Grosvenor S. McKee scrapbook
Scope and Content
The Grosvenor S. McKee scrapbook was compiled by McKee while he was a student at Ohio University from 1912 to 1916. The first several pages of his book are devoted to addresses and thoughts from his many friends at OU, and many included a small picture next to their signatures. He follows this with what is perhaps the most interesting aspect of his book-his daily log-which provides a brief description of his activities nearly every single day that he was enrolled at the university. He also recorded the atletic scores during his years at Ohio University, and provided details about his favorite actresses, trips, dances, classes, music, books, and professors. Following these pages are a number of pages of photographs of McKee and his friends. He included pictures of fraternity life, memorable events, and of many girls he knew. He appeared to favor a young woman two years his senior named Catty, and he devoted several pages of his book to her picture alone. Next, he gathered dance cards and other memorabilia from the balls he attended. The next section of his book consists of programs and other materials from campus events, organizations he was involved in, and other items he collected. Included is a floor plan of the Phi Delta Theta house, the Philomathean society's constitution and by-laws, and ballots for student government elections. The final section of McKee's scrapbook contains newspaper articles from his time at Ohio University about athletics, McKee's achievements, and events that he found interesting.
The collection consists of one large green book with McKee's nickname, "Groney," in gold and the university seal on the front cover. The book contains over 100 fragile pages and must be handled with care. The binding has come loose, and many of the items are coming unglued, so in the future work should be done to preserve these materials. The book is placed in one large, flat box.
Dates
- Creation: 1912-1916
Language of Materials
The records are in English.
Biography of Grosvenor S. McKee
Grosvenor S. McKee, a resident of Athens, Ohio, entered Ohio University as a freshman in 1912. He quickly pledged Phi Delta Theta fraternity and became very involved in the fraternity as well as a number of other campuses organizations. During his years at the university, McKee was treasurer of the sophomore class, president of the junior class, and a member of the Y.M.C.A. cabinet, the Philomathean literary society, Torch honors society, and the "Revellers," an acting group. McKee also managed the football and track teams and played baseball. This remarkable student graduated in 1916, and went on to serve in World War I for two years, became a councilman in Canton, Ohio, and was the head of several corporations. Later in life, McKee was the president of the Ohio University Alumni Association and a member of the Trustees Academy. He was a generous donor and provided the university the grandfather clock in Baker Center's 1804 lounge, and the chimes at Cutler Hall. Today, an administrative building, the McKee house, bears his name. McKee died in 1980 and was awarded the Alumni Association's Certificate of Merit.
Extent
0.5 cubic feet (1 flat box)
Abstract
The Grosvenor S. McKee scrapbook was compiled by McKee while he was a student at Ohio University from 1912 to 1916.
Statement of Arrangement
The collection is a single item.
Description Note
Original, legacy collection inventories may contain inaccuracies or be incomplete. Collection descriptions may change or be updated as they are verified. Please contact Mahn Center staff if you note any errors or discrepancies.
Subject
- McKee, Grosvenor S. (Person)
- Title
- Finding aid for the Grosvenor S. McKee scrapbook
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Ohio University Archives
- Date
- 2020
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English
- Sponsor
- The finding aid was converted into EAD with funding support from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Revision Statements
- 5 January 2024: Subjects and other notes added from ALICE MARC records and Mahn Center Microsoft Office finding aids by Ohio University Libraries Metadata Services Department Python scripts.
Repository Details
Part of the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections Repository