Early Recycling?

John H. Gerould, a member of the class of 1890 and later professor in Biology and Genetics at Dartmouth, seemed to have a habit of writing on whatever piece of paper was nearest to him. While looking through his files for a lecture on eugenics, we realized how much information is hidden on the backs of his manuscripts.

Gerould wrote on departmental memos, personal letters, and book reviews. One of the most historically interesting  is a letter requesting donations to the American Red Cross during World War I. For a given lecture, Gerould might write on twenty different sheets, the same pen scrawling across four or five sizes, textures and colors of paper. One has to be especially carefully when looking through folders, because tiny pieces of paper could suddenly whoosh out!

One of my favorites is a page from a lecture on butterflies given in Manchester, New Hampshire. On the back is a letter from the biology faculty to President Hopkins (the one who said no to Dartmouth's shot at the Rose Bowl) requesting new facilities. In addition to the demands for more classroom and laboratory space, they specifically ask for a "Private toilet for instructors" (image above). Curious indeed!

So why did Gerould do this -- was it an early eco-friendly measure or a spendthrift habit, or was he really so distracted he just wrote on whatever was nearby?

The full finding aid for MS-1040 is online. The papers pictured this post come from Box 5, Folder 15 (Lecture at Manchester NH). Gerould's alumni file provides more context about his life and publications. In the employment section of his alumni form, he writes that he works for Dartmouth College, the purpose of which is "educating boys." Quite apt, even today.

A True Statement Piece

While searching through the Photo Files to create the Afro-American Society exhibition, we came across this great photograph. Two black women walk across campus -- one wears a shirt that simply says, "Dartmouth," while the other's t-shirt bears the phrase: "When better men are made, Dartmouth women will make them." Zing.  Unfortunately, we don't have any other information about the two women, or even a date for the photograph. If you recognize these women, please contact us!

We thought we might have this shirt in our collection, but we don't. Undergrads, take note: you might be wearing some totally rad (and historically-relevant) t-shirt that will get photographed and written up in the archival blog in 30 years.

If you want to see more of the images in this folder, you can come by and ask for the "Afro-American Society" Photo File, or you can access this image (and other images from the AAS Photo File) using our online database.

Occom Pond Ice Record

Occom Pond, conveniently located at the Northwest part of town, just a short distance from the campus center and the village of Hanover, has long been a destination for winter recreation and fun. Dartmouth students and local community members take to the ice for free skate and pond hockey.

However, with the unusually late onset of freezing temperatures in Hanover, the pond has yet to ice over completely.  Turning to the college archives for some answers, or at least some comparative data, we were able to locate a record book documenting the “frozen over” and “ice going out” dates of Occom Pond from 1914-1965.

The creator of the record book, known only by the initials F.H.C provides detailed notes down to the day of the month of when ice first appears on the pond until it disappears in the spring. The last entry from April 17, 1965 states:

ice all out of the Pond
a nice Sunday ice disappeared from this
end up to the other-

From the record book it appears that on average the pond was frozen over by the end of November or early December. This year’s data definitely logs in as below average. For those already hoping and praying for signs of spring you may be interested in knowing that on average the ice melted by April of each year… only a few more months of winter?

F.H.C also maintained detailed notes on daily observations of usage, recreation, temperatures and snowfall. An entry from 1939 states that on “Dec. 26th horses put on, Dec. 27 tractor.” Perhaps, a way to measure the safety of the ice for human masses? More probable, the horses and tractors were used for plowing and maintaining the pond.

Our daily observations here at Rauner report that as of yesterday, January 14th  the DOC has not yet approved the pond for skating. The snow covered pond may look inviting but please be advised that the ice is still considered too thin. We would not risk the lives of our horses, nor our tractors. According to the Dartmouth Cross Country Ski Center website, the college will test the ice again next week.  So, stay tuned!

Whether you are counting down the days until spring or sharpening your skates in anticipation of some future frozen fun, come take a look at Codex MS 914269, "The Occom Pond Ice Record." You can also search for “Occom Pond” to browse additional photographs of the pond from our digital photo files collection.

Turn and Face the Strange

History is pretty strange, and human curiosity even stranger. One of our favorite genres is monstrosities. People hear "monster" and immediately think of horror film beasts or Frankenstein's creation, but the Latin root of the word is monstrare, or "to show." For centuries, monstrosities were seen as a window into the wonders of God's creation, not to be feared, but to be understood to better comprehend the divine.

This 16th-century obstetrics manual, Jacob Rueff's De conceptu et generatione hominis (Frankfurt, 1580), has a whole section celebrating the history of anatomical abnormalities--some witnessed, others read about in the histories.

Come on in and experience the strange, and marvel over what they show us by asking for Rare RG91.R9.

Committed to Social Justice: 50 Years of the Afro-American Society

Founded in April of 1966, in the midst of the American civil rights movement, the Afro-American Society (AAS) was a deliberate attempt to increase awareness of and create community for African-American students at Dartmouth as well as to make the Dartmouth experience relevant to the outside world. Before this time, black students on campus had tended to "go their separate ways," according to a member of the class of 1958. However, in the 1960s, the American civil rights movement came to campus through speeches given on campus by Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., and other national black leaders such as Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael. These intersections with issues of national importance had a profound impact upon the African-American students at Dartmouth, who began to see themselves as a community on campus instead of isolated individuals. Their subsequent increased commitment to social justice and desire to strengthen their communal identity gave birth to the Afro-American Society, which has continued a strong tradition of fighting against social inequality both on campus and in the larger global community.

In the decades following its inception, the Afro-American Society has continued to be a force for change at the national level. In 1981, the organization sent a letter to several prominent national political figures in Washington, D.C., including President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill to recommend that Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday become a national holiday. Two years previously, a bipartisan effort to that effect had been narrowly defeated in the U.S. House of Representatives. The White House's response was carefully crafted, avoiding any mention of the fact that Reagan himself was not a fan of the proposal. However, true to his word, the President eventually signed the holiday into existence on November 2, 1983, when the bill finally came to his desk. Still, it would take nearly seventeen years before the entire country formally recognized the holiday, with Utah being the last state to hold out.

This year marks fifty years since the Afro-American Society first came into being. In celebration of that fact, and in collaboration with the Office of Institutional Diversity and Equity's week-long celebration of the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rauner Library is displaying an exhibit in the Reading Room related to the efforts of the Afro-American Society to promote social justice down through the years. The exhibit will be up from January 8 through February 26. Come by any time we're open to check it out! Once the exhibit comes down, you can still see the exchange of correspondence by asking to see Box 3607 from the African-American Society records (DO-47). The letters are in a folder marked "Correspondence with National Government."

Campaign Expenses

It is that time again. The New Hampshire primaries are in full swing. The airways are filling with campaign ads, and robo calls are harassing us at dinner. To commemorate New Hampshire's periodic step up onto the national stage, we have just mounted an exhibit, "Up For Grabs: Campaigning, Debating and the New Hampshire Primaries" in the Class of 1965 Galleries. It is full of interesting memorabilia from past campaigns, but perhaps the most intriguing item is a simple expense voucher from 1968 for beer--beer for Paul Newman.

In 1968 the Associate Director of Dartmouth College's Public Affairs Center, David Hoeh, helped to persuade Senator Eugene McCarthy to enter the New Hampshire Primary. He coordinated McCarthy's campaign that ended up restructuring the whole race. McCarthy's strong showing in New Hampshire led to President Johnson's decision not to seek reelection and Robert Kennedy's entrance into the fray. Hoeh had a little help: one of McCarthy's biggest backers was Paul Newman, who parlayed his fame into support for the little-known Senator. Apparently, one of his needs on the campaign trail was a supply of beer. His tastes seemed modest: $2.50 bought two six-packs.

You can see the voucher now through February 9th in the exhibition. After that, ask for ML-56, Box 6, Folder 2.

Seeing the Elephant--not the Pink One!

You can't beat the way they ushered in the New Year in Lyme, New Hampshire, in 1877.  On New Year's Day, the Lyme Dramatic Club took over Church Hall in Lyme to perform the three act drama, Little Brown Jug, followed by the "side-splitting farce" Seeing the Elephant.

We had to know more, so we did a little research to see just what they were watching. Seeing the Elephant was written by Vermont native David "Doc" Robinson and was first preformed in California during the gold rush where Robinson opened a theater. It was an immediate success, and according to a 1969 article in Western Folklore, the phrase entered the lexicon of American slang. It carried the connotation of having seen everything and was used by people touring the rowdy Barbary Coast. It makes us wonder about the crowd that New Year's evening, 1877, in Lyme. After the show, did they "see the elephant" with a stroll through town?

Have a Happy New Year!

To see the playbill, ask for Broadside 876925.