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Collections of Trailblazing Women Featured in Stony Brook University Magazine

Posted on by Kristen Nyitray

Collections of Edith Gentile, Diana Chang, and Helen Hull Jacobs are featured in the latest issue of Stony Brook University Magazine. “Rare Treasures” highlights three trailblazing women whose the collections are part of Special Collections and University Archives (SCUA). Edith Gentile (1924-2011) was one of the first female stainless steel welders to work for Republic Aviation Corporation in Farmingdale, New York. Diana Chang’s (1924-2009) first novel, The Frontiers of Love, was the first novel to be published by an American born, Chinese American, in the United States (Random House, 1956). Helen Hull Jacobs (1908-1997) served as a commander in the U.S. Navy intelligence during World War II, one of only five women to achieve that rank in the Navy. Prior to her military career, Jacobs was a highly accomplished tennis player winning four U.S. Open titles and the 1936 Wimbledon singles championship. 

Portrait of Edith Gentile, ca. 1945 and items from the Edith Gentile Collection.
Portrait of Edith Gentile, ca. 1945 and items from the Edith Gentile Collection.
Writer and artist Diana Chang in her New York City apartment, undated
Writer and artist Diana Chang in her New York City apartment, undated photograph.
Helen Hull Jacobs Collection. Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries.
Scrapbook page from the Helen Hull Jacobs Collection.

Special Collections and University Archives steward the university’s vast trove of rare books, manuscripts, historical maps, and archival materials. The largest repository of its type east of New York City, students, scholars, and community members engage daily with these invaluable collections. For more information, visit: stonybrook.edu/libspecial.

Kristen Nyitray

Kristen Nyitray

Associate Librarian; Director, Special Collections and University Archives; and University Archivist at Stony Brook University Libraries
Contact her for research assistance with rare books, manuscript collections, historical maps, and SBU history. E-mail: kristen.nyitray@stonybrook.edu.
Kristen Nyitray

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Posted in Arts & Humanities, Asian and Asian American Studies, History, Manuscripts, Special Collections & University Archives, Women's Studies, Writing and Literature