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William W. Birdsall Papers

 Collection
Identifier: SFHL-RG6-D05

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of President Birdsall's correspondence, lists of prospective students, class lists of alumni, and other miscellaneous material. The collection is organized into the following series:

  1. Swarthmore College
  2. Miscellaneous material

Dates

  • Creation: 1898-1902

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open for research with the understanding that certain confidential materials may be redacted. Please contact the repository for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Friends Historical Library believes all of the items in this collection to be in the Public Domain in the United States, and is not aware of any restrictions on their use. However, the user is responsible for making a final determination of copyright status before reproducing. See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/.

Biographical / Historical

William Wilfred Birdsall was a birthright Quaker, son of Thomas and Mary B. (Thistlethwaite) Birdsall and born in Indiana in 1854. He received a BS from Earlham College in 1873 and went on to teach at the Richmond (IN) High School. He then became president of Boys High School in Wilmington, Delaware. In 1880 he married Viola Isabel McDill. In 1885, he became a teacher at Friends Central School in Philadelphia and soon was promoted to president of that school. In 1898 he was selected to be President of Swarthmore College. His selection was an attempt by the Board of Managers to emphasize the Quakerly qualities of the College after the more rigorous academic goals of his predecessor, Charles De Garmo, who served from 1891-1898.

During Birdsall's administration, the changes at the College included a complete readjustment of the teaching staff, installation of a new heating system, building of a new gym for the male students, and the introduction of a pre-medical course (1900-01). Birdsall's goal was to increase the number of Swarthmore students by offering an increased number of scholarships. While Birdsall succeeded in attracting more attention to the College from the Quaker community, he had critics among alumni and faculty and students who felt that more attention should be placed on the quality of the school rather than its denominational affiliation. His critics were concerned that his experience did not prepare him sufficiently for a college presidency. The Board made the decision to change the focus of the College and to seek a president with stronger academic credentials. After serving the College for only four years, Birdsall resigned from his position in 1902 and became Principal of Girls' High School of Philadelphia. He remained in this position until his death on March 17, 1909. Birdsall's successor was Joseph Swain who had been President of Indiana University and agreed to come to Swarthmore only if he was given more authority as President of the College.

Extent

0.25 linear ft. (1 box)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

This collection contains correspondence, lists of prospective students, class lists of alumni, and miscellaneous material of William W. Birdsall, fifth President of Swarthmore College (1898-1902).

Physical Location

For current information on the location of materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donor: College President's Office

Processing Information

This collection was originally processed in the 1970s at which time materials were sorted, placed into folders, and inventoried. In 1998/99, as part of the reorganization of the Swarthmore College Archives, the collection was reprocessed. Items were placed into acid-free folders and identification clarified. A revised finding aid was produced.

Title
Finding Aid for William W. Birdsall Papers, 1898-1902
Author
FHL staff
Date
2007
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Find It at the Library

Most of the materials in this catalog are not digitized and can only be accessed in person. Please see our website for more information about visiting or requesting repoductions from Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College Library

Contact:
500 College Avenue
Swarthmore Pennsylvania 19081 USA