Dorothy Theresa (Swanson) Wick (1937-2023), long-time New York City resident and former head Librarian of New York University’s Tamiment Library, died December 25, 2023 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. A lover of books and an intrepid traveler, Dorothy is fondly remembered by friends and loved ones.
Dorothy was born August 7, 1937, in Frazee, Minnesota. She married Dale Bennett Swanson in 1958 and graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1959 with a B.A. in Literature. Dorothy and Dale moved to New York City, where Dorothy had a long career as a librarian and archivist.
In 1965 she became the Head of the Tamiment Library, an important repository of materials related to American labor history housed at NYU’s Bobst Library. For the next 27 years she served as Director of the Library and, after 1977 of the Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives. She was instrumental in expanding the collections documenting the history of the labor movement and the American Left and actively sought out papers of political activist and organizations of the historic as well as the emerging New Left. From 1972 through 1992 Dorothy authored the annual Bibliography of American Labor History. She was active in many professional organizations and received the New York Labor History Association Commerford Award.
While working at the Tamiment Library, Dorothy traveled to Cuernavaca, Mexico, to assess the archives and papers of Cedric Belfrage, a noted journalist and writer and co-founder in the 1950’s in New York City of the left wing “The National Guardian”.
During retirement, Dorothy eventually purchased the Belfrage home in Cuernavaca and moved there in 2006. Dorothy was active in the American ex-pat community, notably in reading groups and literary discussions. She frequently traveled back to New York City, and she maintained close friendships in both places.
Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Dale Swanson, and her sister Betty Jean (Wick) Vigil. She is survived by her nieces Theresa McHenry, Karen Parko, Barbara Vigil, and her nephew John Parko. A memorial was held in Cuernavaca, Mexico on January 14, 2024. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the New York Labor History Association or Fundacion Don Bosco in Cuernavaca.
