Call Number:

3H.A85.33

Repository:

Bryn Mawr College

Extent:

3.75 linear ft.

Language:

English

Date:

of materials from 1930s-1940s, some materials undated (bulk)

Abstract:

Angeline H. Lograsso taught Italian at Bryn Mawr for 35 years, also chairing the department from 1952-1965. This collection houses her papers. The majority of the materials in the collection come from the late 1930s and 1940s, but some are undated. The collection is useful for its insights into relief organizations in Italy during World War II and into the career of Don Luigi Sturzo, an anti-Fascist statesman, for whom Lograsso served as a secretary for some time.

Angeline Helen Lograsso was born in 1896 in Buffalo, New York, a member of one of the original Italian families to settle in the area. She received her A.B. and M.A. degrees from the University of Rochester and earned her Ph.D. from Radcliffe College. She taught at the University of Rochester from her graduation in 1917 until 1930, then moved to Bryn Mawr College where she taught for the following thirty-five years. She became chairman of the Italian Department in 1952, a position she held until her retirement in 1965. She died on December 1, 1981 in Bryn Mawr.

The Angeline Helen Lograsso papers house the papers of Angeline Lograsso, former professor of Italian and chairman of the Italian Department at Bryn Mawr College. The majority of the materials in the collection come from the late 1930s and 1940s, but some are undated. The collection is useful for its insights into relief organizations in Italy during World War II and into the career of Don Luigi Sturzo, an anti-Fascist statesman, for whom Lograsso served as a secretary for some time.

The collection comprises three cartons. Carton 1 contains materials related to Lograsso's relief work, her work with Sturzo, and her time at Bryn Mawr. Carton 2 contains manuscripts and Lograsso's personal and annotated copies of books. Carton 2 is devoted to correspondence, publications, and Sturzo materials.

Carton 1 is divided into five sections. The first section contains materials related to Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) soldiers and consists primarily of letters written to Lograsso by a large number of correspondents from 1944-45, although there are some early and later letters. The second section contains printed materials and news related to American Medical Relief for Italy; it also contains an exam from a Bryn Mawr Italian class. The third section is composed of letters from Charles G. Fenwick, an American author on international law. The fourth section contains materials related to Don Luigi Sturzo, including Lograsso's translations of his speeches and essays and correspondence with Sturzo. The fifth section contains college news, newspaper clippings, and other miscellaneous materials. Carton 2 contains Lograsso manuscripts. These manuscripts are arranged alphabetically by title, and are primarily written on Italian poets, Italian translations, and Italian politics. There are several essays on Byron, Dante, and Sturzo apiece. This carton also contains Lograsso's personal and annotated copies of books, including the Italian classics, Divina Commedia and Vita Nuova. The correspondence in Carton 3 is mostly incoming to Lograsso during the 1940s. She has various correspondents, including Sturzo. There are also outgoing letters from Lograsso to various correspondents from the 1940s-1970s. Carton 3 further contains publications of Lograsso's—articles, book reviews, letters to editors, etc. Finally, it contains Sturzo materials, including biographical materials; a portrait of Sturzo; reviews of Sturzo's books; a Sturzo radio broadcast; and copies of two of Sturzo's published books.

This collection evidences Lograsso, a highly educated Italian-American woman, engaging with and reacting to World War II and Italian fascism. The materials in the collection provide an invaluable look at the anti-Fascist movement of Don Luigi Sturzo. It would further be of use to those interested in the Bryn Mawr Italian department during the 1930-1960s.