Abstract
Speaking more than sixty years after graduation, this anonymous member of the Pembroke College class of 1920 begins by recalling her childhood, growing up in Providence, and her father’s desire for his children to graduate college. She discusses her reasons for attending Pembroke and shares her earliest memories of the campus.
The alumna fondly remembers participating in Brownies – an organization intended to promote school spirit and foster relationships between undergraduates and alumnae, writing for the Sepiad – the college’s magazine, and celebrating the Sophomore Masque. She also talks about the relationship between male and female students on campus, and her feelings about the coordinate system. She also briefly mentions the effect that World War I had on the female students, and shares her memories of Dean Lida Shaw King and English professor Thomas Crosby.
The alumna goes on to discuss her life after Pembroke teaching at Classical High School in Providence and working in an accounting department, and explains the various ways she believes her education helped her throughout her life. She concludes the interview by mentioning some of her family members who have graduated from Brown University, and recognizing that she is now considered to be among the early graduates of Pembroke.
Part 1
Part 2
Recorded on May 20, 1982
Interviewed by Christopher W. Lockery
Suggested Chicago style citation: Anonymous, class of 1920. Interview. By Christopher W. Lockery. Pembroke Center Oral History Project, Brown University. May 20, 1982.
Biography
This anonymous narrator was a Providence native with several relatives who had graduated from Brown University, the earliest one in 1904. Her sister was a member of the class of 1910. While at Brown, the narrator participated in many student activities and liked to write. She taught English and Latin at Classical High School and wrote for “Nightlight,” the Rhode Island Hospital newsletter.