JMU Centennial Voices No. 1 oral histories

Access and use

Location of collection:
James Madison University
Second Floor Room 203, MSC 1704
Carrier Library
James Madison University
880 Madison Drive
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Tiffany Cole
Phone: (540) 568-3444
Phone: (540) 568-3612
Fax: (540) 568-3405
Restrictions:

Access to these oral histories is governed by a deed of gift signed by the interviewer and narrator(s). Most of the oral histories are open for use without restriction. Due to incomplete or nonexistent consent agreements and legal releases, access to the Nelson Hoover interview (SdArch 21-3) and Madison Confessional 2004 (SdArch 21-4) is only available for in-person research. With the exception of the Margaret Brooks Burruss interview (SdArch 21-1), the audio component of the interviews is not available pending reformatting. The audio for SdArch 21-1 is available upon request. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection. Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the James Madison University Special Collections Library to use this collection.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests for the bulk of the materials in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. Due to incomplete or nonexistent consent agreements and legal releases, the copyright interests for the Nelson Hoover interview (SdArch 21-3) and Madison Confessional 2004 (SdArch 21-4) have not been determined. For more information, contact the Special Collections Library Reference Desk (library-special@jmu.edu).

Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], JMU Centennial Voices No. 1 Oral Histories, 2001-2004, SdArch 0021, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 cubic feet 5 folders
Creator:
Bolgiano, Chris
Abstract:
The collection comprises five interviews with focuses on reminiscences of Madison College, now James Madison University. The interviews range from single interviews, with Margaret Brooks Burruss, Nelson Hoover, and Marylou Musser Brown, to large group interviews with alumni classes.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], JMU Centennial Voices No. 1 Oral Histories, 2001-2004, SdArch 0021, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprise five interviews with focuses on reminiscences of Madison College, now James Madison University. The interviews range from single interviews, with Margaret Brooks Burruss, Nelson Hoover, and Marylou Musser Brown, to large group interviews with alumni classes.

Margaret Brooks Burruss describes her time on Madison College campus, her involvement in Greek life, living conditions, impact of wartime rationing, and more. Nelson Hoover's interview focuses on his employment at the university beginning when he was fifteen years old. He talks variously about working conditions and reforms made by the Food Service administrator, Robert Griffith. Marylou Musser Brown recollects the early days of Madison College and talks of Dr. Raymond C. Dingledine's teaching style, attending graduate classes with Martin Luther King Jr., and talks on teaching in segregated schools.

For the Madison confessional group interview, university alumni from mid-1940s through the mid-1970s were gathered for a panel titled "A Discussion Session on Breaking the Rules." Within this interview, they variously talk about honor and dress codes, student protests (1941 and 1970), and penalties for violating student codes. The some of the alumni that partook in this interview were Beulah Ellis Baker, Natalie Tiller Barnette, Marylou Carroll, JoAnne Cecil, Joan Gorden, Lisa Horsch, George (Jack) Leffel, Kathryn Neel, and Olga K. Vance. The second group interview gathered alumni ranging from 1934-2004 to discuss campus life throughout the decades. They similarly discuss campus rules and student honor codes as well as penalties for infractions.

Biographical / historical:

The series of interviews were conducted as part of the James Madison University efforts to document the history of James Madison University in preparation for their Centnenial anniversary (1908-2008). The interviews were conducted over the course of alumni weekends at the university as well as on an individual basis for the single interviews.

Acquisition information:
Collection was donated in groups on May 18, 2001 and October 12, 2005.
Processing information:

Collection was originally cataloged at the item level; the descriptive metadata was compiled into a finding aid format in 2022.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard