ter November 27, 1918.

Text copied from Board of Trustees minutes, October 25,

lm'SDSIOI or Bal)(I, SISSIOI:

The •tt•r of the .,..,.,,.ioa of ■ohool on aoooaal of ti. ......,. of · Spani■h 111nuea1a..,.. l>rou"11 up ·for 41-oueioe. It _. reported that the looal health GthoriUN ha4 or4ere4 th• oloeiJls of ■ohool o-ao1n& "1th !v.H4a1, Ootober.lth, an4 that aooor41aslr the •••ioa ha4 ben ■u,•a4■4, aa4 the ■oboal ha■ raaiJIU oloee4 ■iJla. that 4ate. Pree14eat la■h ■tat•• that he ha4 ben la ooafereaoe "1th the hNlth alhoriU•• an4 al■ o "1th Dr. Tuttle, Chai.mu, of Ille Btah Baalth Boar4, an4 thd all ooaourre4 111 the opiaioa that abat-at of the epicleaio ooulil not 11• ap■ ol•4 at aa earlr 4ate. Ia rl•w of theH oiroua■taaoH lh• Boar4 4eo14•4 to ooatiaue the nepn■ioa uatU the ea4 of the Ollrreal quarter, ln•ber lfth.

It wu aUpulah4 that atu4eal■ no are pro,-4 for sra4uaUoa at the oloH of the pre■eat qu.rter, aa4 noee olu• wort a,paare ••U•faotor, thus far, ...,. 11• sraateil ••ranor . oartifioat• lo haoh, eoo4 till the -r H■dba of tl\1• aohool ,-ar.

11th repr4 to the tndaiJlg ·,•-,artaeat, bowftr, it -4ao14e4 that the ••• oourea aha'tl be fa11ow4 "1th rehreaoe to re-opanias ■ohool, a■ le a4o,tc J 1>1 the 01t1 •ohoola of llellla&:haa,

It wa■ arruc•• that the •tt•r of a lea" of abenoa to faoultr ■eabar1 4uri11s the ■oath of loY•ll■ r be preHata4 to tha, with a new to extn41ng their HrYicaa later 1a the rear 1a oapeaaauoa, U the euqeeUOll 1• 4■••4 aooeptable,

The Prea14ent preHnt•4 a 41'.tt of a aoUlioaUoa to be ■&1114 to atu4eata a4naiag tbla of the probable perlo4 41lnas ftich ■ohool will raaia olo•••• an4 a■ to ■athre oonoarnin& the iahrrupta4 prograsa of th•ir ■ohool wort.

Volume 8, Issue 1 Spring 2020

Heritage Highlights W E S T E R N L I B R A R I E S H E R I T A G E R E S O U R C E S

“ C o n t a g i o u s V i g o r ” : P u b l i c H e a l t h C r i s e s i n W e s t e r n ’ s E a r l y Y e a r s

By Tony Kurtz, University Archivist

Western's response to the COVID-19 pandemic has The plan was that students who had expected to

created an unprecedented set of circumstances for graduate that quarter—provided their "class work

the school. Historical records in the collections of appears satisfactory thus far”—would be given

Heritage Resources, many of which are now accessi- emergency teaching certificates good until the fol-

ble online through the MABEL platform, give insight lowing summer session. The Board also decided to

into how the school responded to previous pandem- adopt the same plan for re-opening as that of the

ics, including the 1918-19 global influenza pandem- local school districts.

ic. During that crisis, the Normal School (along with Shortly thereafter, however, the influenza situation

all other schools in the state) suspended operations had improved enough that state and local health

on October 8, 1918. About two weeks later, seeing officials began to loosen restrictions on public gath-

no quick end in sight, the Board of Trustees decided erings, so the Board decided to re-open the school

to keep the school closed until the end of Fall quar-and complete Fall quarter after all. President Nash

— directed students and staff to resume school on

Monday, November 18--and so they did, "with nearly

a full attendance." Because of the interruption, Fall

quarter (referred to at the time as “the first quar-

ter”) ran until January 3, 1919, the second quarter began January 6, and the third quarter commenced

March 17, putting the schedule back on track.

~ See “Vigor,” continued on page 4

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Public Health in Western’s Early Years 1 & 4

Director’s Letter 2

Documenting COVID-19 2

Tamara Belts Retirement 3

Records & Information Management Month 3

Acknowledgments 3 1918, accessible online through MABEL.

Newsletter content contributed by Elizabeth Joffrion, Tony Kurtz, and Rachel Thompson. Edited by Rozlind Koester.

Contact: Heritage.Resources@wwu.edu; (360) 650-7534; library.wwu.edu/hr.

(kl. n Everybody's gelling the "flu." Oh. dc:11.'i' Every-thing's dosed. 'ol a single place to go.

Ocl. 10 - ~liss ~lead is administering all sorts of pills anti cures. \'erily. our joints arc be!'o1ning hall-bearing.

Oct. 13 One Sunday thal we'd like to go lo church! Whe n will the ban he lifted ·/

Ocl. I~ We decicl lo go home. We co llect all "impedi-menta" and away we go, our last <1 ues lion being, " \Vhcn will sd1ool rco1>cn t "

Oct. 1 ;, - For 111:rny days We sneeze, we cough. we bark, we a<"he. wtl h11rn, we wohblc. In truth, 111:.u1y and varied ure our pains.

NO\'l, \lllElt No,·. I Still

" Thr f/11'/I !1el 11011 I,{ you c/011 ' / watch 011/ ! "

Nov. 11 llu rrah ! the war is over! \Vc're so happy, but -whnl about school?

Nov. I;\ - All is hurry and bustle. The mail brought us messages " Sehool rco1>c.ns ~lonllay. Be in your re peclive places on lhal dale without fail."

, O\'. 18 - Like obedient chilc lren. we"ve arri,·cd. The Normal soun,ls liken bees nest.

COVID-19 Experience. Over the summer, we will

be seeking stories, photographs, official memos,

directives, and other documentation that chroni-

cles the pandemic through the voices of stu-

dents, faculty, staff and community members.

Stay tuned for a project website launching in the

coming weeks.

In the pages of this newsletter you will find arti-

cles and selections from our collections that doc-

ument previous pandemics and the efforts of

past generations to maintain continuity in crisis. I

extend my deep gratitude to the staff of Heritage

Resources who have also quickly and effectively

shifted gears to ensure continuing operations

and service to the community. We look forward

to reconnecting with you in person when we

open our doors again to the public.

We will survive this crisis together, and as al-

ways, community support is critical to our sus-

tainability. If you are able, please consider a do-

nation in support of our programs and services.

Stay well and stay safe,

Elizabeth Joffrion

Director of Heritage Resources

Welcome to the spring issue of Heritage High-

lights. Under normal circumstances, I would

write words welcoming the change of season

and the annual return to the outdoors. But, we

no longer live in a normal world. The COVID-19

crisis and the “stay at home” reality has drasti-

cally changed our lives, and the ways we inter-

sect with the natural world and with each other.

This is truly a historic moment.

Drawing on wisdom gained from previous pan-

demics, Heritage Resources staff followed the

University and other health directives by cancel-

ling classes and working from home, while doing

our best to maintain connections with campus

and the community. Staff have been creative in

finding ways to support research and learning

through online channels, allowing us to continue

some basic operations during this challenging

time. These include remote research services,

records management assistance, support for

online learning with primary sources, and new

instructional videos including training in the use

of our online digital collection database MABEL.

We will also be initiating a new collecting project

tentatively entitled Western’s Response to the

D i r e c t o r ’ s L e t t e r

D o c u m e n t i n g

C O V I D - 1 9

~ Help Heritage Resources document the COVID-

19 experience at WWU ~

Over the summer, we plan to collect, preserve, and

share stories of how the Western community has

adapted to life during the COVID-19 pandemic. We

will be seeking photographs, official memos, direc-

tives, and other documentation that chronicles the

pandemic through the voices of our students, facul-

ty, staff, alumni, and community members. Students’ account of 1918 school closure. Excerpt from Klipsun yearbook, 1919, accessible online through MABEL.

V o l u m e 8 , I s s u e 1 P a g e 3

B e s t W i s h e s t o T a m a r a B e l t s !

Long-time Special Collections Manager Tamara

Belts retired on April 1st after working at Western

Washington University for over 42 years. Belts got

her start at Western as a transfer student in 1974,

and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in history in 1976. She worked for Western Libraries in many

roles, including positions in Circulation, Serials,

Cataloging, Acquisitions, Government Information,

and Special Collections.

One of many transformative events during Belts’s tenure was the creation of a purpose-designed

space for Special Collections in 2010. According to

Belts, the new home on the sixth floor of Wilson

“...completely transformed the work of Special Col-

lections and our ability to engage in the teaching

and learning that is our true purpose.”

Tamara will be greatly missed by her colleagues

and we wish her all the very best in her many ad-

ventures to come. David Schlitt, Judaica Project

Archivist for Heritage Resources, is currently serv-

ing as Interim Special Collections Manager. Con-

tact speccoll@wwu.edu for more information.

C e l e b r a t i n g R e c o r d s a n d I n f o r m a t i o n

M a n a g e m e n t M o n t h i n A p r i l

By Rachel Thompson, Records Management Specialist

One of the greatest challenges (and opportunities!) session was a lot of fun and a great opportunity to

of this complicated and confusing time has been share the sometimes-overlooked work of records

finding new ways to communicate with each other management in an interesting and lighthearted way.

while staying far apart. University Archives and Rec- It also sparked some ideas for ways to expand this

ords Management has been using this time to find kind of outreach to other parts of the university.

new ways of reaching out to our university communi-Additionally, we provided a webinar version of one of

ty remotely. Our hope is that we can continue these our usual in-person classes at the end of April. The

practices even once life returns to “normal.” format seemed to be a success, and we are looking

In honor of Records and Information Management forward to continuing to use it even after we pass

month this past April, UARM held an “Ask Anything” this crisis. We have also created an online course

session about the Records Management part of our module for our Introduction to Records Manage-

unit for our Library colleagues over Zoom. The intent ment class (a goal that has been on the to-do lists

of the session was to give an overview of the work for quite a while!), and a webpage devoted to re-

the Records Management Specialist does for the cording online meetings. While it has been tricky

university, as well as provide a chance for people to adapting our materials to new formats, we are hope-

ask questions about the unit. To encourage at- ful that they will be beneficial beyond the short term

tendees to ask questions, we offered a prize for the and increase our ability to reach our university com-

best “stump the records manager” question. The munity once things settle back down.

A c k n o w l e d g e m e n t s

We would like to thank our volunteers and student or phone 360-650-3283. Donations can also be

employees for all they do in support of Heritage made online or by mail to the Western Foundation,

Resources. We would also like to thank the many MS-9034, Western Washington University, 516

individuals, families, and organizations who have High St, Bellingham, WA 98225-9034. Please des-

made generous monetary gifts and contributions of ignate your contribution to Western Libraries and

collection materials. To donate to Heritage Re- identify “Heritage Resources” as the program you sources, please email Elizabeth.Joffrion@wwu.edu wish to support.

A N EW EPI DEMIC

Our dear old Normal School la p<ir­

vaded wlt11 a renewed aod contagious vigor. Tbe very air aeems cbargcd wllh a new klnd ot elcclrlcal o~one tbat was sadly lacking tbe first of tbe year. Wbat ls It? IL Is the spirit or victory! We bo.vc brought back wltb us 3 fund of courage and opllmism engendered by our glorious conquest 1n tbe strife with war, Hoovcruing, ood lotluenui, which have b on, alter all, only our tiny sbares In the great world troubles ot war, !amlue aod pe&­tlle!)C8.

We are tt>e most lortunnte peoples on the race or the globe today, and, best or all, wo are imbued wltb great Ideals, lo wblch we ore determined to rise, both indlvldually anil as 3 11n.­Uon.

This, then. Is the secret or that elullc st.ep and Jo:Ytul, open counten­anco we meet with lo our balls. Let uc all lheretore sicken with this grand new epidemic, and may it provo tar, lar more Infectious ~an tbe otber.

TO AVOID THE ''FLU" TAKE A GOOD HIKE

Get rre,b air, &'ood oxercl~ and a good appeUlet

Mainy p,oopte went on btk durln1 tho wee.k and thereby improved their bealth a.nd '•u.w Be1Ungb1,m.''

A party ot twenty-one undor the loadorablP of Miu Woo«aNI, followed Ibo ,trail lrom Whatcom 119111 do•n 1lreom.

Tho ,l(lfAmbl• tbrougb tho wooda, a.nd over rockt and water wts tm­men.,IY t nlored. For speed In lf.i• Ung ovor rou1b- places, aiuu Cum­mins aod Mta■ Earha.rt a.re tho wJ.n­ae.~ M.anY "Dorm" slrla we.r• pre:• ent. u wen u olhtn trom 1l0aTby boua61. lltu O"1>orne Md llll .. Klloe were: among tho Jtve.11 oau of the crowd.

By lho limo tbo P&rl.Y -•bed hOt:)C. there ••• D\1111 a aor• foot

1 aod good 3ppetlto!

/~/~

WESTERN LIBRARIES

---,-/,/.

~-.:::::-

1

“ V i g o r ” ( ~ c o n t i n u e d f r o m P a g e 1 )

The Western Front Historical Collection, also acces-

sible through MABEL, contains several newspaper

articles from that period which give a sense of the

community response to the pandemic. There are

familiar stories of people quarantining to care for

themselves or for loved ones, tips from the Surgeon

General on how to avoid contracting the illness

(including chewing your food well and avoiding tight

clothes), and updates from alumnae from across

the county and the world.

Article clippings from The Weekly Messenger, October and

November, 1918, accessible online through MABEL.

One of the most often-mentioned officials in stu-

dents’ accounts of the 1918-19 influenza pandemic

is the school nurse, May Mead—more commonly

referred to as "Miss Mead." Since her appointment

in 1914, Miss Mead had been a common figure at-

tending the health and wellness education of Nor-

mal students. By the time the pandemic hit in 1918,

she was already a recognized leader.

During the school's closure due to the influenza out-

break in the Fall of 1918, several students fell ill

before they could make their way home to stay with

family. Miss Mead and other faculty members orga-

nized an effort to visit and care for those stranded

locally. After the influenza, public health campaigns

gained more support and initiative, and Miss Mead

continued her strong advocacy. She took a leave of

absence in the summer of 1919 to attend a course

on public health at the University of Washington.

With regular mention in the school newspaper, she

appears as a tireless advocate for public health— addressing Whatcom High School students on phys-

ical fitness, attending a state social worker confer-

ence in Seattle, taking part in many civic groups and

campaigns, and of course admonishing students to

wear proper rain gear.

During influenza outbreaks throughout the 1920s

and 1930s, she reported on the regional and na-

tional prevalence of the disease, continuing her pro-

motion of public health and good personal health

practices. May Mead retired in 1947. Her tireless

efforts and courage were memorialized by student

W. O. Edson in his depiction of her in the

1919 Klipsun yearbook:

Artwork by W. O. Edson, Source: 1919 Klipsun yearbook, page 160, accessible online through MABEL.

For more about Miss Mead, Western’s response to past public health crises or other disruptions of op-

erations, and more, we encourage you to explore

the online MABEL platform. You may also contact

our staff directly at Heritage.Resources@wwu.edu.