Call Number:

001

Repository:

Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections

Extent:

11.66 linear ft. (24 boxes, 10 volumes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Haverford College Alumni Association records (HCH.001) Quaker and Special Collections, Haverford College, Haverford, PA.

Date:

1839-2016 (inclusive)

Creator:

Haverford College. Alumni Association, Ohl, Paul W., and Kaye, William

Form:

minutes (administrative records) and Correspondence

Abstract:

This collection contains records created by and about the Haverford College Alumni Association. A large portion of the collection consists of the meeting minutes and reports of the Alumni Association as well as its two core groups, the Alumni Association Executive Committee and the Alumni Council. The collection also contains materials pertaining to class reunions, alumni affinity groups, events, awards and prizes, publications, and guides.

The Haverford College Alumni Association was formed on November 22, 1856 by a group of alumni at the hall of the College of Pharmacy in Philadelphia. The association's first officers were Thomas F. Cock, Lloyd P. Smith, Charles L. Sharpless, William S. Hilles, Robert Bowne, Edmund A. Crenshaw, Philip C. Garrett, James J. Levick, Henry Hartshorne, Henry G. Sharpless, Richard Wood, and David Scull, Jr. The first regular meeting of the Alumni Association was held at Haverford College on July 28, 1857.

As of July 2023, The mission of the Haverford College Alumni Association is to create "a space in which Haverford's alumni can interact within a community of people who shared a unique undergraduate experience." The Association's primary focus is "to strengthen alumni relations between Haverford College and its alumni, while promoting and considering the best interests of the College. The Association provides support for all alumni events including Alumni Weekend and regional events, and works with the Center for Career and Professional Advising, Admission, Athletics, and other campus units on matters of importance to alumni." All graduates and honorary degree recipients are considered members of the Alumni Association.

Two primary groups work within the Alumni Association to design programs and provide leadership: the Alumni Council and the Alumni Association Executive Committee. The Alumni Council has existed since at least the 1950s. It is comprised of volunteers and provides a structural framework for programs and events facilitating alumni connections with College faculty, staff, and students. The Alumni Association Executive Committee (AAEC) acts as the executive arm of the Association providing leadership and direction regarding alumni affairs. The AAEC is responsible for recognizing outstanding achievement and volunteer contributions to Haverford through the Alumni Association's awards program, and for nominating alumni to the Board of Managers.

This collection contains records created by and about the Haverford College Alumni Association. A large portion of the collection consists of the meeting minutes and reports of the Alumni Association as well as its two core groups, the Alumni Association Executive Committee and the Alumni Council. The collection also contains materials pertaining to class reunions, alumni affinity groups, events, awards and prizes, publications, and guides.

The collection begins with the Haverford College Alumni Association's organizational documents, including its by-laws and constitutions. These are followed by a large group of the Alumni Association's minutes and abstracts. Some of these documents take the form of bound manuscripts while others are published reports. This group also includes published issues of the Alumni Quarterly, which provided editorial content to alumni in addition to organizational reports. Following this group of administrative materials from the larger organization are the minutes, agendas, and reports of the Alumni Association Executive Committee (AAEC), the executive arm of the Alumni Association. The earliest minutes of the AAEC are included in Volume 1, Alumni Association of Haverford College, 1856-1885.

The next group of records relate to membership in the Alumni Association and the organization's finances. Volumes 7 and 8 include membership lists from 1857-1862 and 1907-1920, respectively. Although Volume 8 is dated circa 1907-1908, it includes members elected up to 1920. Volume 9, the Haverford College Alumni Association financial ledger includes debits and credits related to the Alumni Fund, Capital Account, Haverford News, alumni officer salaries, alumni events and projects, Alumni Association Executive Committee, Alumni Council, office expenses, and travel, promotion, and publicity. Entries date from 1952 to 1973.

This group is followed by a substantial collection of minutes and other organizational materials from the Alumni Council dating from 1952 to 1973. There are also smaller groupings of materials related to Alumni Association committees.

The following group contains materials related to alumni events, including Alumni Day, Alumni Weekend, Homecoming, the annual meeting, and the Mid-Winter Dinner.

The next group consists of reports and correspondence pertaining to the Alumni Association. The majority of these materials are from the second half of the nineteenth century, although Bill Kaye's reports to the Class of 1954 form a substantial portion. The reports and correspondence and followed by smaller groupings on the restructuring of the association and various alumni affinity groups.

Class reunion records constitute ten boxes of material and date from 1878 to 2016. The majority of these records are yearbooks produced for class reunions.

The remainder of the collection consists of alumni directories, guides, and other publications; materials pertaining to the Alumni Oratory Prize and Alumni Award; annual giving and fundraising materials; materials related to the construction of Alumni Hall; and other ephemera. The final box of material was created and collected by Paul W. Ohl, Haverford College Class of 1927. For decades, Ohl was a very active member of the Alumni Association, and these materials show his involvement with the Alumni Council, Alumni Association Executive Committee, and annual giving in the 1970s and 1980s.

Arranged topically and chronologically.