Call Number:

M39

Repository:

Bryn Mawr College

Extent:

1 boxes

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

The Margaret Trumbull Corwin Collection, Special Collections Department, Bryn Mawr College Library.

Date:

1912-1971

Creator:

Corwin, Margaret Trumbull

Abstract:

Margaret Trumbull Corwin (1889-1983) received an A.B. degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1912 with a major in French and a minor in German. After graduation she worked at Yale University Press until 1919. In 1916 she took a leave of absence to work as executive secretary to the Connecticut Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1919 Corwin went to France with the YMCA and was stationed in Beaune at the American Expeditionary Forces University. Upon her return, Corwin served as executive secretary of the Yale University Graduate School from 1919 until 1934. In 1934 she was appointed dean of New Jersey College for Women (part of Rutgers University), now Douglass College. She held this position for twenty-one years, until her retirement in 1955. The material in this collection consists mostly of copies of letters home, photographs, various notes, and printed material. It is an odds-and-ends collection. The majority of Corwin's professional papers (speeches, articles, etc.) are at the Douglass College Library.

Margaret Trumbull Corwin (1889-1983) was the daughter of Dr. Robert Corwin, a professor at Yale University. Margaret Corwin received an A.B. degree from Bryn Mawr College in 1912 with a major in French and a minor in German. After graduation she worked at Yale University Press until 1919. In 1916 she took a leave of absence to work as executive secretary to the Connecticut Women's Committee of the Council of National Defense in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1919 Corwin went to France with the YMCA and was stationed in Beaune at the American Expeditionary Forces University.

Upon her return, Corwin served as executive secretary of the Yale University Graduate School, a post she held from 1919 until 1934. In 1926/27 she took a six-month leave of absence to visit the Yale-in-China program. In 1934 she was appointed dean of New Jersey College for Women (part of Rutgers University), now Douglass College. She held this position for twenty-one years, until her retirement in 1955.

Corwin received several honorary degrees. In 1934 Yale University awarded her an M.A. She also received Doctors of Letters degrees from Rutgers University and Beaver College in 1943 and 1947 respectively.

Corwin's involvement with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools allowed her to do a great deal of travelling. Photographs, notes and copies of letters from these travels make up the majority of this collection.

The Margaret Trumball Corwin Collection houses the personal correspondence, photographs, notes, and printed material of Margaret Trumbull Corwin, class of 1912. The collection, which ranges from 1912-1971, evidences Corwin's extensive travelling for the AAUW, the IFUW, and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools.

The collection is comprised of twenty-nine numbered folders, three photograph albums, one packet of photographs/postcards, three albums, one folder (not numbered), and three photographs (not bound). The collection has been divided both typologically and chronologically.

Folders 1-7 consist of Corwin's correspondence from 1919-1971, including letters from her 1926 trip to the Far East, her 1930 trip to Iceland, and her 1936 trip to Spain. Folders 8-10 contain Corwin's notes for speeches/articles and her notes/journal for her trip to the USSR in 1932. Folders 12-19 are comprised of a variety of material, but include AAUW and IFUW schedules and programs, correspondence with "Who's Who in America," and memorabilia from the Bryn Mawr College Class of 1912 50th class reunion. Folders 20-29 house photographs, many of which are of Corwin's travels, including her 1919 trip to Beaune, her 1926 trips to China and Japan, her 1930 trip to Iceland. Of further note are photos of Stalin and Lenin in 1922 (Folder 24), and a photo of Corwin with Eleanor Roosevelt. The collection also holds one black photograph album containing photographs of a 1926-1927 trip; one brown photograph album containing 1952 photographs of and around Douglass College; one black binder containing photographs of Corwin's staff at Douglass College presented to Corwin on the occasion of her retirement as Dean; one packet of photographs and postcards from Russia, 1932; two portrait photographs of Corwin; one photograph of Corwin at an AAUW meeting in Atlantic City, January 1926; one black album with Distinguished Service Award from Bryn Mawr College; one red album with diploma for honorary Doctor of Letters degree awarded by Beaver College, June 1, 1947; and one green album containing an award from the Chairmen of the Federation of College Committees.

Corwin was highly involved with the American Association of University Women (AAUW), the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), and the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. This collection highlights her involvement in these organizations, including her travels, notes, and speeches. It should be noted that there is also a Margaret Corwin scrapbook in the scrapbook collection. The majority of Corwin's professional papers (speeches, articles, etc.) are at the Douglass College Library. Her personal correspondence has been kept by her family, namely her sister-in-law, Gertrude G. Corwin of Guilford, Connecticut.