TABLE OF CONTENTS
Scope and Content of the Collection
Detailed Description of the Collection
Series 1: Biography of Blodgett, 1915-1954
Series 2: Presidential Candidate letters including Blodgett and others, ca. 1915
Series 3: Inaugural Events/ Hamilton Club and other Honorary Dinners, 1915
Series 4: Writings and Personal Correspondence, 1926-1933
Series 5: Correspondence, 1886-1932
Series 6: Academic Development and Enrichment of Adelphi College, 1915-1930
The President Frank D. Blodgett Collection
An inventory of his papers
Collection Summary |
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| Repository: | Adelphi University |
| Creator: | Blodgett, Frank D. |
| Title: | The President Frank D. Blodgett Collection |
| Inclusive Dates: | circa 1914-1977 |
| Quantity: | 1 cubic foot |
| Abstract: | The Frank D. Blodgett Collection contains biographical material, correspondence, and materials relating to his 23 years as president of Adelphi College. He was instrumental in finding a new site for the College in Garden City, NY, and oversaw the growth and development of the college during its early years. |
| Language: | Collection materials are in English. |
Biographical History
Frank Dickinson Blodgett was born in Cortland, NY on March 29, 1871 to Alonzo D. and Eleanor Dickinson Blodgett. He graduated from Cortland State Normal School in 1889 and from Amherst College in 1893 with a Bachelors and Masters of Arts. He was his class’ president for three consecutive years and a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
After graduation, he went on to teach at Oneonta State Normal School. He became the chairperson of the Latin and Greek Department, and then of Logic and Pedagogy. In 1912 Blodgett became mayor of Oneonta for a three year term. He was the town’s second mayor, and the youngest at age 40. Despite being nominated by both parties for a second term, he declined.
In 1914, the search for the new president of Brooklyn’s Adelphi College began. After looking at many candidates, the Board of Trustees decided that Frank D. Blodgett would be the best for the job, and asked him to come to the campus. He was approved by the Board of Trustees on June 9, 1915, and assumed office on July 1st. In 1918, he received an honorary doctor of law degree from Amherst. At the outset of his career at Adelphi, Blodgett said, “I feel that Adelphi will spread itss influence beyond Brooklyn and Long Island… but of course it will not do this in its present quarters. We need buildings, we need a campus and above all we need an endowment fund to provide us with the best teachers available in America.”
By 1920, Blodgett had accomplished much. Blodgett, along with the Board of Trustees, decided that Brooklyn was too small for the growing student population, and looked to find other areas that would have more space. They looked to Long Island, and found that Garden City would be the best place to move the College. His multifaceted approach to education allowed him to list the following achievements after his first five years in office, in 1920: (1) complete separation of the facilities of the College and the Academy (2) elimination of part time instructors (3) incorporation of Normal and Art Schools into the regular work of the college (4) broadening the curricula of several of the departments (5) addition of secretarial work (6) increase of enrollment.
Had one daughter, Dorothy Blodgett Lauck, and two sons, Edward and Richard. His wife, Helen Margurita (Wilcox) Blodgett, died in June 1932, after suffering from a long illness. In July of 1933, he married Bertha S. Jones. She was a close friend of Helen’s, and had been working at Adelphi since 1916.
In 1937, Blodgett decided that it was time for him to retire after 23 years. In 1942 Dr. Blodgett and his wife moved to Homer, NY, where they lived until they died. Frank D. Blodgett died July 10, 1954 after a long illness at the age of 83. His wife Bertha died November 18, 1977, at the age of 93.
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Scope and Content of the Collection
The Frank D. Blodgett Collection contains biographical material, correspondence, and materials relating to his 23 years as president of Adelphi College. This information includes some personal correspondence as well as correspondence between his wife Bertha and notable faculty at Adelphi upon his death, including a letter to the then president Paul Dawson Eddy. Information about how he was selected to be president of Adelphi as well as some of his writings with regard to the college are also included. Furthermore information about the academic expansion of Adelphi and the establishment of an endowment during his tenure as president is included as well. Finally, his scrapbook for the years 1915-1954, a collection of autographs and letters written to Blodgett wishing him well in his retirement and an “illuminated scroll” presented by the Board of Trustees upon his retirement form an important part of the collection.
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Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); the President Frank D. Blodgett ; Box and folder number; Adelphi University Archives and Special Collections, Garden City, NY.
Processing Information
This collection was processed in June 2005 by Elizabeth Spoto, library intern from Queens College.
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Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The President Frank D. Blodgett collection is open to research. Photocopies of fragile materials are provided for researchers in lieu of the originals.
Use Restrictions
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from Adelphi University Archives and Special Collections. Researchers are responsible for copyright compliance.
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Subject and Genre Headings
Persons:
Topics:
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Arrangement of the Collection
The collection is organized into nine series, with the series 6 being organized into nine subseries:
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Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 1: Biography of Blodgett, 1915-1954 |
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| Biographical Information contains a three page biography on the life of Blodgett, and a collection of newspaper clippings of his obituary in 1954. Also includes correspondence from his second wife, Bertha, to President Eddy, a letter sent from D. Nora Gallagher, the head librarian, to Mrs. Blodgett, and correspondence between Eleanor Blodgett (the niece of Mr. and Mrs. Blodgett) and President Costello, alerting him of her aunt’s death and sending him a copy of the obituary. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 1 | Biography of Blodgett's Presidency, 1915-1937. | ||||||||||
| 1 | Collection of newspaper clippings of Blodgett's obituary, taken from last page in his scrap book, 1954 July. | |||||||||||
| 1 | Correspondence to President Eddy from Bertha Blodgett stating that she will send some things of Mr. Blodgett's to the library, 1954 September 13. | |||||||||||
| 1 | Correspondence to Bertha Blodgett from Head Librarian, D. Nora Gallagher thanking her for President Blodgetts items, 1954 October 21. | |||||||||||
| 1 | Bertha S. Blodgett's obituary with letter to the President of the University from Blodgett's niece, Eleanor, 1977 November. | |||||||||||
| 1 | Correspondence to Eleanor from President Costello offering his condolences, 1977 December 13. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 2: Presidential Candidate letters including Blodgett and others, ca. 1915 |
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| This series contains material largely relating to the search to find a replacement for Dr. Levermore. The letters mainly came from three men on the Board of Trustees (Herbert K. Twitchell; Secretary, James H. Post; Chairman from 1908-1938, and Clinton L. Rossiter, Treasurer) in their search to find the appropriate person to lead Adelphi Academy into the future. The letters are dated between July 1914 and April 1915. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 2 | Presidential Candidates: Letters Regarding Blodgett, 1915. | ||||||||||
| 3 | Presidential Candidates: Letters Regarding Other Candidates, 1915. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 3: Inaugural Events/ Hamilton Club and other Honorary Dinners, 1915 |
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| This series contains items from the dinner in honor in of President Blodgett on October 26, 1915, and the Inaugural Dinner from April 7, 1916. Includes onion skin copies of guest lists and letters requesting speakers and a copy of a photograph taken in December 1915 at a dinner in honor of President Blodgett. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 4 | Hamilton Club Dinner Menu, 1915 October 26. | ||||||||||
| 4 | Hamilton Club Guest List, 1915. | |||||||||||
| 4 | Hamilton Club Suggested Speakers and Dinner Committee, 1915. | |||||||||||
| 4 | Xerox Copy of photograph of December 1915 dinner in honor of President Blodgett, 1915. | |||||||||||
| 5 | Inaugural Program (3 originals, one copy), 1916 April 7. | |||||||||||
| 5 | Inaugural Address by President Blodget, booklet in envelope(3), April16. | |||||||||||
| 5 | List of Universities and Colleges to be officially represented at Inauguration, 1916. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 4: Writings and Personal Correspondence, 1926-1933 |
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| This series includes copies of President Blodgett’s Commencement Address from 1926 and 1930, information about the dedication of the Levermore Elms on Alumnae Day in 1931. Also contains a personal letter, and a leaflet addressed to high school graduates. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 6 | Copy of Commencement Address, 1926. | ||||||||||
| 6 | Copy of Commencement address, 1930. | |||||||||||
| 6 | Copy of letter to alumni about the dedication of Levermore Elms on Alumae Day, 3 pages, 1931. | |||||||||||
| 6 | Leaflet to High School Graduates, 1937 June. | |||||||||||
| 6 | Letter to Mrs. Owen G. Groves declining an invitation to a luncheon on Commencement Day, 1933. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 5: Correspondence, 1886-1932 |
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| This series contains correspondence to and from Mr. James H. Post concerning the lack of space at the Brooklyn campus, and discusses the acquisition of land in Garden City to serve as its new campus. Some of the correspondence details financial issues, such as the college's fundraising efforts during the years of the First World War, as well as contracts made by teachers in the early 1920’s concerning the “Deferred Annuity Contract Teachers’ Retirement Plan.” Also featured is correspondence from Charles Levermore congratulating President Blodgett upon the completion of the million dollar endowment fund. Some personal correspondence is also included. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 7 | Correspondence with James H. Post, 1930-1932. | ||||||||||
| 8 | Miscellaneous Correspondence, 1886-1932. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 6: Academic Development and Enrichment of Adelphi College, 1915-1930 |
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| This series provides insight to the development of Adelphi College under President Blodgett. | |||||||||||
| Subseries A: Campaign to Establish an Endowment, 1922-1926 | |||||||||||
| Contains information about the campaign to establish an endowment. In the early 1920s, President Blodgett began a campaign to create a $1 million endowment for Adelphi in order to help fund expansion. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 9 | ||||||||||
| Subseries B: Correspondence Regarding Admittance to Carnegie Foundation, 1929-1930 | |||||||||||
| Contains materials on the pending admittance of Adelphi to the Carnegie Foundation. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 10 | ||||||||||
| Subseries C: Correspondence Regarding Admittance to Academic Associations, 1915-1920 | |||||||||||
| Contains the description of Adelphi’s affiliations with several academic associations: The Association of American Colleges, The National Education Association of the U.S., The Commission on Higher Institutions of the Middle States and Maryland, as well as the American Association of University Women. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 11 | ||||||||||
| Subseries D: The University of the State of New York Regarding Regents Degrees, 1922-1925 | |||||||||||
| Contains information on the relationship between the State Education Department’s Board of Regents and Adelphi College. Included is correspondence about the development of a degree in education at Adelphi, and its approval by the Board of Regents. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 12 | ||||||||||
| Subseries E: Affiliations with Foreign Universities, 1916-1920 | |||||||||||
| Provides information on Adelphi’s affiliations with foreign universities. Some of the correspondence concerns a request for funds for the restoration of the library at the University of Louvain in Belgium. Included is the description of the restoration as well as a receipt for Adelphi’s donation. Also described is a student exchange program between Adelphi and the University of Grenoble. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 13 | ||||||||||
| Subseries F: Admittance to Gradaute Programs and Honorary Degrees, 1918-1931 | |||||||||||
| Discusses Adelphi's graduate programs and honorary degrees. Included is correspondence between the University of Illinois at Urbana and Adelphi College concerning admittance to the University’s graduate degree programs and advance standing at the University. In addition to this is the conferring of an honorary degree by Adelphi College to Miss Emma L. Johnston. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 14 | ||||||||||
| Subseries G: Consideration for Admittance to Honorary Societies, 1917-1929 | |||||||||||
| Discusses admittance to honorary societies, such as Adelphi College’s petition for charter in Sigma Delta Pi, the national Spanish honor society, as well as Adelphi’s petition for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 15 | ||||||||||
| Subseries H: Faculty Songs, 1929-1930 | |||||||||||
| Contains faculty songs from the time of President Blodgett’s tenure. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 16 | ||||||||||
| Subseries I: Memorabilia | |||||||||||
| Concerns memorial stones, plaques, and trees. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | ||||||||||
| 1 | 17 | Correspondence on Memorial Stones, Plaques and Trees, n.d. | |||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 7: Garden City Campus, 1929-1930 |
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| Describes several regulations regarding the physical structure of the College and its surroundings. Included is the need to register a distilled water tank with the Federal Prohibition Administrator, as well as registration itself. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 1 | 18 | Garden City Infrastrucuture and Property, 1929-1932. | ||||||||||
| 19 | Kitchen Supplies Receipts and Brochures and Furniture Receipts, 1929-1930. | |||||||||||
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Return to the Table of Contents Series 8: Blodgett’s Retirement, 1937 |
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| This series contains a newspaper clipping from the New York Times on President Blodgett’s last day at Adelphi. The series also includes the gifts he received that day: a book of letters and autographs from well-wishing faculty, staff and students; and an “illuminated scroll,” a small book from the Board of Trustees declaring Blodgett’s retirement. Also includes a scrapbook, containing letters, newspaper clippings, invitations and photos in chronological order spanning Blodgett's presidency from 1915 to 1954, and continuing until his death in 1957. | ||||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 2 | n/a | Book of autographs and well wishing letters, presented upon Blodgett's retirement (untitled), 1937. | ||||||||||
| n/a | "Illuminated scroll" presented by the Board of Trustees (bound), 1937 May 4. | |||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| 3 | n/a | Clipping from New York Times on Blodgett's Retirement Luncheon, 1937 June 12. | ||||||||||
| Box | Folder | |||||||||||
| n/a | n/a | Scrapbook (apparently compiled by Dr. Blodgett and/or wife) ca. 1915-1957 | ||||||||||
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