Scrapbook from Woman Studying at Oswego State Teachers College in NY, 1941-1942 with 155 pieces of ephemera, report cards, notes, newspaper clippings

[Women Education], Teachers College

Scrapbook Album

[Women Education] Scrapbook from a woman student at co-educational Oswego State Teachers College, NY, filled with 155 pieces of ephemera, including newspaper clippings, full-issues of the campus paper, ticket stubs, programs, invitations, and more. 1941-1942. Original paper wraps. 15 x 11 inches. 80 pages. Large color image of fall foliage on front cover. Originally belonged to Marjorie O. Walker of Woodridge, NY. Some of the clippings are annotated with a few lines, identifying friends and classmates in the articles: “this is one of my classmates” and “they’re all swell singers”. Includes documents from both Oswego State Normal School and later material from Oswego State Teachers College, which the school was renamed in 1942 when it began to grant 4-year bachelor’s degrees. 1939-1940 Report card with classes in Child Development, History of civilization, Composition and Speech, Intro to Science, Art 102, Essentials of Music, and Recreational Activities. Pamphlet advertising 1941 Summer Session at Oswego State Normal School. Student Handbook, Personnel Directory, and Student Directory for 1941-1942 Schoolyear. Newspaper clippings that report the school’s status upgrade to a degree-granting university, such as the 1942 headline reads “Oswego Normal becomes State Teachers College.” Other ephemera includes newspaper articles on Epsilon Pi Tau fraternity, Sigma Pi Rho sorority, and many on campus music groups. Many typed correspondence and notices regarding the Bel Canto singing group on campus, of which the album owner was a member. Halloween Party invitation.

Numerous clippings from before and after America entered WWII, refer to escalating tensions, fears, and home front defensive preparations. A 1941 headline reads “Co-operation is needed to bring victory in War / Dr. Salisbury says Educational Institutes would be hit if Nazis should win.” Interesting, that was printed in February 1941, before the US formally declared war. That same month, there’s another clipping calling on male students at Oswego to register for the selective service (the Draft). An article from early 1942 declares “Better type of community seen as a result of war” and goes on to say: “Whether Oswego is bombed or not the air raid warden set-up an build a better type of community both now and in future years, when peace comes…” Other clippings from the months following the Pearl Harbor attack give a glimpse into the deep-seated fears that Americans felt in the early days of WWII: “Bombing of our Cities Expected by Defense Head…We must expect more ships sinking off our shores, more military reverses and bombing of our cities.” The war effort even affect construction plans at the school. In January 1941, there was a major fire that destroyed parts of campus, and by the following year “War holding up Normal School’s Building Program / Unable to get materials for remodeling auditorium, new dormitory.” Armistice Day program for 1941, presented in conjunction with the American Legion, and US Coast Artillery.

The State University of New York at Oswego was founded in 1861 as the Oswego Primary Teachers’ Training School; this institution embraced and popularized some of the most innovative teaching methods of the day. The school led the Oswego Movement of educational reform in the United States, which sought to emphasize that every aspect of the child's life contributed to the formation of their personality, character, and capacity to reason. These educational methods were child-centered and based on individual differences, sense perception, and the student's self-activity. In 1942, the New York state legislation elevated Oswego from a Normal School to the 4-year, bachelor’s degree-granting Oswego State Teachers College. In 1948, Oswego became one of the State University of New York’s charter members. To meet the expanded need for specialized instruction, the institution broadened its academic perspective to become a full-fledged arts and sciences institution in the SUNY system and featuring a range of liberal and professional studies by 1962. Pages are thin, with a few very small closed tears at edges. In very good condition.

Item #17164

Price: $485.00