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Alice Hudson (March 17, 1947 – November 6, 2024) was an American librarian and cartographic curator who served as the chief of the Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division at the New York Public Library from 1981 to 2009. She co-founded the New York Map Society in 1977 and contributed to the preservation, curation, and accessibility of historical maps.

Early life

Hudson was born on March 17, 1947, in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Her father, George Hudson, worked as an electrician at the Y-12 National Security Complex, while her mother, Eva Hudson (née Borgers), was a teacher. As a teenager, Hudson worked at the Donnell Library Center in Manhattan as a page. She initially planned to pursue a career as a United Nations translator. However, after completing a degree at Middle Tennessee State University and earning a Master of Library Science at Vanderbilt Peabody College, her academic interests shifted toward geography, which she credited to a required course during her studies.

Career

In 1970, Hudson joined the New York Public Library (NYPL) Lionel Pincus and Princess Firyal Map Division. By 1978, she had been promoted to assistant chief, and in 1981, she became the division's chief, a position she held until her retirement in 2009. In 1977, Hudson helped establish the New York Map Society, a group focused on cartographic study and education. During her tenure at the NYPL, the map collection expanded, growing to include more than 400,000 maps and 24,000 atlases. She organized various exhibitions, including one at the Boston Public Library from 2015 to 2016 that highlighted historical contributions by women to the field of mapmaking.

Hudson's work included discovering maps created by women or in which women had a significant role. With co-researcher Mary Ritzlin, Hudson set out to discover the historical role of women in cartography. In their 1989 edition of "Women in Cartography" they found 150 women cartographers prior to the 20th century. The 1998 edition of their work identified two hundred names, and the 2000 edition listed three hundred from that period.

Hudson contributed to projects such as The Historical Atlas of New York City and co-curated the exhibition "Heading West/Touring West" in 2001. She also played a role in mentoring scholars and students, teaching courses on cartography and map librarianship at institutions like Pratt Institute. Among the recognition Hudson received was the Sloan Public Service Award in 2001, presented by the Fund for the City of New York. Additionally, the New York Map Society inaugurated the Alice Hudson Award in 2018, which acknowledges achievements in geography and mapmaking by students at Hunter College.

Personal life

Hudson had a nephew and a grandniece. She died on November 6, 2024, in Manhattan from complications related to kidney disease.

References

1. ^ Roberts, Sam (November 30, 2024). "Alice Hudson, Librarian Who Built a Trove of Historic Maps, Dies at 77". The New York Times. Vol. 174, no. 60355. p. A25. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
2. ^ "Hall of Fame". New York Map Society. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
3. Bliss, Laura (March 22, 2016). "The Forgotten History of Female Mapmakers". The Atlantic. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
4. Jones, John Paul; Nast, Heidi J.; Roberts, Susan M. (1997). Thresholds in Feminist Geography: Difference, Methodology, Representation. Lanham, Maryland: Roman & Littlefield. p. 265. ISBN 978-0-8476-8437-3. Retrieved 1 December 2024.
5. van den Hoonaard, Will (2013). Map Worlds: A History of Women in Cartography (Revised ed.). Waterloo, Ontario: Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN 9781554589340.

• 1947 births
• 2024 deaths
• People from Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• Middle Tennessee State University alumni
• Peabody College alumni
• New York Public Library people
• Librarians from New York (state)
• Librarians from Tennessee
• American women curators
• Historians of cartography
• Deaths from kidney disease
• 20th-century American women educators
• 21st-century American women educators
• Educators from New York City