Stanley H. Witmeyer collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: RITArc-0290

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Stanley H. Witmeyer papers consist of biographical information, photographs, writings by and about Stanley Witmeyer and his career, departmental records, personal correspondence, curriculum materials, artwork by students and others, artwork by Witmeyer and ephemera related to exhibitions and other activities in the visual arts programs during his student years and employment at RIT. Most recently added was a clock Mr. Witmeyer received upon his retirement from RIT.

Materials related to the history of the School for American Craftsmen collected by Stanley Witmeyer include magazine articles, a copy ofThe Arts and Crafts in retrospect in this the 150th anniversary of the RIT byHarold J. Brennan and Mr. Witmeyer written in 1979;50 Years at the School for American Craftsmen byAndrew Phelan in 1995. Also included are exhibition catalogs, news clippings and magazine articles.

Other highlights include information about RIT faculty member and artist Ralph Avery, including magazine articles and 21 reproductions of his watercolors; and a pencil sketch by Charles H.Woodbury.

A videotape called "Creative Sources" was previously donated to the video collection by Roger Remington.

Dates

Creation: 1960-1993

Creator

Witmeyer, Stanley Herbert (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers.

Biographical / Historical

Stanley Herbert Witmeyer was born in Palmyra, PA in 1913. One of eight children, Witmeyer started playing basketball at a nearby church in the afternoons. After graduating from a technical high school, he attended the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), then known as the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI), where he earned his art degree. While at RAMI, Witmeyer played on the school's basketball team and served as the team's captain during his senior year. An all-star player, he was recruited to play basketball for the Eastman Kodak Company shortly after graduating in 1936.

Witmeyer played on the Eastman Kodak Company's basketball team for half a season. He then left and began working toward his bachelor's degree at the New York State College for Teachers at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY. In 1940, he played professional basketball for the Rochester Seagrams, a predecessor of the Rochester Royals, a former NBA team. Witmeyer finished his degree and began working as the Art Director for the Cuba School District in Cuba, NY. When World War II broke out, Witmeyer was drafted into the U.S. Army. Initially he was assigned to an army basketball team that played for recruits, but as the war went on, he was transferred to a field mapping unit in Hawaii. When he was discharged from the army, Witmeyer attended Syracuse University where he earned his M.F.A. degree in 1947.

Witmeyer returned to the Institute, now called the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), in 1946 as an instructor in the Applied Art Department. He was selected to serve as director of the program in 1952 and served in this position until he was named Associate Dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts in 1968. Witmeyer retired from the Institute in 1973.

On May 4, 2010, Stanley and his friend Beatrice Anderson recorded a segment about his life for National Public Radio's oral history program, StoryCorps. To listen to their interview, click on the following link: http://interactive.wxxi.org/node/27913 Stanley Witmeyer died on October 10, 2011 at the age of 98.

Extent

3.75 Linear Feet (8 boxes)

Language

English

Additional Description

Overview

Records of the Stanley H. Witmeyer papers relate to Mr. Witmeyer's employment at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as the Director of the School of Art & Design. Included are student artworks, historical records related to the RIT School for American Craftsmen, writings about Ralph Avery, correspondence and photographs of Stanley Witmeyer.

In 2013, his son Bob Witmeyer donated more items including videotapes, wallpaper designs, and sketches. In 2014, John Stratton, Professor Emeritus at RIT donated a clock presented to Professor Witmeyer upon his retirement in 1978.

Arrangement

The collection is loosely arranged by subject.

Other Finding Aids

In addition to this finding aid, an inventory is available below. For more information, please contact the RIT Archive Collections.

Stanley H. Witmeyer collection

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Collections donated by Stanley Witmeyer and his son, Bob Witmeyer. Clock donated by John Stratton in 2014. Accession number(s): 2007:088; 2013:036; 2014:080