April 27, 2009
A Step Away from 1918-1919: New Old Sources
In addition to all of these collections the staff of the SCRC knew about related to the College of William and Mary going co-ed in 1918-1919, coincidentally a "new" source was recently uncovered in the SCRC's holdings. In the course of researching and preparing the exhibit A "Most Thriving and Growing Place": Williamsburg Before the Restoration, Dr. Bea Hardy came across a scrapbook (seen at right) in the papers related to the family of Edward Lee, a graduate of the College of William and Mary. The scrapbook was created by either Elizabeth or Margaret Lee, sisters of Edward. To quote the interior of the scrapbook's front cover, it contains the memories of one (or both?) of the Lee sisters, both of whom were part of the first class of women students at William and Mary. In addition to wonderfully preserved photographs, the scrapbook also includes informative captions. The scrapbook also holds photographs that do not appear to relate to the College of William and Mary with dates ranging from 1915 thorugh 1921 throughout the pages. There are images of several, but not all, of the scrapbook pages at the SCRC's Flickr page. The scrapbook and the Lee Papers are available for researchers to use in the SCRC, but a record for it has not yet as of this writing been added to the SCRC Collections Database. It should be forthcoming soon and will no doubt make mention of this wonderful "new" (to both SCRC staff and researchers) source about the first years of coeducation at the College of William and Mary.
The exhibit A "Most Thriving and Growing Place": Williamsburg Before the Restoration can be viewed on the first floor of Swem Library in the Nancy Marshall (rotunda) Gallery and the SCRC during regular hours of operation.
April 15, 2009
April 15, 1919: The Death of a Board Member
Faithful readers will remember Mr. Stubbs as the member of the Board of Visitors who offered a resolution at the June 25, 1918, meeting of that body "to the effect that the Strode Bill was in direct opposition to the 1906 contract by which the Commonwealth of Virginia had taken full responsibility for the College of William and Mary and that therefore the College should refuse to accept women."
For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.
April 14, 2009
April 14, 1919: Dr. Chandler Accepts Offer
Professor Carolyn Whittenburg has written and spoken extensively about President Chandler's impact on the College of William and Mary, especially related to women faculty and students. For more information, there is a short profile of President Chandler written by Prof. Whittenburg online; students from the Williamsburg Documentary Project interviewed Prof. Whittenburg in 2008 with the audio and index available through the College of William and Mary's digital repository; and her dissertation is available for checkout in Swem Library (call number LD6051 .W5m Educ., 2004, W58), reading in the Special Collections Research Center reading room, or for downloading via ProQuest database (linked from the dissertation's record in Swem Library's online catalog) for those with College of William and Mary privileges.
April 2, 2009
April 2, 1919: Mary Praised or Patronized?
While the overall tone of the article is pleasant, one could read some of the words as a bit patronizing to the actors. At one point, the author wrote that "if...the girlish features of the amateur smiled behind the make up of the actor, it was not for boredom." Would a comparable description of the features of the actors or their non-professional status have been made about male actors? The plays' sets were also described as "simple but lovely."
At the end of the article, the author mentioned that the performance was to raise money for the war fund. Though peace was declared in November 1918, the impact of World War I and efforts on the home front had continued. This mention of the nature of these performances raises the question in my mind if this review of the performances would have been printed so prominently if it had been purely for entertainment and not also connected to the war effort?
Though the review of the women's performances of the two one-act plays may appear to be complimentary, I have to wonder if there is a patronizing tone to the review. But don't let my skepticism sway your interpretation. I have linked the original article above, click on it, and read it for yourself. Then, if you feel inclined, comment on this entry with your interpretation. We would be interested to hear our readers' interpretation.
This post was composed by Jordan Ecker.
For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.
March 21, 2009
A Step Away from 1918-1919: A Lesson Plan Companion for the Blog
In an effort to share the primary sources highlighted in this blog as well as a slice of the history of the College of William and Mary, Molly Perry, a graduate student in the Department of History who has been an apprentice in the SCRC during the 2008-2009 academic year, has created a lesson plan suitable for use with grades 8-11. In the lesson, students can practice analyzing primary sources to learn about young women arriving at the College of William and Mary to better understand the lives of people in the past and the process of research. The lesson plan available via the SCRC's wiki includes an outline of the lesson, applicable U.S. and Virginia standards, and suggested instructions for how teachers may choose to carry out the lesson. Sample topics in six topical areas are available for groups of students from the historian's task wiki page. A research sheet and conclusions sheet have also been prepared.
While the SCRC cannot boast the resources for teachers that an institution as large as the Library of Congress has compiled, Ms. Perry has also prepared lesson plans for other online SCRC materials including the Richard Manning Bucktrout Daybook and Ledger and the Manuscripts and Rare Books Grab Bag. The SCRC hopes to make more lesson plans that incorporate the unique materials in our collections available for middle and high school teachers in the future. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact us.
March 5, 2009
A Step Away from 1918-1919: The College of William and Mary's First African American Coeds
Images from the Colonial Echo, the College of William and Mary yearbook
The Flat Hat article is an example of how socially and culturally aware African Americans were in America, particularly during the 1960s. Ms. Ely commented how surprised she was about the lack of social and class competition at the university. Many people think black Americans are only concerned with racial issues, but as this comment demonstrates that in addition to race, class was and continues to be a big issue with African Americans.
One comment that stands out in the article, which could also apply to the contemporary social atmosphere at William and Mary, is the lack of discussion about race. Janet Brown stated "I wish that people would feel freer about discussing race relations with us. They seem to shy away from the subject." If the reader did not know the article was from 1967, they might think Ms. Brown is talking about William and Mary in the twenty-first century.
The new students were from the Hampton Roads area, according to the 1968 Colonial Echo. Janet Brown was from Newport News and both Karen Ely and Lynn Briley were from Portsmouth.Their respective majors were Elementary Education (Brown), English (Briley), and Biology (Ely). As far as student organizations, an area always high on the list of interests to William and Mary students, Janet Brown was a member of the Young Democrats and the Black Students Organization. Lynn Briley was also a member of the Black Students Organization. In addition to her participation in the Black Students Organization, Karen Ely also participated in the Chorus.
This post was composed by Jeffreen Hayes.
February 23, 2009
February 23, 1919: From the Diary of Martha Barksdale
"Up with the times at last! Last night we went to Janet's party. I had a splendid time. I borrowed Edna Reid's pink evening dress and bought myself some high heeled black pumps. Guess I was dressed up once in my life. Margaret, Ruth, and I were the only Hall girls. The other girls were Lucile Brown, Elizabeth Lee, and Miss Mard[?]. The boys were "Smitty", Ware, Rieves, Terrell, Edward Lee, "Pete" James, Bert Loraine Bennet, Tom Peyton, Armisted, and "Rat" Parish.We danced most of the time. Rieves didn't dance as I sat out a few and fretted over his pleasure for several others. This was my first attempt to dance in public, naturally some of it was not very pleasant.
"Pete" James is a grand dancer. He took pains to instruct me in the proper steps etc. I learned something about dancing not to mention the enjoyment I got out of it. I had a very pleasant dance with Tom Peyton and we talked over Ch'ville. Loraine Bennet was very nice also tho' he can't dance much more than I can.The refreshments were splendid.
Chicken Salad
Sandwiches
Hot chocolate
Candy
NutsCokes etc. They tasted good to a hungry school girl.
We danced until twelve o'clock, and got home at 12:30, tired but happy and wonder of wonders I didn't do anything to spoil that dress.
I thought I would never find the secret of Rieves['] safety matches to get a light.
--From the diary of Martha Barksdale available in the Special Collections Research Center.
For additional information about the first women students at the College of William and Mary see: When Mary Entered with her Brother William: Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945 by Laura F. Parrish; "The Petticoat Invasion": Women at the College of William and Mary, 1918-1945; The Martha Barksdale Papers; and the Women at the College of William and Mary page on the Special Collections Research Center Wiki.