Now well into her senior years, JOAN HEWATT SWAIM is a unique resource for TCU history from 1873 through the 20th century, it’s campus life and it’s many colorful characters. In reading her essays as well as her books, you will find she lovingly describes those memories – from the days of childhood when she was bounced on the knee of Davey O’Brien to the aromas of the ‘old biology lab’ to her recollections of University Drive, the ‘Drag’ and the student hangout at the ‘Drug’.
Joan grew up on the TCU campus as the daughter of a distinguished professor and later married a TCU basketball star, Johnny Swaim. She is the third generation of her family to be on the university staff. Joan retired in 1995 as coordinator of bibliographic control for the Mary Couts Burnett Library after 18 years of service.
Her grandparents, Frank and Georgia Harris, arrived at TCU in 1921 to be the stewards of the first TCU cafeteria. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Harris served for twenty-one years as university dietitian. Joan Swaim’s late father, Dr. Willis G. Hewatt, was a member of the biology/geology faculty for forty-one years and chair of that department for twenty-three of those years; her mother, Elizabeth Harris Hewatt, served as biology secretary for many years.
Joan and her late husband, Johnny Swaim, are both graduates of TCU, as were her parents. Joan holds a B.A. and M.A. in English studies. Her advanced degree in library science is from the University of North Texas. Although she began her library career with TCOM (now UNTHSC), founding their first library in the 1970s, she eventually gravitated back to her beloved TCU to serve as chief catalog librarian.
Johnny Swaim was on the basketball coaching staff for twenty-one years, ten as head coach. Their children, Mike and Susie, both graduated from TCU. Joan has one grandchild, Asher Benjamin Kurtz, a graduate of Berklee College of Music.