Betty L. Corwin (November 19, 1920 – September 10, 2019) was an American theater

archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can cons ...

, known for her creation in 1970 of what would become the Theater on Film and Tape Archive of the New York Library for the Performing Arts. Corwin proposed the idea of the archive to the library, volunteering her services for the first four years. She would go on to direct the archive for 31 years, retiring from the position in 2000.

Life and career

Corwin was born as Betty Linkoff in New York City to James Linkoff, a bookmaker, and Mae (née Rosenberg) Linkoff, a homemaker, but grew up in Manhattan. While working as a script reader in a theatrical office, she met Henry Corwin, a dermatologist. She married him in 1943 and then moved with him first to Westport and then finally settling in

Weston, Connecticut Weston ( ) is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 10,354 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and had the highest median income in the state of Connecticut. The town is part of the ...

. While living in Weston, she established and managed a bookstore in Westport while volunteering at the psychiatric emergency department of Jacobi Medical Center in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, New York. She died September 10, 2019, in

Awards

She received a special

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

in 2001 for her efforts to archive theater performances. In 2017 she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Professional Theater Women.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Corwin, Betty 1920 births 2019 deaths American archivists American women archivists People from New York City Tony Award winners