Summary
Overview
Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library.
Princeton University Class Records
338.60 linear feet, 299 boxes, 2 oversize drawers and 8 oversized drawings
Abstract
The Class Records consist of a diverse set of materials documenting the history and activities of Princeton University classes during their time as undergraduates and as alumni. In the collection are correspondence, newsletters, publications, photographs, and memorabilia, all of which pertain to a particular Princeton University graduating class and its members.
Description
Description
The Class Records consist of a diverse set of materials documenting the history and activities of Princeton University classes during their time as undergraduates and as alumni. In the collection are correspondence, newsletters, publications, photographs, and memorabilia, all of which pertain to a particular Princeton University graduating class and its members.
The most common type of material in the collection is class secretary records consisting of correspondence to individual classmates. These letters regard updates to class notes, questionnaires sent to classmates regarding their information to be updated in reunion books, directories, and other publications, as well as University sponsored events such as Alumni Day, football weekend, faculty lectures, and most importantly Reunions. Heavily documented in these records are the activities of the reunions committee for many classes in planning major reunions. In addition to class secretary files, administrative correspondence is also included from various committees serving under the Alumni Association of Princeton University as well as from regional alumni associations. The most common among these are the Princeton Club of New York and the Princeton Club of Philadelphia, respectively.
Of particular note in the Class Records are 19th century proclamations, broadsides printed and posted by classes (often the freshman or sophomore class) to insult each other or declare the end of hazing periods. These posters are often humorous and feature typical 19th century typefaces and design.
In some instances donations made by individual alumni have been included in the Class Records collection. These often consist of undergraduate material relating to class day exercises, sophomore dances, junior orations, class photographs, and sometimes scrapbooks. Additionally, pieces of memorabilia such as hat bands, pins, and banners used at reunions have been included in this collection.
Though nearly all alumni classes are represented in the Class Records to some degree, the amount of material pertaining to any particular class varies greatly. By far the largest amount of material is related to classes from the late 1890s to the 1940s. Documentation for classes from the 18th century consists almost entirely of secondary materials compiled by later researchers.
Collection Creator
History
Though an ongoing connection between alumni and their alma mater is hardly a characteristic unique to Princeton, it is among those traditions on which the University prides itself the most. From freshman year onward, Princetonians find themselves identified as members of a singular class with whom the undergraduate and alumni experience is shared. Cementing these bonds over the years is a variety of activities undertaken at the class level, the most prominent of which are the annual reunions that draw alumni back to campus en masse at the close of each school year.
One of the driving forces behind the continued Princeton alumni experience is the Alumni Association of Princeton University. Formed in 1826 by President John Maclean, the Alumni Association of Nassau Hall was created in the words its first President James Madison, Class of 1771, "to promote the interests of the College and the friendly intercourse of its graduates." Today the Alumni Association serves more than 80,000 undergraduate and graduate alumni, and plays a major role in University affairs. The continued goal of the Alumni Association is to strengthen the University’s relationships with its alumni through volunteer organizations, committees, and programs.
Counted among the Association's members are an appointed group of alumni from each class who hold offices such as a class president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer. Acting in concert, these officers plan and carry out reunions and other class activities, and also act as a liaison between class members and university administration. Particularly important among this group is the Class Secretary. This individual is charged with maintaining the class records, communicating with class members in regards to class dues, as well as collecting information for newsletters, directories, and the Class Notes section of the Princeton Alumni Weekly.
In many ways, the four years that Princeton students spend together as undergraduates mark only the beginning of a class's experience. Historically, it has been through continued alumni activities such as reunions, annual giving, and the publication of newsletters, reunion books, and class histories that the distinct character of each Princeton class has emerged.
Collection History
Acquisition
Much of the material that forms the Class Records collection has been given to the University Archives piecemeal by generous alumni and class officers. Particularly in recent years, accession numbers have been assigned to record the provenance of any one item in the collection, however the provenance of some earlier accessions is unclear.
Archival Appraisal Information
Appraisal has been conducted in accordance with Mudd Library guidelines.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Rosalba Varallo Recchia with assistance from Sarah Vitali '11 in 2009. Finding aid written by Rosalba Varallo Recchia and Daniel Brennan in 2009. Oversize items added by Christie Peterson with assistance from Suchi Mandavilli '14 in January 2011. Additional previously unprocessed/uncataloged materials added by Christie Peterson in May 2012.
Accruals
Additional accruals of materials to be added to the Class Records collection are expected to continue indefinitely.
Bibliography
The following materials were consulted during the preparation of the history section:
Leitch, Alexander. A Princeton Companion. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1978.
Selden, William K. Going Back: The Uniqueness of Reunions and P-rades at Princeton University, 1999.
The Alumni Association of Princeton University website.
Princeton University Library Finding Aids 
View Entire Finding Aid
Download Finding Aid