Celebrating Women in the Archives

Did you know that it was only one hundred years ago this year—13 years after the founding of our University—that women in the United States were first allowed to vote? On Election Day in November 1920 over 8 million women went to the polls for the first time. They had been working toward equal rights for almost 100 years before that day, of which the right to vote was—and is--but one. As we observe Women’s History Month in March, we remember this great struggle in securing the 19^th Amendment, as well as the  accomplishments of women at the University of Redlands. (For more information on women’s suffrage, check out the program listed below.*)

Nellie's scrapbook photo

One of the first women  to attend the University of Redlands was Nellie Hill Lolmaugh, a 1914 graduate. A pioneer of sorts, she was among the first students to visit the school in 1910 and decide that even though there were only four buildings standing, two of which were not even completed, that “the happy atmosphere and the quality of students gave me hope, and before long I could see [myself] as a music student . . .  registering in the fall term of [the school’s] second year.” 

Nellie recorded these and other thoughts of her time here in a scrapbook, and today the University Archives of Armacost Library holds her scrapbook as a valued artifact. Besides closely documenting the important formative years of the young college, Nellie also wrote, as an alumna over 60 years later, the memoir, “Way Back When . . . My Memories and Impressions of the First Five Years of the University of Redlands,” also housed in the Archives.

Whether she knew it or not, while she saved this-and-that and made note of her thoughts and feelings, Nellie provided future generations her first-hand accounts, and gave them, and us, our history. And in reflecting back in her memoir, she gave it all perspective. Essentially, Nellie became one of the first historians of the University.

Then there are the women whose enthusiasm keeps the rest of us going. Florence Gray Listvan was one of those as a student here. She took part in so many activities during her time on campus that her name consistently dotted the pages of the 1937-1940 La Letra yearbooks. According to some footage we have here in the Archives, her enthusiasm continued well into her nineties when she was still able to recite the “Och Tamale!”

The Cosmopolitan Club

Florence was a member of the service organization, Spurs, which recruited freshmen with excellent “scholastic standing, pep, and enthusiasm for school functions to serve during their sophomore year.” She participated in “A Capella” chorus and Women’s Glee Club as well as being a Kappa Pi Zeta sorority sister. She also joined the Women’s Athletic Association, promoting sportsmanship and fun in intra-class games and tournaments. And as a volleyball team manager, she kept up enthusiasm during the hot summers by scheduling competitive games. As a junior she also found time to serve as a La Letra sports editor. Florence ultimately earned a place in the women’s “R” Club which was among the highest athletic honors a U of R woman could earn.

In addition, Florence invested her time in the Cosmopolitan Club which sought to promote “international goodwill through personal friendship;” she was one of its treasurers in her junior year. In 1939 the Club had a membership of over 75 students from multiple racial and ethnic identities, and was one of the most active organizations on campus. As a world war loomed on the horizon, these students met monthly and discussed topics such as “Race Prejudice” and “Peace,” attempting to find solutions to the world’s problems.

Jackie Yates

Many other U of R women continued to make their imprints on the University by excelling in their talents and in pursuing their goals, some in the area of sports. A 1958 graduate, Jacqueline (Jackie) Puamohala Yates Holt was a highly accomplished golfer who, as a sophomore here, won the 1955 National Intercollegiate Golf Tournament in Chicago, going on to compete in the U. S. Women’s Open. She became her home state of Hawaii’s first collegiate champion. Jackie held the title of youngest champion until 2001.

Another accomplished athlete, tennis player Caroline Brigham Vassalo, ’62, was beginning college just as Jackie was graduating. When she arrived on campus there was a men’s tennis team, but not a women’s team. So, the freshman promptly approached the men’s tennis coach, Jim Verdieck, about her desire to be a part of a women’s team; he liked her idea, and just like that Caroline became a pioneer in the world of U of R tennis, and Coach Verdieck, her trusted accomplice! Caroline recently said that “what mattered most was that Coach brought us into his fold. We were accepted, as athletes and contenders, and Coach trusted us with our sport.” Her team went on to defeat UCLA for the Southern California Women’s Collegiate Championship.

Our archives show evidence of multiple accomplishments by women here at Redlands: instigating a women’s sports team where there once was none, attempting to create peace through friendship, and documenting personal experiences that give future generations an understanding of past lived experiences. Join the voices of Nellie, Florence, Jackie, Caroline, and Jim. Like theirs, your voice is invaluable in moving us all forward; share it with the world!

Teresa Letizia, University Archives

*U of R history professor, Dr. Kathleen Feeley, will present “100 Years of Women’s Suffrage: Struggle, Sacrifice, and Success” at A. K. Smiley Public Library in Redlands on Saturday, March 7, at 1:00 pm in the Library’s Assembly Room. The program is FREE and open to the public. Smiley Library is located at 125 W. Vine St.