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Alice Louise Reynolds papers

 Collection — Box: 4
Identifier: MSS 120

Scope and Contents

Material contains Reynolds's handwritten correspondence from 1912 to 1937; diaries from 1924 to 1925, 1934, and 1937; lecture notes on English literature and European history from 1894; and autobiographical and miscellaneous notes from 1935 to 1938. The materials document the various aspects of Reynolds's career and life. The diaries were kept largely when Reynolds was travelling in Europe and the Middle East.

Dates

  • 1894-1938

Creator

Language of Materials

Materials primarily in English, with German and French travel literature.

Conditions Governing Access

Open for public research.

Conditions Governing Use

It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to use material from this collection must be obtained from Reference Services at specialcollections@byu.edu.

Biographical / Historical

Alice Louise Reynolds (1873-1938) was the first woman employed at Brigham Young University as a full-time professor.

Alice Louise Reynolds was born on April 1, 1873 to George Reynolds and Mary Ann Tuddenhaum Reynolds. At age 12, she was sent to study at Brigham Young Academy after the death of her mother, where she studied under Karl G. Maeser. She graduated from the Academy in 1890, and went on to pursue a Bachelor of Pedagogy degree from the University of Michigan, from which she graduated in 1895.

Reynolds returned to Brigham Young Academy to teach college-level courses, becoming the first woman to do so. She was awarded two other degrees, a Bachelor of Didactics from the Church Board of Education in 1897, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Brigham Young University 1910. She was the first woman to be a full professor at Brigham Young University.

Besides teaching, Reynolds was a national Democratic committee member and convention delegate. She was active and served in the General Federation of Women's Clubs, the National American Women Suffrage Conventions, and the League of Women Votes. Along with her political and social service, she continued studying at such universities as Cornell, Berkely, Columbia, and the University of Chicago, along with study in London and Paris. She also became the committee chair of the Brigham Young University library.

Reynolds served on the board for the Young Women's Mutual Improvement Association for 20 years, and was also called to the General Board of the Relief Society. In this calling, she edited the Relief Society Magazine and made contributions to the literary lessons of the Relief Society curriculum.

Reynolds died of cancer on December 5, 1938.

Extent

4 boxes (2 linear ft.)

Custodial History

Unknown.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Unknown.

Appraisal

Latter-day Saint women's history (19th Century Western and Mormon Manuscripts collection development policy, V, b, v, 3; March 2020

Existence and Location of Copies

Transcriptions of diaries and notes located in box 4 folder 13.

Processing Information

Processed; Megan Hoesch; 2020.

Title
Register of Alice Louise Reynolds papers
Status
Completed
Author
Megan Furcini
Date
2011 February 25
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English in Latin script.

Repository Details

Part of the L. Tom Perry Special Collections Repository

Contact:
1130 HBLL
Brigham Young University
Provo Utah 84602 United States