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Mortar Board Scrapbooks, 1938-1982

By Finding aid prepared by Elizabeth Nielsen in 2009; expanded and updated by Alicia Stewart and Elizabeth Nielsen in 2017.

Collection Overview

Title: Mortar Board Scrapbooks, 1938-1982

ID: MSS MortarBoard

Primary Creator: Mortar Board (Society). Oregon State University Chapter

Extent: 3.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: The Mortar Board Scrapbooks are arranged in two series: 1.  Scrapbooks, 1938-1982; 2. Artifact, circa 1945.

Languages of Materials: English [eng]

Abstract

The Mortar Board Scrapbooks document the members and activities of the Oregon State chapter of this senior women's honorary society.  The scrapbooks include clippings, photographs, ephemera, and some organizational records such as newsletters and minutes.  One artifact, an initiation candlestick, is included in the collection.  Mortar Board was established at Oregon State College in 1933.

Scope and Content Notes

The Mortar Board Scrapbooks consist of 16 scrapbooks documenting the membership and activities of the Mortar Board chapter at Oregon State University. The scrapbooks include newspaper clippings about chapter activities and individual members; photographs; ephemeral items such as programs, invitations, and dance cards; and limited organizational records such as meeting minutes, newsletters, and correspondence. The Mortar Board Ball, or Reversia Ball (where women ask men), was one of their major annual events which often entailed nominating a King and tapping Plasterboard dates.  The organization promoted educational achievements, attended the Associated Womens Students Honors Convocations, and hosted a variety of speakers.  Regional Mortar Board meeting pamphlets and The Mortar Board Forum national newsletter show Mortar Board achievements outside of Oregon State University.

The photographs are primarily b/w prints; the scrapbooks for the 1970s and early 1980s include color snapshots. A high proportion of the images were made by Hise Studio; the remainder are primarily snapshots. The photographs depict groups of initiates, members, and their mothers or parents; chapter meetings; and chapter activities including trips to the Oregon coast, dances and dinners, and service projects.

The collection also includes a candlestick that was used by the chapter in the 1940s-1960s in initiation ceremonies.

Biographical / Historical Notes

The Mortar Board Honor Society was established at Oregon State College in 1933 as a senior honor society for women that recognizes scholarship, leadership, and service. The Oregon State (Cap and Gown) Chapter has won seven Chapter of Excellent Awards from the national organization. In 1975, Mortar Board began accepting men and by 1978 the Oregon State chapter had three male members. In 1988, the chapter began selling an annual academic planner, which became known on the Oregon State campus as a "mortar board".

Mortar Board was established nationally in 1918 and was the first national organization to honor senior college women.



Author: Elizabeth Nielsen

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 314 photographs; 7 boxes, including 6 oversize boxes

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: The scrapbooks were acquired by the Archives in 1999 and prior; the artifact was transferred to the University Archives in 1995 from the office of the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and was incorporated into this collection in 2017.

Related Materials: The Dean of Women's Office Records (RG 057)  include materials pertaining to the relationship between Mortar Board and the student affairs administration. The Blue Key Fraternity Records (MSS BlueKey) document the comparable honor society for men at Oregon State. Additional photographs of Mortar Board members and activities are part of the Mary Louise Armstrong Collection (MSS Armstrong), Student Activities Photograph Collection (P 045), and  Harriet's Photograph Collection (P HC).

Preferred Citation: Mortar Board Scrapbooks (MSS MortarBoard), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Processing Information: The 1965-1966 and 1967-1974 scrapbooks were in poor condition (items were no longer affixed to pages).  In 2017, the scrapbooks were disassembled and most items placed in folders.

Creators

Mortar Board (Society). Oregon State University Chapter
Hise Studio
Mortar Board (Society). Oregon State College Chapter

People, Places, and Topics

Clubs--Oregon--Corvallis.
College environment--Oregon--Corvallis.
College students--Oregon--Corvallis.
Mortar Board (Society). Oregon State College Chapter
Mortar Board (Society). Oregon State University Chapter
Oregon State College--Societies, etc.
Oregon State College--Students.
Oregon State University--Societies, etc.
Oregon State University--Students.
Student activities--Oregon--Corvallis.
University History
Women--Education (Higher)--Oregon--Corvallis.
Women--Oregon--Corvallis--Societies and clubs.

Forms of Material

Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.


Box and Folder Listing