Alumni Association Records

Access and use

Location of collection:
College of William and Mary
Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
College of William and Mary
400 Landrum Drive
PO 8795
Williamsburg, VA 23187-8795
Contact for questions and access:
Phone: (757) 221-3090
Fax: (757) 221-5440
Restrictions:

This collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Terms of access:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Preferred citation:

Alumni Association Records, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Summary

Extent:
52.00 Linear Feet
Creator:
Society of the Alumni, Alumni Band Organization., Fund for William and Mary, and Order of the White Jacket
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Alumni Association Records, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The records of the Alumni Association of the College of William and Mary include office files, material from select Executive Secretaries, meeting minutes, publications, correspondence, and other material documenting the activities of the William & Mary Alumni Association as well as the College of William & Mary's history and alumni more generally.

A significant amount of records from the Alumni Association were accessioned as part of the former University Archives Publications Collection and are now described here. Included are meeting minutes, fliers, publications, and related material.

Contains records from the Richmond Chapter of the William and Mary Alumni Association, including correspondence, a constitution, lists of alumnae, and one notebook of meeting minutes.

(25 cubic ft.) Contains records of the Alumni Association from the 1920s-1950s. Records from the first three executive secretaries of the association: George Willis Guy, Charles A. Taylor, and Charles P. McCurdy. Included is correspondence regarding recruiting members, chapters, address changes, meetings, the board, etc. The files are arranged mostly by the last name of the correspondent (for incoming mail) or recipient (for outgoing mail). Correspondence of the Alumni Association from the 1940s files of B. D. Peachy include letters regarding a new William and Mary president, the honor code, fraternity houses in trouble, agenda for meetings, and financial reports. There are also responses to a questionnaire sent in 1932 to alumni who graduated between 1866 and 1932, including updates on names, place and date of birth, occupation, other education, and some personal remarks for a new alumni catalog. There are also letters from alumni who attended between 1866 and 1881 regarding attending a memorial service for Ewell at the 1933 Alumni Day. The "Necrology" files hold obituaries of alumni. There is one small box of correspondence of Oscar Shewmake from the 1920s. Finally, there are nine boxes of office correspondence arranged in part by subjects, e.g. senior essay contest.

Contains seven sheets of stationary and four envelopes with the "Homecoming 1992" logo.

Contains Alumni Association subject files from 1899-1986, with the bulk dating from 1976-1986.

Contains files from the desk of Jeb Stuart Rosebrook of the Alumni Association. Included are numerous letters from alumni providing their memories related to stories published in the Alumni Gazette or Magazine including the Wren Building, WWII on campus, family trees, and the book Traditions, Myths, and Memories.

This series includes reunion files from the classes of 1918-1960, the Colonial Re-Echo, records of the now defunct Association of 1775, records of the now defunct Graduate and Professional Schools Alumni Council, as well as records, scrapbooks, and photographs of the Student Alumni Liaison Council (SALC). [box count for this series starts at 3]

Includes material from the Association of 1775 and 50th reunions of classes from the 1950s.

Includes material from the Association of 1775 and GPSAC.

Includes material from the reunions of classes of 1945-1953.

Includes material from the reunions of classes of 1918-1944.

Material from alumni chapters, mostly photographs.

Includes material from Student Alumni Liaison Council, Student Hosts, and miscellaneous material.

A scrapbook from Student Alumni Liaison Council.

Includes photographs and a scrapbook from the Student Alumni Liaison Council.

This series contains Alumni Association publications binders (binders with every Alumni Association publication from a given year) from 1997-2006; Alumni Association Programming Calendar newsletters from 1993-1997; and correspondence, bylaws, and publications for the Young Guarde alumni group at the College from 1990-2005. Some material was removed from Acc. 2011.498, which was received just before Acc. 2011.521 for a logical physical reuniting of records.

This series holds material transferred from the College Papers in 2012.

Certificate of incorporation and by-laws. Ferguson Print Shop, 1923 Certificate of incorporation, by-laws, and criteria for medallion award, 1939 Constitution of the Association Order of Business printed card Minutes of a meeting called October 1888. An address delivered at an alumni business meeting, June 1929, by President JAC Chandler Certificate of life membership Membership card Circular letter to the alumni asking for contributions. Draft of copy in the handwriting of Nathaniel Beverley Tucker. Not dated but of the period 1833-1852 Printed circular letters to alumni, parents and friends 1875-1936. 27 pieces Alumni Bulletin, June 1926 Carbon copy of an article on alumni work of the college, ca 1930 Join Alumni Assoc. football schedule 1936

A list of unlocated alumni, Feb 1931 Register containing names of visiting alumni, Nov 1930-June 1933 Register containing names of visiting alumni June 1935-January 1938

banquet menus and programs 1890-1930 Admission card to Alumni dinner June 1930 Admission card to Alumni luncheon June 1938 Alumni Day and Homecoming Day programs and invitations 1930-1940 United Kingdom Chapter and the Joint Chapters of the Society of the Alumni banquet May 18, 1973

A list of alumni chapters The W&M Club of Richmond. Handbook issued by alumni of the college residing in Richmond, Va. 1931-1932. An invitation to a dance given by the alumni club of Norfolk in honor of the University of Virginia and W&;M football teams, unknown year

This series contains a Class of 1949 50th Reunion yearbook, an Olde Guarde panel script on World War II by H. H. Hyde, a program for "A Night for Jack Cloud" from 1990, a history of the class of 1949, and a reunion planning notebook for the class 1949 for Homecoming in 1994,

Three-ring binder containing the program from the 150th anniversary, which was celebrated in 1992. Contents include flyers, newsletters and other publications, and photographs (Acc 2014.093)

Four Homecoming and Reunion weekend promotional posters from October 2021.

Biographical / historical:

The William and Mary Alumni Association was founded on July 4, 1842, and is the sixth-oldest alumni organization in the country. All graduates and former students of the College of William and Mary are considered members of the Alumni Association. The Alumni Association is an independent, nonprofit organization that serves William and Mary and its many alumni, students, parents and friends and is governed by a 17-member Board of Directors.

The generally accepted date for the founding or the William and Mary Alumni Association is July 4, 1842. An alumni organization of some sort may have been in existence before this time. However, this is the date that the Honorable Nathaniel Beverly Tucker, a judge and professor of national and municipal law and of the science of government at the College delivered the first Alumni Day oration.

Acquisition information:
Acc. 1939-110 correspondence 1920-1936 received 4/29/1939; Acc. 1937-281 minutes 1889-1932 purchased 10/6/1937; Acc. 1940-274: Bound minutes, 1937-1939 received 7/12/1940; Acc. 1942-77 1843 address, gift 4/3/1942; Acc. 1946-383 Correspondence 1942-1945 deposited on 12/13/1946; Acc. 1964-66 Correspondence acquired 10/19/1964; Acc. 1983.100 received 04/14/1960; Acc. 1993.50 (an earlier Manuscripts accession transferred to University Archives?); Acc. 1994. 010 was a gift from the Alumni Association on 02/03/1994; Acc. 1999.085 transferred from the Alumni Association 08/30/1999; Acc. 2008.149 received from Jeb Stuart Rosebrook of the Alumni Association sometime prior to 2007. Acquisition information for material received after 7/13/2009 is available by consulting a Special Collections Research Center staff member.
Custodial history:

Portions of this collection were previously part of the University Archives Publications Collection.

Processing information:

Acc. 2008.149 accessioned from the backlog 12/11/2008 by Amy C. Schindler, University Archivist. Box and Folder List for Series 1 compiled by Amy White, SCRC staff, in January-February 2010. Box and Folder List for Series 2, 5, & 6 compiled by Emily Eklund, SCRC staff, in May 2010. Acc. 2011.498 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in August 2011. Acc. 2011.521 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in August 2011.

Arrangement:

Organized into series by accession: Series 1: Publications, Series 2: Acc. 1983.100: Richmond Chapter, Series 3: Acc. 1993.50: Executive Secretary's Files, Series 4: Acc. 1994.010: Homecoming Material, Series 5: Acc. 1999.085: Subject Files, Series 6: Acc. 2008.149: Jeb Stuart Rosebrook Files, Series 7: Acc. 2011.498: Class Reunion Files and Alumni Groups, Series 8: Acc. 2011.521: Alumni Association Programs and Young Guard Records. Series 11: Acc. 2014.093 150th anniversary three-ring binder containing the program from the Alumni Association's 150th anniversary, which was celebrated in 1992. Contents include flyers, newsletters and other publications, and photographs

Colonial Re-echo for the class reunion is filed in the class folder, not the year that the reunion took place.

Accruals:

Accruals are anticipated on an ongoing basis.

Physical / technical requirements:

Portions of this collection are stored offsite. Consult a staff member for assistance.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard