Clara Breed
Clara Estelle Breed | |
---|---|
Born | March 19, 1906 Fort Dodge, Iowa |
Died | September 8, 1994 Spring Valley, California | (aged 88)
Other names | "Miss Breed" |
Alma mater | Pomona College |
Occupation | Librarian |
Known for | Support of Japanese American children during World War II |
Clara Estelle Breed (March 19, 1906 – September 8, 1994)
She worked for the San Diego Public Library system for more than 40 years, including 25 years as city librarian.
Early life and education
Clara Breed was born in
Career
In 1928 Breed started work as the children's librarian in the East San Diego branch library. In 1945 she was named acting city librarian. The following year, she was appointed San Diego's city librarian, a position she held for 25 years. During her tenure as city librarian, the library system expanded with the creation of a new main library in 1955, and the addition of several branch libraries. She established the Serra Cooperative Library System that increased efficiency of interlibrary loans. Previously, library patrons only could check books out of the agency (city, county, etc.) to which they belonged. With the creation of the cooperative library system, patrons could borrow books from libraries throughout San Diego and Imperial counties.[5] She was also the driving force behind the construction of San Diego's central library building in the 1950s.[6] In 1983 she wrote a centennial history of the San Diego library system, Turning the Pages: San Diego Public Library History, 1882–1982.[6]
World War II and the internment of Japanese American children
When the United States became involved in World War II, many families of Japanese descent were moved from San Diego and other
Breed was an outspoken opponent of
Breed received more than 250 letters and postcards from the children during the time they were interned. One of the most prized gifts she received during this time was a carving of her name in manzanita wood that one of the children had created using the sharp end of a bed spring.[5]
Post-war recognition
In 1955, Breed was named "San Diego Woman of the Year" by the San Diego Women's Service Council. In 1991, she was honored at the Poston Camp III reunion held in San Diego. In 1993 she received a commendation from President Bill Clinton.[6]
In 1993, she gave the letters and artifacts she had saved to one of her former pen pals, Elizabeth (Kikuchi) Yamada, a retired high school English teacher. Yamada donated them to the Japanese American National Museum,[10] which featured them in an exhibit called "Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp"[11] and then made them part of the museum's permanent collection.[12]
The Smithsonian Institution incorporated four of the "Dear Miss Breed" letters into a lesson plan on the use of letters as primary historical documents.[13] Her letters were also the basis for a 2006 book, Dear Miss Breed: True Stories of the Japanese American Incarceration during World War II and a Librarian Who Made a Difference, by Joanne Oppenheim.[14]
In 2007, Breed was inducted into the
References
- ^ "Clara Estelle Breed (1906-1994) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- ^ Oppenheim, J. (2006). HOW I FOUND Dear Miss Breed. Book Links, 16(1), 13–14.
- ^ "Breed, Miss Clara Estelle (1906–1994)". Poston Internee Obituaries. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ "Clara Breed". Densho Encyclopedia. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Clara Estelle Breed (1906–1994)". San Diego History Center. Archived from the original on August 5, 2012. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Clara Breed, City Librarian, San Diego Public Library, 1945–1970". San Diego Public Library. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ Shaw, T. (2007). Doing Their Part: The Services of the San Diego Public Library during World War II. Library Trends, 55(3), 570–582.
- ^ Breed, C. (1943). All but Blind. Library Journal, 68, 119–121.
- ^ Breed, C. (1943). Americans with the wrong ancestors. Horn Book Magazine, 19, 253–261.
- ^ "Clara Estelle Breed; ‘library lady’ who guided city’s modern system" in San Diego Union-Tribune, September 10, 1994
- ^ "Dear Miss Breed: Letters from Camp". Japanese American National Museum. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ "Clara Breed Collection". Japanese American National Museum. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ "Letters from the Japanese American Internment". Smithsonian Education. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
- ^ Minzesheimer, Bob (March 26, 2006). "A picture of 'Miss Breed,' a snapshot of war hysteria". USA Today. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
- ^ "Clara Breed". Women's Museum of California. Archived from the original on December 8, 2015. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
- ^ California Library Hall of Fame Inductees: Clara Breed, California Library Association.