Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers, 1930-2009
General International Standard for Archival Description
Sophia Smith Collection Smith College Northampton, MA
Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Joanna Johnson. 2011-05-25
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers
Creation of Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers
Time of Creation of Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers
Greenebaum, Linda Schein
Biographical History for: Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers
Biographical Note Linda Schein Greenebaum was born in Chicago in 1935 to Elizabeth (Cain) and Ernest Schein. Initially raised in Evanston, Illinois, her family moved to Washington D.C. in the mid-1940s. Though her father was of Jewish decent, and her mother's family Episcopalian, the family adopted Christian Science. The failure to seek medical intervention was a factor in the death of a younger sister, Paula, in 1947, of nephritis. The Scheins were a musical family, and Linda played violin, taking advance training in classical music and performing in orchestras and concerts. She graduated as valedictorian from Woodrow Wilson High School in 1952 and attended Radcliffe College, where she majored in European history. She was awarded the A.B. in 1956. She later earned a Master of Arts in Music Education from Smith College in 1978. After her undergraduate work, she travelled to Germany as a Fulbright Scholar. In 1960 she married Michael Greenebaum and settled in the Chicago suburbs. There, and in Cambridge and Amherst, Massachusetts, she raised the couple's four daughters--Sarah, Katherine, Deborah, and Susan. In these years she also gave music lessons and performed with local groups, sometimes with her children. As her children grew older, she took more steady work as a music instructor. Experiencing marital and emotional difficulties, Greenebaum began a journey through therapy, spirituality, and self-help in the 1970s that would continue over the subsequent decades. Her marriage ended in divorce in 1985. Exploring the Jewish and musical heritage of her paternal family, Greenebaum published a family history, Elizer's Troupe: Scheins in America, in 1999. She then converted to Judaism but later drifted from it. A 2008 memoir, Eta Bita Pi, took a frank look at her tumultuous past. She currently lives in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Linda Schein Greenebaum donated her Papers to the Sophia Smith Collection in 2009.
Scope and Contents of the Collection The Linda Schein Greenebaum Papers consist of 1.5 linear feet of material arranged in three series: I. Biographical Material, II. Correspondence, and III. Writings. Covering the years from her childhood until the 2000s, the collection provides an intimate perspective on the self-described "over-educated and under-distinguished" musician, teacher, writer, and mother. Biographical material includes family and personal photographs, clippings, early writings, and music programs. Correspondence mainly documents her childhood years and European travels in the mid-1950s. Schein family history can be found in the biographical material and correspondence as well as her 1999 book, Elizer's Troupe. Greenebaum's diaries provide a rich record of self-reflection over the course of her life, encompassing the subjects of love, loss, profession, religion, and parenting, among others. She recounts such deeply personal events as extramarital affairs and depression. One set of diaries is related to therapy sessions; the other, more day-to-day reflections. Like the diaries, the memoir, Eta Bita Pi, is a candid exploration of her personal and professional development. Additions to the collection are expected.
Periodic additions to this collection are expected and may not be reflected in this record
The Papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
Greenebaum retains copyright to her papers for her lifetime, after which the Sophia Smith Collection owns copyright to her unpublished works. Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright to materials authored by others may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Processed by Olivia Mandica-Hart and Amanda Izzo, 2011.
Musicians -- United States -- Biography -- Sources
lcsh
Women and psychoanalysis -- History -- Sources
Women authors, American -- Biography -- Sources
Women musicians -- United States -- Biography -- Sources
Greenebaum, Linda Schein, 1935-
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series
SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS
General, 1954, n.d.
Photographs, 1930-90, n.d.
Clippings, 1951-99
Family histories, 1980-2002, n.d.
Autobiography of Captain W.S. Cain, 1983 [1908]
Music programs and miscellany, 1950-52, n.d.
Education
Report cards, correspondence, and writings, 1940-52
High school senior thesis, 1952
College thesis, 1956
Transcripts, resumes, and recommendations, 1978-90
SERIES II. CORRESPONDENCE
Letters from father and childhood correspondence, 1945-57
Europe, 1956-57
Incoming, general, 1953-69, n.d.
Christian Science, 1987, n.d.
SERIES III. WRITINGS
Diaries
Senior year of high school, 1952-53
First year at Radcliffe, 1953; Europe, 1956-57; Trip to Germany, 1982; and Trip to Austria, 1983
Pre-divorce, 1984, n.d.
New Age, 1986; Trip to Colorado, 1991; Winter, 1991-92; and Cruise, 2002
Recent notes and journals, 2009
Poetry, 1969-2001, n.d.
Publications
Elizer's Troupe: Scheins in America
Published volume, 1999
Publicity and drafts, 1997-99
Eta Bita Pi: My Inner Sorority
Published volume, 2008
Notes and preparation, n.d.
Therapy journals
Dream journals, 1980-1986
General notes, 1980s
Journals, 1985-92
Dream therapy, 1990s
Journals, 1992-2004
OVERSIZE MATERIALS
Newspapers 1951, 1956