Lestle Sparks Collection

The Lestle Sparks Willamette Student World War II Correspondence collection contains letters written to and from Willamette students serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. In general, the students thanked Sparks for college newspapers sent by the athletic department and recounted their efforts to exercise and play their favorite sports while in the service. Often students were unable to indicate their current location or assignment, however, some letters contain candid depictions of military life.

Lestle J. Sparks was born on May 3, 1897 in Seaz, Arkansas. Sparks was associated with Willamette University for 64 years spanning his enrollment in 1915 to his death in 1979. Sparks graduated from Willamette in 1919 with a degree in Chemistry. Shortly after graduation he began teaching at Coquille High School near Bandon, Oregon. In 1921 Sparks returned to Salem and taught Chemistry and Physical Education at Salem High School.

In 1923 Sparks was offered a full-time teaching position with Willamette University. Sparks began as an Assistant Professor of Physical Education and was soon promoted to Associate Professor, eventually Sparks became Head of the Physical Education Department. At various times throughout his career, Sparks served as head coach of the football, basketball, track and tennis teams. Although he retired as a member of Willamette’s faculty in 1962, Sparks continued coaching tennis until 1974. Sparks died at the age of 82 in 1979.

Upon Sparks’ death, his wife, Marion Linn Sparks ’22 and his daughter, Marion Sparks DaBoll ’51 found an unlabeled box in his office containing correspondence. Unknown to his family, these letters were sent to and from Willamette students serving in the U.S. armed forces during World War II.

To view this collection visit:

http://libmedia.willamette.edu/cview/archives.html#!doc:page:eads/4884


Edible Book Festival, April 1st

Do you like food? Books? How about edible books? The library is hosting its fifth annual Edible Book Festival in the Hatfield Room on April 1st, and you are invited to participate!

“War and Peas” by Alice French

“War and Peas” by Alice French

An edible book is a dish inspired by any book, whether your inspiration be the title, the characters in it, plot points, or really anything. The only limits on your creation are that it must be made of mostly food and must be inspired by a book of some kind. We’ll have an example on display in the library soon, or you can check here for examples and inspiration to get your creativity flowing!

If you find yourself with a brilliant idea, bring your edible book to the Hatfield Room between 8:00am and 1:00pm on April 1st. We are excited to see more of your wonderful creations this year!

Drop off entries by 1pm in the Hatfield Room.

8-1pm and 2-4:30pm – Public voting & viewing times

1-2pm – Judging panel votes

4:30pm – Awards ceremony & light refreshments

Prizes will be awarded for the People’s Choice, the Most Literary, the Most Creative, the Punniest, and the Best Student Entry.

Please contact Carol Drost for any questions at cdrost@willamette.edu (503-370-6715).  The following link opens a PDF poster which contains all of the details of the upcoming event: ediblebooks-poster.pdf

edible-book-festival-2016-lg


Diary of Janette McCalley Stowell

JanetteStowell-Mrs.GeoJanette McCalley was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland on January 29, 1847. She came to America with her parents in 1851 and the family moved to Salem, Oregon in 1859. Janette McCalley graduated from Willamette University with a B.S. in 1865 and taught for a time in the Preparatory Course at Willamette University. She married George Stowell on February 20, 1870 in Springfield, Oregon. She and George had four children.

By 1888, the Stowell family had moved to Corbett Street in Portland, Oregon. In January, 1890, Janette Stowell began a diary which she kept, in an irregular fashion, until 1906. She died on February 4, 1916, and was survived by her husband, and three of her four children.

Collection Description

Janette McCalley Stowell’s journal retains original order.  It can be viewed at:
http://libmedia.willamette.edu/cview/archives.html#!doc:page:manuscripts/2744/cpd/0/75/0

Janette Stowell was a graduate of Willamette University and a member of the teaching staff at that university before her marriage. Her diary details her family’s life at the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth in Portland, Oregon and Sitka, Alaska. She writes of keeping a garden and growing flowers, caring for her children, entertaining friends, going to church and her involvement in a branch of the Chautauqua Institute.

In February of 1890 the Portland area experienced a damaging flood which covered Ross Island and washed away many buildings and homes. Mrs. Stowell describes walking to where the family could see the flood waters covering Ross Island and watching debris pile up at the Ross Island Bridge.

In the late 1890s she joined a reading club and was more involved in growing roses. By 1900, after a break in the diary of two years, she reports the family is in Sitka, Alaska where her husband is working. The final entry in the diary is for August 25, 1906.


Vernor Martin Sackett Negatives, Archives Collection

Vernor Martin Sackett, Photographer

Vernor Martin Sackett, Photographer

The Vernor Martin Sackett Negatives Collection in Willamette’s Archives and Special Collections

This is a collection consists of photograph negatives taken by Vernor Sackett while he was a student at Willamette University and while he was serving in the military in Germany. The image of Willamette University are mainly about student life and activities at Willamette University during the 1920s. Sacket, his future wife Mary Notson, his brother Sheldon Sackett and Sheldon’s future wife Sadie Pratt are all featured. The five cubic feet of images also include trips Sackett made to various places in Oregon and Northern California as well as visits to family and friends. In addition, there are images of Germany taken when Sackett spent time there while serving in the United States Army.

Vernor Martin Sackett was born in Jefferson, Oregon in 1898 and graduated from Willamette University in 1922. Next to his portrait in the school yearbook, The Wallulah is the comment “He owns a whole flock of cameras that won’t eat anything but embarrassing situations. Sings a deep ’sonorous’ bass, sells pictures, trades kodaks….”

Vernon died in 1965, and was survived by his wife, Mary Notson Sackett, sister of Robert Notson.

hunting-expedition-thanksgiving-1919

A Hunting Expedition, Thanksgiving 1919

Chattin-girls-basketball

Girl’s Basketball Player, Chattin

new-lausanne

Lausanne Hall Construction

Fat-Zeller

“Fat” Zeller

squint-dave-flunkies

“Squint” & “Dave,” “Flunkies”

View this collection and the negatives online at:
http://libmedia.willamette.edu/cview/archives.html#!doc:page:eads/4979


Escape Fiction Display

escape-from-fiction-wu-reads-displayThroughout the month of January we will have up a display of fiction movies and books from our general collection.  There are classics and newbies to browse through.  The display is located on the first floor of the library, and all materials in it are available to be checked out.

Here are just a few titles that are in the temporary display:

DVDs

Astro Boy
The Mists of Avalon
Alien
Blade Runner
My Brother is from Another Planet
Tales of Earth Sea
Castle in the Sky
Riddick
District 9
Total Recall
Melancholia
Toy Story 3
Minority Report
Invasion of the Body Snatchers

escape-from-fiction-display

BOOKS

Watchmen
Harry Potter
The Lost Heir
The Hunger Games
Ink Heart
Goblin Secrets
Boy, Snow, Bird
300
Cloud Atlas
iRobot
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Sword in the Stone
The Hitch Hikers Trilogy
Watership Down

 

 


New Faculty Works Collection

faculty-researchThe Hatfield Library is beginning an exciting new project.  We are collecting digital copies of Willamette faculty research in our Academic Commons.  This includes past and current research papers other works.  It also includes data sets that Willamette Faculty may have created during their research process.

Here is a link to the current collections (click FACULTY RESEARCH on left side of screen): http://libmedia.willamette.edu/commons

Since these collections will be publicly available, faculty need to make sure that their publication contract allows for general public access.  If the faculty member is not sure, they should contact their publisher.  If the publisher does not allow for the final copy to be made publicly available, often times they allow pre-publication drafts instead, so this collection may include a number of pre-publication drafts too.

Once the faculty member has verified that it is okay to include their work in these collections, all you need to do is email a copy of your work to either Bill Kelm (bkelm@willamette.edu) or John Repplinger (jrepplin@willamette.edu).  They will upload it for the faculty member.  All Willamette faculty from all departments are encouraged to submit their publications in digital form to be included in these collections, so these collections will grow over time.

This is a wonderful way for faculty to get their publications and research work out there for others to read and use.  Students, current and prospective, may be interested in these works.

For questions about these collections, contact Bill Kelm (bkelm@willamette.edu), Systems Librarian or John Repplinger (jrepplin@willamette.edu), Science Librarian at Willamette University.