Dickinson College Academic Affairs

The papers of the Board of Trustees of Dickinson College, 1833-1879, include correspondence, reports, financial statements, printed materials, and legal documents, and have been arranged into thirteen series.

Series 1 – Membership contains correspondence regarding membership on the Board of Trustees, lists of members, and attendance records.
Series 2 – Reports to the Board of Trustees consists of reports by the college president on the overall status of the college as well as reports from the heads of the college departments.
Series 3 – General Business includes bound and loose copies of minutes of the trustees’ meetings, resolutions passed by the various trustee committees, and correspondence in which general business is conducted.
Series 4 – College Personnel includes materials dealing with the college presidents.
Series 5 – Physical Plant consists of deeds, mortgages, certificates, bills, and correspondence dealing with the construction of the campus buildings.
Series 6 – Financial Affairs contains reports of the treasurer, ledger books, student accounts, and other financial materials.
Series 7 – Scholarships contains hundreds of scholarship certificates as well as correspondence and reports related to the sale of scholarships to raise funds for the college.
Series 8 – Conferences consists of materials which pertain to the control of the college by the Baltimore and Philadelphia Conferences of the Methodist Church.
Series 9 – Honorary Degrees contains correspondence relating to the granting of honorary degrees to prominent individuals.
Series 10 – Publications contains printed materials produced for use by the general community such as lists of college rules and regulations.
Series 11 – Dickinson Preparatory School contains reports of the principal to the Board as well as such financial materials as the treasurer’s list of students.
Series 12 – Dickinson Commercial College includes ledger books used in conducting the business of the commercial department of the college.
Series 13 – Executive Committee contains two bound volumes of the minutes of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees.

A fuller description of each series is given before each series inventory.

The papers of the Board of Trustees of Dickinson College, 1783-1833, include correspondence, reports, financial statements, printed materials, and legal documents, and have been arranged into seven series.

Series 1 – Membership contains correspondence regarding membership on the Board of Trustees, as well as a membership list, c1826.
Series 2 – Reports of the President consists of reports made to the Board by Presidents Nisbet, Davidson, and How.
Series 3 – General Business contains materials such as correspondence between trustees, mandamus to the faculty, and committee reports.
Series 4 – College Personnel includes correspondence to and from faculty members, including presidents.
Series 5 – Physical Plant contains land deeds and construction and service bills for the campus buildings.
Series 6 – Financial Affairs contains reports of the treasurer, subscription lists, and other financial materials.
Series 7– Publications contains printed materials such as college catalogues.

A fuller description of each series is given before each series inventory.

This collection consists of course materials, writings, and translations created by Marianna Bogojavlensky, who taught Russian language and literature at Dickinson College from 1963 to 1981.

Thomas Emerson Bond, Sr., was a well-known Methodist Episcopal minister and author who served as a trustee of Dickinson College from 1833 until 1835. The collection includes correspondence to and from Bond dating mostly from 1840-1848, as well as journals and records of the Methodist ministry of John Wesley Bond from 1814-1818. Also included are documents of several Methodist Conferences.

The records contained in the President Charles Collins record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers are included in this record group. For records concerning Collins’ interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Collins records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

Robert Laurenson Dashiell (1825-1880) was born in Salisbury, Md. He attended Dickinson College, graduating in 1846. He received a Divinity degree from Wesleyan University in 1866. In 1868 he became president of Dickinson College and retained that post until 1872. During his tenure as president, the college underwent the "Rebellion of 1870," in which the members of the junior and sophomore classes took part in a celebration of the 15th amendment. The faculty gave severe penalties for those absent from classes and the students, in protest, withdrew "themselves from all duties until the Faculty and Students come to an understanding." The students were suspended but the faculty, faced with disaster, withdrew the suspensions on May 17, 1870. The collection consists of a bound notebook of essays, class lectures, and monthly grade and treasurer's accounts from Dashiell's student days at Dickinson College; two letters; a report to the Methodist Conference; a printed circular describing the "Reception of Dr. Dashiell, President-Elect of Dickinson"; and a printed circular revoking the suspension of the junior and sophomore classes at Dickinson. The essays in the student notebook include Dashiell's addresses to the Union Philosophical Society in 1845 and 1846, his commencement oration, extensive notes from Professor Allen's Natural Sciences course, and monthly reports from Oct. 24, 1843 through June 30, 1846.

The records contained in the President Robert Laurenson Dashiell record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers or papers pertaining to Dashiell’s time as a student are included in this record group. For records concerning Dashiell’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Dashiell records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

The papers of John Price Durbin contained within this record group pertain only to the years that he spent as president of Dickinson College, from 1834 to 1845. This includes the papers collected during the period of Durbin's sabbatical, during which Robert Emory served as acting president for one year. The Durbin records are divided into three series: General Business, Personnel, and External Affairs.

The Education Fund played a critical role in the success of Dickinson College, especially during the mid-nineteenth century. For thirty years, Dickinson was entirely dependent upon the interest from the Education Fund to support its operations. In subsequent decades Dickinson’s Board of Trustees would introduce additional means of raising revenue for the school, but the Education Fund continued to serve as a source of income for the college and its students.

This collection is arranged into six categories as follows: Governance, Correspondence, Finances, Scholarships, Director of Religious Life, and Miscellaneous Materials. Within each category the material is arranged chronologically.

The records contained in the President Robert Emory record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, any papers from Emory’s acting presidency during John Price Durbin’s sabbatical are not included here, neither are his personal papers, nor his papers as a faculty member. Please see the Robert Emory Personal Papers in the Manuscript Collections for further personal information. The Emory records are divided into three series: General Business, Personnel, and External Affairs.

The McClintock Riots sub-series revolves around the aftermath of the incident and includes letters to the school about the incident, with regards to funding, enrollment, and concerns for the school and its students.

The collection includes correspondence and manuscripts of William Righter Fisher, a Dickinson alumnus (class of 1870) and professor of modern languages (1874-1876). These papers reflect Fisher's graduate study in Germany, teaching at Dickinson, business and law, and the writings of Mrs. Fisher.

Lewis Daniel Gobrecht graduated from Dickinson College in 1955. This collection primarily represents his academic and extracurricular life as a student, with particular emphasis on his involvement in theatre and music activities.

The collection consists of papers pertaining to Hartigan's military career and to a proposed "Dickinson College School of International Activities." It includes correspondence with Dickinson College, foreign universities, and other institutions regarding similar plans. The collection includes numerous photographs of pre-World War II Germany and Austria, particularly with regard to the performing arts.

This collection primarily provides evidence of the personal and professional life of Charles Francis Himes, student, photographer, scientist, teacher, administrator, amateur historian and father. Also found in this collection is evidence of the lives of family members including, most notably, C. F. Himes' wife Mary and her father Joseph A. Murray. Information on Dickinson College is featured prominently throughout this collection through the close association of C. F. Himes with the institution during most of his life. Beyond family and institutional history, this collection offers information on a number of social, political, economic, and historic topics. Some of these broader topics include post-secondary education in the latter half of the nineteenth century, south central Pennsylvania society, the history of photography, and nineteenth century travel.

John B. Hood was an educator and writer from Mount Airy, Maryland. He graduated from Dickinson College in 1864, and earned a master's degree from that institution in 1867. The John B. Hood Collection is housed in one document box and contains papers and notes taken by Hood while he was an undergraduate student at Dickinson College from 1859 to 1864.

The records contained in the President Herman Merrills Johnson record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers or papers pertaining to Johnson’s tenure as a faculty member are included in this record group. For records concerning Johnson’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Johnson records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

Please see the Herman Merrills Johnson Personal Papers (MC 2003.9) and the Herman Merrills Johnson Scrapbook (MC 2000.9) in the Manuscript Collections for further personal information.

Julius "Steve" Kassovic taught in the Sociology-Anthropology Department at Dickinson from 1979 to 1984. This collection contains assignments from his popular Introduction to Folklore course, during which students gathered jokes, stories, myths, ethnic expressions and other pieces of folkore from encounters with their families, local communities, and Dickinson peers.

Charles Flint Kellogg was a member of Dickinson's history department from 1946 to 1975. His scholarship focused on the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Kellogg helped to establish black studies courses at the College and taught courses on black history. This collection documents his academic career, including his graduate studies at The Johns Hopkins University, his teaching career at Dickinson, and his research into the NAACP. In addition to Kellogg's own correspondence and research materials, this collection also includes press releases produced by the NAACP from 1957 to 1964.

These records contain materials related to the termination of Dr. Laurent R. LaVallee, assistant professor of economics.  In 1956, the Dickinson Board of Trustees voted unanimously to dismiss LaVallee as a result of his failure to answer questions about his alleged participation in Communist activities. 

The records contained in the President James Andrew McCauley record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers or papers pertaining to McCauley’s time as a student are included in this record group. For records concerning McCauley’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The McCauley records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

The records contained in the President Eugene Allen Noble record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers are included in this record group. For records concerning Noble’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Noble records are arranged in one series: General Business.

The General Business series is comprised of records concerning miscellaneous affairs of college business. The records within this series are arranged chronologically, with undated material housed first. All records concerning college financial affairs and interactions with the church are housed within the Board of Trustees record group.

The records contained in the President Jesse Truesdell Peck record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers or papers pertaining to Peck’s tenure as a faculty member are included in this record group. For records concerning Peck’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Peck records are housed in one document box with RG 2/2 through RG 2/10 and are arranged into three series: General Business, Personnel, and External Affairs.

The Presidents 1783-1833 Record Group contains papers related the presidency of the seven men who served at Dickinson from 1783 to 1833. This Record Group corresponds with that of RG 1/1, the Trustees 1783-1833, which also documents the first fifty years of the college. The materials in this record group pertain to the president’s duties in the administration of his office; any papers relating to his employment such as letters of acceptance or resignation and vouchers for salary are housed in RG 1/1. In addition, personal papers of the presidents have been removed to individual collections where applicable. The majority of the papers in this record group are correspondence with individual trustees regarding college business; also included are reports and resolutions from the faculty, as well as drafts of publications dealing with the curriculum. 

Below is a timeline of the presidents of Dickinson College from 1783 to 1833.

1785 – Charles Nisbet
1785-1786 – Robert Davidson (acting)
1786-1804 – Charles Nisbet
1804-1809 – Robert Davidson
1809-1815 – Jeremiah Atwater
1815-1816 – John McKnight
1816-1821 – College closed
1821-1824 – John Mitchell Mason
1824 – Alexander McClelland (acting)
1824-1829 – William Neill
1829-1832 – Samuel Blanchard How
1832-1833 – College closed

The records contained in the President George Edward Reed record group pertain only to his time and affairs as president of Dickinson College. As such, no personal papers are included in this record group. For records concerning Reed’s interactions with students, please refer to RG 5/1. The Reed records are arranged into two series: General Business, and Personnel.

Daniel K. Richter taught history and American studies at Dickinson College from 1985 to 1998. This collection includes papers presented by Richter at conferences, as well as book reviews and title pages of scholarly articles written by him. In addition, the collection contains reviews of books authored by Richter, newspaper clippings, press releases, and a small amount of correspondence.