Clarise DeQuasie Collection
Scope and Contents
The Clarise DeQuasie Collection (23.7 linear feet) consists of letters, postcards, cards, tickets, tour dates, programs, newsletters, newspaper clippings, correspondences, scrapbooks, personal records, recipes, drawings, cloths, phonebooks, diplomas, magazines, typescripts, books, t-shirts, posters, pamphlets, notes, decors, pins, miscellaneous realia, artworks, administrative documents, VHS tapes, and cassette tapes. A large portion of the materials reflect the personal relationships between DeQuasie, a former Vanderbilt University librarian who retired in 1997, and the opera star Luciano Pavarotti (Box 1-14). DeQuasie was a devoted fan and friend of Pavarotti. The collection also contains some materials related to the Jean and Alexander Heard Library at Vanderbilt (Box 15). Some materials are preserved in the cold storage (Box 16-19).
Dates
- 1960s-2001
Conditions Governing Access
This collection may be viewed only in the reading room of Special Collections in the Jean and Alexander Heard Library. Collections should be requested 2-3 days prior to visiting in order to facilitate easier access. For questions or to request a collection, contact specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu.
Biographical Note - Clarise Ann DeQuasie
Clarise Ann DeQuasie was born on February 15, 1938 to Thomas Glen DeQuasie and Hilda Ellen Smith in Oak Hill, West Virginia. She relocated to Nashville in 1963 to attend Vanderbilt University Divinity School. She graduated in 1966 from the George Peabody College for Teachers with a Master’s degree in Library Science. She was a librarian at the jean and Alexander Heard Library of Vanderbilt from 1966-1997, eventually serving as the University Librarian. She died on June 12, 2001 in Hermitage, Tennessee.
She was a devoted fan of opera star Luciano Pavarotti and bequeathed her Pavarotti collection to Vanderbilt in her will.
Extent
23.75 Linear Feet (19 Paige boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This collection largely contains material related to opera star Luciano Pavarotti collected by Clarise DeQuasie, a former University Librarian at Vanderbilt who retired in 1997. DeQuasie was a devoted fan and friend of Pavarotti. The collection also contains some materials related to the Heard Library at Vanderbilt.
Physical Location
Offsite Storage, Special Collections & Archives
- Title
- Finding Aid for the Clarise DeQuasie Collection
- Status
- Partially Processed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- October 2022: Scope and content note revised by Nawat Masavisut and Elizabeth Batiuk.
Repository Details
Part of the Vanderbilt University Special Collections Repository
Jean and Alexander Heard Library
419 21st Avenue South
Nashville TN 37203 United States
specialcollections@vanderbilt.edu