Collections : [James Madison University]

Records the reminiscences of Harry Denis Hoover, an alumnus of Harrisonburg State Teachers College, (which became Madison College, and later, James Madison University), who graduated in 1934. Discusses his boyhood in nearby Bridgewater and Dayton, Virginia, where he grew up on his family's farm. Mr. Hoover attended Bridgewater College during the Fall and Spring sessions in his undergraduate years, and HSTC in the summers, as a day student. This arrangement enabled Mr. Hoover to complete his studies in only three years. Recalls student teaching under the supervision of distinguished Madison professor Katherine M. Anthony. Discusses his experiences as a teacher and administrator in a variety of Virginia schools for over forty years.

Records the reminiscences of Inez G. Roop, a graduate of Harrisonburg State Teachers College, (which became Madison College, and later, James Madison University), Class of 1935. Discusses student life on campus and economic conditions in Virginia during the early years of the Great Depression. Describes Sunday dinners at Hillcrest House as a guest of the family of Dr. Samuel Duke, the college's second president. Recalls studying music under Edna Shaefer and history under Raymond Dingledine. Includes recollections of campus life including dress codes, house mothers, demerits, dating rules, and permission slips for riding with men in cars. Also describes college institutions such as May Day, Class Days, the Glee Club, the big sister system, and the college newspaper, The Breeze. Mrs. Roop and her husband, Ralph Roop, (who joins the interview briefly), have been long-time donors to James Madison University and Mr. Roop's alma mater, Virginia Tech. Both discuss their impressions of Dr. Duke's three successors; G. Tyler Miller, Ronald Carrier, and Linwood Rose.

Records reminiscences from a group of alumni and current students of Madison College, now James Madison University. The graduating classes represented range from 1934 to undergraduates currently enrolled as of 2004. Recalls campus life at the college over several decades. Describes campus rules and regulations, as well as the punishments for various infractions. Discusses the changing dress codes, as well as the honor code and the Judicial Council. Comments on aspects of social life on campus, such as curfews, approved dating lists, alcohol use, Greek letter societies, the Glee Club, popular haunts, movie nights, and panty raids. Numerous anecdotal references to past faculty members, staff, and administrators, including Dean of Women Ruth J. Wilkins and House Mother Agnes S. Dingledine, known as "Mama Ding." Other faculty and administrators mentioned include: Raymond Dingledine, Jr., Mary Etter, Otto Frederickson, Althea Johnston, Mary Latimer, Thomas Leigh, Dorothy Savage, Edna Schaeffer, Caroline Sinclair, Glen C. Smith, Columbia Winn, and Margarete Woelful.