Item of the Week
The Original Lesley School Seal
Throughout its past 100 years, Lesley has had a variety of school seals. The first school seal, featured below, existed from approximately 1918 to 1930 when Founder Edith Lesley Wolfard adopted her family's coat of arms as the school seal. This original seal names the three areas of study that women could pursue at the Lesley School: Kindergarten Training, Primary School Training, and Domestic Science.
Page from the Lorraine Segebarth, '32 scrapbook.
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Lesley's Family Bible Collection
The Lesley University Archives has a collection of family bibles from Gertrude Malloch, who was the Principal of the Lesley School from 1918 to 1944. These beautiful, nineteenth century bibles are all bound in leather with gold embossed lettering. Among the bible's pages are ephemera, including locks of hair, dried flowers, and birth, marriage, and death lists. Below is the Malloch family birth record. Gertrude Malloch is listed (fourth from the top) - born on April 2, 1875.
Page from the Malloch Family Bible.
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The Lesley College Blazer
It is unknown when the tradition of the Lesley College Blazer became a mainstay on the campus but we can assume that it was worn by seniors during the 1940s and 1950s. Jeanne Norton Palmer from the class of 1953 remembered that the mother of a fellow classmate made her class' blazers. They were treasured additions to the students' wardrobes.
The Lesley College Blazer, donor and date unknown.
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The Lesley Collection of Victorian Hair
Nestled within the pages of the Malloch Family Bible Collection are locks of hair. (Gertrude Malloch was the principal of the Lesley School from 1918 to 1944.) Collecting locks of hair for sentimental reasons has a long history in the western tradition, going as far back to Ancient Rome when women who were about to be married would offer a lock of hair to Jove in his forest god incarnation Virbius. Parents would keep a lock of hair from their baby's first haircut, believing it brought good luck. Hair collection reached its peak in the Victorian era, about 150 years ago around the time when Gertrude Malloch was born. The Victorians not only kept locks of hair of their children or deceased relatives, but they also used human hair for jewelry.
A lock of hair from the Malloch Family Bible.
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Who are Lesley's First Alumnae?
A graduate of Lesley receives the honor of becoming a First Alumnae when she celebrates her 50th reunion. This distinguished title has its perks: all First Alumnae are invited to reunion each year. Lesley began bestowing the title of First Alumnae in 1961, when the first graduating class of 1911, reached their 50-year milestone. The reason why the title continues to be gendered - alumnae as opposed to alumni - is because Lesley was an all women's institution until 2004. The title will have to be changed to "First Alumni" in 2058 when the first male students have reached their 50th reunion.
Lesley College First Alumnae earrings, donated by Jane F. Spaulding Philips, '49.
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Change for Gym Class!
According to the 1926-1927 Lesley School Course catalog, Lesley students were required to wear a uniform to participate in "folk dancing, games, and gymnasium work." This coursework was in the Lesley School curriculum from its founding in 1909 but no record of dress code for the classes exists until 1926. The dress requirements were as follows: "Students are required to wear...a pair of low-heeled black rubber soled shoes or 'sneakers' and the regulation uniform which is furnished by Horace Partirdge Co., Franklin St., Boston, at a nominal cost of about $8.00." It is unknown when the curriculum changed therefore no longer requiring students to change for gym. But Lesley students were wearing the uniforms until at least the mid-1930s
Lesley Gym Uniform, circa 1930s, donated by Ella Curtis Purington, '35.
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Mystery Dolls in the Archives
Many years ago several dolls were donated to Lesley that recently made their way to the Archives. Since no record of the donation exists, the Archives has been able to trace the provenance of the dolls to Mary Gitto, who also donated several pieces of fashion ephemera from the early 20th century. The story behind Mary Gitto's love of fashion and dolls and their connection to Lesley remains a mystery. The doll pictured below can be dated to approximately 1850 and has a haunting beauty to it.
Antique Doll, circa 1850.
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Caroline Nettleton Thurber's Portrait of Edith Lesley Wolfard
In 1928 Caroline Nettleton Thurber painted the portrait of Edith Lesley Wolfard that now hangs in Alumni Hall at Lesley University. Thurber, trained under Howard Helmick in Washington, D.C., and under Benjamin Constant and Jean Paul Laurens in Paris, gained prominence as a portrait artist in Paris, receiving commissions from the Duchess of Sutherland and Emile Ollivier, the President of the Academie Francaise. After returning from Europe, Thurber lived in Bristol, Rhode Island, and painted many prominent men and women, including governors and academics. Thurber has been lauded by the Lesley Community for her ability to capture Edith Lesley Wolfard's inner strength in her portrait. According to Julia Mennter Fifield, '26, "The portrait of Mrs. Wolfard that always hung above the mantle in the Assembly Hall is a stunning and almost exact likeness of her. How the artist caught her personality and features so perfectly is a mystery to me. She almost speaks."
Caroline Nettleton Thurber's portrait of Edith Lesley Wolfard (1928) hangs in Alumni Hall.
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Lesley Students Look into their Future
This charming advertisement for a tea shop on Tremont Street in Boston was found in a scrapbook donated by Lorraine Segebarth, '32. Alumna's scrapbooks of their time at Lesley give a wonderful, personal perspective of student life, something that is not evident in the official records of the University. We can imagine that Lorraine and her fellow Lesley classmates enjoyed as much of their free time as possible, exploring the many cultural treasures of Cambridge and Boston.
Ephemera from the Lorraine Segebarth, '32 scrapbook.
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The Lesley Community Faces 9/11
After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the Lesley community responded with a variety of programs to discuss the emotional, social, and political effects. As a result of these programs, a 9/11 scrapbook was created in which students, staff, and faculty were able to artistically render their feelings. In particular, one page of the scrapbook shows the very direct way in which the Lesley community was impacted by the attacks. An inscription reads, "In memory of Sean's Dad, Tower Two. You are missed and loved..."
A page from the Lesley University 9/11 Community Scrapbook, 2001
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A Rare Lesley School Locket
This Lesley School locket was discovered on Ebay in 2009 by the Lesley University Archivist, Alyssa Pacy. What makes this locket so rare is that it refers to the "Lesley School," meaning that it was commissioned prior to 1943 when the School was authorized to grant a Bachelor's Degree in Education, therefore changing its name to Lesley College. The date of the locket is unknown but it is somewhere between 66 and 100 years old, making it one of the most precious Lesley memorabilia in the Archives collection.
The Lesley School Locket, date unknown
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The Prestige of The Lesleyan Pendant
The tradition of The Lesleyan began in 1924 with the publication of the first Lesley yearbook. For the past 97 years with the exception of three classes, Lesley students have dedicated their precious time to forever commemorate their years at Lesley. Being an editor of The Lesleyan has always been a position of prestige. The class of 1963 honored their editors with a gift of a pendant engraved on the front with the publication and the year and the back with the title of the position that editor held. The 1963 Lesleyan editors were as follows: Nancy Eisen, Editor-in-chief; Naomi Nason, Associate and Literary Editor; Marcia Turkewitz, Layout Editor; Judith Campbell, Art Editor; Sheila Foster, Business Editor; Ellen Federoff, Photography Editor; Edythe Marcus, Photography Editor; and Sonya Goldstein, Secretary.
The Lesleyan Literary Editor Necklace, donated by Noami Nason Belson Skoler, '63
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Lesley College Beer Stein: Celebrating a German Tradition
One could say that German culture was often on Founder Edith Lesley Wolfard's mind when it came to establishing academic and social traditions of her new school. When creating the curriculum for the Lesley School, a kindergarten teacher training school for women, Wolfard adopted the sophisticated philosophies of Friedrich Froebel, the German educator who founded the Kindergarten movement in the 1840s. During one of her travels to German, Wolfard brought back the School's mascot - a statue of an elf, who would reward good deeds and punish bad ones. In honor of this German tradition, a beer stein was created as a gift for alumna. Although Edith Lesley Wolfard was a professed tea drinker, it is unknown if she enjoyed a beer after a long day of work at Lesley.
Commemorative Lesley College Beer Stein, donated by Jeanne Norton Palmer, '53
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Remembering High Tea at Lesley
The tradition of tea at Lesley remained even after Founder Edith Lesley Wolfard retired from day-to-day life at the school in the late 1930s. President Trentwell Mason White (1943 - 1959) carried on the tradition. Since so many Lesley alumna remember high tea, a commemorative cup and saucer was commissioned.
Tea cup and saucer given as a gift to Alumni, date unknown
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High Tea: A Lesley Tradition
When Edith Lesley Wolfard founded the Lesley School in 1909, one of the school's mission was to "inculcate an ideal of gracious living." For Wolfard a major component of gracious living was gathering her students for tea in the parlor of her home at 29 Everett Street in Cambridge. This weekly tradition lasted for nearly 30 years. Many Lesley alumna fondly remember tea time with Miss Lesley.
Saucer from Lesley College's Tea-Time Tradition, date unknown.
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Lesley College Softball Team, 1986-1987
Softball at Lesley has had a presence on campus as far back as the 1970s. However, it only existed as a club and not an official sport. In 1995, Lesley became a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), Division III, transforming the club into an organized varsity sport on campus. The team has grown in strength and reputation over its 14-year history, winning the NCAA's North Atlantic Conference in 2008 and the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC)'s New England Collegiate Conference in 2009. The team's players have also won impressive accolades from the North Atlantic Conference: Jodi Fralick was 2007's Rookie of the Year and 2008's Player of the Year; Alyson Durben was 2008's Rookie of the Year; and Alicia Burnett was 2009's Pitcher of the Year.
1986-1987 Lesley College Softball Team Jersey and signed baseball, donated by Linda Susan Tonn Beaudoin, '87.
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Class of 1973 Freshman Beanie
Lesley College's tradition of freshman initiation officially began in September 1944 when the seniors from class of 1945 asked that a list of demands be met by the newest members of the Lesley Community. According to those who witnessed it, that first initiation was never to be forgotten: "All forms of salaams and impromptu recitations were made, all automobiles in sight were spotlessly clean due to unaccustomed attention, and as a climax, a performance took place in front of [the class of] '45' that would equal that of the Radio City Rockettes" (Lesleyan, 1948, p.78). By 1949, freshman were required to wear a beanie to distinguish themselves during initiation. Donated by Leslie Aitken, '73, the 1973 beanie is one of the Lesley University Archives' most precious treasures.
Lesley College Freshman Beanie, donated by Leslie Aitken, '53
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Lesley College Matchbook, circa 1950
This Lesley College matchbook with a gold and green cover is carefully pasted to a page of a scrapbook belonging to Diane Butterfield Brosnan, '53. Diane collected and saved all her Lesley memorabilia, including her freshman beanie and ticket stubs from Harvard Football games.
Lesley College Matchbook, Diane Butterfield Brosnan, '53.
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The Lesley Elf
The elf is Lesley University's original mascot. Brought by the school's founder Edith Lesley Wolfard to Lesley in 1930, Mrs. Wolfard likened the German dwarf to Ireland's elf, saying that the elf was meant to watch over the students, punishing bad deeds and rewarding good deeds. Sadly, the original elf was knocked down the stairs in a burst of enthusiasm from the students, and the student's mascot was no more. But the elf was not forgotten and has been a popular presence on campus for the nearly 80 years.
A version of the Lesley Elf created by the Class of 1983.
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Letter of Acceptance, 1929
Loraine Segebarth, '32 donated her Lesley School scrapbook, filled with interesting treasures like her acceptance letter signed by Registrar Lillian Curtis. Loraine's first day of classes for the three-year Kindergarten program at the Lesley school was September 25, 1929.
Miss Loraine Segebarth's Acceptance Letter, 1929
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1948 Class Ring
The Class Ring of 1948, belonging to Selma Chervin Bell, features a peridot gem stone prominently centered in a gold setting with "Lesley College" engraved around it. Peridot was chosen for the stone - the jewel tone matches the Lesley College's colors of green and gold. On the left side of the ring, a griffin is engraved and on the right, a family shield - both taken from Lesley College's logo. Edith Lesley Wolfard adopted Lord Leslie Newark of Scotland's coat of arms and family shield for Lesley in 1930. View larger images of the ring in the University Archives database.
Class ring belonging to Selma Chervin Bell, '48.
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Edith Lesley Wolfard's White Stole
Like most fashionable American women during the roaring twenties, founder Edith Lesley Wolfard never neglected to wear her white stole while sitting for formal photographic portraits. The fur stole, a long rectangle with a fox head at one end and a tail at the other, became a fashion staple by 1925. The fox's mouth was formed over a spring clip and the scarf was fastened by the fox "biting" its tale. Mrs. Wolfard's original stole has not been saved, but we do have plenty of evidence of its wear.
Left: Portrait of Edith Lesley Wolfard, The Lesleyan, 1924, p. 2.
Right: Portrait of Edith Lesley Wolfard, The Lesleyan, 1928, 9. 4.
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The First Lesley Course Catalog, 1909-1910
The first Lesley Normal School course catalog was published and distributed by the time classes began in September 1909 with information about faculty, curriculum, tuition, and the admissions process. Page two of the catalog describes the purpose of the schools as "The Normal Course for Kindergartners, herewith announced, aims to give to young women a thorough preparation for kindergarten work, together with certain opportunities for general culture, and for the attainment of a clear view of the larger issues of education." View the entire course catalog online.
Cover of the Lesley Normal School Course Catalog, 1909-1910, courtesy of the Monroe C. Gutman Library, Special Collections, Harvard University, 6 Appian Way, Cambridge, MA 02138
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The Inaugural issue of The Lesleyan
The first Lesley yearbook, the Lesleyan, debuted in 1924 with the following dedication to Founder Edith Lesley Wolfard: "To our admirable companion and principal, whose guidance, loyal friendship, and words of wisdom, have been our inspiration for two years, we, the class of nineteen hundred and twenty-four, respectfully dedicate this first volume of "the Lesley Yearbook." View the entire yearbook online.
The Lesleyan, p. 4., donated by Leo Rice, Sr. and Leo Rice, Jr. son and grandson of Kathleen McCabe, '24.
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