March 17, 2008

Donated papers add to collection on prominent Purdue women

The papers from former Purdue deans of women, Dorothy Stratton, Helen Schleman and Beverley Stone are a treasure trove of photos, correspondence, speeches and memorabilia, said Sammie Morris, head of Archives and Special Collections and assistant professor of library science. Donated by Sally Watlington, the first female executive officer of an NROTC unit at Purdue, the collection will be presented to the Purdue Libraries Archives & Special Collections during an invitation-only reception March 20.  The reception is woven in with the Women's History Month exhibit, "Chronicling Women's History at Purdue: Selections from the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives."

"These papers document the lives of some of the most influential women in the university’s history, and they wonderfully complement our existing collections on Purdue faculty," Morris said. "Dorothy Stratton, Helen Schleman, and Beverley Stone were leaders on campus at a time when there were very few female leaders, and they served as everything from academic and career counselors, to surrogate mother figures for the women students, to university administrators. Stratton and Schleman also were significant as early women leaders in the U.S. Coast Guard, and their papers offer a broader view of their personal lives and careers beyond Purdue."

Stratton, who died in September 2006 at age 107, became Purdue's dean of women in 1933. As dean, she oversaw the construction of new residence halls, and female enrollment at Purdue jumped from 500 to more than 1,400. In 1942, she was commissioned as a senior lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, and later transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard, eventually reaching the rank of captain. She was awarded the Legion of Merit medal when she left the military in 1946.

She later served 10 years as national director for the Girl Scouts of America.

Schleman served as director of the first women's residence hall at Purdue in 1934. After serving in World War II, she became the university's dean of women from 1947-1968. She had served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves, earning the rank of captain and the Navy Commendation medal. She was appointed to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services and served on President John F. Kennedy's commission to write the national report, "American Women."

At Purdue, she is acknowledged for having fought for women’s rights, including terminating the curfew for women students and spearheading a freshman conference program for women. Schleman Hall, which now houses the Purdue’s Student Services department, is named in her honor.

"The collection contains numerous letters, awards, photographs, and mementos, including a letter from First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and letters from Stratton to Schleman about meeting with Roosevelt three times," Morris said. "It also documents Schleman's memories of working at Purdue with (famed pilot) Amelia Earhart and with the 'Mother of Modern Management' Lillian Gilbreth."

Stone succeeded Schleman as dean of women and, during the turbulent late 1960s, helped ensure that students' voices were heard. She helped get students appointed to faculty committees and to "speaking seats" on the board of trustees. In 1974, following the merger of the dean of women’s and dean of men’s offices at Purdue, she became the first woman in the Big Ten to be named dean of students.

"Chronicling Women's History at Purdue: Selections from the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives," is on exhibit through April 29.

The exhibit is the inaugural one for the Susan Bulkeley Butler Women's Archives, which was created in 2006 with a $1 million gift from Butler. She will also speak at the March 20 reception, along with Purdue President France A. Córdova; Dean of Students Emerita Betty Nelson; Watlington; and professor Fred Whitford, who wrote a biography on Virginia Claypool Meredith, Purdue's first female trustee. Meredith is called the "Queen of American Agriculture."

The exhibit is free and open to the public. Hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. It is closed Saturdays and Sundays.

Writer: Jim Bush, (765) 494-2077, jsbush@purdue.edu

Source: Sammie Morris, (765) 494-2905, morris18@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to journalists: Anyone wishing to cover the March 20 reception can contact Jim Bush at (765) 494-2080, jsbush@purdue.edu

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