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Perkins Alumni Association records

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Creator:

Perkins School for the Blind Alumni Association

Date Range:

1878-1968, bulk 1940’s-1960’s

Call Number:

AG109

Abstract:

This collection documents the business records, annual meetings and reports of the Perkins School for the Blind Alumni Association, also known as the Perkins Institution Alumni Association from the late 1870s to the late 1960s.  It includes information related to the association’s founding, membership, and finances.  Manuscripts in the collection contain recollections of alumni from their time as students.

Extent:

6 linear feet. 6 manuscript cases, 1 oversized manuscript case, 9 bound books, 7 scrapbooks, and 1 preservation binder.

Language:

Materials are primarily in braille and all English.

Processed by:

Iman Wright, 2019; updated by Jen Hale and Susanna Coit, 2020 to include more materials and added to the abstract and historical note.

Biographical/Historical notes:

The Perkins Alumni Association was founded in 1884 by four alumna of Perkins Girl’s Department. The Perkins Alumni Association published a magazine from 1891-1894 called The Mentor. It was designed to share knowledge and its contributors were both blind and sighted.

Sources of information:

Coit, Susanna. “1917 Halifax Explosion Spurred Outreach from Perkins School for the Blind Alumni.” Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown MA. 5 Dec 2017.

Coit, Susanna. “Unwavering Dedication: The Story of Mary Grace Knap Burtt.” Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA. 10 May 2019.

Hale, Jen. “The Amazing Jennie Colby”.  Perkins Archives Blog, Perkins School for the Blind, Watertown, MA.. 6 Aug 2018.

Restrictions:

None

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain permission to publish from the owner of the copyright (the institution, the creator of the record, the author or his/her transferees, heirs, legates, or literary executors). The user agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Perkins School for the Blind, its officers, employees, and agents from and against all claims made by any person asserting that he or she is an owner of copyright.

Credit line/Citation:

AG109 Perkins Alumni Association Records, Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

Scope/Contents:

This collection contains meeting minutes, reports, resolution and financial records of the Perkins Alumni Association.  The majority of the collection consists of reports.  The collection documents annual meetings, treasurer’s reports and includes the founding resolutions of the Alumni Association.  These records are primarily in braille.

Arrangement:

B1:F1 = Box 1: Folder 1

Arranged by series and chronologically within. Box five is in an envelope binder for an oversized report.

AG31 Anna Gardner Fish Papers. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

AG71 Halifax Disaster Collection. Perkins School for the Blind Archives, Watertown, MA.

The Mentor Digital Collection, Perkins School for the Blind Archives

Container List:

  • Series 1: Annual Meeting Reports, braille, 1878-1962
  • Series 2: Annual Meetings Reports, print, 1885-1943
  • Series 3: Treasurer’s and Finance Committee Reports, circa 1905-1961
  • Series 4: Meeting Minutes, 1962-1968
  • Series 5: Resolutions, 1889-1953
  • Series 6: Printed Handouts, undated, circa 1962
  • Series 7: Assorted Unidentified Braille Documents, circa 1920-1968
  • Series 8: Memories and Talks Manuscripts and Correspondence, 1899-1933
  • Series 9: Reports of the Executive Board, circa 1926-1960
  • Series10: Articles, 1662, 1974
  • Series 11: Clippings, 1898-1968
  • Series 12: Bound Materials, 1912-1933
  • Series 13: Perkins Alumni music, undated, 1962

Series 1: Annual Meetings Reports, braille, 1878-1974

  • B1:F1: Annual meeting reports original housing, circa 1926-1940
  • B24:F5: OVERSIZE Annual meeting reports original housing, 1885-1925
  • B1:F2: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1878-1899
  • B1:F3: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1911-1924
  • B1:F4: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1928-1929
  • B1:F5: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1930-1934
  • B1:F6: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1936-1939
  • B2:F1: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1940, 1944-1948
  • B2:F2: Annual meeting reports original housing, 1941-1955
  • B2:F3: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1950-1953
  • B2:F4: Student Report, braille, 1956
  • B2:F5: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1954-1955, 1957-1959
  • B2:F6: Annual meeting reports, braille, 1962
  • B2:F7: Annual meeting report, braille, 1974
  • B2:F8: [Likely class report], braille, unknown dat

Series 2: Annual Meetings Reports, print, 1885-1975

  • B2:F9: Annual meeting reports, print, 1885-1889
  • B2:F10: Annual meeting reports, print, 1890-1891, 1893, 1896-1899
  • B2:F11: Annual meeting reports, print, 1900-1909
  • B2:F12: Annual meetings reports, print, 1910-1919
  • B2:F13: Annual meeting reports, print, 1920-1921, 1923-1927
  • B2:F14: Annual meeting reports, print, 1936
  • B2:F15: Annual meeting reports, print, 1941-1948
  • B3:F1: Class of 1968, 1969, 1970 Reunion packet, print
  • B3:F2: Annual meeting reports, print, 1971-1976
  • B3:F3: Annual meeting reports, print, 1975

Series 3: Treasurer’s and Finance Committee Reports, circa 1905-1961

  • B3:F4: Report of proceedings of the finance committee, handwritten, 1905-1907
  • B3:F5: Treasurer’s report original housing, 1926
  • B3:F6: Treasurer’s report, braille, 1926-1929
  • B3:F7: Treasurer’s report, braille, 1930-1934, 1938
  • B3:F8: Treasurer’s report, braille, 1940-1949
  • B3:F9: Treasurer’s report, braille, 1949-1955
  • B3:F10: Treasurer’s report, braille, 1955-1961

Series 4: Meeting Minutes, 1962-1968

  • B3:F11: Minutes of the annual meetings, braille, 1962-1964
  • B3:F12: Executive board minutes, braille, 1964-1965                   
  • B4:F1: Executive board meetings, 1967-1968
    [includes committee reports, 1962-1968]
  • B24:F6: Executive board minutes, braille, 1969-1972, 1975

Series 5: Resolutions, 1889-1953, undated

  • B4:F2: Resolutions, braille, undated, 1889-1956
  • B4:F3: Resolutions, print, undated, 1929-1933
  • B4:F4: Founding resolutions, braille, 1953

Series 6: By-laws, circa 1884-1906

  • B24:F7: OVERSIZE By-laws, braille, undated
  • Box 25: By-laws and Programs of the Alumnae, Boston Line Type and print, circa 1884-1906

Series 7: Printed Handouts, undated, circa 1962, 1980, 1989

  • B4:F5: 11 certificates of honorary membership, print, undated
  • B24:F8: Honorary membership, original form, undated 
  • B4:F6: Alumni association questionnaire, print, undated
  • B4:F7: 7 copies of the Alumni Memorial Honor Roll, 1937
  • B4:F8: Alumni association constitution, print, circa 1962
  • B4:F9: Guide to Boston for the Visually Impaired (Ken Stuckey), print, 1980
  • B4:F10: Recreational Resource Manual, print, 1989

Series 8: Assorted Unidentified Braille Documents, circa 1920-1968

  • B4:F11: Assorted unidentified documents, braille
  • B24:F9: OVERSIZE Assorted unidentified documents, braille

Series 9: Memories and talks manuscripts and correspondence, 1899-1933, 1971

  • B4:F12: Memories and talks, print, undated
  • B4:F13: Memories and talks, print, June 1899
  • B4:F14: Letter from Florence Howe Hall to Miss [Hager], June 1, 1903
  • B4:F15: Letter from Julia Ward Howe to Mrs. Swinerton, circa 1906
  • B4:F16: Letter from Julia Ward Howe to Miss Swinerton, July 30, 1906
    [on death of Michael Anagnos]
  • B4:F17’: Two Letters from Annette B. Clapp, 1910, 1911
  • B5:F1: Memories and talks, print, June 1912
  • B5:F2: Memories and talks, print, June 1913
  • B5:F3: Memories and talks, print, June 1922
  • B5:F4: Memories and talks, print, June 1923
  • B5:F5: Memories and talks, print, June 1933
    [page 2 only]
  • B5:F6: Letters from Louise Boudreau to family, square hand, 1935
  • B5:F7: Letter to Miss Simonds from Eleanor Burt, 1940
  • B5:F8: Letter from Charlotte Liscomb to Mrs. Draper Liscomb, print, 1949
  • B5:F9: Typewritten letter from Robert J. McDonald (‘61) to Hilda Ogilve, June 3, 1971
  • B5:F10: Diaries, print, 1904-1906
  • B5:F11: Diaries, print, 1907
  • B5:F12: Alumni Association Resolutions of 1883 in braille, undated [text translation included]
  • B5:F13: Tributes and In Memoriam, original housing, 1800-1900
  • B5:F14: Tributes and In Memoriam, braille, circa 1800s-1900s
  • B5:F15: Tributes and Correspondence, circa 1900s
  • B5:F16: Tributes and Memorials, original housing, circa 1900-1950
  • B5:F17: Tributes and Memorials, braille, circa 1900-1950
  • B6:F1: Tributes and memorial resolutions, print, circa 1940s-1950s
  • B6:F2: Mary Grace Knapp Burtt, 1992-1993
  • B6:F3: Bennett Cottage dedication, June 1913
  • B6:F4: Tommy Stringer print from Margaret Chapin, 1986
  • B6:F5: Photograph of Chester S. Keefe, M.D Society plaque honoring Norman Neal Pike, J.D., 1994
  • B6:F6: Photographs, undated

Series 10: Reports of the Executive Board, circa 1926-1960

  • B6:F7: Reports of executive board 1927-1951 original housing, undated
  • B6:F8: Reports of executive board, braille, 1926-1929
  • B6:F9: Reports of executive board, braille, 1930-1937, 1939
  • B6:F10: Reports of executive board, braille, 1940, 1942-1946, 1948
  • B6:F11: Reports of executive board, braille, 1951-1953, 1955-1960
  • B23: Report of executive board, braille 1954

Series 11: Articles, 1962, 1974

B24:F10: OVERSIZE Articles, braille, 1962, 1974

Series 12: Clippings, 1898-1968, undated

  • B6:F12: Deaf-Mute’s Register, 1898
  • B6:F13: Perkins Industrial Building, 1930
  • B6:F14: Alumni gift organ to Perkins, 1932
  • B6:F15: Newspaper clippings, 1957
  • B6:F16: Hearing and Speech News, 1968
  • B6:F17: Hymns for Chapel Service, undated
  • B6:F18: [Unknown braille documents, unknown date]

Series 13: Bound Materials, 1912-1933

  • B7: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, June 1912, copy 1
  • B8: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 2
  • B9: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 3
  • B10: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 4
  • B11: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 5
  • B12: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 6
  • B13: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 7
  • B14: Alumnae Association Papers, Letters, and Resolutions, Boston Line Type, June 1912, copy 8
  • B15: Alumni Association Letters, 1906-1933
  • B16: Alumni Association scrapbook, 1912-1933
  • B17: Scrapbook, braille, undated
  • B18: Alumni Association scrapbook, 1878-1914
  • B19: Memory Book, braille scrapbook, undated
  • B20: Memory book, braille scrapbook, undated
  • B21: Braille scrapbook, braille, undated
  • B22: Braille scrapbook, braille, undated

Series 14: Perkins Alumni music, undated, 1962

  • B24:F1: 6 copies of “Hail to thee our Alma Mater,” braille, undated
  • B24:F2: 2 copies of LP recording of Perkins Alumni concert, 1962
  • B24:F3: Perkins song, braille, undated
  • B24:F4: 13 copies of the Perkins Alumni song, braille, undated
  • B24:F5: 2 copies of LP recording of Perkins Alumni concert, 1962

Provenance:

Perkins School for the Blind

Subject headings:

  • Perkins School for the Blind
  • Perkins School for the Blind–History
  • Perkins Institution and Massachusetts School for the Blind
  • Perkins School for the Blind. Alumni Association

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Learn more about our collections, including digitized materials, and resources related to the history of Perkins School for the Blind and the history of education for people with blindness or deafblindness.

Visit the Perkins Archives page