Eleanor C. Parker papers
Scope and Contents
The Eleanor C. Parker Papers consist of scrapbooks, an autobiography, correspondence, biographical information, and photographs. The material predominantly relates to her years as a student at Mount Holyoke College, 1937-1941. Parker's four scrapbooks are chiefly comprised of programs for concerts, musical recitals, theatrical performances, and events at Mount Holyoke such as Founder's Day, Junior Show and Faculty Show. They also contain her results for physical examinations that were given to all students; copies of examinations from English, psychology, and zoology classes; tests about the College's rules; information about religious activities at Mount Holyoke; newspaper articles about the campus, buildings and faculty members; and photographs of students, Abbey Memorial Chapel and Williston Memorial Library. Parker's autobiography "Strong Currents," completed in about 1993, includes excerpts from letter written to her parents while at Mount Holyoke. She describes her course work and social activities, traditions such as Mountain Day and freshmen hazing, smoking and alcohol use by students, visiting lecturers, Junior Prom, a weekend at Senior Towne House, faculty members (particulary English professor Anna Jean Mill), the hurricane of September 1938 and events in Europe during World War II. Her autobiography reviews her career as a high school English teacher and includes an account of a controversy that arose over her decision to teach Harper Lee's novel "To Kill A Mockingbird in one of her courses. In addition, she describes trips that she took to the Middle East in 1972 and China in 1983. The autobiography also includes poetry by Parker and extensive recollections written by her father, Leander Fox Parker. Biographical information documents her career as a teacher and primarily consists of newspaper articles and obituaries. Photographs consist of portraits of Parker taken during her senior year at Mount Holyoke and in 1965.
Dates
- 1937-1995
- Majority of material found within 1937 - 1941
Conditions Governing Access
Unrestricted.
Biographical Note
Eleanor Clark Parker was born on March 29, 1920 in North Woodstock, New Hampshire to Leander Fox Parker, Water Commissioner of North Woodstock, and Clarice Vinn Clark Parker. She graduated from Woodstock High School in 1937 and attended Mount Holyoke College from 1937-1941. After graduating she taught at Madison High School, Lincoln High School and New London High School, all in New Hampshire. From 1954 until her retirement in 1980 she was an English teacher at Laconia High School (also in New Hampshire). She died at age seventy-four on February 12, 1995 in Concord, New Hampshire.
Extent
5 boxes (1941)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Parker, Eleanor Clark, 1920-1995; student and secondary school teacher. Mount Holyoke College graduate, 1941. Papers contain scrapbooks, an autobiography that includes excerpts from letters written while at Mount Holyoke and recollections by her father, Leander Fox Parker, biographical information, and photographs; primarily relating to her academic and social activities as a Mount Holyoke student, her later work as a high school English teacher, and travels in the Middle East and China. Also includes autobiography of her father Leander Fox Parker (1880-1956).
Arrangement
Arranged in five series: Series 1. Scrapbooks. Series 2. Autobiography. Series 3. Excerpts from Correspondence. Series 4. Biographical Information. Series 5. Photographs.
- Challenged books -- New Hampshire Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- China -- Description and travel Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- College students -- Alcohol use Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- College students -- Massachusetts Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hazing -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- High school teachers -- New Hampshire -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Hurricanes -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Middle East -- Description and travel Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Alumni and alumnae -- Autobiography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Buildings Subject Source: Local sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Campus Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Curricula Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Examinations Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Faculty Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Regulations Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Religious life Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Senior Town House Subject Source: Local sources
- Mount Holyoke College -- Student life -- 1937-1941 Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Students Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College -- Traditions Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Mount Holyoke College Manuscript Collections Subject Source: Local sources
- Mountain Day -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Proms -- Massachusetts Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Smoking Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Student activities -- Massachusetts -- South Hadley Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Voyages and travels Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women college students -- Alcohol use Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women college students -- Massachusetts Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Women teachers -- New Hampshire -- Biography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- autobiographies Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- poems Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- scrapbooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Title
- Parker Papers, 1937-1995 (bulk 1937-1941)
- Subtitle
- Finding Aid
- Status
- Edited Full Draft
- Date
- © 2003
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
- Sponsor
- Encoding funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
Repository Details
Part of the Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections Repository
50 College Street
8 Dwight Hall
South Hadley MA 01075-6425 USA
413-538-3079
archives@mtholyoke.edu
