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Augustana Endowment Society records

 Collection
Identifier: MSS 205

Scope and Contents

The Augustana Endowment Society records, 1894-2021 and undated, has been arranged into four series: Administrative Files, Financial Records, Yearbooks, and Artifacts.

The Administrative Files series is divided into five subseries: Historical, Legal Papers, Membership Records, General Correspondence, and Meeting Minutes. The Historical subseries includes histories of the society written by members, an overview of Augustana's General Endowment, and newspaper clippings. Legal Papers, contains legal documents such as articles of incorporation, amendments to the articles, constitutions, by-laws, and other documents that define the society's purpose and legal status. Membership Records consists of bound membership ledgers listing honorary and active members and 21st-century yearbooks used by the treasurer to track membership payments. General Correspondence largely includes letters received from men and women responding to invitations to becoming honorary members, in addition to miscellaneous notes, receipts, bequests, invitations, and other papers. The Meeting Minutes and Reports subseries documents group's monthly meetings. Minutes were recorded in bound books from 1894 through 1943. Other materials shared at the meetings would also be gathered by the secretary and affixed to pages within the bound books or stored in envelopes affixed to the pages of the books. For preservation purposes, these pages have been removed when appropriate and housed separately. The items that have been removed are labeled as Reports. Starting in 1952, minutes were no longer recorded in bound books, so reports are included with the meeting minutes. There is a gap in the minutes from 1943 to 1952.

The Financial Records series contains bound cashbooks (1894-1998) that track receipts and disbursements, treasurer's correspondence, and other information regarding bank accounts, stocks, and the safe deposit box. The items in this series were accumulated and created by the treasurer of the society.

The Yearbooks series (1907-2021) contains issues of the society's annual yearbook, which include the constitution, the annual calendar of events, a list of officers and committees, a list of active members, past presidents, and a brief history.

The Artifacts series (1919) contains one wooden gavel presented to the society by J.W. Casto in 1919.

The 2022 Accession series (2015-2022) includes administrative records such as historian and president reports, as well as meeting minutes. The financial records in this series largely document several audit reports and associated documents prepared by the treasuer.

Dates

  • Creation: 1894-2022 and undated

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder.

Historical Note

In the spring of 1894, a group of concerned women associated with Augustana College and Theological Seminary met to discuss the long-term financial stability of the school. The outgrowth of this initial meeting was the formation of the Augustana College and Theological Seminary Endowment Fund Society, which was incorporated in 1894 and later renamed the Augustana Endowment Society. The society's original objective as stated in its constitution was "to assist in creating funds for the endowment of Professorships at Augustana College." In 1943, the constitution was amended to reflect more flexible goals of contributing to the "general welfare and upkeep" of the college. As stated in its constitution, membership is limited to women willing to pay small annual membership dues. The constitution also provides for non-voting honorary life memberships available to any person, male or female, who pays a more substantial one-time fee. The Augustana Endowment Society holds monthly meetings with varied programs of guest speakers or performers followed by a general business meeting.

Through modest membership fees and occasional gifts, the Society has accumulated funds to contribute to the College in various ways. The organization's first major gift of $40,000 was presented to Augustana in 1943 and added to the general endowment. In 1994, the Society presented a $50,000 donation for use by the Theater Department. Other gifts include three grand pianos, renovation and furnishing of various rooms and buildings on campus, conservation of several paintings, and contributions to Augustana College Special Collections.

Extent

5.1 Cubic Feet (/ 14 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Augustana Endowment Society is a fundraising organization charged with raising money to support various activities and interests of Augustana College. The group was founded in 1894 as a women's organization. The Augustana Endowment Society records, 1894-2021, has been arranged into four series: Administrative Files, Financial Records, Yearbooks, and Artifacts.

Arrangement

Chronological.

Due to preventive steps after a 2022 leak, the 2022 accession may not be in original order.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Received in multiple accessions from various representatives of the Augustana Endowment Society, 2002-2022.

Accruals

Special Collections continues to add materials to this collection on a regular basis.

Processing Information

Processed by Emily Hughes Dominick, 2006. Updated by Special Collections staff, 2016, 2019, 2020, and 2021-2022.

Title
Augustana Endowment Society records, 1894-2022 and undated.
Status
Completed
Author
Samantha Crisp
Date
September 2015
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Augustana College Special Collections Repository

Contact:
639 38th Street
Thomas Tredway Library
Rock Island Illinois 61201 United States