 Corporation, 1960 Phillips, William, 1965, 1970 Poole, Alice, 1955 San Francisco worlds fair attempt, 1963-1964 Spokane Daily Chronicle, 1974-1975

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Box no. Description

Box 1 (cont.) Correspondence (cont.) Valentine’s Day cards, 1958 and undated Worlds Fair Collectors Society, 1974-1975 Zook, Franklin, 1974 Miscellaneous, 1960-1977 and undated

Education College applications, 1955-1957 (2 folders) St. Anne’s School, 1950-1951

Box 2 St. Ignatius High School, 1951-1955, 2005 (2 folders) University of California, Berkeley, 1956-1957 and undated University of San Francisco General, 1955-1961 and undated (8 folders) The Foghorn, 1955-1961, 1985 and undated [oversize: in boxes 6 and 7]

Journals and date books Date books, 1957-1959, 1970, 1977

Box 3 Journals 1954-1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 January – September 1978 October 1978 – March 1979 March – September 1979 September 1979 – April 1980 April – November 1980 November 1980 – May 1981 May – September 1981 September – December 1981

Box 4 January – April 1982 May – August 1982

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Box no. Description

Box 4 (cont.) Journals and date books (cont.) Journals (cont.) August – November 1982 December 1982 – March 1983 March – July 1983 July – December 1983 December 1983 – June 1984 June – November 1984 November 1984 – May 1985 May – July 1985 July 1985 – January 1986 January – July 1986 July 1986 – January 1987 January – July 1987 July 1987 – January 1988 January – July 1988

Personal Ford Falcon, 1961 Hobbies San Francisco history, 1981 and undated Stamp collecting, 1973-1974 and undated Selective service, 1961 Travel, 1967 and undated War ration books, 1944-1945 and undated

Professional activity Resumes, 1966 and undated Teaching, 1988, 2003

World’s fairs Framed bookplate, 2008 [oversize: in box 8] Dealer catalogs, 1972-1977 and undated

Box 5 Index to collection, undated Loan of collection materials, 1976 Statistics, 1974

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Box no. Description

Box 5 (cont.) Photographs and illustrations Framed, 1939 and undated (3 folders) [oversize: in box 8] Loose, 1917, 1986, 2005 and undated [oversize: in box 8]

Box 6 Oversize: Education University of San Francisco The Foghorn, 1955-1961, 1985 and undated

Box 7 The Foghorn, 1955-1961, 1985 and undated

Box 8 Worlds fairs Framed bookplate, 2008

Photographs and illustrations Framed, 1939 and undated Loose, 1917, 1986, 2005 and undated

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