Elizabeth Willcox Thomson papers, 1935-1989

Elizabeth Willcox Thomson graduated from William Smith College with her B.A. in 1936 and from Hobart College with her M.A. in 1937. She was the last of four sisters to graduate from William Smith College. Known for her poetic talents, her work appeared in several campus literary publications, and she wrote her 1937 class song. Elizabeth was an extremely active member in the William Smith community, participating in more than ten organizations during her time at the College, most notably her participation in the Little Theatre, Choral Club, Athletic Board, and her roles as Literary Editor and Class Historian.

After graduation in 1937, Elizabeth worked in the Hobart College Library until 1941 when she went to New York City to finish her library degree at Columbia. She then worked in the Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County before being assigned to the library at the United States Naval Training Station at Sampson, south of Geneva, during World War II. There she met her husband, Walter Buchanan Thomson. Elizabeth worked and volunteered in libraries her entire life and was very active in a number of different professional associations. For twenty years she was the founding director of a large public library on Long Island.

She received an honorary doctorate from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1974, awarded for achievements in the library field. In 1989 Elizabeth published a book about her father, the Reverend Reginald Norton Willcox, titled Man of Vision.