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David H. Hugel Papers

 Collection
Identifier: R0139-DH

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Scope and Content Note

The collection includes a variety of materials and formats documenting the work, interests, and life of David H. Hugel. It includes copies of publications and articles authored by David Hugel related to his Marine Corps service, veterans activities, motor vehicle safety and transportation issues, and local and national politics. Also included in the collection are campaign materials for Republican candidates for state and national office, including: Spiro Agnew, Richard Nixon, C. Stanley Blair, Thomas Anderson, and Herbert J. Miller, Jr., and others. Included are several oversize posters and other campaign materials. The collection also documents Hugel’s legal career including his positions in the Office of the Maryland Attorney General, in the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, and others. The bulk of the collection is memorabilia Hugel collected documenting his activities and interests related to political figures, events and places in Baltimore and Maryland, and war and military history, among other topics.

Materials are mainly textual including articles, publications, newspaper clippings, and news releases. Other materials represented include photographs either taken by Hugel or collected by him, bumper stickers, car license plates, film reels created by Hugel, DVDs containing interviews with Hugel, computer disks containing digital photographs, oversize campaign posters, other realia and memorabilia, and ephemera. The collection contains several pieces of collected artwork, large awards and certificates honoring Hugel, and framed political cartoons. This collection includes oversized items and digital materials.

Dates

  • 1944-2022

Creator

Language

Materials are in English.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research. This collection contains audio-visual and digital materials that may need further processing or special equipment to allow use.

Conditions Governing Use

To the extent that they own copyright, the donor has assigned the copyright of this collection to the University Foundation. However, copyright for some items in this collection may be held by their respective creators.

Biographical Note

David H. Hugel (b. 1942 -) earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1973 and Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 1977 from the University of Baltimore. A Vietnam War veteran, Hugel served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1960 to 1964 as a photographer. Marine Corps Commandant, Gen. Wallace M. Greene, Jr., recognized Hugel for his photographic coverage of early Marine Corps operations in Vietnam. His photographs have appeared in several books about the Vietnam War, and are on display in the National Museum of the Marine Corps. After his retirement, Mr. Hugel authored numerous articles and other writings on veterans and military history, and he continued his passion for photography throughout his life.

Hugel is a nationally recognized public and highway safety authority who specialized in transportation regulatory and legal issues. After graduating from the University of Baltimore Hugel held in a number of notable positions throughout his legal career including serving as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Baltimore County (1974-1977), as Assistant Counsel for Northwestern University’s Traffic Institute (1977-1978), as State’s Attorney’s Coordinator in the Office of the Maryland Attorney General (1978-1987), as Assistant to Executive Director of Government Affairs American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) (1987-1995), as a Consultant in Transportation and Motor Vehicle Safety (1995-2003), as the Administrator of the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (2003-2006), and most recently as the Deputy Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration in the US Department of Transportation (2006-2009). He also taught several criminal justice courses at the University of Baltimore (1974-1976).

During the 1960s, Hugel worked in public relations and as a radio and television news reporter for WBAL Radio & TV and WJZ-TV in Baltimore. As a cameraman and on-the-street reporter, he covered a variety of assignments. Hugel reported on state, local, and national politics including the activities of Maryland Governors J. Millard Tawes and Spiro T. Agnew, and personal appearances and speeches from national figures such as President Lyndon Johnson. He also reported and worked as a cameraman in Baltimore during the 1968 uprising following the death of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Following his time as a news reporter, Hugel worked in public relations with the Baltimore Regional Chapter of the American Red Cross and with the United Way of Central Maryland in 1968. He then volunteered in public relations for the Maryland Nixon-Agnew campaign. After the election he was appointed as Director of Public Relations for the Maryland Inaugural Activities Committee by Vice President-elect Agnew.

Hugel is active in Republican politics and veterans’ organizations and activities in the Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. area. Since his retirement from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2009, Mr. Hugel began a new career as a freelance writer. Since then, his articles have appeared in the National Archive and Records Administrations’ quarterly journal Prologue, VFW, American Legion, Semper Fi, and Leatherneck magazines on a variety of military history based topics.

Information for this historical note came from materials in the collection.

Extent

65.25 Linear Feet (44 containers)

Abstract

David H. Hugel earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1973 and Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 1977 from the University of Baltimore. He worked as a reporter in Baltimore and in public relations on several political campaigns. His legal career included positions with the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration, American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration among others. A Vietnam veteran, Hugel has written extensively about veterans and military history. This collection contains a portion of his papers relating to his career working with political campaigns, items relating to his legal career, copies of his published articles about military history and other topics. A large portion of the collection consists of Hugel's collected publications, memorabilia, and collected oversize political campaign posters and art.

Arrangement

Collection is organized into eight series:

  • Political Campaign Files
  • Writings and Publications
  • Professional Activities
  • Memorabilia
  • Photographs by Hugel
  • Awards, Certificates of Appreciation, and Diplomas
  • Correspondence
  • Audiovisual Materials
The Memorabilia series is organized into 14 subseries:
  • Baltimore and Maryland
  • Political Campaigns, U.S. Presidents, Governors, and Government
  • Travel, Entertainment, and Celebrities
  • Political Events, Memorials, Invitations
  • Veterans and Military History Materials
  • Collected Publications and Newspapers
  • Political Campaigns Signs - State and National
  • MPT Chesapeake Collectables Appearance
  • Vietnam Leadership Narrative and Photographs
  • Collected Cloth Patches
  • Collected Sports Photographs and Memorabilia
  • Military Related Collectables
  • Challenge Coin Collection
  • Hugel Personal and Military Effects

Custodial History

The collection was donated to the University of Baltimore Foundation by David H. Hugel March 2010. Additional accessions were received from Mr. Hugel in 2010 and every year 2018-2023.

Appraisal

Items weeded from the collection during processing include duplicate materials and items unrelated to materials unrelated to Hugel's life and work.

Separated Materials

The military history and Maryland history books donated as a part of this collection have been separated and housed with the Pullen Collection.

The prints of Joseph Sheppard paintings donated with this collection have been separated and added to the University Art Collection. These items include: a Description of the artwork, circa 1970; and signed prints of the following paintings:"Fells Point-1890," "Preakness-1953," "Flower Mart-1950," "Annapolis Harbor-1970," "Lexington Market-1930." Additional Joseph Sheppard prints also added to the University Art Collection include two prints of the Sheppard painting “Chesapeake Bay Skipjack."

Processing Information

Collection and additional accruals processed by Laura Bell (2018-2021) and Thomas Dettling (2022-2023).

Title
Finding aid for the David H. Hugel Papers
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid created by Special Collections and Archives staff. Revised by Laura Bell (2018-2021) and Aiden Faust (2022-2023).
Date
Finding aid prepared 2015. Updated 2018. Most recent version, 2023.
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Baltimore Studies Archives Repository

Contact:
H. Mebane Turner Learning Commons, Room 104
1415 Maryland Avenue
Baltimore Maryland 21201 USA
410-837-4253