UMW Libraries recently purchased a 1920s photograph of “Faculty and Students, Summer School, July 22, 1920, State Normal School” which was showcased in the Flashback section of the Free Lance-Star. The photograph was originally purchased by Ingrid and Michael Kelly at the Big Flea Market in Chantilly. The Kellys, whose daughter and son-in-law graduated from Mary Washington in the 1980s, hoped that by publishing the image in the paper someone might be able to recognize a family member who attended Mary Washington in those early years. Founded in 1908, the University of Mary Washington transitioned from the State Normal School to the State Teachers College at Fredericksburg in 1924.
University historian, William B. “Bill” Crawley, and archivist, Carolyn S. Parsons were contacted by the Free Lance-Star staff regarding the history of the image. President Algernon. B. Chandler, Jr. and Bunyan Yates Tyner, dean and professor of education, were identified seated in the front row surrounded by other students and faculty. Early yearbooks and bulletins usually show only photographs of classes attending the full academic session, so to locate an image of an early summer school session is unique. Already researchers have stopped by the University Archives to see if they can locate their grandmothers or aunts in the photograph.
The original Free Lance-Star article on the photograph is located at http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2012/022012/02212012/678094.
The University Archives collects materials on the history of the University of Mary Washington and serves as the official repository for archival and historical materials for all offices, departments, and divisions of the University. For additional information visit UMW Libraries, Special Collections, at http://libguides.umw.edu/SpecColl.
