M. Ellwood Smith, ca 1930. [Harriet's Collection #354]
M. Ellwood Smith Papers, 1913-1961
Smith, Mahlon Ellwood, 1884-1966
0.15 cubic foot
Scope and Content Note
The M. Ellwood Smith Papers consist of publications and reports written by Smith, a list of his publications, and a small quantity of correspondence. The publications include reprints of papers published in scholarly journals of English literature. Of particular note is The Old Familiar Faces or Crumbs from Forgotten Banquets, a compilation of poems, odes, and other recollections written by Smith and read at many faculty events between 1919 and 1949, including dinners of the Faculty Men's Club and the Order of the Spoon. Subjects of these poems include William Jasper Kerr, George W. Peavy, G.V. Copson, F.A. Gilfillan, Kate W. Jameson and many other faculty and administrators.
Provenance
These materials were originally acquired as part of the Faculty Author Collection and were separated to form the M. Ellwood Smith Papers in 2000.
Biographical Note
English Professor and Dean of the Lower Division, M. Ellwood Smith came to Oregon Agricultural College in 1919 to be Dean of Basic Arts and Sciences. After the reorganization of Oregon higher education in 1932, he served as Dean of the Lower Division until his retirement in 1949. Smith earned his B.A. degree from Syracuse University in 1906 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University in 1909 and 1912. He returned to Syracuse University as a faculty member after completing his graduate degrees and remained there until 1919.
Throughout his administrative career at Oregon State College and for several years after his retirement (until 1953), Smith continued to teach courses in Shakespeare, Tennyson, Browning, and the Great Books. He was an authority on the English fable and published extensively in philological and educational journals.
Related Materials
Additional biographical information about Smith is available in the Memorabilia Collection and the biographical files of the News and Communication Services Records (RG 203). The Lower Division Records (RG 119) include materials pertaining to the establishment of the Lower Division under Smith. The Archives' holdings include the Faculty Men's Club Records and the Order of the Spoon Records.
Shelf Location
SR 5/7/6/62
Inventory
(box 1)
- I. Lists of Publications and Correspondence, 1939-1961
- II. Publications and Reports, 1913-1949
- Reprints and Publications, 1913-1942
- A Hundred Years of Higher Education for Women, 1932 (typescript)
- Lower Division in Liberal Arts and Sciences with Special Reference to the Oregon State System of Higher Education, ca. 1932
- The Old Familiar Faces or Crumbs from Forgotten Banquets, 1949
