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Gladys Stone album from Randolph Macon Women's College

 Collection — Ledger: 1
Identifier: MSS 16452

Content Description

Photo album and scrapbook of Gladys Stone (ownership inscription on front leaf) of her time at Randolph-Macon Woman's College, founded in 1891 in Lynchburg, Va. 71 leaves, 56 filled, with photos and ephemera affixed on both rectos and versos. 82 photos include an African American worker, "Uncle Harry," a student in blackface, evocative images from 1914 Field Day and May Day, Commencement, the inauguration of President William Alexander Webb, individual images of nine sorority houses and various concerts, performances, and group shots on campus.

Pulitzer Prize and Nobel Prize Winner Pearl Buck graduated from the college in 1914 (as Pearl Sydenstricker with her residence noted as China) -- her name appears in three of the documents in the album. In the program for 1913 Thanksgiving Dinner, where she gives the Alma Mater toast; in the Commencement Program twice (as President of the Franklin Literary Society and under the list of graduates); and in a 1913-1914 list of officers, faculty, and students where next to her name someone (presumably Stone) has written the Greek letters of her sorority, Kappa Delta.

Dates

  • Creation: 1913-1914

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research use.

Biographical / Historical

Randolph College is a private liberal arts and sciences college in Lynchburg, Virginia. Founded in 1891 as Randolph-Macon Woman's College, it was renamed on July 1, 2007, when it became coeducational. Randolph-Macon Woman's College was founded by William Waugh Smith, then-president of Randolph-Macon College, under Randolph-Macon's charter after he failed to convince R-MC to become co-educational. Randolph-Macon Woman's College has historic ties to the United Methodist Church. After many attempts to find a location for Randolph-Macon Woman's College, the city of Lynchburg donated 50 acres for the purpose of establishing a women's college. In 1916, it became the first women's college in the South to earn a Phi Beta Kappa charter. Beginning in 1953, the two colleges were governed by separate boards of trustees.

Source: "Randolph College" Wikipedia. Accessed 1/31/2022 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randolph_College

Extent

0.15 Cubic Feet (1 scrapbook)

Language of Materials

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

This collection was purchased from Crow Hop Rare Books for the Small Special Collections Library at the University of Virginia Library on 12 April 2019.

Related Materials

Related to MSS 7795 Pearl Buck letter to James V. Barrett 16 Ocotober 1933. (Housed in the Barrett collection)

Related Materials

MSS 7795 (Barrett)

Condition Description

Fair.

Genre / Form

Title
Gladys Stone album from Randolph Macon Women's College
Author
Ellen Welch
Date
3/9/20
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library Repository

Contact:
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
P.O. Box 400110
University of Virginia
Charlottesville Virginia 22904-4110 United States