In 1913, the Class of 1917 arrived in South Hadley to begin their College years. Among this class of green griffins were two young women named Hortense Hubbard and Ruth Parker. In this exhibit you will learn more about their experiences through some of their letters (and even meet the class mascot).

Black and white headshot of Ruth Parker
Portrait of Ruth Parker from the 1917 Llamarada
Portrait of Hortense Hubbard from the 1917 Llamarada

In addition to her letters Hortense Hubbard also collected her memories in an album, “My College Years.” Memory books like Hubbard’s were commercially available for the college women attending Smith, Wellesley and Mount Holyoke to document their experiences.

Cover of Hortense Hubbard’s memory book from her years at Mount Holyoke, circa 1910-1920. Click on the image to see the complete book.

We hope that as you start term that you will also collect memories and resources that we will help you remember the first days on campus and prepare you for the semester and the semesters to come as you decide how you will spend your years at Mount Holyoke. 

This is an exhibit about life for the Class of 1917 at Mount Holyoke College. The images and letters from Archives and Special Collections here will introduce you to their college life, fashions, and traditions. We hope that these materials will inspire you to visit ASC and consider where your story fits into the College’s history. 

Credits

Margaret Stanne ’16, Hannah Barg ’14, Victoria Helwig ’14, Megan Haaga ’15, Caro Pinto, Research and Instruction Librarian, Shaun Trujillo, Digital Collections and Metadata Lead, and Leslie Fields, Head of Archives and Special Collections.