Hazel Barnes (1915-2008), known as a "rock star of philosophy," was a professor, translator, philosopher and America's preeminent Sartre scholar who coined the term "humanistic existentialism" to designate the philosophy of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone Beauvoir, and Albert Camus. She taught at the University of Colorado Boulder for 35 years and, in 1979, she was the first woman named as a CU Distinguished Professor. Within a few years of her 1986 retirement, the most prestigious faculty award on campus, the Hazel Barnes Prize, was established in her honor. The CU Archives holds her papers which include manuscripts, scholarly works, correspondence, photos, videos and artifacts from the Barnes estate. You can also visit the Hazel Barnes and The Existential Challenge in the 21st Century exhibit in Norlin Library, first floor near the Laughing Goat Cafe.
The University of Colorado Boulder Libraries will celebrate the centennial anniversary of the Archives on June 6, 2018. This is story #31 in our series: 100 Stories for 100 Years from the Archives!