A Day in the Life of a UK Student: April 1-8, 1911

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LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 10, 2015)  In celebration of the University of Kentucky sesquicentennial, UK Special Collections Research Center is releasing the diary entries of former student Virginia Clay McClure. The diary chronicles the day-to-day activities of McClure's junior and senior years at the State University of Kentucky (now UK) from 1910-1912. McClure's 44th through 51st diary entries, dated April 1-8, 1911, tells of April Fools' Day hijinks, work on a gift, taking in a comedy, and a dinner party with friends.

April 1st.  Another of the contests where Addie and I always have a great time and almost disgrace ourselves. Dance on the way over, so are in great humor. Jessie Mit, Lillian, Addie, and I. Edna of course with Farmer. All necessary explanation on the programme. We send Mr. Tinsley a tissue paper note. In the afternoon Lillian, Addie, and I bummed. April fooled myself by leaving my pocket book at home and Lillian pays my bills. Addie stops at Warren’s for “Soap.” We all go to Edna’s room after the contest. She protests frantically that she has been imposed upon, but we demand the feast. She suspects me, but I am innocent. She screams when we start to haze her, we all hide in the closet. Mrs. Wallis doesn’t come, we’re disappointed. They decide to take me to the third floor and I resist. Addie has a delicious surprise feast, but don’t even think it was what the program says. Afterward Addie spends the night with me, and Sunday morn we go to church.

Inserted by the April 1, 1911, entry is a note that reads, “Miss Virginia McClure Be On Time! Big Feast in Room 38! At Ten O’Clock! Do not Mention it to a Soul even the Giver!” McClure also includes the feast “menu":  The Feast (That Edna Gave) 1. Pressed chicken with bread and butter 2. Jelly with same 3. Olives 4. Vanilla biscuit 5. Bananas 6. Peanut candy.

Mon. Apr. 3rd. Begin the new month by skipping Prof. Noe’s class on account of the rain. Crochet in the afternoon. Determined to finish Elizabeth’s pillow.

Apr. 4th.  Mr. Flynn at chapel. Much laughter. Exhibits Maude, the calves, (Which Addie and Jessie Mit wise to see) and says “steal apple.” Addie and I look for “Maria Stuart” in afternoon.

Apr. 5th.  Addie asks Zemmie to read German to us all the time and he consents!

Apr. 6th. I read over the lesson in Education! Keys initiate in evening and the wind is cold enough to freeze.

Apr. 7th.  Basket-ball sweaters at chapel. Lillian and I wait fifteen minutes for Addie and Mit, but they come not. We come home and dress for “One of the Eight.” All go to Schanges. First row in the balcony. Crowded house? Very good performance. Rain and no umbrellas. Harve Babb and Sylvan Price have many suggestions to make. Mr. Babb hails a street car and we all rush to it barely escaping an auto. Sylvan offers Addie his cap. Gallantly pays our carfare and we ride to Pat. Hall.

Inserted with the April 7, 1911, diary entry is a program for “One of the Eight,” which McClure took in at the Lexington Opera House

Everybody on a tare at supper. Lydia throws a potato at Therese. Ruth blows pepper. Finish my pillow in the evening and Addie writes up “Good-Times Book.” So do I!

Undated entry

How glad I am that I had it!!!!

Big joke! This ribbon has a meaning, but oh! I’ve forgotten what!

By the undated entry, McClure includes an invitation to the “Informal Dances given by the Battalion of Cadets” and a small blue ribbon.

Sat. Apr. 8th.  Went to see Elizabeth in her new apartments in the morning, and found this inside the door on my return. 

Included with this diary entry is a handwritten invitation that reads, “Fun! Well I should say!! Room 38 To-Night- Eleven O’Clock. Honest!! Come “Kimonoed” and be sure and have your story-telling caps on!!! April 8, 1911!”

Lillian, Jessie Mit, Addie, and I each got one. Did we make any noise? Did we tell any stories? Did anybody stay awake until one o’clock? Edna had delicious “eats”. How did she know I liked cheese? The menu and bids were perfectly dear, but I didn’t know a story about a “Man”.

More on Virginia Clay McClure

Virginia Clay McClure, a native of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, graduated in 1912 with an AB degree and received her master’s degree in 1928 from UK. After receiving her AB, she taught for a year at Middlesboro, Kentucky, another year at Paducah, Kentucky, and seven years in Cynthiana, Kentucky. After this, she returned to Lexington, where she taught for nine and a half years in the Fayette County schools. At this point, she took two and a half years off of work to complete her doctorate.

The first woman to receive a Ph.D. from UK, McClure said that her department chairman did not “want a woman to get a doctor’s degree.” In spite of those words, McClure received her doctoral degree in American history in 1934.

Her dissertation was “The Settlement of the Kentucky Appalachian Region,” about which “nothing had been done before.” McClure did significant original research for the dissertation and made several trips to Eastern Kentucky with Katherine Pettit, who had taught in settlement schools, including Pine Mountain School, which she helped to establish.  

McClure planned to teach at the college level but after finishing her dissertation in the midst of the depression, colleges were laying off faculty rather than hiring them. She then joined the Fayette County School system, then Lexington City Schools, and taught United States history and government at Henry Clay High School from 1934-1959. A position that she found quite rewarding.

The UK alumna and educator was very active in the community. McClure was a member of Central Christian Church and Kappa Delta Pi Honorary, Kentucky and National Retired Teachers associations, Salvation Army Auxiliary, Cardinal Hill Hospital Auxiliary and numerous historical societies. She was also a charter member of the Lexington Rose Society, twice serving as president, and was a member of the American Rose Society.

McClure passed away in 1980 at 91 years of age.

The Virginia Clay McClure papers are housed at the Special Collections Research Center and include a diary/scrapbook, a photograph album and other assorted photographs related to McClure's time as an undergraduate at State University, Lexington, Kentucky from 1910-1912. The scrapbook includes clippings, small artifacts, programs and invitations, but the bulk of the material is McClure's many personal writings. The photograph album and loose photographs also document this time period and include photographs of her UK classmates (many of whom are identified and also mentioned in her scrapbook); class trips and events (such as Arbor Day); and women playing basketball among other casual snapshots. 

This story on UK's history is presented by UK Special Collections Research Center. UK Special Collections is home to UK Libraries' collection of rare books, Kentuckiana, the Archives, the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, the King Library Press, the Wendell H. Ford Public Policy Research Center, the Bert T. Combs Appalachian collection and the digital library, ExploreUK. The mission of the center is to locate and preserve materials documenting the social, cultural, economic and political history of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.
 

Diary transcriptions completed by senior Taylor Adams, Special Collections Learning Lab intern and history major from Ashland, Kentucky.

MEDIA CONTACT: Whitney Hale, 859-257-8716; whitney.hale@uky.edu