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.
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).
[identification of item], [box #, folder #], JMU Centennial Voices No. 1 Oral Histories, 2001-2004, SdArch 0021, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Collection was donated in groups on May 18, 2001 and October 12, 2005.
Collection was originally cataloged at the item level; the descriptive metadata was compiled into a finding aid format in 2022.
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.
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.
JMU Centennial Voices No. 2 Oral Histories, 2004-2005, SdArch 28, Special Collections, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Va.
Recorded at Mrs. Burruss' home in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Records the reminiscences of Margaret Brooks Burruss, a graduate of the Madison College class of 1945. Describes her decision to enroll at Madison and her first days on campus. Discusses her involvment in the Sigma Sigma Sigma (Tri Sigma) sorority and briefly mentions other Greek letter societies on campus at that time. Mentions her various roommates and the living conditions in a number of dormitories at the college. Compares the dress codes and rules of conduct for students in her class with those of current JMU undergraduates. Speaks briefly of Madison College President Samuel Duke and Professor John McIlwraith. Relates local reaction to the bombing of Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces on December 7, 1941. Discusses the impact of wartime rationing, as well as the absence of young men, on campus life. Describes various social activities at Madison College, such as May Day, the election of Miss Madison, New Girl/Old Girl Weddings, cotillions and other themed dances. Relates her entry into the field of commercial art upon graduation and her engagement and marriage to Robert Burruss. Discusses briefly her ancestors' experiences during the Civil War, mentioning the battles at Chancellorsville and Port Republic specifically, as well as Union general Phil Sheridan. Briefly mentions former and current Carrier Library Deans Dennis Robison and Ralph Alberico.
The audio for SdArch 21-1 is available upon request.
Records reminiscences from a group of approximately thirty Madison College alumni in attendance at a discussion program entitled "A Discussion Session on Breaking the Rules." Respondents represented graduating classes from the mid-1940s through the mid-1970s, with a majority representing the classes of 1951 and 1956. Due to the format of the discussion, individual respondents are not identified by name in the transcript, only by gender, and whenever possible, by graduating class year. Opens with a brief discussion of student protest events in 1941 and 1970, including the dismissal of three professors for their parts in the latter protest. Describes the college Standards Committee's influence on student conduct and dating regulations over the years. Recalls anecdotes regarding campus police officer Frank Roberts. Discusses various violations of student conduct codes, including unauthorized driving/riding, drinking, curfew and lights out violations, as well as the honor and dress codes. Describes the various penalties for such violations, including mark downs, revocation of privileges, restriction to campus, and expulsion. Refers to the possession of contraband items in the dormitories, such as alcohol, electrical appliances, and pets. Mentions college Presidents Samuel P. Duke, G. Tyler Miller, Ronald E. Carrier, Deans of Women Ruth Wilkins and Hope Vandever Miller, as well as House Mother Agnes S. Dingledine, who was known on campus as "Mama Ding." Gives a brief account of the stigma and consequences of unplanned pregnancy on campus. Describes various social activities at Madison College, such as May Day, the election of Miss Madison, New Girl/Old Girl Weddings, cotillions and other themed dances. Briefly mentions the advent of coeducation in the late 1960s, and the impact of male undergraduates on the 1970 student protest.
Accessible for in-person research only.
Recorded at Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Hoover's residence in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Records the reminiscences of Nelson Hoover, who worked in Food Services at Madison College from 1942 until 1987. Mr. Hoover's wife, Evelyn Hoover, identified in the transcript only as Mrs. Hoover, was also present at the interview and provides additional details and comments. Describes his employment at Madison College at the age of 15, as a dishwasher in the kitchen at Harrison Hall. Mentions his subsequent move to Gibbons Hall and his promotion to Head Baker in the early 1960s upon the retirement of his predecessor, Jess Edwards. Recalls the working conditions at that time, such as a seven day work week, and the reforms implemented by Food Services administrator Robert Griffith. Includes details of the variety and quantity of baked goods produced on a daily basis. Mentions the work of student assistants as servers and of the kitchen's role in the training of dietician students, identified as "Institution Girls." Recalls college Presidents Samuel P. Duke, G. Tyler Miller, and Ronald E. Carrier. Compares working conditions in Harrison and Gibbons Halls, including mechanical equipment, pest control, and health inspections.
Accessible for in-person research only.
Undetermined copyright status.
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.
Records the reminiscences of Marylou Musser Brown, a graduate of the Madison College class of 1952. Recalls her decision to attend Madison College and her early days on campus. Describes the series of events which led to her becoming a music major. Briefly mentions the teaching style of Dr. Raymond C. Dingledine, Jr. Discusses being present for the rehearsals and presentation of the inaugural performance of the Robert Shaw Chorale, held at Madison College in 1948. Recalls joining the Methodist Student Movement and its involvement in the nascent Civil Rights Movement. Mentions summer employment at the Western State Hospital in Staunton, Va., and at the Philadelphia State Hospital. Recalls attending classes with Martin Luther King, Jr., while in graduate school. Speaks of teaching in segregated schools at the time of the U.S Supreme Court ruling in Brown vs. Bd. of Education in 1954. Describes her views on gender roles as exemplified by sorority life, pageants, and celebrations such as May Day and the May Court. Remarks on the freedoms and opportunities afforded girls in the present day, particularly the effect of Title IX on women's athletics programs, that were not available to female students of her generation. Closes with comments on the paternal role played by college administrators in the 1950s.