CAMERON, MINNIE BARDENWERPER (1885-1971). Minnie Cameron, librarian, was born in San Antonio on November 21, 1885, the daughter of Max and Eliza (Wefing) Bardenwerper. She was employed by the San Antonio Public Library in 1917. During World War Iqv she took a leave to serve the United States Censorship Bureau. She spoke English, Spanish, and German. After the Armistice she returned to the San Antonio Public Library, where she served thirty-seven years as reference librarian. During her service, the library's collection of Texana grew from 528 to more than 6,000 volumes. Throughout her professional career she was active in the Texas Library Associationqv and the American Library Association. She was appointed to many committees to study and implement means of improvement of library services. Her research assistance to historians, journalists, authors, and students led to her involvement in such statewide and national issues as the Tidelands Controversyqv and to local projects such as La Villita.qv As an expert on San Antonio and Texas history, she contributed to numerous journals, including the Southwestern Historical Quarterly. She was praised in 1957 by the San Antonio Express (see SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS) for maintaining freedom of speech, information, and press during the 1950s. In 1920 she married Reuben H. Cameron, an executive of A. B. Frank Company of San Antonio. They had a daughter. Mrs. Cameron lived her entire life in San Antonio, although she traveled extensively. She retired from the library in July 1957. She died in San Antonio on September 9, 1971. She was Catholic.
BIBLIOGRAPHY: Frederick Charles Chabot, With the Makers of San Antonio (Yanaguana Society Publications 4, San Antonio, 1937). San Antonio Express, July 21, 31, 1957, September 10, 1971. Vertical Files, Barker Texas History Center, University of Texas at Austin.
Frederick S. White, Sr.
