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Luther W. Spoehr papers

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Held at: Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections [Contact Us]370 Lancaster Ave, Haverford, PA 19041

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Luther W. Spoehr is a member of the Haverford College Class of 1969. While at Haverford, Spoehr served on a number of committees, including the Calendar Committee, Steering Committee of the Expansion Committee, Properties Committee, Bi-College Committee Council, Big Brother Committee, and the Colloquia Committee. Many of these committees are represented in his papers. He also played on Haverford's golf team and was a member of the Founders Club and Phi Beta Kappa. Spoehr graduated magna cum laude with a degree in history. He received his PhD in history from Stanford University in 1975 and was later appointed a Lecturer in Education at Brown University, where his work focuses on the history of American higher education. As of 2021, Spoehr is Senior Lecturer Emeritus in Education at Brown University.

This collection consists of materials created and collected by Luther W. Spoehr, Haverford Class of 1969. Many of the materials pertain to committees on which Spoehr served, but the collection also contains materials related to Class Night 1969, Haverford College publications, and an article on the May 1970 Haverford College trip to Washington, D.C. The collection also includes Spoehr's lecture notes from two history courses and two English courses.

Committee and organizations represented in this collection include the Bi-College Committee Council, Big Brother Committee, Big Brother Committee, Calendar Committee, Colloquia Committee, Drug Committee, Expansion Committee, Properties Committee, and Students' Council. The Bi-College College consist primarily of meeting minutes pertaining to a meal exchange program with Bryn Mawr College and the coordinatio of social events across schools. Spoehr was the Haverford Chair of this committee. Spoehr also chaired the Big Brother Committee, in which Haverford students acted as mentors to high school students with an interest in attending Haverford. The Calendar Committee worked on setting the academic calendar, focusing on problems with pacing the calendar appropriately for both students and faculty. The Colloquia Committee hosted discussions of college-wide issues, including the curriculum, calendar, course content, and ideas of community. The Drug Committee, which had representation from administrators, faculty members, and students, produced a booklet on the educational and legal implications of drugs for college students in 1967. The Expansion Committee advised on Haverford College's plans to expand its study body and physical plant in the late 1960s. The Properties Committee focused primarily on campus maintenance, security, and lighting.

Additionally, this collection contains materials related to Class Night 1969, including a ticket, promotional flier, rehearsal schedule and script. It also contains two Haverford College publications, a Haverford handbook and a guide to the library. Finally, it includes a copy of a June 1970 article from the

Philadelphia Magazine entitled "The Children's Crusade," describing the May 1970 Haverford College trip to Washington, D.C. to communicate concerns about President Nixon's commitment of American troops to Cambodia.

Finally, the collection includes Spoehr's lecture notes for seven courses taken during his time at Haverford. There are three notebooks with Spoehr's lecture notes from History 11-12: Introduction to Western Civilization, taken during fall 1965 and spring 1966. The class was taught by faculty members Wallace MacCaffrey, John Spielman, Linda Gerstein, and Roger Lane. The class consisted of one lecture and two discussion sessions per week. Spoehr's discussion section was led by his advisor, Roger Lane. There are also three notebooks with Spoehr's lecture notes from History 21-22: American History, taught by Roger Lane in fall 1966 and spring 1967. There is one notebook with Spoehr's lecture notes from English 39: Shakespeare and one notebook for English 62: Topics in Shakespeare. Both classes were taught by Ralph Sargent during the 1967-1968 academic year. There are two notebooks with Spoehr's lecture notes from Classics 19-20: Classical Civilization: History and Literature, taught by Daniel Gillis in fall 1966 and spring 1967. There is one notebook from History 42: American Historiography, taught by Roger Lane during the 1967-1968 academic year. Finally, there is one notebook from History 57: The English Reformation, taught by Wallace MacCaffrey in spring 1968.

This collection is arranged topically.

Processed by Elizabeth Jones-Minsinger, completed July 2021.

Publisher
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
Finding Aid Author
Elizabeth Jones-Minsinger
Finding Aid Date
July, 2021
Access Restrictions

This collection is open for research use.

Use Restrictions

Standard Federal Copyright Law Applies (U.S. Title 17)

Collection Inventory

Bi-College Committee Council, 1968-1969.
Box 1
Big Brother Committee, ca. 1968.
Box 1
Calendar Committee, 1966-1968.
Box 1
Colloquia Committee, 1968.
Box 1
Drug Committee, 1967 October.
Box 1
Expansion Committee, 1968.
Box 1
Properties Committee, 1967-1968.
Box 1
Students' Council, 1968.
Box 1
Class Night, 1969.
Box 1
Haverford College publications, 1964-1966.
Box 1
Philadelphia Magazine, "The Children's Crusade", 1970 June.
Box 1

History 11-12 notes, parts 1 and 2, 1965-1966.
Box 1
History 11-12 notes, part 3, 1965-1966.
Box 1
History 21-22 notes, parts 1 and 2, 1966-1967.
Box 1
History 21-22 notes, part 3, 1966-1967.
Box 1
Classics 19-20 notes, parts 1 and 2, 1966-1967.
Box 2
English 39 notes, 1967-1968.
Box 2
English 62 notes, 1968.
Box 2
History 42 notes, 1967-1968.
Box 2
History 57 notes, 1968.
Box 2

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