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Gertrude Hildreth Papers, 1911-1984

Amount:
3 Boxes

Restrictions:
None

Arrangement:
Alphabetical, then Chronological

Biographical Statement:
Gertrude Howell Hildreth was a psychologist and educator, born in Terre Haute, Indiana on October 11, 1898. She passed away on March 6, 1984 in Bethesda, Maryland.

Ms. Hildreth received Bachelor’s degree in education from then North-Western College in 1920. Her family was instrumental in the life of the College as her great-grandfather was A.A. Smith (the first President of the College), her grandfather was H. C. Smith (a long time faculty member of the College), and her mother was Fanny Smith Hildreth (who also graduated from North-Western and taught in its music department for several years). Gertrude Hildreth was awarded a scholarship to the University of Illinois where she earned a Master’s in Education in 1921. She earned her PhD. in educational psychology at Columbia University in 1925, thus becoming the first woman PhD recipient to graduate from North Central.

Ms. Hildreth worked for twenty years as a school psychologist and research associate at the Lincoln School at Teachers College (Columbia University). Research and testing, often under Hildreth’s direction, played a vital role in assessing the school’s cutting edge curricula and teaching methods and disseminating the results. While at the Lincoln School, Hildreth researched topics such as gifted children, handedness, mental testing, and handwriting instruction. In 1948, two years after a restructure in which her position was eliminated, Dr. Hildreth became Assistant Professor of Education at Brooklyn College, an institution she served until her retirement in 1964. During the 1959-1960 school year, Dr. Hildreth taught at the University of Istanbul as a Fullbright Scholar.

Dr. Hildreth joined the faculty of the American University in Beirut from 1964 to 1968 following her retirement from Brooklyn College. Dr. Hildreth was an active traveler and during her time in Istanbul and Beirut, she toured much of the middle east and Europe. Her last teaching position was from 1969-1970 at Voorhees College, a historically black college in Denmark, South Carolina.

Throughout her life, Dr. Hildreth authored over 250 books, monographs, and journal articles as well as a number of standardized tests. Dr. Hildreth’s activity in many professional organizations included serving as president of the Association of Consulting Psychologists; the Division of Educational Psychology of the American Psychological Association; the International Council of Women Psychologists; and the Metropolitan Association for the Study of the Gifted.

Dr. Hildreth owned a weekend retreat, which ultimately was her retirement home, in Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York and used this place as her home base throughout her overseas travels. She was interested in art, cuisine, and literature, walked daily, and maintained nearly daily journals, likely following in her mother’s footsteps, who was herself, an avid journal keeper and family historian.

Source: A Guide to the Gertrude Hildreth Papers and Test Collection by Gary D. Saretzky and Jane E. Davis, published by the Educational Testing Service Archives, Princeton, NJ, 1986.

Description:
This series contains appointment books, personal journals/diaries, and other miscellaneous personal effects created and maintained by Dr. Gertrude Howell Hildreth.

The appointment books are small size pocket calendars in which Dr. Hildreth recorded appointments, events, and activities. The appointment books cover dates that pre-date her time at North Central College through her retirement and permanent residence at Sea Cliff. She apparently used these books both to schedule upcoming events and to briefly summarize occurrences. These books generally do not contain information for each day. Later years of these books are particularly unused. The appointment books do shed some light on her thoughts and actions in the years which pre-date her diaries.

The diaries in this series particularly pertain to Dr. Hildreth’s life following retirement from Brooklyn College. The diaries contain nearly daily entries from Dr. Hildreth’s overseas residence in Istanbul and Beirut. Dr. Hildreth appears to have begun keeping these diaries as a series of travel journals and she used these to record what she saw, did, and even her thoughts on a myriad number of issues. Subjects in the diary entries range from the weather and local flora to her health and daily exercise though dramatic events including the evacuation of Americans from Beirut and travel difficulties in Cold War Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The diary entries from Dr. Hildreth’s time in Sea Cliff are generally not daily until later in her life, when she finally remained there. Numerous references in the diaries are made to Dr. Hildreth’s works on manuscripts and the later Sea Cliff diaries are repeatedly referred to as a warm-up for her writing for academic purposes.

In addition to the handwritten entries which constitute by far the bulk of contents, Dr. Hildreth did paint and draw using watercolors, pencil, ink, and colored pencil drawings. The subjects of these artworks are largely plants and flowers and buildings. The diaries also contain newspaper articles and notices which Dr. Hildreth glued onto the pages. Occasional photographs and dried botanicals are also glued to the pages, but these are much less common than the above additions.
Entries in the diaries indicate that while Dr. Hildreth was in Istanbul, Turkey, she traveled to Syria and the Black Sea and witnessed student riots and the institution of martial law. Entries during her two years in Beirut indicate that she traveled to Paris, Jerusalem, Syria, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran and Iraq. Also included are details on her experience in being airlifted out of Beirut and her resulting time in Athens during May and June 1967 (now called the Six Days’ War). The diaries from her time back in the United States cover her time in Demark, South Carolina teaching at Voorhees College and her travels through New England, Canada, and throughout other U.S. destinations.

Following the vast bulk of the collection (the appointment books and diaries) are folders that contain correspondence, microfilm and description of materials held at the Educational Testing Service, and three dimensional artifacts. The personal correspondence is to and from family and friends during her time overseas, and to and from students and North Central classmates from the late 1940s through her death. The Educational Testing Service materials have been microfilmed and copies of the reels of personal (as opposed to professional) materials were included with the donation. A guide of the entire ETS holdings was also forwarded and is included here. The artifacts are largely awards and teaching licenses received and Dr. Hildreth’s expired passports. The final item in this series is a remembrance book used at a memorial service held following her death.

Acquisition Note: These journals were arranged and refoldered by the Educational Testing Service as part of their processing of Gertrude Hildreth’s professional and personal papers. ETS determined that this series of records was out of the scope of its collection and the appointment books and diaries were returned to Dr. Hildreth’s niece, Constance Young Root. Mrs. Root donated these materials to the North Central College Archives in August 2005.

Physical Note: The diaries in this series range from very small annual appointment books that could be carried in a pocket to larger spiral bound notebooks or composition books. Loose papers are often tucked into the diaries. The diaries also contain original artwork by Dr. Hildreth in pencil, watercolor, ink, and colored pencil. Dr. Hildreth also glued news clippings, menus, postage stamps, letters, and dried botanicals into her diaries. Many are still attached to their original site, but the glue’s failure in other cases has resulted in some loose items. The loose items have been left in their original location as much as possible in order to maintain its context.

Box 1
Folder
1. Appointment Books, 1911, 1913-1916
2. Appointment Books, 1917-1921
3. Appointment Books, 1922-1925
4. Appointment Books, 1926-1930
5. Appointment Books, 1931-1935
6. Appointment Books, 1936-1939
7. Appointment Books, 1940-1945
8. Appointment Books, 1946-1951
9. Appointment Books, 1952-1957
10. Appointment Books, 1958-1963
11. Appointment Books, 1964
12. Appointment Books, 1965-1967
13. Appointment Books, 1968-1970
14. Appointment Books, 1971-1973
15. Appointment Books, 1974-1977
16. Diaries-September 4-28, 1959 (trip to Istanbul, Turkey) (loose pages)
17. Diaries-September 28, 1959-November 12, 1959 (Istanbul, Turkey)
18. Diaries-November 13, 1959-February 9, 1960 (Istanbul, Turkey)
19. Diaries-February 10, 1960-April 21, 1960 (Istanbul, Turkey)
20. Diaries-April 22, 1960-June 4, 1960 (Istanbul, Turkey)
21. Diaries-June 4, 1960-July 6, 1960 (Istanbul, Turkey; Black Sea cruise)
22. Diaries-July 7, 1960-August 7, 1960 (Istanbul, Turkey; Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
23. Diaries-September 10, 1963-January 5, 1964 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
24. Diaries-January 12, 1963-August 25, 1963 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
25. Diaries-January 26, 1964-June 17, 1964 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
26. Diaries-June 28, 1964-August 29, 1964 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
27. Diaries-
a. September 1, 1964-September 8, 1964 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York; departure for Beirut, Lebanon)
b. September 8, 1964-September 17, 1964 (Paris, France; Beirut, Lebanon)
c. September 17, 1964-October 7, 1964 (Beirut, Lebanon)
28. Diaries-October 7, 1964-October 23, 1964 (Beirut, Lebanon)
29. Diaries-October 24, 1964-December 17, 1964 (Beirut, Lebanon; Jerusalem, Israel)
30. Diaries-December 18, 1964-February 10, 1965 (Beirut, Lebanon)
31. Diaries-February 11, 1965-April 13, 1965 (Beirut, Lebanon)
32. Diaries-April 16-23, 1965 (United Church of Christ trip to Syria)
33. Diaries-April 13, 1965-June 5, 1965 (Syria; Beirut, Lebanon)

Box 2
Folder
1. Diaries-June 4, 1965-July 3, 1965 (Beirut, Lebanon)
2. Diaries-July 4, 1965-July 9, 1965 (Istanbul, Turkey; departure for trip to Russia)
3. Diaries-July 9-July 14, 1965 (trip to Russia via Bulgaria)
4. Diaries-July 15, 1965-July 20, 1965 (Leningrad and Kiev, Russia)
5. Diaries-July 20, 1965-August 15, 1965 (Kiev and Yalta, Russia; return to Istanbul, Turkey via Romania and Bulgaria)
6. Diaries-August 15, 1965-October 28, 1965 (Istanbul, Turkey; Beirut, Lebanon)
7. Diaries-October 28, 1965-February 4, 1966 (Beirut, Lebanon)
8. Diaries-American University of Beirut Grade Book 1966, 1967, 1968
9. Diaries-February 5, 1966-May 7, 1966 (Beirut, Lebanon)
10. Diaries-May 7, 1966-July 7, 1966 (Beirut, Lebanon; Syria; Paris, France)
11. Diaries-July 7, 1966-July 16, 1966 (Paris, France) (loose pages)
12. Diaries-July 17, 1966-September 13, 1966 (Paris, France; Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
13. Diaries-September 13, 1966-November 29, 1966 (Beirut, Lebanon)
14. Diaries-December 1, 1966-February 26, 1967 (Beirut, Lebanon)
15. Diaries-December 24-31, 1966 (trip to Iran)
16. Diaries-February 10-15, 1967 (trip to Saudi Arabia)
17. Diaries-February 27, 1967-May 14, 1967 (Beirut, Lebanon)
18. Diaries-March 22-26, 1967 (trip to Egypt)
19. Diaries-May 15, 1967-June 25, 1967 (Beirut, Lebanon; Athens, Greece)
20. Diaries-June 25, 1967-July 28, 1967 (Athens, Greece; Beirut, Lebanon)
21. Diaries-July 28, 1967-September 27, 1967 (Beirut, Lebanon)
22. Diaries-September 28, 1967-February 1, 1968 (Beirut, Lebanon)
23. Diaries-December 22-28, 1967 (trip to Baghdad)
24. Diaries-February 1, 1968-May 27, 1968 (Beirut, Lebanon)
25. Diaries-April 13-22, 1968 (trip to Zackle and Chtaura, Lebanon)
26. Diaries-May 28, 1968-November 10, 1968 (Beirut, Lebanon; Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
27. Diaries-June 19-July 2, 1968 (trip to Moscow)
28. Diaries-November 11, 1968-June 22, 1969 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
29. Diaries-June 23-October 19, 1969 (Denmark, South Carolina)
30. Diaries-July 9-29, 1969 (trip to Canada)
31. Diaries-October 19, 1969-December 30, 1969 (Denmark, South Carolina)
32. Diaries-December 30, 1969-March 15, 1970 (Denmark, South Carolina)
33. Diaries-March 15, 1970-June 21, 1970 (Denmark, South Carolina)
34. Diaries-June 22, 1970-October 15, 1970 (Denmark, South Carolina)
35. Diaries-August 1970 (trip to Bridgehampton, New York)
36. Diaries-October 17, 1970-February 21, 1971 (Denmark, South Carolina)
37. Diaries-February 22, 1971-May 26, 1971 (Denmark, South Carolina) (loose pages in middle of volume)
38. Diaries-May 29, 1971-July 4, 1971 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
39. Diaries-July 3, 1971-October 7, 1971 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York) (loose pages at back of volume)
40. Diaries-October 10, 1971-January 31, 1972 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
41. Diaries-January 31, 1972-June 30, 1972 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
42. Diaries-July 1, 1972-December 29, 1972 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)

Box 3
Folder
1. Diaries-December 30, 1972-June 19, 1973 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
2. Diaries-June 20, 1973-October 31, 1973 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
3. Diaries-November 1, 1973-March 13, 1974 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
4. Diaries-March 14, 1974-September 16, 1974 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York) (loose pages at back of volume from April 1974 trip to South Carolina and September 1974 trip to the Hamptons)
5. Diaries-September 18, 1974-May 2, 1975 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
6. Diaries-May 3, 1975-February 16, 1976 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York) (loosed pages at back of volume from August 1975 trip to Saratoga Springs and November 1975 trip to Baltimore and Washington, D. C.)
7. Diaries-January 17, 1976-August 10, 1976 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
8. Diaries-August 11, 1976-March 24, 1977 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York) (loose pages at back of volume from September 1976 trip to Washington)
9. Diaries-March 24, 1977-August 4, 1977 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
10. Diaries-August 5, 1977-January 22, 1978 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
11. Diaries-November 1977 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York) (loose pages)
12. Diaries-January 22, 1978-June 3, 1978 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
13. Diaries-June 4, 1978-October 20, 1978 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
14. Diaries-October 21, 1978-January 10, 1979 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
15. Diaries-January 11, 1979-April 16, 1979 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
16. Diaries-April 17, 1979-August 26, 1979 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
17. Diaries-August 26, 1979-December 22, 1979 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
18. Diaries-December 23, 1979-November 16, 1980 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
19. Diaries-November 16, 1980-October 21, 1981 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
20. Diaries-October 22, 1981-August 6, 1982 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
21. Diaries-August 8, 1982-December 10, 1982 (Sea Cliff, Long Island, New York)
22. Educational Testing Service-Guide to Collection, 1987
23. Educational Testing Service-Microfilms of Personal Correspondence Series, 1902-1948
24. Letters Received from Friends and Students, 1946-1977
25. Letters to Family, 1965-1968
26. Letters to Friends, 1964-1968
27. Letters to North Central College Classmates, 1949-1982
28. News Clippings, 1937-1977
29. Artifacts-Awards, Certificates, and Licenses, 1928-1977
30. Artifacts-Commencement Programs, 1916-1920
31. Artifacts-North Central College Distinguished Alumnus Award, 1961
32. Artifacts-North Central College Honorary Doctor of Science, 1955
33. Artifacts-Passports, 1929, 1959, 1964
34. Artifacts-Remembrance Book, 1984