The Charles Drew Memorial Cultural House, located at 56 College Street (formerly the Phi Alpha Psi fraternity house), is an Amherst College residential theme house that was founded in 1984. It was named in honor of Charles R. Drew (AC 1926). Dr. Drew was an outstanding surgeon who discovered the chemical method for preserving blood, and later became the director of the first American Blood Bank. Dr. Drew suffered an untimely death in 1950 as the result of a car accident. The constitution of Charles Drew House describes its mission as follows: "to sponsor events that will celebrate the achievements of black people such as Charles Drew and to explore the cultures of Africa and the Diaspora at large. This house was founded as a space where members of the Amherst community can engage in intellectual debate, social activities, artistic expression, and all other endeavors that highlight Africa and the Diaspora and the accomplishments of its diverse peoples."
The albums began as a house project undertaken in 1985 by Crystal Jean (AC 1989). She compiled a book of Amherst College students (not just those living in Drew House), and the house threw parties at which students signed pictures and placed them in the albums. Pictures from Drew House-sponsored events were also added. The work of maintaining and further organizing the albums was continued by Kelly Robinson (AC 1991) and Anita Graham (AC 1995). The albums were donated to the Archives & Special Collections in 1991.
From the guide to the Charles Drew House Family Albums, 1986-2010, (Amherst College Archives and Special Collections)
