A Day in the Life of a UK Student: Oct 14, 1911
LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 14, 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 110th diary entry from Oct.14, 1911, talks about parading through the hall after a win over Miami University by the football team, working the Alumni Reception and watching a "night shirt parade."
October 14, 1911. I seem to remember that we girls had a parade through the hall.
October 14, 1911. A memorable day in more respects than one. Juliette dressed my hair in puffs, to begin in the evening. But to go back to the forenoon - I was very busily wiping up the floor when Mr. Thompson Bryant, of the Alumni, called to request that I appoint the Senior girls to serve refreshments at the reception. So I went down, after frantically washing off the dust. Sat. Oct. 14th. Addie and I selected as our especial red-letter accident day. She fell and hurt her arm, I drove a pin into my finger, but she left it to me to finish up in grand style, which I proceeded to do after the "night shirt parade" by falling down the third floor stairs, bruising my arm so that I had to wear a bandage with my perfectly good new pretty dress.
October 14, 1911. Jessie Milton, Addie, Irene, and I were advance guard on the way over. The Alumni Reception proved quite a surprise. The "Night Shirt Parade" came in and gave a demonstration and some yells. Miss Fisher and I stood on the bench to see them. Distributing candles, buttons, and refreshments to a crowd is an experience in a class to itself. Saw Charlie, who had "it" in his pocket. Mr. H was very becoming dressed in pink! Mr. Hollowell is beginning to think that all I do is serve cream, I believe.
After we got back we went up to Adeline's room, where she gave us a delicious fest. And during the feast my ankle began to hurt, and I came home with difficulty. This is a fitting end to a day of accidents. The witch hazel has certainly had a strenuous day.
Inserted with McClure's Oct. 14, 1911, diary entry are several items including a card, a button attached to two ribbons and a napkin from the Alumni Reception. The card explains the presentation of the button reading K.S.U. (a nod to the institution's name at that time, State University, Lexington, Kentucky).
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