Weaver Family Collection, Montclair History Center

Roosevelt Weaver had a storied life and career. He participated in one of the first classes of Peace Corps volunteers and served for several years in Senegal, Africa, earned degrees from Simmons College and Harvard University, and became an educator, working in the East Orange, New Jersey public school system for most of his career. He was also a talented athlete, earning the nickname Dr. Speed.

A Montclair resident for decades, he and his wife contacted the Montclair History Center for archival assistance cataloging and preserving materials from throughout his life, from letters he sent to friends during his Peace Corps tenure to his retirement paperwork.

Dr. Weaver's papers indicate important themes and hold value for anyone interested in the history of education, the impact of race on life experiences, New Jersey and Montclair history, and more. It also provides a look into Dr. Weaver's family life, with materials related to his marriage and children.

I was referred to the Weaver family by the history center and worked as an archival consultant to process the massive amount of documents, objects, and photographs in the Weaver family home's attic. Working in consistent communication with the family, I organized the materials into thematic collections, recommended purchases of archival storage materials, and rehoused the materials into proper storage in its collections. Lastly, I wrote an accessible finding aid for the Weaver family to understand the scope of the collection and easily locate materials.