Purdue Graduate Dames Club records
Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: MSP 146
Scope and Contents
The Purdue Graduate Dames Club records documents the membership and activities of the Dames, as well as the activities of the National Association of University Dames. The collection primarily reflects the general activities of the club and its board, with less information on the individual special interest groups. It also documents changes in the club’s relationship with the university and in the club’s scope. Unfortunately, there is no information from 1955-1960, and some years are more complete than others. The collection would be useful to researchers interested in social customs of the mid twentieth century, gender roles and women’s lives in the same era, social or philanthropic groups, material culture, the non-academic lives of past students and faculty, and the role of Purdue University in the community. Types of materials include: treasury records, meeting minutes, scrapbooks, club publications, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and ephemera.
Dates
- 1931 - 1964
- Majority of material found within 1931 - 1955
Creator
- Graduate Dames Club. Purdue University (Organization)
Language of Materials
Collection material is in English.
Access Information
This collection is open for research.
Copyright and Use Information
Copyright held by Purdue University.
Biographical or Historical Information
The Purdue University Graduate Dames Club was a social and philanthropic group for the wives of Purdue graduate students. It included an executive board that met regularly for meetings as well as several special interest groups in which women could electively choose to participate. These groups included bridge, sports, child development, decorating, etc. and changed frequently over the years as interests shifted. The Graduate Dames started in 1932 after the founding members thought it a good idea to separate from the more general University Dames Club which was also inclusive of the wives of undergraduate students. This separation came largely as a result of the large number of participants in the combined club and the resultant inability to function efficiently. The tradition of University Dames at Purdue started much earlier, however; Dean Carolyn Shoemaker was a founding member and sponsor of the Dames from their inception in 1918. Shoemaker remained a strong supporter of and advocate for all University Dames until her death in 1933.
The tradition of University Dames Clubs began with the development of the first such group at Harvard in 1896. As Harvard Dames moved on to other parts of the country they would start new chapters at the next university with which they were affiliated. These clubs were devoted to creating a sense of community between the wives as well as a source of social and intellectual development and philanthropic endeavors. The National Association of University Dames was founded in 1921 to address the growing need to better facilitate transfer of members among chapters and foster a sense of cooperation and communication between them. Due to the fact that individual chapters were quite small and with extremely limited resources, the possibility of annual conventions was unlikely; thus, the founding committee of the national association decided that the responsibilities of the national chapter would be carried out on a rotating basis by the officers of local chapters. Purdue Dames held the National chairmanship for two years (1931-1932, 1933), ostensibly due to the division of the undergraduate and graduate groups.
The Purdue Graduate Dames took on a number of philanthropic projects over the years and contributed significantly to university culture. Some of the groups they supported include: the Agapai, the County Farm, and the **** School, among others. They also hosted several events a year, some for members only, others for members and their spouses, and occasionally events that were open to the public. These events were generally formatted around a dinner dance concept or card games, but the Dames were well known for their annual fashion show and crafts bazaars.
The Graduate Dames reverted to their original title of the Purdue University Dames in 1964, when they reabsorbed the Undergraduate group. It is unclear at this time how long the club continued to operate after this since the records end abruptly in 1965 (but with no indication that the club was disbanding). Later records in the collection indicate that the Dames maintained a cooperative relationship with the Purdue Women’s Club as well and it is possible that the two could have merged.
The tradition of University Dames Clubs began with the development of the first such group at Harvard in 1896. As Harvard Dames moved on to other parts of the country they would start new chapters at the next university with which they were affiliated. These clubs were devoted to creating a sense of community between the wives as well as a source of social and intellectual development and philanthropic endeavors. The National Association of University Dames was founded in 1921 to address the growing need to better facilitate transfer of members among chapters and foster a sense of cooperation and communication between them. Due to the fact that individual chapters were quite small and with extremely limited resources, the possibility of annual conventions was unlikely; thus, the founding committee of the national association decided that the responsibilities of the national chapter would be carried out on a rotating basis by the officers of local chapters. Purdue Dames held the National chairmanship for two years (1931-1932, 1933), ostensibly due to the division of the undergraduate and graduate groups.
The Purdue Graduate Dames took on a number of philanthropic projects over the years and contributed significantly to university culture. Some of the groups they supported include: the Agapai, the County Farm, and the **** School, among others. They also hosted several events a year, some for members only, others for members and their spouses, and occasionally events that were open to the public. These events were generally formatted around a dinner dance concept or card games, but the Dames were well known for their annual fashion show and crafts bazaars.
The Graduate Dames reverted to their original title of the Purdue University Dames in 1964, when they reabsorbed the Undergraduate group. It is unclear at this time how long the club continued to operate after this since the records end abruptly in 1965 (but with no indication that the club was disbanding). Later records in the collection indicate that the Dames maintained a cooperative relationship with the Purdue Women’s Club as well and it is possible that the two could have merged.
Extent
0.727 Cubic Feet (2 letter-sized manuscript boxes)
Arrangement
The Purdue Graduate Dames Club records is arranged into three series.
- National Association of University Dames yearbooks
- Yearly programs
- President’s records
Acquisition Information
Source and date of acquisition are unknown.
Processing Information
Whenever possible, original order of the materials has been retained. Publications of the Purdue Graduate Dames and the National Association of University Dames have been grouped together chronologically when they were not attached to the Presidential scrapbooks. All materials have been housed in acid-free boxes. Metal clips have been removed when it would interfere with the integrity of the collection. Some portions of the collection are in extremely fragile condition and should be handled with care. Due to the wide variety of materials used in the composition of the scrapbooks, there are some instances of acidification and other deterioration. However, removing these items would severely reduce the research value of the records and jeopardize original order. As a result, pages displaying discoloration or other signs of deterioration have been interleaved with acid free paper.
- Dance cards
- Graduate Dames Club. Purdue University
- Handbooks
- National Association of University Dames
- Philanthropy and education
- Programs (documents)
- Purdue University -- Students -- Social life and customs -- 20th Century
- Records (Documents)
- Scrapbooks
- Shoemaker, Carolyn E. (Carolyn Ernestine), 1868-1933
- Undergraduate Dames Club. Purdue University
- Women -- Education (Higher) -- United States -- History
- Women -- Societies and clubs
Creator
- Graduate Dames Club. Purdue University (Organization)
- Title
- Purdue Graduate Dames Club records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Virginia Pleasant
- Date
- 2019-07-11
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- English
- Edition statement
- Second edition. Collection description was first completed 2015-05-01.
Revision Statements
- 2019-07-11: Data cleaned up to align with ASC standards.
Repository Details
Part of the Purdue University Archives and Special Collections Repository
Contact:
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu
504 Mitch Daniels Boulevard
West Lafayette Indiana 47907 United States
765-494-2839
archives@purdue.edu