Official papers of John Preston McConnell 1911-1937

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Official Papers of John Preston McConnell
President,
State Normal & Industrial School for Women (1911-1924),
Radford State Teachers College (1924-1937)

Biographical Note

John Preston McConnell was appointed as president of the State Normal and Industrial School for Women in October, 1911. Dr. McConnell was born on February 22, 1866 in Scott County, Virginia and obtained his A.B. (Bachelors) and A.M. (Masters) from Milligan College in Milligan, Tennessee. He earned a Ph.D in History and Economics from the University of Virginia in 1904 and served as Professor of History and Economics at Emory and Henry College from 1904 until 1913 when he assumed his presidential duties at Radford. McConnell served as President until 1937 when he retired because of failing health. He was rewarded for his services with emeritus presidential status. John Preston McConnell died in October, 1941.

Scope and Content Note

The "Official Papers of John Preston McConnell" contain those items concerned with McConnell's administration of the Radford State Teachers College (formerly known as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women) from 1913 to 1937. The papers are arranged as follows:

Series 1: Commencement Programs

Series 2: Adminstrative and subject files arranged in alphabetical order.

Note to Researchers: As the collection was being processed, some items pertaining to the McConnell Presidency were found in files called the "Radford University Archives" which were first organized in the late 1960s. These items were interfiled in Record Group 2, Series 1, "Official Papers of John Preston McConnell" in order to create a logical organization of materials in one collection.

Size: 3.25 linear feet

Folder List

Sub-Series 1: Commencement Programs and Activities

Commencement Activities

Commencement Instructions

Commencement Programs
1925, 1926, 1928, 1930, 1931, 1932

Sub-Series 2: Subject Files

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Accreditation—American Association of Teachers Colleges—Correspondence
1928-1937

Accreditation—American Association of Teachers Colleges—Miscellaneous Items

Accreditation—Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools—Correspondence
1926-1934

Accreditation—Southern Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools—Miscellaneous Items

Administrative policies

Advertising
1930-1937

Alma Mater (See College Songs)

American Red Cross
1918-1931

Anniversaries—
(See Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries)

Assembly
ca. 1930
(see also "Performances and Programs")

Baker, Cora
1930

Budget Materials
1923-1937

Building Supplies
1922, 1926

Campus Buildings
(2 folders)

Chatauqua
1916-1925

College catalog requests
1935

College Employees—Correspondence
1928-1937

College Songs

Commission on a Liberal Arts College in Virginia
1929

Conferences—American Country Life Association
1933

Conferences—Miscellaneous
1921-1936

Conferences—Miscellaneous (includes undated material)
1925-1936

Constitution and Regulations—Student Assn., State Normal School for Women, Farmville, VA
n.d.

Courses—Bible, Church History, Religion
1930-1931

Crabtree, Ruby (student)

Dormitories—administration
1935

Dormitories—Helen Henderson Hall and Madame Russell Hall
1925-1933

Dormitories—Tyler Hall—Correspondence
1915-1926

Dormitories—Tyler Hall—Miscellaneous Items
n.d.

Eastern States Association of Professional Schools for Teachers
1931

Enrollment
1930-1936

Faculty—Committees
1928-1929, 1935-1936

Faculty—Correspondence
1929-1933

Faculty—Departmental Conferences
1931-1932

Faculty—Educational Conference
September 17-20, 1930

Faculty—Memoranda
1925-1935

Faculty—Miscellaneous Items
n.d.

Faculty—Rosters
1913-1933

General Correspondence
1913-1928, 1932-1938

Governors (see also “Trinkle, E. Lee” in this series)
1925-1935

Heth, Mrs. Pickett
1926-1935

History of the State Teachers College at Radford (book written by Moffett)
1933

History of the State Teachers College at Radford—Draft chapter

Library—Administration Building (Founders Hall)
1929-1930

Mathews, J.P.
1922

McConnell, John Preston—Biography

McConnell, John Preston—Speeches

McConnell Library
(see also Library--Administration Building)

McConnell Library—Construction
1930-1936

McConnell Library—Dedication
1932

McConnell Portrait Fund—Correspondence
1928-1933

McConnell Portrait Fund—Miscellaneous Items
1930-1934

McGuffey Training School—Correspondence
1928-1929

McGuffey Training School—Miscellaneous Items
n.d.

Memoranda of Tasks

Ministers
1924-1937

National Education Association

Parents—Letters to parents from Dr. McConnell
1930-1935

Performances and Programs
(see also Assembly)

Performances and Programs-Jewish Chatauqua Society

Practice teaching in service
1931-1934

Press Releases
1925-1930

Public Relations
1924-1929, 1931-1935

Radio broadcast—WDBJ—Roanoke, VA
1937

Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries—10th anniversary
of the school's opening
1923

Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries—15th anniversary
of the school's opening
1928

Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries—20th anniversary
of the school's establishment
1930

Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries—20th anniversary
of J.P. McConnell's presidency
1931

Radford State Teachers College—Anniversaries—22nd anniversary
of the school's opening
1935
(3 folders of student, faculty, and administrative predictions
of the school's future)

Radford State Teachers College—Application for Admission

Radford State Teachers College—Historical sketches

Radford State Teachers College—Religion-Miscellaneous Items

Radford State Teachers College—Religion Statistics
1924-1932

Russell, George (visit of the philosopher to Radford State Teachers College)
1931

State Board of Education
1926-1931

State Board of Education—Director of Higher Education
1926-1937

State Board of Education—Superintendent of Public Instruction
1923-1937

State Department of Purchasing
1926-1937

State Teachers College Board
1925-1936

Student Building (Lucas Hall)
1922-1928

Student Correspondence (Letters to students from John Preston McConnell)
1929-1932

Student Loans
1933-1936

Student Recruitment Letters
1930

Summer Quarter

Teacher Education—Forms, questionnaires, surveys
1930-1937

Teacher Education—Training Schools at Radford College
1920-1931

Teacher's College of the Air—Administrative correspondence
1934-1937

Teachers College of the Air—Alumni correspondence
1934-1935

Teachers College of the Air—Miscellaneous Items

Trinkle, E. Lee (see also "Governors" in this series)
1929-1937

Undertakers Convention

Virginia Educational Association
1926-1937

Wilson, Goodridge
1934-1937

Works Progress Administration
1935-1937

Worrell v. Noell (court case)
1913

Return to Office of the President

Last update: 01/11/2001