Table of Contents
- Collection Summary
- Biographical Note
- Scope and Content Note
- Subject Headings
- Administrative Information
- Access and Use
- Encoding Information
- Series List
- Container List
Collection Summary
| Repository: | Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries |
|---|---|
| Creator: | Taft, Frances P. |
| Title: | Frances P. Taft Papers |
| Dates: | 1942-2008 |
| Quantity: | 2.75 cubic feet (9 boxes) |
| Abstract: | Correspondence, subject files, news clippings and manuscripts documenting Frances P. Taft’s tenure with the Alumnae and Aulmni Association of Vassar College (AAVC),as well as documentation of her coursework (Class of 1942) at Vassar College. |
Biographical Note
Frances Taft (1921-2017), VC ‘42, was President of Vassar College’s Alumnae Association (AAVC) from 1965-1971. Taft graduated from Vassar with a major in biology and a minor in art history, and went on to establish a career in art education, teaching at the Cleveland Institute of Art (1950 - 2012) after earning a master’s degree in art history from Yale in 1948. She served as President of Alumnae and Aulmni Association of Vassar College (AAVC) when the College initiated debate over shifting to co-education. Taft was the first recipient of the AAVC Award for Outstanding Service to Vassar College in 2001. She received the award once more in 2011, along with other former presidents of the alumnae/i association.
Frances Taft’s commitment to Vassar College extends to her time as an undergraduate student, when she served as president of the Vassar College Athletic Association. After graduating in 1942, Taft joined the first officer class of the U.S. Naval Reserve's Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). She and her husband Seth Taft, grandson of President William Howard Taft, moved to Cleveland where she joined the faculty at the Cleveland Institute of Art and served as chair of the department of art history and liberal arts. She served as a Vassar College Trustee, president of the AAVC Board of Directors, as well as various committees and Vassar clubs.
TopScope and Content Note
The Frances P. Taft Papers include extensive correspondence between Taft and Alumni Association members, association administration, including college presidents and faculty. Subject files document Taft’s responsibilities within the Alumni Association, highlighting chapters in Vassar’s history focusing on the college’s shift to co-education, debate regarding its merger with Yale University, shifts in curriculum to expand science and technology coursework, issues involving Black student movements and general political strife in the country during the late 1960s. Papers include handwritten drafts of Taft’s Alumni Association talks presented both on campus and during tours throughout the country, status reports documenting association fundraising efforts including management and upkeep of the college’s Alumnae House building.
TopAccess and Use
Access
This collection is open for research according to the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library without any additional restrictions.
Restrictions on Use
Permission to quote (publish) from unpublished or previously published material must be obtained as described in the regulations of the Vassar College Archives and Special Collections Library.
Subject Headings
Names:
- Garnsey, Gertrude, 1904-1989
- Simpson, Alan, 1964-1977
Organizations:
- Alumnae and Alumni of Vassar College (Organization)
- Vassar College--Alumni and alumnae
- Vassar College--Buildings
- Vassar College. Alumnae House
- Vassar College. Kendrick House
- Vassar College. Walker Field House
- Yale University
Subjects:
- Coeducation
- Students, Black--United States
VCL Categories
- Vassar College
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Frances P. Taft Papers, Archives and Special Collections Library, Vassar College Libraries.
Processing Information
Processed by Janine St. Germain, January 2021. Updated November 2021.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Frances P. Taft, February 2013.
Series List
Series I.Correspondence, 1966-2002 (Box 1-3, 9) | |
|---|---|
| This series is organized into two subseries and arranged chronologically within each subseries. The first includes letters from Frances Taft to and from members of the alumni association and college administration, including Gertrude Garnsey, Faith Scott, and Vassar College President Alan Simpson. The second subseries includes letters to Taft from colleagues and associates, and often contain carbon copies of Taft’s own letters. Correspondence to Alumni Association members are arranged by subject as well as correspondent name, as filed by the creator. Taft’s correspondence documents alumnae/i involvement in Vassar College’s debate over co-education, potential merger with Yale University, and management of student unrest during the late 1960s. |
Series II.Subject Files, 1942-2008 (Box 3-9) | |
|---|---|
| This series is organized into two subseries and arranged alphabetically, as filed by the creator, within each subseries. Content covers Taft’s extensive involvement with discussions addressing Vassar’s shift to co-education (late 1960s), student unrest on campus during the late 1960s, Black student movements on campus (late 1960s, early 1970s), including housing, shifts in curriculum to science and technology coursework (1970s), and general management and fundraising efforts of the Alumni Association, including the management and upkeep of Vassar’s Alumnae House (1987 - 1993). Files also include documentation of class reunion event logistics, surveys sent to alumnae, and symposia created for Vassar College alumnae/i, including topics such as Classroom 1968: Our Environmental Predicament, Classroom 1969: The Question of Privacy, Classroom 1971: Perspectives on Population, Classroom 1974: The Time Crisis. |
Series III.Clippings, 1967-2006 (Box 8) | |
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| The newspaper clippings in this series, collected and arranged by the creator, document the potential proposed merger of Vassar College and Yale University (late 1960s). |
Series IV.Writings, 1966-2006 (Box 8-9) | |
|---|---|
| Manuscripts in this series include speeches and talks given by Frances Taft at various alumnae/i events, Vassar Club gatherings, retirements, memorials and symposia. |
Series V.Coursework, 1938-1942 (Box 3, 12, 13) | |
|---|---|
| Files contain class notes, finaly papers, syllabi, and coursework illustrations. |
Series VI.Scrapbooks, 1938-1945 (Box 10-11) | |
|---|---|
| 2 scrapbooks containing Vassar memorabilia, ephemera, and clipings. |
Series VII.Sound Recordings, 1940 (Box 10) | |
|---|---|
| Vassar Glee Club, 1865-1940 record set. |
Series VIII.Potographic Prints, 1925-2007 Box 19 | |
|---|---|
| Photographs of Prindle family, Vassar College reunions, and Class of 1942. |
Container List
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Details
Correspondence, subject files, news clippings and manuscripts documenting Frances P. Taft’s tenure with the Alumnae and Aulmni Association of Vassar College (AAVC),as well as documentation of her coursework (Class of 1942) at Vassar College.
