Ruth papers

The Margaret Stallman Ruth Papers consist of correspondence, a notebook, correspondence and newsletters relating to her Mount Holyoke Class of 1932, a newspaper clipping, photographs and slides. Most of the material in this collection relates to her academic and social activities as a student at Mount Holyoke College from 1928-1932. In letters to her parents she discusses her studies and numerous faculty and staff members, particularly professors Leonora Branch, Roberta Swartz Chalmers, Jeannette Augustus Marks as well as Laura Dunklee, head of The Sycamores dormitory. She describes her "crowd" of friends, going on dates and to dances, participating in campus clubs and sports, the room choosing process, College traditions such as freshman hazing, Junior Show, and May Day pageants, and plans for several new buildings that were announced in February 1929. She refers to smoking by students and in a letter of May 20, 1931 mentions disciplinary action taken against fifteen students for smoking, drinking, and staying out after hours. Other campus events she describes include instances of epidemic and quarantines as well as a sex education class conducted by the College physician (letter of Jan. 19, 1929). In addition, she describes her different work experiences on and off-campus, most notably as a student teacher and as a summer camp counselor, and her concerns about finding a job after graduation. She reflects on marriage in a letter of March 8, 1931 and mentions her refusal of a marriage proposal in a letter of May 19, 1932. She also often discusses books that she is reading for pleasure. Another Mount Holyoke-related document in the collection is a notebook entitled "Fieldiana" that Ruth and Martha G. Town Randall prepared for a zoology class in 1931. It contains drawings and descriptions of insects and other inhabitants of ponds, streams, and marshes at Mount Holyoke. There is also a photograph album containing pictures of the campus and students, as well as a senior photograph of Ruth herself. Material relating to her Class of 1932 includes letters written to and from classmates, newsletters, and slides taken at reunions.