Collection contains material related to the research, teaching, and publications of East Carolina University Department of History faculty member Lawrence F. Brewster, as well as his materials related to his philanthropy to ECU.
Lawrence Fay Brewster was born on April 29, 1907 in New York City, New York as the only child of Henry and Helen Brewster. He attended public schools in White Plains, New York before his family moved to Asbury Park, New Jersey where he graduated from high school. He earned an A.B. from William and Mary in 1930 and subsequently attended Princeton University where he studied European History and Columbia University where he earned his M.A. in that same field, minoring in political science.
In 1933, Brewster obtained a social studies position at the Cranleigh School for Boys in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1935, he enrolled at Duke University, beginning his pursuit of a Ph.D. in history. While at Duke, he worked as a graduate assistant and from 1938-1939 he held a research editor position with the Historical Records Survery in Raleigh, North Carolina. He also held a teaching position at Clemson University before completing his studies at Duke in 1942. During the final years of World War II, he remained at Duke, as a history instructor.
In 1945, Brewster accepted a position at East Carolina Teachers College in the Department of History. Well-beloved by his students, Brewster was instrumental in the growth and development of the department. Under his leadership, a master of arts in history and the history education curriculum were developed. He also served as director of graduate studies and as an adviser for the Fulbright Award. He endowed three fellowships for graduate students, a lectureship for the history department, and a conference fund.
During his term of service, he was a member of the Friends of the Library, the Chancellor's Society, the Pitt County Historical Society, and the North Carolina Historical Association. He retired from teaching in 1969, but continued to serve as the historiographer for the Episcopal Diocese of East Carolina. On January 20, 1974, the Lawrence F. Brewster Classroom Building was dedicated in his honor. Standing along Tenth Street, the building currently houses multiple departments including history, geography, political science, and planning.He passed away September 19, 1999 in Greenville, North Carolina.
This collection contains material related to the research, teaching, and publications of East Carolina University Department of History faculty member Lawrence F. Brewster. These materials include materials from History courses he taught such as his teaching and research notes, and exams, syllabi, and reading lists, as well as manuscripts, essays, biographical entries, and book reviews written by Brewster. The topics focus on US history during the Revolutionary War, the American Civil War, and modern world history. The collection also includes materials related to his philanthropy to ECU, such as the committees he served on after his retirement, which include the Friends of the Library, Retired Faculty Association, and Planned Support Council, and materials related to his lecture series, History Department fellowship, and the dedication of the Brewster Building. The colletion contains materials regarding conferences and programs he was involved in at ECU such as the Asian Studies program and Conference on Railway Imperialism. THe collection aslo includes correspondence, History Department and ECU committee materials, newspaper clippings, photos, and items for Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society.
This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@ecu.edu. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state law. The user assumes full responsibility for using such information and is advised that the disclosure of such information about identifiable living individuals without their consent may have legal ramifications.
This collection is a part of Faculty Records.
ECTC Bulletin, "A Checklist of the Bound Magazines and Important Indexes in the Library", Aug. 1945 (to UA50-02); Amicus newsletter, Office of Institutional Advancement, 1987 and 1988 (to UA16-02); Manuscript News newsletter, Fall 1982 (to UA25-02); ECC Style Manual for Theses and Term Papers, 1963 (to UA18-01); The Impact alumni newsletter (to UA13-01); ECU Report Vol. 11, No. 2, Sept. 1979 (to UA50-24); Library Notes No. 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16 (to UA31-01); Pieces of Eight newsletter, Mar. 15 and Oct. 15 (to UA50-05)
To Manuscripts: Episcopal Church materials, Pitt County Historical Society, NC Historical Society, booklets, maps, postcards, high school and college notebooks, Pitt County Memorial Hospital map and newsletters
29th biennial report of the NC Department of Archives and History 1960-1962