Jan Blodgett – Page 8

Sam Spencer in his own words

August 13, 2013 By Jan Blodgett

From time to time, Around the D has looked at some campus legends. This week we’ll let one speak in his own words. Samuel R. Spencer, Jr. has been a student, alumnus, staff, faculty, and president. He was persuaded by Dr. Chalmers Davidson to give some of his personal papers to the library. A quick look through just 2 folders opened up a number of views his years at Davidson:

From his student years:

Senior entry in 1940 Quips and Cranks for Sam Spencer

Spencer’s Senior year Photo

From a letter written home in November 1936:

” . . . I regret that I can’t make it home this weekend, because the homecoming game and dances are this weekend, and that is the biggest weekend of the term. I regret to say, too, that expenses are atrocious, . . . . Thank goodness this is an exceptional weekend, and the most expensive one this term. The $5.25 check which I mentioned before was $2.00 for monthly fraternity dues, $1.25 for regular midwinter dance dues, and $2.00 for the banquet this week. So you see that I will have to pay the fraternity $3.25 a month regularly. Having only $2.04 of my original $13.00, you can make that up if you see fit. Either way you want to do it is all right with me.”

[The full letter provides a wonderful detailing of dance weekend expenses!]

A letter to his father in the spring of 1940 included thoughts about career possibilities:

“Sam Newell was here last Thursday, and we talked over the possibility of teaching jobs. He, of course, wants me to come out there to Battle Ground with him, but the opening there, in any, will be in the science and math department, which is not particularly attractive to me. However, according to John Belk, there will be a vacancy in the English department at McCallie, and there is a possibility that Fred Stair, who is teaching History, will leave Darlington at the end of the year.”

[The classmates he mentions will serve Davidson as trustees and major donors in the years to come.]

Sam Spencer (in uniform) taking part in the great library book chain

In 1946 while working in the college’s Department of Public Relations, Spencer wrote the Honorable Harold Stassen:

“On the strength of your interest and mine in the American Veterans Committee, of which I am one of the original members, I would like unofficially to second Dr. Cunningham’s invitation as strongly as possible. On two grounds I believe an address by you at Davidson College can be of paramount importance. First, North Carolina unquestionably holds a position as one of the most forward-looking of the Southern states, and as such is a fertile field for the progressive leadership you can offer. Second, and I tell you this in all sincerity, among the returning veterans (of whom 200 are now completing their education here at Davidson) your name stands as something of a symbol for vigorous action and promise for the future.”

[It does not appear that Spencer’s words were persuasive enough to get Stassen to Davidson.]

While in graduate school and living in Cambridge, Spencer continued to think of Davidson. He wrote John Payne, head of Public and Alumni Relations in May 1950:

“Here’s an embryonic idea that came to me the other day: as a way of getting alumni opinion on various things connected with the college (which you of course invite in a general way continually), why not make up an Alumni Questionnaire to be sent out each year with the ballots for AA officers? It could be one of two types – either a scattershot one dealing with a lot of questions, or a one topic affair with all the questions related to a central theme. On snap judgement, I think perhaps the latter would be more effective.”

[Payne liked the idea and a thank you goes out to all the alumni who filled out those questionnaires over the years.]

Spencer at a college retirement ceremony.

In 1972, Spencer defended college policies in a letter to the Education Branch of the Office of Civil Rights in Washington DC:

“The statement in your letter that ‘No current publication regarding programs or activities at Davidson indicates the college does not discriminate on the basis of race’ is in error. The catalogue indicates quite positively, ‘At the direction of the Board of Trustees, Davidson will continue and intensify the efforts of the past few years to enroll students from a variety of racial, economic, social, and geographical backgrounds.’ This statement appears in the first section of the chapter of the catalogue dealing with admission at the college.”

One of the projects Spencer guided as president was the construction of the E. H Little Library.

Not only did Spencer move books and support the building of a new library, it turns out he harbored the best of ambitions (from Around the D’s perspective). In 1984, he wrote Chalmers Davidson, Library Director emeritus and college archivist: “Don’t forget to let me know when you decide to retire for the last time so that I can prepare to take up my duties as archivist. Maybe 1995?”

Filed Under: Alumni, College governance, Staff

Lake Norman Magazine Photograph Collection

August 6, 2013 By Jan Blodgett

Around the is proud to announce the launching of a new database for the Lake Norman Magazine Photograph Collection!

The E. H. Little Library has collected and microfilmed several local publications recognizing their value in documenting the history of the region. One of the publication is the Lake Norman Magazine which began in 1983.

Between 2007 and 2009, the College Archives received 24 boxes of photographs and negatives from the Lake Norman Magazine. The over 4200 photos date from 1989 to 2004 and provide a rich visual account of people, places and events around the lake.

Getting all the photographs cataloged and getting the database online took several years and several staff. Of particular note, Tom, one of our regular volunteers, spent months organizing the photos, typing in cataloging data and matching images to articles. Thanks to the students who spent hours getting the photos in sleeves and in albums.

The photos have been reorganized into albums for easier viewing

Most of the photographs appeared in the magazine– which adds to the context and information about the images– but might also lead to the question “Why keep the prints if they are already on microfilm?”

Carboat, a blue car on Lake Norman that appears to be acting as a boat

One of the images from the Lake Norman Magazine Collection documenting some of the more unusual vessels on the lake

Our answer is that reproducing images from microfilm doesn’t work well. The microfilm and photograph collection complement one another. The next question may be “Are they all digitized and online?” At this point, neither the microfilm or images have been digitized –it’s an expensive undertaking and there are copyright concerns since multiple photographers–some employees of the magazine and some not–created the images. Even if they can not all be republished, the photographs are useful research tools and welcome additions to the archives.

Davidson alumnus Jeff Lowrance was featured in a 2001 article on slave cemeteries.

One added benefit is that the photo database provides a partial index to the magazine, important since most local publications are not indexed–even on Google! We invite you to explore the database and to come to the archives to view the collection (now in 16 albums in boxes).

NorthCross, businesses surrounding a fountain

Photographs of businesses can provide economic historians with data about changes in local employment and consumer options.

Filed Under: Lake Norman

Wish You Were Here

July 23, 2013 By Jan Blodgett

Postcards offering the sentiment “wish you were here” have been a staple of summer travel. They have also served to carry back memories, replacing or adding to photographs taken.

Most of the postcards in the Archives are images of the college and town. We’ve put them online to supplement our photograph collection. But there are other postcards hidden in manuscript collections, particularly student scrapbooks.

While these scrapbooks usually have a few postcards of college scenes, they often will have a set of pages in the back with memento postcards – cards that the students did not receive from friends or intend to mail but rather to mark trips taken.

A scenic view of North Carolina mountains, look closely for the hikers.

Daniel Gibson Wilson, class of 1926 came to Davidson from Atlanta. His postcard set included two different groups. The images were either of patriotic scenes (signing of the Declaration of Independence) and Washington, DC or they were from the mountains of North Carolina and beaches and towns of South Carolina.

gate postcard captioned, "SIMONTON GATE, LEGARE ST., CHARLESTON, S.C."

Daniel Wilson kept this postcard from Charleston, SC.

A tunnel in the Blue Ridge

A scene from Washington, DC

Aubrey Neblett Brown, class of 1929, traveled farther afield with a dozen or so postcards of New Orleans and Tennessee. He also had one postcard from his hometown of Mineral Wells, TX.

New Orleans street scene collected by Aubrey Brown

A Tulane postcard to go along with the Davidson postcards of the era

A scene from Brown’s home town of Mineral Wells

Filed Under: Digital collections, Student Life

Davidson in July – Decades Ago

July 16, 2013 By Jan Blodgett

The diary entries presented in last week’s blog provided some glimpses of Davidson in 1847. This week we’ll look at some July’s in the 20th century –1978 and 1988 to be exact – and see some ongoing patterns.

July Experience students in 1978, the 3rd year of the program

The Archives has a collection of News Releases from College Communications. The July 1978 press releases highlighted:

-the arrival of high school juniors participating in the 3 year of July Experience,

July Experience students in class with Professor Malcolm Partin in 1988

-a production of Major Barbara by the Davidson Community Players,

– the selection of economics professor Randy Kincaid to spend a year with the Environmental Protection Agency,

-and a meeting about a proposed new retirement community in Davidson.

A decade later (and 25 years ago), the press releases covered:

– Muadi Mukenge receiving the newly established Leona M. Goodell Scholarship and spending her summer with the Davidson in Washington program,

Davidson goes pops flyer for Summer Music Stage

Program for summer pops concerts on campus

-a summer pops series on campus,

-and a Dean Rusk Program for Charlotte business leaders.

While there was no publicity for July Experience, the students were on campus — just as they are again this year. Summer entertainment also continues with the Davidson Community Players. Both the 1978 and 2013 productions have Davidsonians in the cast; the biggest change is in the venue. Plays are now presented in the Duke Family Performance Hall instead of Hodson Hall.

Program for Major Barbara, 1978

Directed by Davidson professor Tony Abbott, the cast included faculty and staff

Davidson faculty still have strong ties to governmental agencies and students still eagerly apply for the Washington in Davidson Program. The Dean Rusk program isn’t hosting the breakfasts any more but does still actively encourages international awareness for students, faculty, staff, and area residents through a variety of programs.

Flyer for retirement center meeting

And that retirement center — it’s celebrating a 25th anniversary. Although the first meeting was 35 years ago, changes in the national economy delayed the idea a bit. By the summer of 1988, the Pines was becoming a reality and now it is an integral part of the town — and a great supporter of college programs – entertainment, international, and beyond.

Filed Under: Campus traditions, Town history

New Acquisition Provides Glimpses of Student Life

July 10, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

During this year’s reunion weekend, a document from 1847 came back to the college – and unlike the visiting alumni – stayed. A member of the class of 1963 gifted the archives with pages from the diary of Albert Allison James, class of 1848.

First page of A. A. James’ diary – a little worse for age. Happily the rest of the pages are in fine condition.

The pages we have begin with April 5th 1847–which might sound like the end of the spring semester. But in 1846-47, the semester ran from October to February and March to August, making his entries early in the spring semester of his junior year.

His entries describe daily activities. Wonder what a student was doing in July 1847? Here are some entries for July 2- 4:

July 2^nd 1847 Friday

After attending prayers, and recitation before breakfast, prepared for going to a picnic part at W. L. Davidson‘s Esq. given by the young ladies to the Senior and Junior classes, we walked out, and after drinking some fine cider we were invited to dinner at which we did our duty. As there was every thing good, that is, cakes, syllabub, raisons, almonds, and a great many other things. Returned at even, almost worn out from fatigue.

July 3^rd 1847 Saturday

This day our class had nothing to do. I read during the most of the day finished reading the first vol of Mary Queen of Scots, and commenced the Second. Attended prayer meeting.

July 4^th 1847 Sabbath

Read in confession of faith until 11, at which time the president, by request, preached a partriotick sermon from 147^th psalm 20^th verse which was very eloquent and appropriate for the occasion, a number of people attended. Sermon at night by Professor Wilson.

The picnic party was held at what we now know as Beaver Dam, the home of William Lee Davidson II. It’s now a short drive from campus, but in 1847, the Juniors and Seniors would have walked about 2 miles to get there (and would, no doubt be ready for some cider when they arrived). The young ladies of the town must have been very busy preparing food for 34 hungry young men. (14 seniors and 20 juniors).

Table of contents for Life of Mary, Queen of Scots with notations

The library may well still have the copy of the biography James was reading on July 3rd. We have a 1836 edition of a 2 volume edition of Henry Bell’s Life of Mary Queen of Scots that appears to have been part of the Eumenean Society‘s library (James was a member).

Penciled in the volume in the table of contents are 2 notations- one is Eumenean Society. The other is a variation of the William Trimmytoes counting game:

William a trimmety
He is a good fisherman
He catches hens
He puts them in pens
Some lay eggs
Some lay none
Wire brier limber lock
Three geese in a flock
One flew east
One flew west
& one flew over the old gooses nest
Clear out you dirty dishcloth

The handwriting in the diary and in the book don’t match, so we can’t blame James for marking up the book. Perhaps the scribbler found the book less interesting than James did.

We’ll be adding the diary to our transcription project pages. If you’re curious about what else is in his diary, you’ll be able to read it online and even have the fun of sharing what you find with others through transcription.

And if you’re wondering about Jame’s later life, he became a minister in 1851, married Sarah Collins in 1853 and served churches in South Carolina. Before his death in 1910, he married 670 couples.

Filed Under: Manuscript Collection, Rare Book

New Donation, Old Ties

June 25, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

The College Archives recently received the gift of a program booklet for Senior Week 1922. It’s in good condition for being 91 years old. The purple suede cover is still vibrant and leather ties still holding up.

The seniors of 1923 started celebrating early hosting Senior Week in 1922

Senior Week was really more of a senior weekend with events from Friday to Sunday.

While the booklet is new to us, parts of it seemed familiar, particularly the Saturday night play The Sultan of Sarawak. The program for that play shows up in a scrapbook from another member of the class of 1923, William Cooper– and in the program files for the theatre department. This production proved popular enough that the students were allowed to take it on the road, performing it on campuses in North and South Carolina in the spring of 1923.

The seniors planned a full program everything from a Rudolph Valentino film to speeches, to the play and a YMCA service

Musical Program for The Sultan of Sarawak

The 4 acts of the play

It is fitting that we have Cooper’s scrapbook as the program notes that he was class historian. He has shown up in Around the D before – in a post featuring the road trip he took with fellow graduates.

One aspect of the program was less familiar – the Derby donning on Saturday afternoon. Cooper’s photographs provide us with an example-

Members of the class of 1923 with their derbies

According to an article in the October 2, 1923 Davidsonian, these photos may be the last ones for a Derby Donning. The class of 1924 voted to forego the derbies and canes and to distinguish themselves from the “Sophomores and Juniors by wearing red and black camel cloth sporting sweaters.”

Wonder if the class of 2014 would like to bring back the derbies?

Student with derby and cane.

Filed Under: Campus traditions

At the corner of Shackelford and McEver

June 11, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

Although school is out, there is still activity at the end of South Street in Davidson. Across from Davidson Elementary, two signs oversee summer baseball games and walkers coming and going from the town greenway.

Street sign for Shackelford’s Way in Davidson

McEver Fields sign

It is fitting that the signs share a space since both are named in honor of two tireless volunteers. JoAnne Shackelford and Gene McEver both worked for Davidson College, though at different times, and both received the college’s Algernon Sydney Sullivan Community award.

Gene McEver during his time as a Davidson football coach.

Gene McEver came to Davidson as a football coach during the 1931-32 season. A standout player at the University of Tennessee, McEver took over as head football coach just 4 years later. He left Davidson briefly to coach at the University of North Carolina (1944) and at Virginia Tech (1945-1947) and for the Charlotte Clippers. In 1951, he was elected to the town board and remained a commissioner until 1969. He stepped down from the board to accept a position as superintendent for public works for the town.

He never lost his interest in sports and was elected to the National Football Foundation’s Hall of Fame in 1954. He not only served as director and state president of Pony League baseball, but dedicated hours to founding the Davidson Youth Baseball program — a task that included building and maintaining baseball fields in town (a Charlotte News article noted that he had built most of the eleven hundred seats around the field), and announcing the games for almost 2 decades.

Noting his work with youth, his role in directing drives and community projects, the citation for the Algernon Sydney Sullivan award presented to him in 1963 ends:

The Faculty of Davidson College by a ‘show of hearts’ would crown the recognition of such excellences by conferring upon you [this award] as upon one who possesses ‘a burning heart, a spacious spirit and a willing hand.’

JoAnne Shackeford as Pippi Longstocking at a campus Halloween gathering

JoAnne Shackelford joined the college’s Admission Office staff in 1992. As active participant in the Office Support Staff organization, she supported the college’s Relay for Life team. She was well known in town for the signs (made from sheets) celebrating the successes and joys of others – birthdays, graduations, and whatever else struck her fancy.

She earned her sign by including in many activities being a crossing guard for the elementary school for 18 years, no doubt cheering many students with her smile and encouraging words.

Sadly, her Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award was given posthumously, shortly after her death in 2005. Her citation described what could be aptly called “Shackelford’s way” in noting that “Many of us may never know again a person who so completely gave of herself, each and every day, to others.”

Filed Under: Staff, Town history

Postcard Serendipity

June 4, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

The Archives recently received the gift of a postcard. Postmarked from Egypt and dated February 8, 1951, it was addressed to Prof. Alex McGeachy.

Alex McGeachy, postcard recipient

McGeachy, class of 1934, taught history at Davidson from 1938 to 1977. The note on the card reads:

“Dear Alex,
Soon as I saw this I said – this is for Alex! I cannot say what this trip really means –it is simply overwhelming. Regards to all the boys. Charles.”

The question then became – Who is Charles? Thinking it might be a fellow Davidson faculty member, we checked our faculty database and found at least 6 Charles on hand around 1950. These included Charles Anderson (Sociology, 1947-50), Charles Eberhardt (Religion, 1947-1957), Charles Godcharles (Psychology, 1948-1951), Charles Holloman (Political Science, 1950-1951), Charles Ratliff (Economics, 1947-1992), and Charles Roberts (Spanish, 1948-1951).

Postcard message

Front of postcard - an egyptian statue of a head with a traditional nefertiti
The search was on – would the handwriting of any of the six match? Indeed, would we even have handwriting for all of them? We don’t have retired faculty files for all faculty, especially those with short tenures. But we did have the right one. A look through the file for Charles Eberhardt produced a matching signature and an article about his traveling to Egypt in 1951 – Bingo.

Eberhardt mid-lecture in front of a map of Palestine

The search also brought to mind another postcard in our collection. It featured a professor on a camel. Our notes had identified it as another religion professor–and another Charles–Dr. Charles M. Richards (class of 1892, professor 1915-1944). A deeper look into Eberhardt’s file revealed a duplicate postcard, this one with a note to C. K. Brown, then Dean of Faculty. We’ve corrected the database to give the camel riding credit to the appropriate Charles.

Prof. Eberhardt astride a camel with the Sphinx in the background

And in case you are wondering, despite the plethora of Charlies found in our search, Charles falls a bit down the line for most the popular name for Davidson faculty. The most popular are in descending order: William, John, James, Robert, Thomas, and then Charles. The numbers are fewer for women’s names with Mary currently being at the top.

Filed Under: Faculty

Davidson Children & Desegration

May 29, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

A few weeks back, Around the D shared news about a series of events in Charlotte recognizing the events of 1963 around desegregation. What happened in 1963, was just a beginning. An unrelated question asked about local history ended up with the discovery of a local headline from May 29, 1969:

Photograph and headline from the May 29, 1969 Mecklenburg Gazette

This announcement –made 44 years ago– had its beginnings in the culture changes of the 1960s. One piece was the closing closing the Ada Jenkins School in the integregation of public schools and the opening of a new kindergarten. In 1967, public kindergartens were brand new and the Davidson Community Relations Committee applied for permission to open a pilot program in the Ada Jenkins building.

As what became known as Child Development Center No 1 began operations, other groups were becoming interested in nursery schools and day care. Although women have been working for generations, the need for day care and the acceptance of day care centers was still new. Davidson College Presbyterian Church began operating a nursery school in 1967 and Davidson resident Pat Sailstad started a day care for African-American children. Her daycare stated in her home but soon came under the care of the St. Alban’s Guild.

Elizabeth C. Cumming

Both of these programs encouraged a new coalition started work for an integrated day care center, soon to be named the Davidson-Cornelius Day Care Center. Under the leadership of Elizabeth Cumming, other volunteers include Davidson coach Charles Parker, Pat Sailstad, Mrs. James Martin, Mrs. George Abernethy and Mary Potts.

In October 1968, she laid out the goals of the center. It was to be “a place where the little children of working mothers will develop physically, with healthful conditions and expert attention, and mentally, with a simple educational program on a nursery school level.”

The plans expanded by 1969 to include observation booths for visitors, including Davidson College psychology students studying child development. The building was completed in early 1970 with Cornelius Elementary School serving as a temporary site for the first group of children. Over the next decades, the center lived into the hopes of its founders providing care and education to children of all races.

Filed Under: Town history

Dean Transition

May 21, 2013 By Jan Blodgett Leave a Comment

A new Dean of Faculty will move into the Chambers building this summer. In the last 85 years, Davidson College has had 9 deans (or 8 if you count Frontis Johnston only once).

Davidsonian article announcing the first dean of instruction

The first dean was Joseph Moore McConnell, class of 1899. McConnell had been teaching Latin, math, economics and history for 2 decades before becoming the dean of instruction.

As described in a 20 September 1928 Davidsonian, the dean’s initial responsibilities focused on academic advising. The other dean mentioned — Dean Sentelle — was the dean of students who dealt with the social side of student’s lives.

McConnell served as the dean until 1935. He did not retire but died unexpectedly. It would be another 6 years before the college promoted another professor to Dean of Faculty. This time the Davidsonian described the dean’s work as having more curricular influence noting,

“In general, he will relieve the president of the college of some unnecessary duties. He will advise with the president and the Board of Trustees for the program to be planned for the college and workout therewith various plans.”

C.K. Brown, class of 1921, had joined the faculty in 1923 teaching mathematics and switching to economics in 1926. He served as a professor and dean until 1952. C. J. Pietenpol followed Brown in 1953. He was the first dean not to be a Davidson graduate but he did come from the ranks of the faculty having joined the Physics Department in 1946.

Pietenpol’s retirement in 1958 brought another Davidson graduate and faculty member into the Dean’s Office. Frontis Johnston, class of 1930, joined the history department in 1935 and served as dean from 1958 to 1970 and returned again to serve from 1975 to 1977.

In between Johnston’s terms, John Bevan, a psychology professor took the academic reins. He is the first to have the title Vice President for Academic Affairs. T. C. Price Zimmermann has the honor of being the first dean to come from outside the college. He was dean and an active member of the History Department from 1977 to 1986. Bob Williams came to Davidson is 1986 as dean and also a member of the History Department serving as dean until 1998 (but continuing on as faculty for another 5 years).

Clark Ross, a member of the college’s Economic Department, served as the interim dean for one year and then was selected to continue as dean. His retirement in 2013 opens the way for Wendy Raymond to be the first woman to be Dean of Faculty and Vice President of Academic Affairs.