Mary McHenry papers

The papers of Mary Elizabeth Williamson Murphy McHenry (1933- present) span the years 1933-1996 (bulk dates 1946-1954 and 1972-1993) and are organized into the following series: correspondence, writings and speeches, course records, yearbooks, calendars and planners, subject files, family papers, biographical information, memorabilia, photographs, scrapbooks. The correspondence and course records are the largest and most complete portions of the collection. The bulk of the collection details her time as a student at the Oakwood School and Mount Holyoke College and her professional career at Mount Holyoke College. The collection is primarily in English, with some correspondence in French.

The Course Records detail McHenry's education from elementary school through the graduate level with transcripts, graded work and notebooks, as well as documenting her career as a professor at Federal City College (1969-1974) and Mount Holyoke College (1974-1998) with syllabi, notes and graded student work from courses she taught.

The Correspondence series is mainly personal before 1960 and professional thereafter. The bulk of the series is personal correspondence detailing her time as a student at the Oakwood School and Mount Holyoke College. This personal correspondence includes letters to and from her parents from her childhood through adulthood, as well as many letters from other family members including her husbands and children. The professional correspondence in the series documents her career and includes letters and memos to and from her bosses, colleagues and students.

The Family Papers contain biographical material in the form of resumes, obituaries and diaries of several of McHenry's family members. The Biographical Information contains McHenry's birth certificate, academic transcripts, resumes, job applications and newspaper articles about her. The Memorabilia contains mementos saved by McHenry from piano recitals she gave, events she participated in and honors she was awarded such as a script from the 1952 Mount Holyoke College Junior show and a Phi Beta Kappa initiation sign. The Yearbook series contains McHenry's high school yearbooks. The Calendars and Planners series contains daily planners from McHenry's time as an undergraduate. The Subject Files contain programs from symposia she attended, instructions for grading Education Testing Services exams and lists of people and addresses arranged by McHenry. The Scrapbook contains birthday cards from her birth through age 10. The Photographs series contains photographs of McHenry and others 1933-1990s.