JMU Centennial Voices No. 2 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:

Collection open to research. The audio component of the interviews is not available pending reformatting. 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 in this collection have been transferred to the James Madison University Special Collections Library. 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. 2 Oral Histories, 2004-2005, SdArch 0028, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Summary

Extent:
0.1 cubic feet 6 folders
Creator:
Smith, Steve (Charles Steven)
Abstract:
The collection comprises five interviews with a focus on reminiscences of Madison College, now James Madison University. The interviews have a range of topics including: day student life, curfews, the 1938 name change, freshman hazing, starting of "Alternative Spring Break" in 1990, and campus life during the Great Depression.
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[identification of item], [box #, folder #], JMU Centennial Voices No. 2 Oral Histories, 2004-2005, SdArch 0028, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection comprises five interviews with a focus on reminiscences of Madison College, now James Madison University. The interviews have a range of topics including: day student life, curfews, the 1938 name change, freshman hazing, starting of "Alternative Spring Break" in 1990, and campus life during the Great Depression.

Harry Denis Hoover reminisces about his time at Bridgewater College and how it enabled him to be a summer day student at Harrisonburg State Teachers College, now James Madison University. He talks about his roles as a student teacher at the college and the impact it had on his later teaching career. Dolores Phelan Lescure recollects her time at the university during the later years of the Great Depression and her role as the editor of the student newspaper the Breeze, including an opportunity she had to interview Amiela Earhart in 1937. Louise Fontaine Baker mentions aspects of campus life such as roommates, dating, freshman hazing, and unplanned pregnancies. John A. Grace discusses his role a Catholic Campus Minister at the university beginning in 1989. He discusses his decision to start the program called "Alternative Spring Break" (ASB) wherein students re-build homes in disaster areas in Latin America and the United States. Additionally, he speaks to his experiences as an advisor to the Theta Chi Fraternity.

Biographical / historical:

The series of interviews were conducted as part of James Madison University's efforts to document the campus life experience since its founding in 1908. This was done in preparation for the university's centennial anniversary in 2008.

Acquisition information:
Collection was donated on September 14, 2005, presumably by Steve Smith.
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