Mary Ellen Padin papers

The Mary Ellen Padin Papers consist of correspondence, scrapbooks, reminiscences, publications, and photographs. The material primarily relates to her experiences as a student at Mount Holyoke College from 1943-1947. Her letters provide detailed descriptions of her daily activities, academic work, her social life, college traditions, and current events. She was interested in physics, music, Spanish, and history, and discusses many of her professors, including Ruth Sedgwick (Spanish), Rogers D. Rusk (physics), John Kirkpatrick (music), and Frank E. Bailey, Jr. (history). She was an enthusiastic participant in college social activities and often mentions traditions including Mountain Day, Freshman Hazing, Convocation, Junior Show, and events where music was a component. Outings with friends to picnic near the Connecticut River and trips to Holyoke, Massachusetts to shop are described. Her letters also reflect the impact of World War II on Mount Holyoke. For example, she mentions furniture shortages, changes to meals, and the presence of the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES) training on campus. Several of the letters are pasted in her scrapbooks. Four volumes of scrapbooks include photographs of friends participating in Mount Holyoke traditions, newspaper clippings, ticket stubs, and programs from various events. Each item in the scrapbooks has extensive captions. Included in the scrapbooks are her "Notes and Observations on Freshman Hazing Day" (1946) and pictures from the event. In 2002, Padin began compiling her recollections of life at Mount Holyoke and also started collecting those of some of her classmates. These recollections provide detailed descriptions of meals, dorm life, music, student employment, physical education requirements, mail procedures, attire, and hobbies. They also present a picture of Mount Holyoke life during and immediately following World War II. Publications consist of annotated copies of Mount Holyoke hymnbook, the 1947 "Llamarada," and "A Memory Book: Mount Holyoke College 1837-1987" by Anne C. Edmonds. Photographs include several of Padin and of some of her classmates.