On this date in 1861, William L. Clements was born to James and Agnes Clements of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Less than two weeks later, Fort Sumter fell to the Confederates and the Civil War began (Visit the Library’s current exhibit, Opening Guns: The First Year of the Civil War, to learn more about this time in our nation’s history.)
Sixty-two years later, on June 15, 1923, Mr. Clements presided over the dedication of the William L. Clements Library at the University of Michigan.
Founder’s Day was first held at the Library in 1938, and has been re-instituted as an annual Library tradition beginning in 2009. Yesterday, the Clements Library celebrated with a public lecture by Dr. Peter H. Wood, “Near Andersonville”: Winslow Homer’s Civil War.
See last year’s post for more on the history of Founder’s Day celebrations:
April 1, 2010: Founder’s Day Celebration: Happy Birthday, Mr. Clements!
Further reading:
History of the William L. Clements Library
Margaret Maxwell, Shaping a Library: William L. Clements as Collector (1973).