Alice Hester Simpson (1903-1993) was born in Oberlin, Ohio on December 18, 1903, the daughter of David Peter (AB 1892; AM 1895) and Helen Little Simpson (PhB 1892). Her maternal grandmother, Sarah Florella Cowles—Mrs. Thomas Henry Little–(AB 1859; AM 1962) was the daughter of Henry Cowles, professor of languages and Biblical history and literature at Oberlin College (1835-48) and later a trustee of the college (1851-1881) and Alice Welch Cowles, Principal of the Female Department (1836-40) and a member of the Women's Board (1837-43). Miss Simpson's two brothers and a sister also graduated from Oberlin College: Donald Little Simpson (AB 1919); David Wallace Simpson (AB 1930) and Elizabeth (Besse) Howard Simpson (AB 1922).

Following in the family tradition, Alice Hester Simpson entered Oberlin College in 1920. There she majored in general literature and French and was active in both the French and German clubs. After graduating in 1924, she worked as an assistant in the Edgewater Branch of the Cleveland, Ohio Public Library (1924-26) before entering the School of Library Science at Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Upon earning the degree of BS in Library Science in 1927, she began her career of over fifty years as a professional librarian.

After serving the Cleveland Public Library as a cataloger (1927-29) and the Akron, Ohio Public Library as a technical and reference assistant (1929), Miss Simpson moved to Honolulu where she worked as a cataloger at the Library of Hawaii, becoming head of the department in 1941.

Except for a few months of medical leave (1943-44), during part of which she assisted in the Cataloguing Department at Oberlin College, she served in the Honolulu position until 1961, a period of over thirty years. During these years, she also served terms as treasurer for both the Hawaii Library Association and the Honolulu Oberlin College Alumni Association.

Upon returning to Oberlin in 1961, Miss Simpson served a few months as an assistant cataloguer, becoming head of the department that same year (1961-65). She ended her professional career as a cataloger for the Ashland, Ohio University Library, serving from 1966 until retiring in 1969.

Alice Hester Simpson continued to live in Oberlin until her death on December 28, 1993. She left no relatives.

Simpson, Alice Hester. Family Tree.

Simpson. Alice Hester. Oberlin College Alumni Questionnaire, 1984.

Simpson, Alice Hester. Oberlin College Biographical Form, 1924.

Simpson, Alice Hester. Oberlin College Biographical Form, 1961.

Simpson, Alice Hester. Oberlin College Biographical Form, 1978.

"Alice Hester Simpson." Oberlin, Ohio News Tribune (4 January 1994), n.p.

"Alice Simpson." Honolulu, Hawaii Starr Bulletin (21 May 1961), n.p.

"Alice Simpson: Librarian in Honolulu and Oberlin." Cleveland, Ohio Plain Dealer (1 January 1994), n.p.

"Alice Hester Simpson: Longtime Librarian in Honolulu." Elyria, Ohio Chronicle-Telegram (30 December 1993), n.p.