manosca90 Smith Centennial Study Oral History Project, 1970-1975 Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Gayla Spaulding. Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Smith College Archives
Northampton, MA
© 2003

Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Finding aid encoded using Perl scripts and edited in XMetal 2.0. Encoded by Laura Cutter. 2003-06-09 Finding aid written in English. 2005-09-23 manosca90 converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02-5c.xsl (sy2003-10-15). Smith College Archives Smith Centennial Study Oral History Project, 1970-1975 Finding Aid RG 12 Gayla Spaulding 2002 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

© 2003 Smith College. All rights reserved.

 Collection Overview Smith College. Smith Centennial Study Oral History Project1970-75 RG 12 24 boxes (12 linear ft.) Smith College Archives
Northampton, MA
The Smith Centennial Study was a an oral history project for Smith College's centennial celebration. The project culminated with the publication of the book, College: A Smith Mosaic. The purpose of the study was to provide a source of information about the importance of education in women's lives. Smith alumnae were interviewed, their observations were recorded on tape and the tapes were transcribed. The collection includes clippings, reports to the National Endowment for the Humanities, transcripts and correspondence with participants in the study, general correspondence, annotated and published copies of the book, College: A Smith Mosaic. English. Biographical Note

The Smith Centennial Study, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, was a project that President Mendenhall asked Jacqueline Van Voris to undertake in 1970 as an oral history project for Smith College's centennial celebration. Ms. Van Voris dedicated over four years to the project, which culminated with the publication of the book, College: A Smith Mosaic, which she submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements for her MA in Education in 1975. The purpose of the study was to provide a source of information about the importance of education in women's lives. Smith alumnae were interviewed, their observations were recorded on tape and the tapes were transcribed. The interviews were informal conversations conducted in a manner designed to extract pertinent information. The questions were designed to stimulate conversation and to keep the focus on the respondent. Phrasing of the questions encouraged the respondent's frank appraisal of her education. Questions typically asked included: "Why did you decide to go to Smith? Was it your idea? What was your academic preparation? What courses did you study? What are your remembrances of Smith? What is your general assessment of the education you received? How could college have helped you more? Have your views on education changed over the years since your graduation? Have you ever felt discriminated against because you are a woman?"

The interviews were conducted and recorded from 1971-74. The book, College: A Smith Mosaic, was published in February, 1975 and lists of respondents were sent to the Directory of Oral History Collections for inclusion in that directory.

 Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Smith Centennial Study Oral History Project collection is comprised of news clippings, reports to the National Endowment for the Humanities, transcripts and correspondence with participants in the study, general correspondence, annotated and published copies of the book, College: A Smith Mosaic, interview statistics and transcript excerpts by subject.

Organization of the Collection

This collection is organized into four series:

I. Background II. Transcripts and Correspondence with Participants III. Transcript Excerpts by Subject IV. Audiovisual Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The Archives has no information on the status of literary rights in the collection and researchers are responsible for determining any question of copyright. Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the papers must be requested from the College Archives.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Smith Centennial Study Oral History Project, Box #, Smith College Archives.

 History of the Collection

Processed by Gayla Spaulding

 Search Terms Smith College. College, a Smith mosaic. Van Voris, Jacqueline. SERIES I. BACKGROUND.

This series contains six boxes of background information on the genesis and history of the project including an alphabetical list of participants in the project, notes, memoranda, interview suggestions, information on trips taken to interview respondents, the book prospectus, instructions to transcribers, reports, proposals and general correspondence.

1 1 Alphabetical list of participants in study and College 1970s 1 2 Special events and people n.d. 1 3 Genesis and history of the study 1975/Jan/31 1 4 Appendix A: The beginning of the study,notes and memoranda 1971 1 5 Appendix B: Interview suggestions,occupation charts 1971 1 6 Appendix C: Random sample 1971 1 7 Appendix D: Three major trips 1971 1 8 Appendix E: Study statement and suggested questions 1973 1 9 Appendix F: File guide for clipping transcripts 1973 1 10 Appendix G: Study on coeducation 1974 1 11 Appendix H: Book prospectus 1974 1 12 Appendix I: Permission to quote 1974 1 13 Appendix J: Book introduction, notes,references, original typescript 1974 1 14 Appendix K: Final interview report 1975 1 15 Appendix L: Notes on quoting and suggested citation form 1974 1 16 Appendix M: Study statement for prospective respondents 1971-73 1 17 Appendix N: Instructions to transcribers 1975 1 18 Appendix O: Preface, samples of restriction forms 1971-74 1 19 Appendix P: Example of edited page corrected by respondent n.d. 1 20 Summary of interviews 1972/Jul/25 1 21 Newspaper clippings 1973, 1977 1 22 List of respondents 1973 2 1 Friends of the Library project announcement 1970 2 2 National Endowment for the Humanities grant: application, budget reports and correspondence 1971-72 2 3 National Endowment for the Humanities grant: application, budget reports and correspondence 1973-74 2 4 First year report 1972/Jan/4 2 5 21 month report, grant renewal proposal 1972/Sept/22 2 6 Second year report, interview addendum 1973 2 7 Report of respondents for Oral History Directory, interview list 1973/Jul/12 2 8 Third year report 1974/Mar 2 9 Bicentennial commission 1974/Oct/17 2 10 Final interview report 1975/Jan/31 General correspondence 2 11-14 A - D 1971-75 2 15 Mary Jo Deering 1972-75 2 16-24 E - M 1971-75 2 25 New York Times Oral History 1971-73 2 26-31 O - W 1971-75 2 32 Alumnae letter re: College 1975 3 1 List of respondents used in book with late changes n.d. 3 Hardcover copy of College: A Smith Mosaic 1975 3 Annotated copy of manuscript 3 2 Introduction and contents n.d. 3 3 Chapter 1 n.d. 3 4 Chapter 2 n.d. 3 5 Chapter 3 n.d. 3 6 Chapter 4 n.d. 3 7 Chapter 5 n.d. 3 8 Chapter 6 n.d. 3 9 Chapter 7 n.d. Interview statistics 4 Year of graduation n.d. 5 Interviews completed, declined n.d. 6 Further suggestions n.d. SERIES II. TRANSCRIPTS AND CORRESPONDENCE WITHPARTICIPANTS.

This series consists of twelve boxes of correspondence and transcripts with and by the interview respondents. These are filed alphabetically.

7 1-2 Ainsworth, Dorothy 1971-75 7 3-4 Abbott, Sidney 1971-75 7 5-6 Ackerman, Barbara Hulley 1971-75 7 7-8 Adams, Jean Congdon 1971-75 7 9-10 Allen, Sally Vance 1971-75 7 11-12 Arnstein, Margaret 1971-75 7 13-14 Bagg, Sarah Robinson 1971-75 7 15-16 Barber, Maragret DeRonde 1971-75 7 17-18 Beede, Virginia Stearns 1971-75 7 19-20 Bell, Kathleen 1971-75 7 21-22 Benson, Lucy Wilson 1971-75 7 23-24 Billings, Marian 1971-75 7 25-26 Bishop, Harriet Broughton 1971-75 8 1-2 Bodman, Ellen Diggs 1971-75 8 3-4 Boyd, Gertrude Lyford 1971-75 8 5-6 Boyden, Margery Davis 1971-75 8 7-8 Brewer, Vivian Lenon 1971-75 8 9-10 Bunce, Elizabeth T. 1971-75 8 11-12 Carey, Margaret Chase 1971-75 8 13-14 Carleton, Alicia Skinner 1971-75 8 15-16 Cerf, Cornelia 1971-75 8 17-18 Chester, Ruth 1971-75 8 19-20 Child, Julia McWilliams 1971-75 8 21-22 Chisolm, Elizabeth Wisner 1971-75 8 23-24 Coburn, Judith 1971-75 8 25-26 Council, Dorothy 1971-75 9 1-2 Cunningham, Priscilla 1971-75 9 3-4 Curtiss, Mina Kirstein 1971-75 9 5-6 Curd, Nancy Israel 1971-75 9 7-8 Dalrymple, Bernice Barber 1971-75 9 9-10 Dalton, Dorothy Upjohn 1971-75 9 11-12 de Forest, Charlotte 1971-75 9 13-14 Denis, Edna Weathers 1971-75 9 15-16 de Rond, Marion 1971-75 9 17-18 de Scheweinitz, Dorethea 1971-75 9 19-20 Dixon, Mary N. 1971-75 9 21-22 Dodge, Bickley Smith 1971-75 9 23-24 Driscoll, Cynthia Brackett 1971-75 10 1-2 Elmendorf, Laura Gundlach 1971-75 10 3-4 Enbutsu, Sumiko Fujiwara 1971-75 10 5-6 England, Elyse 1971-75 10 7-8 Fast, Laura Kimball 1971-75 10 9-10 Fauver, Eugenie Lamb 1971-75 10 11-12 Fernbloom, Deborah Heller 1971-75 10 13-14 Forrester, Margretta Van Evera 1971-75 10 15-16 Frantz, M/ Alison 1971-75 10 17-18 Friedan, Betty Goldstein 1971-75 10 19-20 Garcia, Victoria 1971-75 10 21-22 Garrett, Joyce Finley 1971-75 10 23-24 Gates, Sylvia Breed 1971-75 10 25-26 Gould, Isabella R. 1971-75 10 27-28 Glover, Virginia Dougherty 1971-75 10 29-30 Gray, Marguerite Kiley 1971-75 11 1-2 Green, Constance McLaughlin 1971-75 11 3-4 Greeves, Sara Gribbon 1971-75 11 5-6 Grierson, Margaret Storrs 1971-75 11 7-8 Guitar, Mary Anne 1971-75 11 9-10 Gulliver, Adelaide Cromwell 1971-75 11 11-12 Haas, Carolyn Buhai 1971-75 11 13-14 Hall, L. Louise 1971-75 11 15-16 Hamlin, Hilda Edwards 1971-75 11 17-18 Harnish, Jerene Appleby 1971-75 11 19-20 Haruta, Setsuko Ohara 1971-75 11 21-22 Haynes, Euphemia Lofton 1971-75 11 23-24 Heath, Barbara Honeyman 1971-75 11 25-26 Heath, Gloria W. 1971-75 11 27-28 Heller, Jane Harris 1971-75 11 29-30 Hill, Edith N. 1971-75 12 1-2 Hill, Justina 1971-75 12 3-4 Hirschberg, Nell 1971-75 12 5-6 Hodgkinson, Laura Cabot 1971-75 12 7-8 Hoffman, Betty Hannah 1971-75 12 9-10 Holloway, Martha Aldrich 1971-75 12 11-12 Holmberg, Ruth Sulzberg 1971-75 12 13-14 Howard, Katherine Graham 1971-75 12 15-16 Hull, Anne Dalrymple 1971-75 12 17-18 Jackson, leontine Palmer 1971-75 12 19 Kaller, Nancy Israel 1974

[See also Curd]

12 20-21 Katzen, Sally 1971-75 12 22-23 Kelley, Florence 1971-75 12 24-25 Kelley, Peggy Clark 1971-75 12 26-27 Kenyon, Dorothy 1971-75 12 28-29 Kimball, Elizabeth McGrew 1971-75 12 30-31 Kodama, Kayoko Saito Ma 1971-75 13 1-2 Lauren, Barbara 1971-75 13 3-4 Lee, Stella Garrett 1971-75 13 5-6 Lindsay, Dorothy Crydenwise 1971-75 13 7-8 Lord, Mary Pillsbury 1971-75 13 9-10 Lyman, Elizabeth Reed 1971-75 13 11-12 Lyman, Susan E. 1971-75 13 13-14 Malan, Diana Lockard 1971-75 13 15-16 Mandel, Abby Evarts 1971-75 13 17-18 Mansfield, Portia 1971-75 13 19-20 May, Elizabeth Stoffregen 1971-75 14 1-2 Mead, Genevieve Nichols 1971-75 14 3-4 Means, Helen Hotchkin 1971-75 14 5-6 Mensel, Mary 1971-75 14 7-8 Millbank, Helen Kirkpatrick 1971-75 14 9-10 Mills, Elise Ackley 1971-75 14 11-12 Minus, Nancy Dewitt 1971-75 14 13-14 Moodey, Hannah 1971-75 14 15-16 Moore, Eudorah Morse 1971-75 14 17-18 Morgan, Constance Morrow 1971-75 14 19-20 Mulherin, Page Oxnard 1971-75 14 21 Nakamura, Kyoko Motomochi 1973 14 22-23 Neely, Rachel Schlesinger 1971-75 14 24-25 Notestein, Ada Comstock 1971-75 14 26-27 O'Connell, Joan Landers 1971-75 14 28-29 O'Connor, Jessie Lloyd 1971-75 14 30-31 Olmstead, Mildred Scott 1971-75 15 1-2 Parker, Rachel Neeley 1971-75 15 3-4 Peet, Azalia 1971-75 15 5-6 Picker, Jean Sovatkin 1971-75 15 7-8 Plimpton, Pauline Ames 1971-75 15 9-10 Plumb, Cynthia 1971-75 15 11-12 Plumb, Faith Conant 1971-75 15 13-14 Pratt, Annis Vilas 1971-75 15 15-16 Raskin, Judith 1971-75 15 17-18 Reed, Helen Appleton 1971-75 15 19-20 Reagan, Nancy Davis 1971-75 15 21-22 Reynolds, Barbara Fisher 1971-75 15 23-24 Rich, Frances L. 1971-75 16 1-2 Rigby, Eleanor Grant 1971-75 16 3-4 Rodgers, Kathryn 1971-75 16 5-6 Rosenfield, Nancy Schulkind 1971-75 16 7-8 Royon, Betty 1971-75 16 9-10 Sampson, Myra 1971-75 16 11-12 Sasaki, Miyoko 1971-75 16 13 Scales, Laura Lord 1971 16 14-15 Schwartz, Felice Nierenberg 1971-75 16 16-17 Seton, Cynthia Propper 1971-75 16 18 Smith, Leigh Berrien 1974 16 19-20 Smith, Mary Byers 1971-75 16 21-22 Snow, Florence E. 1971-75 16 23 Spahr, Margaret 1973 16 24-25 Stair, Lois Harkriden 1971-75 16 26 Steeper, Nancy Cook 1974 17 1-2 Steinem, Gloria 1971-75 17 3-4 Stemple, Jane Yolen 1971-75 17 5-6 Stevenson, Eleanor Bumstead 1971-75 17 7-8 Stevenson, Nancy Anderson 1971-75 17 9-10 Stocks, Esther H. 1971-75 17 11-12 Straus, Ellen Sulzberger 1971-75 17 13-14 Stuard, Susan Mosher 1971-75 17 15-16 Stuntz, Florence Waters 1971-75 17 17-18 Swainbank, Louise Robinson 1971-75 17 19 Switkay, Mary Eckman 1974 17 20 Thomas, Carolyn Bedell 1974 17 21 Thompson, Margaret Cook 1974 17 22-24 Treuhaft, Elizabeth Martin 1971-75 17 25-26 Varnedoe, Lilla Train 1971-75 18 1 Vena, Carolyn Willis 1975 18 2-3 von Klemperer, Elizabeth Gallaher 1971-75 18 4-5 Wagner, Jacquelyn Rennie 1971-75 18 6-7 Waller, Anne Thomson 1971-75 18 8-9 Waller, Sydney 1971-75 18 10-11 Watters, Hyla Stowell 1971-75 18 12-13 Webster, Kate Belcher 1971-75 18 14-15 Weiss, Nancy 1971-75 18 16-17 Wilson, Jean Strachan 1971-75 18 18-19 Wilson, Mary Lou Sweig 1971-75 18 20-21 Wintersteen, Bernice McIhenny 1971-75 18 22-23 Wolfs, Mary L. 1971-75 18 24-25 Wright, Kathryn 1971-75 18 26-27 Wulfing, Shirley Thomas 1971-75 SERIES III. TRANSCRIPT EXCERPTS BY SUBJECT.

This series consists of six boxes of transcript excerpts by subject. Subjects include activities, Alumnae Association, coeducation, curriculum, financing college, minority group reactions, people, places, rules, social mores, social work, vocations, volunteerism and women's education to name some. These are also filed alphabetically.

19 1 File guide to clipped transcripts 1973 19 Transcripts 19 2 Not clipped/partially clipped 1974 19 3 Clipped and filed 1971-72 19 4-5 Activities 1897-1973 19 6 Alumnae Association n.d. 19 7 Board of Trustees and other college committees n.d. 19 8-9 Coeducation 1972-74, n.d. 19 10 Continuing education n.d. 19 11 The college 1950, n.d. 20 1-2 The college 1897-1949 20 3-9 Curriculum 1897-1973 20 10-11 Education 1897-1973 21 1 Effects of outside events n.d. 21 2 Events brought to the college n.d. 21 3-7 Feminist movement 1897-1973 21 8 Financing college n.d. 21 9 Houses at the college n.d. 21 10 Minority group reactions n.d. 22 1 Other colleges n.d. 22 2 People at the college n.d. 22 3 Places n.d. 22 4 Responsibility of using education n.d. 22 5 Rules at the college n.d. 22 6 Social mores n.d. 22 7 Social work n.d. 22 8 Sophia Smith n.d. 22 9 Southern Mountain Workship Program n.d. 22 10 Special projects at Smith: Institute for the Coordination of Women's Interests and Council of Industrial Studies n.d. 22 11-12 Vocations 1897-1929 23 1-4 Vocations 1930-1974 23 5-8 Volunteerism 1897-1949 24 1-2 Volunteerism 1950-1974 24 3 W.A.V.E.S. n.d. 24 4-9 Why Smith? 1897-1973 24 10 Women's education n.d. SERIES IV. AUDIOVISUAL.

This series consists of cassette recording of participant interviews.

24 Cassette recordings of participant interviews