The finding aid for the Carolyn Farb Papers is now back online after briefly being made unavailable while the collection was being reorganized.

The bulk of the Carolyn Farb Papers primarily contains papers, photographs, and newspaper clippings, the majority pertaining to her fundraising activities. The material has been arranged into twelve series: Fundraising Events, Honors and Awards, Organization Affiliations, Creative Works, Speeches, Personal Life, Correspondence, Scrapbooks and Yearbooks, Memorabilia, Printed Material, Photographic Material, and Video and Audio Recordings.

Carolyn Farb is an internationally known fundraiser, author, businesswoman, and philanthropist. During the past thirty years, she has raised over $25 million for a number of charities and worthy causes, the majority of which are based in Houston and benefit local organizations. Her work and tireless devotion to others have earned her the nickname “the first lady of philanthropy,” and she has received numerous accolades for her efforts. Farb’s interest in helping others began early in her life; as a teenager, she volunteered at the snack bar at Texas Children’s Hospital. Her beloved grandfather, Jake Freedman, a businessman in Las Vegas, fostered her spirit of giving.

A native Houstonian, Farb attended the University of Oklahoma, where she studied journalism. In 2003, in fulfilling a life-long dream she received an Honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Northwood University.  She has written two books on fundraising: How to Raise Millions: Having a Ball, Helping Others in 1993, and The Fine Art of Fundraising: Carolyn Farb’s Secrets for Successful Volunteers in 2004. She was the mother of one son, Jake Kenyon Shulman, who passed away in 2004. An avid art collector, she loans many of her pieces to museums around the world.

More information about the Carolyn Farb Papers may be found in the finding aid. To learn more about Carolyn Farb, visit her web site.