Student government began at Storrs Agricultural College in the 1890s, but it wasn’t until 1918 when a woman would serve as its leader. Gladys Dagget, who also made a first for women as business manager of the student newspaper in 1918, was president of the Students Organization that same year. When men returned from World War I, they resumed control of the student government. A separate Women’s Student Government Association was established in 1918, coordinating activities and campus life for women until 1971. After a change in the constitution of the male-run student government, Henrietta Spring, a member of the Class of 1945, was elected as its first woman president in 1944.

Women's Student Council, 1920-1921 Nutmeg

-Mark J. Roy, University Communications (retired)

It was in the fall of 1893, just months after Storrs Agricultural School became Storrs Agricultural College and began officially admitting women, that the first student organization for women was established. Women had been taking classes unofficially since the fall of 1890, and then a legislative act in 1893 made their enrollment official.

The first student organization at the school was a literary society launched in 1888 when it was still an all-male institution. That group disbanded after its founder left the school. Two literary societies took its place in 1893, the Eclectic Society for men and the Ionian Society for women. They merged into one group and took the Eclectic Society name in 1894. Then a new, separate literary society for women formed in 1899 as the Alethia Society.

Editors of The Lookout (student newspaper), 1906-1907

A student newspaper, the monthly “Lookout”, was established in 1896, but it wasn’t until 1906 that the all-male staff was joined by a woman. Lena Hurlburt, a member of the Class of 1907, was the Class Notes Editor, in addition to being co-captain of the women’s basketball team.

The Class Notes position would be the only position for women on the newspaper staff until 1917. After the United States joined the fighting in Europe during the First World War, women took over many of the previously male-dominated campus organizations. Helen Clark was the first woman to be editor-in-chief of what was now the Connecticut Campus, with Gladys Dagget as the first woman to serve as the newspaper’s business manager. Both Clark and Dagget were members of the Class of 1919. But once the war was over and the men returned to campus, women would not again hold those top positions on the newspaper for decades.

Helen Clark, 1918

Gladys Daggett, 1918

-Mark J. Roy, University Communications (retired)

Student body, Storrs Agricultural College, Fall 1894

With the arrival of Susan Herbst as the University of Connecticut’s president, it’s time to take note of some other firsts for women in the history of the University.

 The first woman on staff was Mrs. R.H. Coit who served as matron from 1882 to 1883 at the Storrs Agricultural School.  Although records do not indicate exactly what a matron’s role entailed, it’s possible she did cooking and cleaning in the single-building school/dormitory that was home to the first dozen students of the then boys-only school.

 The first woman on faculty at the agricultural school was Josephine Nettleton, who first taught algebra when she joined the teaching staff in 1888. Later she was a instructor in mathematics and physical geography.

It was in the fall of 1890 that a girl joined the boys in classes.  Nellie Wilson had asked Benjamin Koons, principal of the school, if she might be admitted. Koons, reasoning that the state law establishing the school for boys did not expressly forbid the enrollment of girls, answered in the affirmative.

 Wilson was joined by Louisa Rosebrooks and Anna Snow in the spring of 1891, and two years later, the legislature formalized their enrollment when it changed the name of the school to the Storrs Agricultural College.

 The following year, 1894, Wilson, Rosebrooks, and Snow, whose names are memorialized on residence halls in South Campus, became the first women to graduate from the college. And they did it all as the first commuting students. The first dormitory for women, Grove Cottage, would not be built until 1896.

-Mark J. Roy, University Communications (retired)

Memorial Day was first enacted to honor soldiers following the American Civil War and after World War I it was  expanded to honor Americans who have died in all wars.  UConn established its own permanent memorial in November 2009 with a monument erected west of the flagpoles, between Beach Hall and the CLAS Building.

Veteran's Memorial at the University of Connecticut

In addtion to the physical memorial, the Alumni Association mantains the Roll of Honor at the Alumni Center

Roll of Honor, Alumni Center, University of Connecticut

and online at http://www.uconnalumni.com/roll-of-honor/the-roll.html.  If you have the opportunity, I would encourage all who are on campus over the Memorial Day weekend to include a visit to these memorials to honor the UConn alums who have made the ultimate sacrifice.

–Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

One of the most fascinating aspects of working in an archives is what you discover while looking for something else.  And I’m always looking for something!  As University Archivist and Curator of a wide variety of collections, I am frequently poking around in boxes and folders in our (secure and climate-controlled!) stacks in search of the odd document, image, report, study, letter or bit of ephemera needed to answer a question, illustrate a point or present to a class.   On a recent hunt for something interesting and unique to post for the January “Item of the Month” I thought to combine the desire to highlight a recent acquisition and resulting inventory with the upcoming 150th anniversary of the American Civil War (hostilities began April 12, 1861).  Recalling a series of notecards labeled “Connecticut Civil War soldiers” in the recently inventoried Albert Van Dusen papers, I thought how perfect this would be.  A newly accessible collection and primary materials brought to light in time for this significant anniversary!

As you can see from the images below, our conscientious copying of Dr. Van Dusen’s box labels  was not useful in my search for Civil War materials but I did discover a new resource to share with those interested in Connecticut’s involvement in the American Revolution.   A wonderfully unique and delightful discovery–but not what I was looking for.  And so it goes.   Keep this in mind if you’re interested in commemorating the 236th anniversary of the beginning of the War for American War of Independence on April 19, 2011!

     Betsy Pittman, University Archivist

Ensign Nathan Haynes Whiting, 9th Connecticut Continental Line, 1777-1781

Private Stockman Sweat, 2nd Light Dragoons, 6th Troop, 1777-1783

The Samuel and Ann Charters Archives of Blues and Vernacular African American Musical Culture was established at the University of Connecticut in 2000. The archives, housed at Archives & Special Collections at the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center, comprise the collection of scholar and producer Samuel Charters, one of the pioneering collectors of jazz, blues and folk music. The Archives sound recording holdings include 1500 discs, 900 cassettes, 300 tape reels and 2000 compact discs. To explore the archives, watch this interview with Samuel Charters and browse the guide to the archives. 

Kristin Eshelman, Curator of Multimedia Collections