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Alice L. Edwards Papers, 1895-1962

The materials in this collection were generated and/or collected by Alice L. Edwards, a 1906 graduate of Oregon Agricultural College. They document her career as a home economist and include materials related to her personal life. The collection contains correspondence, clippings and publications, photographs and artwork, certificates and awards, ephemera, coursework and teaching materials, and two diaries kept by Edwards on a trip to Europe in 1925.

ID: MSS EdwardsAlice

Extent: 1.25 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

The first series, Biographical materials, includes Edwards' college transcripts, curriculum vitae, letters of reference and newspaper clippings regarding her publications and career advancement.

The second series is comprised of personal and professional correspondence, including correspondence relating to her work with the American Home Economics Association, lists of land grant institutions that offered home economics for teacher training, and her work with the National Canners' Association to standardize the size and labeling of consumer products.

Two diaries, kept by Edwards during her trip to Europe in 1925 with the World Student Christian Federation comprise the third series.

The fourth series is comprised primarily of publications and clippings. The majority of the publications and clippings in this series were written by others.

The fifth series, Coursework and Teaching Materials, contains materials related to Oregon Agricultural College, including the Golden Jubilee Reunion of the Class of 1906, and an article written by Edwards entitled Early Oregon State. Of particular note is a collection of responses to a questionnaire Edwards sent to alumni of the OAC 1905-06 Home Economics program regarding the effectiveness of the program and its effect on their lives (Box 3, Folder 1).

The sixth series contains personal ephemera, including pamphlets, theater bills, and event programs. Of special note in this series is a pamphlet for a "Birth Control Mass Meeting" held in Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York in 1916. Guest speakers included Emma Goldman, with a special appearance by Margaret Sanger (Box 3, Folder 8).

The seventh series contains photographs and artwork. The photographs are exclusively black and white, and the artwork including etchings and a sketchbook.

Series eight consists of certificates and awards, including Edwards' 1908 certificate to teach in the public schools of Oregon and Rhode Island, and a Meritorious Service Award from the Office of Price Administration, recognizing Edwards' service to the "war effort."

Biographical / Historical Notes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Preferred Citation: Alice L. Edwards Papers (MSS EdwardsAlice), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon

Acquisition Note: The materials were donated to Oregon State College in 1961.

Languages of Materials

Container List

Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1917-1962 Add to Shelf

Series 1, Biographical Materials, includes Edwards' college transcripts, curriculum vitae, letters of reference and newspaper clippings regarding her publications and career advancement.

Box-Folder 1.1: Transcripts, publication list, letters of recommendation, 1917-1962 Add to Shelf

Series 2: Correspondence, 1916-1961 Add to Shelf

Included in this series is correspondence concerning her work updating the book Scientific Consumer Purchasing: A Study Guide for Consumers and the publication of her work Product Standards and Labeling for Consumers.

Box-Folder 1.2: Personal, 1919-1961 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.3: Professional, 1916-1936 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.4: Professional, 1937-1956 Add to Shelf

Series 3: Diaries, 1925 Add to Shelf

The diaries in this series include information about activities and experiences aboard the out-going vessel the S.S. Andania; landing at London; and the various cities visited, including Berlin, Amsterdam, Prague, Vienna, and Geneva. An itinerary for the trip is included with the first diary (Box 1, Folder 5).

Box-Folder 1.5: Women's Student Pilgrimage itinerary and diary, circa 1925 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.6: Diary, 1925 Add to Shelf

Series 4: Clippings and Publications, 1906-1959 Add to Shelf

Included in this series are book reviews, consumer education articles, and materials related to the Langworthy Dietary Survey. Of special note in this series are reports prepared by Bertha Edwards, Alice's sister, for the East Harlem Nursing and Health Service of New York City, for which Bertha was the Supervisor of Nutrition (Box 2, Folder 1).

Box-Folder 1.7: Advisory Committee on Education, 1937 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.8: American Standards Association, 1930-1936 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.9: The Atlantic Monthly, 1936, 1939 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.10: Book reviews, conference reports, 1939, 1942 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.11: The Commentator, 1939 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 1.12: Consumer Education articles, 1931-1939 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.1: Food and Nutrition articles, 1926-1953 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.2: Gender [women's pay, Why Women Work], 1938-1953 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.3: Harper's Monthly, 1934-1935 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.4: Home Economics, 1928-1954 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.5: Home Economics and Home-making, 1935-1936 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.6: Industrial Standards, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.7: Land Grant College Association, 1930-1941 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.8: Langworthy Dietary Studies, 1918 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.9: Poetry, circa 1922 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.10: Teachers' Salaries: Are They Too Low?, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.11: United States Department of Agriculture; Office of Education, 1912-1945 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.12: Product Standards on Labeling for Consumers, 1939 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.13: Published by Alice Edwards, 1931-1940 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 2.14: Vox Studentium, 1926 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.1: Langworthy Dietary Studies: Menus, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.2: Alice L. Edwards, Things that We All Want Alike: Buying Information for the Spring Bride; assorted clippings, 1925-1952 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.3: Essays: Nature, Survival of the Fittest; Fifth Anniversary Address, Philomath College, circa 1900 Add to Shelf

Series 5: Coursework and Teaching Materials, 1905-1956 Add to Shelf

Of particular note in this series is a collection of responses to a questionnaire Edwards sent to alumni of the OAC 1905-06 Home Economics program regarding the effectiveness of the program and its effect on their lives (Box 3, Folder 1). Included with the survey are lists of Home Economics alumni for the years 1889 through 1907, a draft of the letter sent to questionnaire recipients, and letters from recipients who chose not to complete the questionnaire.

Box-Folder 2.15: Columbia University, 1939-1940 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.1: Oregon Agricultural College, Home Economics Questionnaire, 1924-1925 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.2: Oregon State College, Golden Jubilee Reunion, 1956 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.3: Oregon State College, Home Economics Association, Early Oregon State, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.4: Oregon Agricultural College, OAC Barometer, 1905 Add to Shelf: This item has been digitized.
Box-Folder 3.5: Rhode Island State College, 1925 Add to Shelf

Series 6: Ephemera, 1906-1956 Add to Shelf

Included in this series are personal ephemera, including pamphlets, theater bills, and event programs, including a pamphlet for a "Birth Control Mass Meeting" held in Carnegie Hall in New York City, New York in 1916 (Box 3, Folder 8).

Box-Folder 3.6: Pamphlets: Europe trip, 1906-1925 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.7: Pamphlets: Phi Upsilon Omicron Constitution and Bylaws; Oregon Agricultural College, School of Domestic Science and Art, Camp Cookery, 1912, 1936 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.8: Pamphlets: New York Birth Control Committee Mass Meeting; Manners in Public Places, 1916, 1925 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.9: Theater bills, programs, and flyers, 1916-1956 Add to Shelf

Series 7: Photographs and Artwork, 1895-1956 Add to Shelf

Included in this series is a group photograph of the opening of the Celilo Canal on the Columbia River in 1913, with Oregon Senator Nathan Whealdon and L.N. Edwards in attendance; the OAC senior class of 1906; various photographs taken during Edwards' trip to Europe in 1925; and family photographs. Also included are photographs of the Oregon Agricultural College campus as well as of the campus of Washington State College in Pullman, Washington. The etchings in the series were likely purchased by Edwards during her travels through Europe in 1924-1925; the sketches, done by an unidentified artist, depict humorous events and/or interactions, done in the style of cartoons. Some of the captions for the sketches are in German, which suggest these sketches were done by Edwards during her travels in Europe.

Box-Folder 4.1: Photograph album, circa 1906 Add to Shelf: The photograph album contains 62 black and white prints. Subjects include scenic views of Mt. Hood and surrounding area; group shots and individual photographs of Oregon Agricultural College's Class of 1906; views of the OAC campus; family photographs; and hiking and picnicing scenes (presumably also near Mt. Hood). The pages have been removed from the album and individually sleeved.
Box-Folder 4.2: Alice Edwards portrait, Golden Jubilee photographs, circa 1956 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 4.3: Sketchbook and etchings, undated Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.4: Group photograph, Opening of the Celilo Canal on the Columbia River, circa 1913 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 5.5: Painting of Alice Edwards [print]; wood block print of The Acropolis, undated Add to Shelf

Series 8: Certificates and Awards, 1908-1955 Add to Shelf

Series eight consists of certificates and awards, including Edwards' certificates to teach in the public schools of Oregon and Rhode Island.

Box-Folder 4.4: Certificates and Awards, 1910-1955 Add to Shelf: Oregon Teacher's Certification (1908); Rhode Island Teacher's Certification (1921); Pi Lambda Theta "Key" certificate (1938); OSU Foundation Sustaining Member Award (1955)
Box-Folder 5.6: Certificates and Awards, 1923-1945 Add to Shelf: Phi Kappa Phi membership certificate, Rhode Island State College (1923); Meritorious Service Award, United States Office of Price Administration (1945)

People, Places, and Topics

Forms of Material

Related Materials

Alice L. Edwards, ca. 1930s. Edwards was an instructor in Zoology and Entomology at Oregon Agricultural College from 1909 to 1915. She later became the Dean of Home Economics at Mary Washington College at the University of Virginia in Fredericksburg, a position she held until her retirement from academic life in 1951.

Information and Credits