M'Ledge Moffett Collection: Guidance Counselling Collection
RU 4.1.8

 

Summary Information

Repository
McConnell Library Archives and Special Collections
Title
M'Ledge Moffett Collection: Guidance Counseling Collection
ID
RU 4.1.8
Date [inclusive]
Bulk, 1939-1945 ; 1900-1954
Extent
1 Linear feet
Physical Description

Contains Reports, Handbooks, Meeting Minutes, Faculty Correspondence & other papers.

Location
Located in locked compact shelving, level 1.
Language
English

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], M'Ledge Moffett Collection, Special Collections, McConnell Library, Radford University, Radford, VA.

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Biographical/Historical Note

M'Ledge Moffett was born in 1892, the only child of William Ledgerwood Moffett and Mary Stoops Moffett. The name M'Ledge was formed from shortened versions of her parents names, Mary and Ledgerwood. M'Ledge seems to have inherited little else from her father beyond using a shortened version of his middle name as the second syllable of the name by which she was generally known. However, her mother, Mary S. Moffett, was very influential in M'Ledge's life by virtue of raising M'Ledge in a school environment. Prior to M'Ledge's birth, Mary Moffett taught at a school in Riverside, Ohio. Due to William's ill health, the Moffetts moved to Virginia in 1893 where during M'Ledge's early and adolescent years, Mary Moffett taught at the Midway School, and at the Ruffner School in Manassas, Virginia. Mary Moffett served as school principal at the Manassas Institute where her daughter was a student. She was a pioneer in home economics education and was credited for recognizing that home economics was worthy of consideration at a professional state meeting.

M'Ledge followed in her mother's path, attending the newly-opened State Normal School in Harrisonburg, Virginia (now James Madison University), graduating in 1910 with a Full Degree in Household Arts. Harrisonburg was the first school to offer such a degree in Virginia and Moffett was one of the first two graduates. From Harrisonburg, Moffett went to Columbia University's Teachers College in New York City. While working towards her Bachelor of Science degree in 1913 from Columbia, M'Ledge spent her summers as a Household Arts instructor at a Summer Normal School in Covington, Virginia.

Around this time that M'Ledge was at Harrisonburg Normal School and then at Columbia University, the Virginia Legislature established the "State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Radford" and John Preston McConnell, a professor/dean at Emory and Henry College in Emory, Virginia, was appointed as president of the new school. One of his first tasks was the appointment of a faculty. There are no records available to document how McConnell recruited instructors to staff the normal school but it seems reasonable to assume the following in Moffett's case:

McConnell, a native Virginian, like Moffett had grown up in a family that emphasized education. As a Dean at Emory and Henry and someone who was deeply interested in the education of women, McConnell was probably familiar with the work of Mary Stoops Moffett. And he was probably cognizant of the fact that M'Ledge Moffett was eminently qualified to serve as the school's sole instructor in Household Arts. One wonders if the younger Moffett applied for the job or McConnell heard of her from her mother or from Julian Burruss, president of the Harrisonburg Normal School during the time when M'Ledge was a student. Unfortunately, there is no record of the first meeting/interview between McConnell and Moffett. In any event, Moffett's name was on the list of instructors approved by the school's Board of Trustees in June, 1913.

Moffett arrived in Radford on September 11, 1913, as the youngest faculty member and the only member of the Household Arts Department, a month after the school's formal dedication in August, 1913, and only a few days before classes began. She apparently quickly proved her ability to handle herself under pressure because McConnell almost immediately put her in charge of the school's sole dormitory. In Moffett's History of the State Teachers College at Radford, Virginia, 1910-1930, McConnell wrote in the third person of Moffett that, "in the judgment of the president, she was the most suitable person for this trying position, this she filled with great satisfaction to all concerned. This was the beginning of her official duties in the college."

President McConnell assigned Miss Moffett several other duties. Since she had had previous experience as a charter member of the Lee Literary Society at Harrisonburg Normal School, Moffett and two others were appointed to a committee to establish the college's first two campus organizations--the Ingles and Pocahontas Literary Societies. In addition to literary pursuits, the two societies emphasized dramatic performances, social gatherings, and debates. Moffett served as faculty adviser to the Ingles Literary Society which was named in honor of Mary Draper Ingles, famous for escaping from Indian captivity in the late 18th century. While interest in the literary societies had waned by the 1930s, the Ingles and Pocahontas names are on two of Radford University's residence halls.

Moffett also participated in the formation of the Student Government Association (1914) and the Grapurchat student newspaper (1921). The Student Government Association and the Tartan (the Grapurchat's successor) remain integral parts of campus life.

For the first several years after the college opened, Moffett taught all of the Household Arts courses (Elementary Sewing, Elementary Cooking and Household Management) which met five times a week. In 1918, the Department doubled in size with the hiring of Myrtle Burnette. Moffett was one of six founding members of the Virginia Home Economics Association and president of the organization during the years 1915-1916 and 1925-1926. During the summers of 1916 through 1920, Moffett took courses at Columbia University’s Teachers College and received a Masters degree in 1921. She received her doctorate from Columbia in 1929, writing her dissertation on "The social background and activities of teachers college students". The dissertation, later published as a book, was the first of many publications.

In 1920, the Radford Normal School was reorganized and McConnell appointed Moffett as the new Dean of Women, a year before she received her Master of Arts degree. She was the first person to hold that post at any of the Virginia institutions of higher education. She held the Dean's post until her retirement in 1962.

In the preface to Moffett's history of the school, McConnell praised Moffett for having, "an inquisitive mind, great energy, and a keen sense of the worth of historical facts." McConnell went on to say that her duties, "have so expanded in the last two decades that she [has] an intimate personal knowledge and contact with every phase of the institutional life and its development. Her association with the president and the administrative officers has given her a knowledge of the personality of the President, members of the faculty, and other officials of the institution that is absolutely unique."

McConnell's statement would hold true for at least 30 years through the administrations of Presidents Peters and Martin and several thousand students.

Moffett retired from Radford in 1962 but never relinquished her love of the institution. She died in 1969. In her will, Moffett left much of her estate in a scholarship fund originally established by her mother. Moffett wrote "I now pass the inheritance of the fruit of her labor, as manifest through me to other women that they may catch a part of the vision she had."

 

Arrangement

Boxes 1-2 are materials that M'ledge Moffett saved and organized regarding the Guidance Counsellor Program in the 1940s. Documents include Reports, Evaluations, Meeting Minutes, Correspondence and other papers. This collection also includes miscellaneous materials that are unrelated to the collection, however, they were put in with the collection by M'ledge Moffett and were kept in the original order.

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Scope and Contents

The materials in this collection were kept in the original order that M'ledge Moffett put them in. The Scope of the collection regards the Guidance Counselling Program at Radford which began in 1938 and continued through the 1940s. The goal of this program was the expansion and development of the work of the Educational Counselors. The program General Committee was divided in eight subcommittees: Assembly Committee, Recreation Committee, Statistics Committee, Physical Welfare Committee, Committee on Clubs and Organizations, Social Welfare Committee, Religious Welfare Committee, and the Planning Committee. These subcommittees resolved any overlapping issues and concerns that were brought up and discussed. Each subcommittee had their own goal for the advancement of student educational welfare, which all together helped the General Guidance Committee attain its goal. One of the major issues brought up was the establishment of a faculty counselor that would be appointed to incoming Freshmen and advice them in choosing a class or classes. This advisor would talk to other faculty members about any guidance before he or she gave it.

Some of the materials in the collection regarding the program include: Subcommittee Reports, Correspondence, Annual Reports, Meeting Minutes, Studies, Schedules, Evaluations, and Counselors reports.

Along with material regarding the Guidance Counselling Program include a vast majority of Miscellaneous content that M'ledge Moffett put together and was kept in its original order when processed. These Miscellaneous materials include Freshman week student handbooks, Christmas Cards, News Letters & Magazines, Tour guide informative route booklet. Faculty Handbooks, Student Essays, a 1940 High School Study, a list of students on Academic Probation in 1949, Alumni Letters, Alumni News Letter Bulletin, War Effort Talks, and documents regarding the National Association of Deans of Women.

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Administrative Information

Publication Information

McConnell Library Archives and Special Collections

McConnell Library
PO Box 6881
Radford, Virginia
540-831-5692
archives@radford.edu

Restrictions to Access

An appointment for research is required. The collection is open for research. No interlibrary loan.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The documents are available for free personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided the proper citation is used (e.g. McConnell Library Archives and Special Collections, Radford University, Radford VA).  Any commercial use of the materials, without the written permission of the Radford University, and the copyright holder, is prohibited.  Please refer to the McConnell Library Archives and Special Collections website for more information.

Accruals

Further accruals may be coming but there are none scheduled or expected.

Existence and Location of Originals

Archives and Special Collections, McConnell Library

 

 

Collection Inventory

Box 1:  Guidance Committee Reports, Correspondence & other materials

Box 1: Folder 1: Christmas Cards and Programs

Box 1: Folder 2: Annual Proceedings- Journal of the National Association of Deans of Women, Vol.4, No. 4, June 1941.

Box 1: Folder 3: Radford College- Woman's Division of V.P.I. 1947-1948.

Box 1: Folder 4: Dinner Menu- Norfolk and Western Railway.

Box 1: Folder 5: Radford State Teacher's College- Photographic Booklet.

Box 1: Folder 6: Report of the Committee on Social Welfare 1939-1940

Box 1: Folder 7: Student Essay - March 2, 1900

Box 1: Folder 8: Specifications on Food Stuffs & Laundry Supplies Adopted by Standardizations Board - May 18, 1926

Box 1: Folder 9: "Seeing Radford" - Route of Tour for Freshman of Radford College - September 1947

Box 1 Folder 10: Radford College - Freshman week - September 19-14, 1944

Box 1: Folder 11: Freshman Induction Program - September 19-28, 1945

Box 1: Folder 12: Radford College - Freshman Program - September 16-26, 1947

Box 1:Folder 13: VEA News Vol. 2, No. 7 - Richmond, Virginia - May 15, 1951

Box 1: Folder 14: Report for 1942-1943

Box 1: Folder 15: Handbook for study and Discussion of Education Problems in Virginia - December, 1940

Box 1: Folder 16: Reports of the General Guidance Committee 1938

Box 1: Folder 17: Annual Report of the Guidance Program -- 1939-1940

Box 1: Folder 18: Faculty Handbook - March 1953

Box 1: Folder 19: Evaluation of the Guidance Program

Box 1: Folder 20: Guidance Program 1940-1941

Box 1: Folder 21: Report of the General Guidance Committee 1940-1941

Box 1 Folder 22: Guidance Committee Meeting Minutes - November 11, 1940

Box 1: Folder 23: Guidance Committee

Box 1: Folder 24: High School Study - 1940

Box 1:Folder 25: Academic Probation Students of 1949

Box 1: Folder 26: Guidance + Schedules 1941-1942

Box 2: Guidance Committee Reports, Correspondence & other materials  

Box 2: Folder 1: Alumni Letters

Box 2: Folder 2: Virginia Home Economics Association Newsletter - March 1953

Box 2: Folder 3: Alumni Bulletin Vol. 1, No. 5 - April 1955

Box 2: Folder 4: National Association of Deans of Women - 1953

Box 2: Folder 5: Madison College Reminiscences - March 15, 1954

Box 2: Folder 6: Founder's Day Program - Address by G. Tyler Miller - March 15, 1954

Box 2: Folder 7: Guidance Committee Meeting Minutes & Reports - 1938

Box 2 Folder 8: Faculty Correspondence 1941-1945

Box 2: Folder 9: Faculty Correspondence - 1943 - includes War Effort Talks

Box 2: Folder 10: Faculty Reports/ Correspondence 1943-1944

Box 2:Folder 11: Problems Committee 1939

Box 2: Folder 12: Faculty Evaluations - Guidance Committee 1938-1939

Box 2: Folder 13: Guidance Counsellors Reports 1941

Box 2: Folder 14: Education Career - Analysis 1944-1945