Dan Dodson Papers
Call Number
Date
Creator
Extent
Language of Materials
Abstract
The Dan Dodson Papers contains various speeches, articles, and unpublished manuscripts written over the course of Dan Dodson's career as a professor and public activist.
Biography of Dan Dodson
Dan W. Dodson was born the son of a sharecropper in Panther's Chapel, Texas, on April 8, 1907. Dodson received his bachelor's degree from McMurray College in Abilene, Texas, and a graduate degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. In 1936 Dodson became a sociology professor within the Educational Sociology Program at New York University and, but for a short period of time in 1944 during which he took a leave, Dodson remained affiliated with NYU until his retirement and return to Texas in 1972. During this period, Dodson served as the director of New York University's Center for Human Relations Studies.
In 1944 Dodson took a four-year leave from New York University to serve as the executive director of Mayor Fiorello La Guardia's Committee on Unity, which had been formed to deal with existing intergroup conflicts. While serving on the Committee on Unity, Dodson produced a report, which has been credited with abolishing the practice of using quota systems to admit Jewish, Catholic, and black students to universities in New York.
In addition to his work with the Committee on Unity, his position as an authority on desegregation led Dodson to assist in the drawing up of plans to systematically integrate schools in Washington and elsewhere. He was also a major influence in breaking the color barrier in baseball, working closely with Branch Rickey, president of the Brooklyn Dodgers, to hire Jackie Robinson in 1946. Dodson then encouraged both the Yankees and the Giants to follow the example set by the Brooklyn Dodgers and begin to hire black players.
Following his retirement from teaching and activism, Dodson returned to Texas in 1972, living in Austin until his death at the age of 88 on August 5, 1995.
Arrangement
The folders in this collection are arranged chronologically, with all undated materials arranged alphabetically. The files are grouped into one series.
Scope and Content
The Dan Dodson Papers document the career of Dan W. Dodson, who served New York University as a faculty member in the School of Education from 1936-1972, when he retired as Professor Emeritus. He was also the Director of the School of Education's Center for Human Relations and Community Studies until 1969. In addition to his contributions to New York University, Dr. Dodson was also a national pioneer in the desegregation process in American public schools in the 1960s, serving on local boards, as well as state and federal committees as a consultant on race relations and education. He was also the editor of the Journal of Educational Sociology, and had more than 140 publications on the subject.
The papers in the collection include various speeches and articles written by Dodson, as well as a number of unpublished manuscripts, all relating to the subjects of education, race relations, desegregation of public schools and American society at large, and sociological studies of New York City neighborhoods. The collection covers the period roughly from 1950-1975, during the height of his career as a professor and public activist.
Subjects
Conditions Governing Access
Administrative records and unpublished reports of New York University are closed for a period of 20 years from the date of their creation. Access to files spanning multiple years will be opened to researchers based on the date of the most recent materials. Board of Trustees records are closed for 35 years from the date of creation. Materials related to personnel, grievances, job and fellowship searches and applications, and all files that fall under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) are permanently restricted. Additional restrictions may apply to other materials in this collection. For questions regarding specific restrictions, please contact the University Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
Any rights (including copyright and related rights to publicity and privacy) held by the creator are maintained by New York University. Permission to publish or reproduce materials in this collection must be secured from New York University Archives, (212) 998-2646, university-archives@nyu.edu.
Preferred Citation
Identification of item; date (if known); Dan Dodson Papers; MC 170; box number; folder number; New York University Archives; New York University Libraries.
Location of Materials
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The University Archives received this collection from Dr. Arnold Grossman, a professor in New York University's School of Education, in 2002. Grossman donated an accretion to the collection in March 2019; the accession number associated with this gift is 2019.035.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Decisions regarding the arrangement, description, and physical interventions taken on this collection prior to 2019 have not yet been recorded. In 2019 an accretion of published works and an event program were incorporated into the collection.