Elizabeth Gavett Hancock papers, 1939-1956 (bulk 1939-1942)
General International Standard for Archival Description
Mount Holyoke College Archives and Special Collections South Hadley, MA
Finding aid generated in MARC format from database, then encoded using Perl scripts and XSL stylesheet. 2003-05-20
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Elizabeth Gavett Hancock papers
Creation of Elizabeth Gavett Hancock papers
Time of Creation of Elizabeth Gavett Hancock papers
Hancock, Elizabeth Gavett, 1920-
Biographical History for: Elizabeth Gavett Hancock papers
Biographical Note Elizabeth (Betty) Gavett was born on November 15, 1920 in Ithaca, New York. Her parents were Joseph W. Gavett Jr., a professor of engineering at Cornell University, and Helen Whitton Gavett. Elizabeth attended Monroe High School in Rochester, New York and then attended Mount Holyoke College, as a member of the class of 1943, until the end of her junior year. When her father became ill, she transferred to the University of Rochester for her senior year and graduated with a degree in Biology. Following her graduation, she conducted research in microbiology and worked as the executive director of the local multiple sclerosis chapter. She spent summers helping to run her family's resort in the Adirondacks. In October of 1956, she was married to Richard O. Hancock. They had two children. She spent sixteen years at home with her children and then went back to work at a cancer center as a data manager for the study of new anti-cancer drugs. She has done volunteer work for her church, serving two terms on the Board of Deacons and teaching Sunday school. She was a member of the League of Women Voters as a chair of the Natural Resources Committee and sang in the Oratorio Society. She has also helped in various groups related to her children's activities. Her other interests include Bible study, stamp collecting, computers, and environmental issues.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Elizabeth Gavett Hancock Papers contain correspondence, transcripts of correspondence, a scrapbook, biographical information, and photographs. Her correspondence and scrapbook date from 1939-1942 and reflect her social and academic activities as a student at Mount Holyoke College. The letters were written by Hancock to her parents. They discuss her music lessons and her participation in choirs, her zoology studies, Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to Mount Holyoke in 1941, Mount Holyoke President Roswell Ham, the food, dating, dances, and the influenza epidemic on campus in 1941. Hancock also describes air raid drills, rationing, British War Relief work, and other topics that reflect the impact of World War II on the College. Also of note in the correspondence is a reference to an African-American student in a letter dated September 17, 1941. Transcripts of the letters, compiled by Hancock in 1997-1998, are part of the collection. Both the correspondence and the scrapbook document Mount Holyoke traditions such as freshman hazing, Mountain Day, Junior Show, freshman rings, Founder's Day, Faculty Show, Junior Prom, May Queens, and Commencement. The scrapbook contains articles, programs, photographs of Hancock and her friends, notes from friends, and other memorabilia. The biographical information includes a newspaper photograph of Hancock with the Mount Holyoke Junior Prom leaders from 1942 and newspaper announcements of Hancock's 1956 marriage. The photographs are of Hancock and her friends on the Mount Holyoke campus as well as on a Mountain Day picnic.
Mountain Day - 1939-1942
lcsh
Dating (Social customs) - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Music - Instruction and Study - Massachusetts.
World War - 1939-1945 - United States - Sources.
College students - Massachusetts - Correspondence.
Women college students - Massachusetts - Correspondence.
Zoology - Study and teaching (higher) - Massachusetts.
Hazing - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Student activities - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Influenza - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Food.
World War, 1939-1945 - Civilian relief - Great Britain.
Afro-American college students - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Epidemics - Massachusetts - South Hadley.
Mount Holyoke College - Student Life - 1939-1942
Mount Holyoke College - Commencement - 1939-1942
lcnaf
Roosevelt, Eleanor, 1884-1962.
Ham, Roswell Gray, 1891-
Mount Holyoke College.
Mount Holyoke College - Students.
Mount Holyoke College - Curricula.
Mount Holyoke College - Traditions.
Mount Holyoke College. - Zoology Dept.
aat
series
Correspondence, 1939-1942
The correspondence dates from September 19, 1939 to May 25, 1942. The letters were written to her parents in Rochester, New York about her activities, studies, and social life as a student at Mount Holyoke College. Her letters contain information about Mountain Day celebrations, freshmen hazing, choir and voice lessons, zoology classes, the infirmary, dances, community service, Llamie Weekend, and an influenza epidemic. She also describes her dates with students at Amherst, Yale, Wesleyan, and elsewhere, and mentions war related activities and events, such as, students' work for British War Relief and Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to the campus.
Unrestricted
Transcripts of Correspondence, 1939-1942
This series contains complete typed transcripts of Hancock's correspondence filed in Series 1.
Scrapbook, 1939-1942
This series consists of a scrapbook compiled by Hancock between 1939-1942. It contains articles, programs, photographs, notes from friends, and other memorabilia. Articles clipped from the "Mount Holyoke News" and from local newspapers include information on various topics ranging from the Faculty Show to World War II. Programs from different events, such as, concerts, plays, sporting events, conferences, the Faculty Show, Junior Show, Founder's Day, and Commencement are included in the scrapbook as well. The photographs are of Hancock and her friends. The other memorabilia includes pictures of the May Queen, Hazing Day, the College Community Officers, Junior Prom Committee (of which Hancock was a member) and scenic pictures of the Mount Holyoke College campus. Also included among the memorabilia are a copy of the Sphinx literary magazine, dried corsages and dance cards, a brochure and banner for the New York World's Fair, 1940, and a set of instructions on "How to Use Your War Ration Book."
Biographical Information, 1942, 1956
This series consists of newspaper clippings about Hancock. One, from 1942, is a picture of the Mount Holyoke College Junior Prom Committee, of which she was a member. The other three articles date from 1956 and concern her engagement and marriage to Richard O. Hancock.
Photographs, 1939-1942
The photographs are of Hancock and her friends taken on the Mount Holyoke campus and on a Mountain Day picnic.
Correspondence, Spetember-October, 1939
Correspondence, November-December, 1939
Correspondence, January-March, 1940
Correspondence, April-June, 1940
Correspondence, September, 1940-January 1941
Correspondence, January-April, 1941
Correspondence, September-November, 1941
Correspondence, November, 1941-February, 1942
Correspondence, March 1942
Transcripts of correspondence, 1939-1940
Transcripts of correspondence, 1940-1942
Biographical information, 1942, 1956