Helen Lepper Diary, 1928-1931

Title: Helen Lepper Diary, 1928-1931

ID: MSS Lepper

Primary Creator: Lovin, Helen (1909-2000)

Extent: 0.05 cubic feet. More info below.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

Scope and Content Notes

The Helen Lepper Diary is a photocopy of a 5-year diary created by Lepper during her student years at Oregon State College. Daily entries begin in January 1928 and continue through June 1931. Lepper devotes much of the diary to describing her daily activities as a student, including dates with her future husband, Clarence Lovin; classwork; her musical performances and practices; social outings with other students; attendance at campus events; interactions with Music Department instructors; and living with her aunt and uncle in Corvallis. Lillian Petri, a piano instructor, and Helen Plinkiewisch, a fellow music student, are both mentioned in the diary. The end of the diary contains a "character sketch of me"; a list of the names cited in the daily entries; "important" events in 1928-1931; and a list of friends to whom Lepper sent Christmas cards.

The diary is a 5-year diary with a separate page labeled for each day of the year (such as January 1) and spaces for entries on that page for five years.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Helen Marie Lepper, from Portland, Oregon, enrolled at Oregon State College in the fall of 1927 and studied music. Lepper was active in the Oregon State chapter of Euterpe, the honorary society for women in music. She withdrew in April 1930 and did not complete a degree at Oregon State. During her sophomore year, she met fellow student Clarence Lovin. They were married in 1931. Helen Marie Lepper was born in San Francisco on March 6, 1909; she attended St. Mary's Academy in Portland, where she graduated in 1927. Helen Lepper Lovin died in Portland, Oregon on August 31, 2000.

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 1 box

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: This photocopy was donated to the Special Collections & Archives Research Center in 2012 by James Marsh, the son of Helen Lepper Lovin.

Related Materials: The Oscar F. Cooke Family Papers at the Oregon Historical Society include additional materials documenting Helen Lepper Lovin's student years at Oregon State as well as her later activities. The Helen E. Plinkiewisch Papers (MSS Plinkiewisch), Lillian Jeffreys Petri Collection (MSS Petri), and Music Department Records (RG 148) document music instruction at Oregon during this time period. The Special Collections and Archives Research Center's collections include numerous collections documenting student experiences at Oregon State. Of special note from the 1920s and 1930s are the Hope Chamberlin Newspaper Columns (MSS Chamberlin), the Spike Sister Scrapbooks (MSS Spike), and the Effie L. Wagner Scrapbook of the Women's Debate Tour (MSS WagnerEffie). Other student diaries include the Edmund R. Lyman Diary (MSS Lyman), Milton O. Stemmler Student Diary (MSS Stemmler), and the Bernice Forest Diary (MSS Forest).

Preferred Citation: Helen Lepper Diary (MSS Lepper), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

People, Places, and Topics

College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Lovin, Helen, 1909-2000
Music--Instruction and study--Oregon--Corvallis.
Oregon Agricultural College--Students.
Oregon State College--Students.
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History
Women--Education (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.