Hoose Library of Philosophy: History, Collections, Art & Architecture and Digital Humanities Projects and Resources: HOOSE HISTORY: THE MAN & THE LIBRARY

Dr. Hoose was an important figure in Southern California history and pivotal to the history of USC. 

He was truly progressive for his time when he asked his daughter, Helen Lillard (one of the few female professors), to teach all her his courses while he recovered from surgery in late 1902 to the end of the academic school year in 1903. 

The north wing of the Bovard Administration building was the original home of the USC School of Philosophy, with Ralph Tyler Flewelling serving as the first head of the department.

The James Harmon Hoose Hall, within this wing, was dedicated in 1921 and serves as a memorial to the late Dr. Hoose. The school moved into the newly built Mudd Hall of Philosophy in 1930.

James Harmon Hoose: 1835-1915 

Hoose was born in Cobleskill, New York in 1835, and graduated with his bachelor's degree from Syracuse University in 1861. He subsequently earned a master's degree, also from Syracuse, in 1863. Hoose taught secondary education and lectured on teacher education throughout the state of New York. He returned to Syracuse to get his PhD in philosophy, graduating in 1873. 

Wishing to spend his retirement years in a warmer climate, Hoose moved to Southern California and became involved with USC in 1896 when he was chosen to be Professor of Pedagogy and Psychology. During this period, Hoose taught many undergraduate and graduate courses for the university ranging from history to economics.

He served as the head of the History Department at USC until 1907 and in 1911 was elected Vice Chairman of Faculty. USC bestowed an honorary Doctor of Laws on Hoose in 1913.

Head of Hoose Library from 1956 to 1976, Wallace Nethery wrote Dr. Flewelling and Hoose Library: Life and Letters of of a Man and an Institution in 1976. The book centers on Ralph Tyler Flewelling, who was the head of the USC Philosophy department when the Mudd Hall building was completed in 1929. Nethery follows Flewelling's mission to build the Hoose Library's collections, including rare books and incunabula, throughout the 1930's and '40's. Only 500 copies of the book were published. 

Explore the digitized book in USC's Digital Library, here!

Several of Hoose Library of Philosophy's Spring and Summer 2023 student workers transcribed the contents of this book to allow researchers to read it online!

Explore the transcript here!

The Personalist was a philosophy journal first published by the USC School of Philosophy in 1920 and contained articles, book reviews, discussions, and more relating to philosophical ideals. In 1980, it was renamed Pacific Philosophical Quarterly (still published today). Ralph Tyler Flewelling served as the original editor of the journal. Wallace Nethery was also a prolific contributor to The Personalist,

Print copies of The Personalist can be obtained through USC's Special Collections department. Selected digital archives of Personalist issues can be found through the University of Pennsylvania Online Books archive or the Wiley Online Library database.

Wallace Nethery: 1911-1996

Wallace Nethery, author of Dr. Flewelling and Hoose Library: Life and Letters of a Man and an Institution, was the head librarian of the Hoose Library from 1956 to 1976. Nethery came to USC in 1955 after a distinguished career serving in the U.S. Armed Forces during World War II. He worked in the Doheney Memorial Library for one year in the circulation department before transferring to Hoose, having earned his master's degree in USC's library science program in 1956.

Nethery published Dr. Flewelling after his retirement from USC in 1976 and contributed prolifically to journals such as The Personalist and American Book Collector. He was the editor of the Coranto (Friends of the USC Libraries' journal, see below) from 1964 to 1976. 

The Coranto was the Friends of the USC Libraries' journal, running from its inception in 1963 until 1992. Wallace Nethery served as editor from 1964 to 1976, and it was published twice a year.

Each issue of The Coranto highlighted the ongoing work and research efforts of USC Librarians, as well as articles such as "Where Atheism and Orthodoxy Met" by Mary Graham Lund (1965), "Santayana's Notes on America" by Donald Burrill (1968), and "Humanist Attitudes Towards the Illustration of Books" by Ruth Weisberg (1971). 

Print copies of The Coranto can be obtained through USC's Special Collections.