John Edward McGilvrey papers

Finding Aid

Prepared by Katy L. Watts, December 14, 2005; Updated March 2022

Inclusive Dates: 1890-1945
Bulk Dates: 1912-1940
Extent: 3.5 cubic feet (4 document cases, 2 flat oversized boxes)
Physical Location: 11th floor

Biographical Note: John Edward McGilvrey was born on January 8, 1867. After graduating from The Indiana State Normal School in 1892, McGilvrey married Mary Kelly on June 6, 1894. Later, McGilvrey received his Bachelor of Arts and Sciences degree in philosophy from Indiana University in 1895 and an honorary Doctorate in philosophy from Miami University of Oxford in 1915. Before being selected as the first President of Kent State Normal School in 1911, John McGilvrey held a variety of positions in the field of education. He first served as a professor of education at Illinois University and later accepted the post as principal of Cleveland Normal School in 1899. After serving in that capacity for nine years, McGilvrey accepted a position as the headmaster of a boys' home in Hudson, Ohio before being chosen as the head of the education department at Western Illinois Normal School in 1911.

Shortly after, McGilvrey was selected as the President of Kent State Normal School and served in that position from his residence in Illinois during his first year in order to still serve Western Illinois State Normal School. During this time, McGilvrey implemented extension systems at both schools, which became his most important contribution to the field of education. This allowed for Kent State Normal School to establish a curriculum before the main campus was opened for classes in 1913. Extension programs authorized students to take classes at different locations throughout Ohio and receive credit through Kent State Normal School. Also, McGilvrey increased school enrollment and led the transition from normal school to normal college. He created Educational Summer Tours which permitted students to receive college credit for class trips, pushed for stronger summer term curricula to increase attendance, fought for and succeeded in having nine buildings built on front campus, and created correspondence courses for college credit.

McGilvrey's battle over state allocated funds with The Ohio State University, which received the largest amount of funding despite northeastern Ohio having the largest regional population in 1923, led to high tension between state universities and was one of the reasons that Kent State's Board of Trustees decided to fire him in 1926. After leaving Kent State, McGilvrey and his son, Robert, owned and maintained the Kent Silver Fox Farm. Later in 1934, McGilvrey was granted the title of President Emeritus by the University and was charged to head alumni relations. In his endeavors with alumni, McGilvrey fought for offering athletic scholarships and transforming the college into a university. McGilvrey's dream of Kent State becoming a university became reality when the State of Ohio Legislature passed a bill in 1935. McGilvrey's last major contribution to the University was raising funds to build a new science building, McGilvrey Hall, that was named in his honor on July 20, 1940. John McGilvrey died on October 3, 1945 at the age of 78.

Scope and Content: This collection contains materials documenting the early history of Kent State, as well as documents pertaining to the evolution of collegiate education reform in the early 20th century. Kent State materials include dance cards, songbooks, and postcards. Educational reform materials consist of legislative documents, correspondence, and financial appropriation charts. Also, photographs in the collection depict professional and student life at Kent State, most dating from 1912-1919. Personal materials of John McGilvrey in this collection include diplomas, business records, and a marriage certificate. Many materials in this collection were originally placed in a series of scrapbooks kept by the late president. Documents and photographs were removed from the scrapbook for preservation purposes; newsclippings from the scrapbooks are partially or completely intact.

Note: More information on the life of John E. McGilvrey can be found in the book, The Years of Youth: Kent State University, 1910-1960, which is catalogued in KentLINK.

Arrangement: The collection is organized into the following series.

Series 1: Professional and Personal Materials
Scope and Content: Items within this series include documents and memorabilia pertaining to McGilvrey's professional positions in the field of education, and documents concerning his silver fox farm business. The majority of this series consists of Kent State materials that cover student life, adminstration, faculty and staff, collegiate events, and political issues involving the school; these documents date from 1912-1945.

Series 2: Photographs
Scope and Content: The majority of photographs document Kent State Normal College, with the exception of one photograph of McGilvrey's silver fox farm. Most Kent State photos date from 1912-1919; these photographs depict extension classes, head shots of students, faculty pictures, and pictures of campus buildings.

Series 3: Oversized Materials
Scope and Content: Materials in this series include college diplomas of John McGilvrey and his wife, Mary (Reed) McGilvrey, which date from 1894-1915. Other notable items are the couple's marriage license and a panoramic postcard of Kent State Normal College faculty, staff, and students, dated 1922. Also, a printing plate of McGilvrey's silver fox farm is present in this series.

Series 1: Professional and Personal Materials

Box 1
Folder -- Contents

1. A School Man's Code of Ethics by William Trufant Foster, undated
2. Correspondence: Jennie Foster Curry to John McGilvrey, September 23, 1938
3. Flyer: 86th General Assembly of the State of Ohio for Appropriations, 1925-1927
4. Indiana University: Page From Booklet Celebrating John McGilvrey as One of Fifteen Alumni Serving as a University President, undated
5. Kent State: Alumni Association Membership Form, [1920?]
6. Kent State: Alumni Notices, 1921 and 1924
7. Kent State: "Alumni Organize in Cities, Counties, Join Former Students," Kent State Alumnus, undated
8. Kent State: "Alumnus Proposes Kent University," Kent State Alumnus, by Walter A. Jantz, First Editor of The Searchlight, January 22, 1935
9. Kent State: An Educational Miracle! Kent State Normal College Reorganized Within Three Months by an Acting President Without Normal School Experience, 1925
10. Kent State: Announcements and Letters to Male Students From R. E. Manchester, Advisor to Men Students, undated
11. Kent State: Articles About John McGlivrey, 1934 and 1939
12. Kent State: Articles Relating to Making Kent State a University, 1934-1935
13. Kent State: Blueprint of Dining Room Table for Normal School, undated
14. Kent State: Catalog Order Form: Kent State Normal College Quarterly, Summer 1922
15. Kent State: Chart: Comparative Enrollment of the Five State Universities in Ohio As of October 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938
16. Kent State: Chart: Ohio Public School System, [1938?]
17. Kent State: Chart: Per Student Appropriations for Teaching Service, 1939
18. Kent State: Chart: Per Student Appropriations with Resultant Average Salaries, 1938
19. Kent State: Correspondence, 1938-1939
20. Kent State: Correspondence: Alumni Council to State Government, April 1939
21. Kent State: Dance Cards: New Gymnasium Dedication Dance, May 16, 1925
22. Kent State: Description of Ohio House Bill Number 522 to Enlarge Powers of Kent State Normal School, 1923
23. Kent State: Educational Summer Tours: Brochures, [various dates]
24. Kent State: Educational Summer Tours: Correspondence, 1924 and 1926
25. Kent State: Educational Summer Tours: Certificate and Reservation Form, undated and 1925
26. Kent State: Educational Summer Tours: Flyers, 1924 and 1926
27. Kent State: Faculty Rating and Library Equipment of Kent State University and the Twelve Colleges Approved by the Association of American Universities at the Time Kent State's Application Was Recently Refused, undated
28. Kent State: Field Course Announcement for Geography 30, undated
29. Kent State: Field Relations Committee Correspondence, 1921-1922
30. Kent State: Flyer Proposing More Funding For Kent State, undated
31. Kent State: Homecoming News Announcements, 1924 and 1925
32. Kent State: Invitation to Dedication of Gymnasium [Will's Gym?], 1925
33. Kent State: Invitation to Visit Kent State Normal College to Discuss Future Teachers with the Committee on Appointments, undated
34. Kent State: Kent Alumnus Newsletter Featuring "University Mourns Death of McGilvrey, First KSU Head and President Emeritus," November 1945
35. Kent State: Kent State Normal College Bulletin Number 52 Announcing Class Extension and Home Study Programs, July 1925
36. Kent State: Kent State Normal College Homecoming Announcement to Alumni, undated
37. Kent State: Kent State Normal College and Popular Songs Booklet, undated
38. Kent State: Kent State Normal College Preliminary Announcement of Summer Session, 1926
39. Kent State: Kent State College Quarterly, Department of Extension Visiting Lecturers Brochure, undated
40. Kent State: Legislative History of Ohio Senate Bill Number 70, 1929
41. Kent State: Letter to Kent State Normal College Alumni, 1923-1924
42. Kent State: Library Informational Flyer, undated
43. Kent State: Magazine Clipping of Architect's Original Vision of Kent State Normal School, 1915
44. Kent State: Magazine Clipping of Front Campus, undated
45. Kent State: Magazine Clipping of Hand-drawn Sketch of Lowry Hall, undated
46. Kent State: Magazine Clipping of Kent Hall, undated
47. Kent State: Magazine Clipping of Library in Administration Building (Present Day Auditorium), undated
48. Kent State: Magazine Clippings of Walkways on Front Campus, undated
49. Kent State: Notice to Students About Attendance, undated
50. Kent State: List of Officers of Student Organizations, 1919-1920
51. Kent State: Ohio Legislative Amendment of 91st General Assembly to Officially Name Kent State a University, 1935
52. Kent State: Ohio Legislative Amendment of 91st General Assembly to Allow for Kent State University to Create College Courses at a University Level, 1935
53. Kent State: Ohio Senate Roll Call and Senate Voting Roster on Kent State Amendment to Name the College Kent State University, 1937-1938
54. Kent State: Organization Permit for Use of a Building or Room, undated
55. Kent State: Page from Book, Chart of Kent's Growth, [1924-1925?]
56. Kent State: Page from Unknown Book Describing Attendance in 1915-1920, undated
57. Kent State: Painting of Merrill Hall Featured in The Kentonian, October 1922
58. Kent State: Postcard: Class of 1919 Monument Rock, 1919
59. Kent State: Postcard: Columbiana County Normal School Students, 1916
60. Kent State: Postcard: Crowd Planting Ivy, undated
61. Kent State: Postcard: Graduates Marching to Tree, undated
62. Kent State: Postcard: Post's Band, Kent, Ohio, G. Frank Elger, Director, undated
63. Kent State: Postcard: School Students at [Hardy Levy?] Model School Laying a Walkway With Old Brick, undated
64. Kent State: Postcard: Seventh Grade Class, undated
65. Kent State: Postcards: Unknown Events, undated
66. Kent State: Postcards: Walden Hall (Later Named Lowry Hall), 1913 and undated
67. Kent State: Poster: Kent State University Should Establish a College of Industry, undated
68. Kent State: "President's Column: Graduate Study in Kent," by J. O. Engleman, Kent State Alumnus, undated
69. Kent State: Presidential Correspondence, 1912-1925
70. Kent State: Program Objectives and Four-Year Course Schedule: New School of Physical and Health Education and Athletic Coaching, undated
71. Kent State: Postcard and Medical History Form: Department of Physical and Health Education, undated
72. Kent State: Program: Portage County Teachers Institute, August 29-September 2, 1921
73. Kent State: Regulations Adopted By Women Students of K.S.N., December 1915

Box 2
Folder -- Contents

1. Kent State: Report: The Ohio Tax Supported Colleges of Art and Education: A Report of the Joint Educational Committee Appointed by the Executives of Said Institutions, February 9, 1923
2. Kent State: Reservation Cards for Kent State Luncheons, April and October 1924
3. Kent State: Somethings Concerning Kent State Normal College of Interests to the People of Ohio In General; The People of North Eastern Ohio In Particular; And Educators Everywhere, undated
4. Kent State: "Stepchild at Kent," Reprinted from the Akron Beacon Journal, April 9, 1939
5. Kent State: Ticket: Gymnasium Dedication Ball, May 16, 1925
6. Land Lease From Stella Reed to G.H. Reed, September 12, 1922
7. National Sabbatical Leave Association: Blank Letterhead Featuring John E. McGilvrey as President, undated
8. Newsclippings: Death of John McGilvrey, October 4, 1945
9. Newsclippings: Dedication of McGilvrey Hall, 1940
10. Newsclippings: Events at Kent State, [various dates]
11. Newsclippings: John McGilvrey Honored as President Emeritus, 1934
12. Newsclippings: John McGilvrey Leaving Presidential Office, 1923-1926
13. Newsclippings: Kent State Administration, [various dates]
14. Newsclippings: Kent State Faculty and Staff, [various dates]
15. Newsclippings: Kent State Homecoming and Alumni, [various dates]
16. Newsclippings: Kent State Sports, undated
17. Newsclippings: Kent State Student Life, [various dates]
18. Northeastern Ohio Teachers Association: Announcement and Invitation, October 1924
19. Northeastern Ohio Teachers Association: Fall Meeting Program, October 24-25, 1924
20. Northeastern Ohio Teachers Association: Fall Meeting Program, November 2-3, 1923
21. Northeastern Ohio Teachers Association: Flyer, undated
22. Obituary: Typed Copy of Obituary, undated
23. Poem: The Thinker by Berton Braley, undated
24. Political Poster and Sketch: Shift in Ohio Population, 1900-1930, undated
25. Report: Report on the Nature of the Work Succeeding a Lesson in Training Schools by J. E. McGilvrey, 1890
26. Scrapbook: Captions from John McGilvrey's Scrapbook, undated
27. Silver Fox Farms: Agreement for Exchange of Property, February 21, 1927
28. Silver Fox Farms: Check Stubs to Robert G. McGilvrey from Ray L. McNair, May 9, 1927
29. Silver Fox Farms: Correspondence and Check Stubs, 1927-1930
30. Silver Fox Farms: Deed, December 17, 1927
31. Silver Fox Farms: Kent Silver Fox Farms Envelope Addressed to Roy L. McNair, undated
32. Silver Fox Farms: Lease Agreement for John McGilvrey's Twin Lakes Silver Fox Farm to Reside on Land of Carl and Bessie Curtis, February 12, 1925
33. Silver Fox Farms: List of Foxes, undated
34. Western Illinois State Normal School: Board of Trustees Minutes, June 6, 1912
35. Western Illinois State Normal School: Book Pages from Yearbook of John McGilvrey and the School, 1912

Series 2: Photographs

Processing Information: Photo captions have been provided by Special Collections staff.

Box 3
Folder -- Contents

1. Administration Building and Kent Hall, undated
2. Aerial View of Front Campus, undated
3. Aerial View of Front Campus Featured in The Kentonian, October 1924
4. Alex Whyte Working at Blackbird Lake, [before 1923]
5. Alumni at Kent State Normal College Homecoming, February 1922
6. [Arnie Stuart?], Normal Inn, undated
7. Arville O. DeWeese, Department Head of Health Education and Athletic Coaching (Later University Physician), [1924-1925?]
8. Auburn Center Experiment Field, [1913-1914?]
9. [Auburn Center Experiment Field?], undated
10. Auditorium Stage in Administration Building (Present Day Auditorium Building), undated
11. [Front Campus Before Halls Built?], undated
12. Cast, ["As You Like It"?], [1918?]
13. Charlestown Township, Portage County, Ohio, School Building, [1915-1916?]
14. Charlotte Kemper, Senior Class Treasurer, 1919
15. Chart: Kent State Normal College Distribution of Graduates: 1914-To Date, undated
16. Chart: Kent State Normal College Enrollment: 1913-Present, [1920?]
17. Chart: Kent State Normal College Enrollment: 1913-To Date, [1922?]
18. [Chemistry Class?], undated
19. Chemistry Laboratory Class, 1917
20. Children Walking to Horse Drawn Buses, undated
21. Class in Front of One-room Schoolhouse at Brady Lake, Portage County, Ohio, undated
22. Class in Front of One-room Schoolhouse in Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio, [1914?]
23. [Class Making Ham Amateur Radios?], undated
24. Clinton S. Van Deusen, Manual Training Department, [1923?]
25. Dirt Road in Front of Merrill Hall, [before 1919]
26. Dorothy Bird, Senior Class Student, 1919
27. Dorothy E. Haessly, Senior Class Student, 1919
28. Elementary School Students Ice Skating on Blackbird Lake, [before 1923]
29. Elementary Students Planting Garden on Front Campus by East Main Street Across From the Normal Inn, [1915?]
30. Elementary Students Playing on Front Campus Across from The Normal Inn on East Main Street, undated
31. Elementary Students Sweeping Snow Off Blackbird Lake, [before 1923]
32. Elementary Students Taking a Class in Domestic Science Department, undated
33. Elenor Ann Meyer, History and Social Science Department, [1923?]
34. Extension Class, Alliance, Stark County, Ohio, 1912
35. Extension Class, Lorain , Lorain County, Ohio, 1912
36. Extension Class, Canton, Stark County, Ohio, 1912
37. Extension Class, Kent, Portage County, Ohio, 1912
38. [Extension Class?], Alliance, Stark County, Ohio, 1912
39. [Extension Class?], Canton, Ohio, 1912
40. [Extension Class?], Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, 1912
41. [Extension Class?], East Cleveland and Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga County, Ohio, December 4, 1912
42. [Extension Class?], East Liverpool, Columbiana County, Ohio, 1912
43. [Extension Class?], Fairport Harbor, Lake County, Ohio, 1912
44. [Extension Class?], Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, 1912
45. F. Ward, undated
46. Faculty and Normal School Students Clearing a Tract of Land, [1913-1915?]
47. [Faculty?] Members Holding Flags, undated
48. Female Students in Front of Lowry Hall, undated
49. First Grade Class Finding An Oriole's Nest on Front Campus, undated
50. First Grade Class' First Day's Work on Their Garden on Front Campus Along East Main Street, [1913-1915?]
51. First Grade Students Working in Garden On Front Campus, [1913-1915?]
52. Flag Day Ceremony, 1919
53. Floor Plan: Kent State Normal School Dormitory, Second Floor, undated
54. Floor Plan: Science Hall (Present Day Kent Hall), undated
55. Foyer and Community Living Area of Lowry Hall, undated
56. Front Campus Grounds from Top of Campus Building, undated
57. Front Campus in the Winter, undated
58. Gertrude Daugherty, Normal School Student, 1916
59. Graduating Classes, undated
60. [Groundbreaking Ceremony of Franklin Hall?], [1925-1926?]
61. Grounds of Front Campus, undated
62. Grounds of Front Campus with Dirt Paths, [before 1919]
63. Group Photograph of Faculty, 1918
64. [Group of Students Walking Together in Downtown Kent?], undated
65. Hand-Drawn Sketch of University Auditorium (on photographic paper), undated
66. Heating Plant on Campus, undated
67. Ida C. Jacobson, Training School Teacher, [1923?]
68. Isabelle Hazen, Training School Teacher, [1923?]
69. Interior of Will's Gymnasium, undated
70. John E. McGilvrey in Commencement Cap and Gown, undated
71. John E. McGilvrey in Front of Library Stacks, [1934]
72. John E. McGilvrey Standing With [Extension Class?], Niles, Trumbull County, Ohio, 1912
73. Kent Hall, undated
74. Kent State Normal College Dinner Event With Movie Projectoe, undated
75. LaRue Buchman, undated
76. Live Wire Girls Basketball Team, 1917
77. Lowry Hall, undated
78. Lowry Hall in Background of Front Campus, [1912-1913?]

Box 4
Folder -- Contents

1. Manual Arts Class, undated
2. Manual Arts Class Making Harnesses, undated
3. Manual Training Station in the Cloakroom of a One-Room Schoolhouse in Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio, [1914?]
4. Margery Brandt, Senior Class Vice President, 1919
5. May H. Prentice, [1923?]
6. Mechanical Drawing Class, 1922
7. Merrill Hall, undated
8. Merrill Hall and Administration Building, undated
9. Merrill Hall, Administration Building, and Kent Hall, undated
10. [Moonlight Drive?], 1915
11. Moulton Hall, undated
12. [Moulton Hall Dormitory Room?], undated
13. Moulton Hall, Lowry Hall, Merrill Hall, Administration Building, and Kent Hall, undated
14. Nina S. Humphrey, Art Department, 1919
15. Normal School Students and Faculty Cleaning Tract of Land, undated
16. Ohio Wesleyan Club, [1917?]
17. Opera Tenor, Theo Karle, [1920's?]
18. Ora Belle Bachman, Music Department, [1923?]
19. Paris Township, Portage County, Ohio, High School, undated
20. Primary and Secondary Students and Teachers on Steps of Merrill Hall, undated
21. Ravenna Township, Portage County, Ohio, School Building, undated
22. [River in Downtown Kent?], undated
23. Rose Link, President of Women's League and House Chairman of Moulton Hall, undated
24. Scene From School Play, Princess Kiki, 1917
25. Science Professor Sylvester Hopkins with Class, undated
26. Shed and Tent on Blackbird Lake in Winter, [before 1923]
27. Side Stairs Leading Into Auditorium Building, undated
28. Side Views of Moulton and Lowry Halls, undated
29. Sidewalk on Front Campus, 1922
30. Silver Fox Farm, undated
31. [Students At Brady Lake?], undated
32. Students Conversing on Front Campus Between the Tabernacle and Merrill Hall, undated
33. Students Cooking in Domestic Arts Class, undated
34. Students Creating Silent Film, Kent Adopts a Baby, [1922?]
35. Students in Front of Paris Township High School, Portage County, Ohio, undated
36. [Students in String Instrument Class?], undated
37. Students Sitting at a Dining Room Table in the Household Arts Department, 1917
38. Students and Staff Standing in Front of Merrill Hall, undated
39. Students with Dolls Made in Sewing Class, 1917
40. Third and Fourth Grade Classes Putting Homemade Birdhouses Up on Front Campus, 1914
41. Tille Kessler, undated
42. Two Male [Students?] Sitting on the Steps of Merrill Hall, undated
43. Two Men Walking on Front Campus, undated
44. Two Women Walking Across Blackbird Lake, [before 1923]
45. United States Senate Buidling, undated
46. Unknown Buildings, undated
47. Unknown Dinner Event, undated
48. Unknown Events [Orientation or Ivy Planting Ceremony?], undated
49. Unknown [Extension Class?], undated
50. Unknown Group in Front of Lowry Hall, undated
51. Unknown Man Sitting at Office Desk, undated
52. Unknown Man Standing on Steps on Front Campus, undated
53. [Unknown Men Using Horse Drawn Plow in Front Campus?], [no date?]
54. Unknown Parade on Campus and City of Kent, [1917-1919?]
55. Unknown Students in Front of Schoolhouses, undated
56. Unknown Woman Standing in Front of House, undated
57. View of University Auditorium from the Balcony, undated
58. View of University Auditorium from the Stage, undated
59. Walkway Along Back of Administration Building (Present Day Auditorium), undated
60. Wayne County Students, Summer 1919
61. Wills Gymnasium Construction, 1924
62. Women's Dormitory Dining Room in Lowry Hall, [1914?]
63. Women's League Dedicating Tree in Honor of Madame Curie, May 26, 1921

Series 3: Oversized Materials

Box 5
Folder -- Contents

1. Printing Plate: Silver Fox Farms Kennels, undated
2. Chart: Summer Enrollment Among Ohio Colleges, 1913-1935
3. Poster: Higher Education in Ohio: Favors the Southern Half of the State at the Expense of the Northern Half of the State, [1918?]
4. Articles of Incorporation: National Sabbatical Leave Association, September 20, 1926
5. The Kent Stater: "Special McGilvrey Edition," Friday, July 19, 1940
6. Membership Certificate to J. E. McGilvrey by the American Flag and Betsy Ross Memorial Association, 1913
7. Newsclipping: The Kent Stater, undated
8. Postcard: Kent State Normal College, Kent, Ohio, 1922
9. Roll of Honor and National Endowment Fund to Maintain the Birthplace of Old Glory, American Flag House and Betsy Ross Memorial Association, undated
10. Diploma: Bachelor of Arts Awarded to Mary McGilvrey by the University of Illinois, June 14, 1894
11. Diploma: Bachelor of Arts Degree in Philosophy Awarded to J. E. McGilvrey by Indiana University, June 19, 1895
12. Diploma: Two-Year Education Degree to J. E. McGilvrey by Indiana State Normal School, June 30, 1892
13. Diploma: Two-Year Education Degree to Mary Kelly by Indiana State Normal School, June 29, 1894
14. Honorary Diploma: Ph.D. in Philosophy Awarded to John Edward McGilvrey by Miami University at Oxford, June [10?], 1915
15. Marriage License: John E. McGilvrey and Mary Kelly, Terre Haute, Indiana, June 6, 1894

Box 6
Contents

1. McGilvrey Scrapbook Materials, 1911-1934
   Scope and Content: Additional materials apparently removed from a large scrapbook, including a variety of historical items created by and about Kent State University and McGilvrey. Contents include correspondence, typescripts of clippings, a photograph of front campus showing old cars and people walking around, floor plans for early buildings, schedules and class programs, an early homecoming poster advertising a "Base Ball" game and other attractions, KSNS educational tours, political posters about higher education in Ohio and Kent State's "growing pains," and a store sign noting store closure for special KSU ground breaking event.