White-Williams Scholars Records

Collection 3025 White-Williams Scholars Records 1800-2001(bulk 1918-2001) 166 boxes, 81 vols. (in boxes), 67 lin. feet Contact: The Historical Society of Pennsylvania 1300 Locust Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107 Phone: (215) 732-6200 FAX: (215) 732-2680 http://www.hsp.org Processed by: Jack Gumbrecht Processing Completed: June 2003 Sponsor: Processing made possible through a grant from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission Restrictions: Access Restrictions: see note on page 10 © 2003 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania. All rights reserved. White-Williams Scholars Records, 1800-2001 (bulk 1918-2001) 166 boxes, 81 vols. (in boxes), 67 lin. feet Collection 3025 Abstract The White-Williams Scholars serves needy and talented students in the Philadelphia schools. It is one of the oldest charitable organizations in the country, founded in 1800 as the Magdalen Society of Philadelphia (Magdalen Society of Philadelphia Records are maintained separately as Collection 2016). The organization shifted its focus in 1917 from rehabilitation to prevention of delinquency. It provided counseling in the schools, and training for counselors, as well as financial assistance. Eventually, the school district took over the responsibility for counseling. In 1918, the organization changed its name to the White-Williams Foundation to honor two of the original founders, Bishop William White and George Williams. The name changed again in 1994 to White-Williams Scholars, as it is known today, to recognize the current mission of supporting high- achieving secondary school students with weekly stipends. The collection includes administrative and financial records. There are volumes of Board of Trustees and Annual Meeting minutes and reports covering the period 1917 to 1960, as well as a set of scholarship accounting ledgers from 1924 to 1982. There are also files documenting bequests and other contributions, and employee records. About two-thirds of the collection is school and student files that contain personal and family information, income data, and academic records for the students who received financial support from the late 1970s through 2001. Because of the personal nature of these files, access is restricted for seventy-five years from the date of creation. Background note The roots of the White-Williams Scholars date to 1800 and the founding of the Magdalen Society by a group of prominent Philadelphians, including Bishop William White, the first Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and George Williams, a Quaker merchant. As the Magdalen Society, its objective was to help “unhappy females who have been seduced from the paths of virtue and are desirous of returning to a life of rectitude.” By 1917, the city courts had assumed many of the functions of the Magdalen Society, and the organization sought a new focus. Recalling the 1849 comments of George Williams, then the 81-year-old board chairman, that prevention of delinquency was as important as the treatment, the organization was redirected, and in 1918, renamed the White-Williams Foundation for Girls. 1 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania White-Williams Scholars Collection 3025 Initially, the White-Williams Foundation directed its attention to girls leaving school to join the work force. Working with the Bureau of Compulsory Education, which issued the required working certificates, the White-Williams Foundation provided career counseling and job search advice to help the girls find employment in roles that matched their interests and abilities, and that offered safe and long-term opportunities. At times, girls, and their families, were advised that remaining in high school was the best alternative, and if necessary, White-Williams would provide stipends, or scholarships, to offset the financial impact of foregoing employment. In 1920, the words “for Girls” were officially dropped from the organization’s name, as assistance was offered to boys, as well. Anna B. Pratt, hired in 1916, led the work to determine the new focus, and was the first director of the White-Williams Foundation, a position she held until her death in 1932. Pratt brought experience and vision to the organization. The early counseling was expanded to address younger children, and counselors were placed in elementary schools, addressing mental and physical health issues, including nutrition. These counselors were also known as “visiting teachers.” In addition, White-Williams offered fellowships for teachers to be trained in school counseling. Edith M. Everett, who led the Department of Counseling and Training, and later was Assistant Director, succeeded Pratt, and continued the White-Williams Foundation’s leadership in developing the school counseling function. In 1942, the Board of Public Education assumed the responsibility for school counseling, and the White-Williams counselors were transferred to the control of the schools. White-Williams shifted emphasis from counseling to its other service of providing scholarship stipends. In 1994, the name was changed again to White-Williams Scholars to more accurately describe the organization’s primary mission of supporting and encouraging high- achieving students. White-Williams works in partnership with school counselors who screen and advise applicants. Qualified students receive stipends of $12 to $18 weekly (in 1998-99), for transportation, lunches, school supplies, activity fees, SAT exams, or other purposes. Students must maintain grades of all A’s and B’s in major subjects, must display good citizenship, and must prove financial need. Funding for student stipends comes from White-Williams’ endowment income and other donations. Some organizations provide funds annually to support a worthy student or students. In addition, funds are received through the United Way and an annual mail appeal. In 1928, 152 students received scholarship support from White-Williams. By 1998-99, 1,400 students received aid. Financial resources influence the number of students, and the number of schools, that can be served. In the past, students from elementary and middle schools, as well as parochial schools, and even some private schools, have at times received stipends. Since 1998, however, the program has been limited to Philadelphia residents in grades 9 to 12 enrolled in public high schools. With the recent 2 The Historical Society of Pennsylvania White-Williams Scholars Collection 3025 volume of applications, some applicants are approved, but must wait for funds to become available before receiving a stipend. White-Williams Scholars also works in partnership with the Charles Ellis Trust, which provides grants to girls from single parent families to assist them in completing high school. The Ellis Trust dates from 1909 when it established a school for fatherless girls. The school was closed in the 1970s. Since 1995, White-Williams Scholars has been contracted to handle the review of applications, and the award decisions for the Ellis Trust. Scope & content The White-Williams Scholars Records include administrative and financial records of the organization itself, as well as school and student files of the young people the organization has served, and continues to serve. The organizational records predominantly cover the first sixty years of existence from 1918 to the late 1970s. The school and student files cover the recent time, from 1979 to the present. At least some of the earlier case records are gone. The chronology in Manual Book 1 (page 89) indicates that in 1942 the White-Williams counseling records up to 1932 were destroyed. The volumes of minutes and reports provide a record of the organization’s efforts to re- invent itself from the Magdalen Society, and to repeatedly shift emphasis as needs changed, while maintaining its mission of service to Philadelphia youth. Manual Book 1 provides a concise summary, including a narrative history of the early years, 1918 to 1929, as well as a detailed chronology from 1800 to 1942. Some examples of White- Williams publications are taped in the appropriate pages of the chronology. The financial records are varied, but the collection is incomplete with different records covering different periods of time. For example, the cash books run from 1921 through 1984, journals cover 1934 through 1968, and tax returns from 1950 through 1978. The student files, which are from a period of twenty-three years (1979 through 2001), provide information on the type of students that have been supported. Many were relatively recent immigrants. Others came from single parent homes. Some students lived in foster homes, or with friends. Some were living independently. Some had children of their own. One reported being from a family of 22 children, most adopted, and many with special needs. Observation of the files suggests an increasing number and percentage of students with Hispanic, and especially, Asian heritage. Some students received stipends all four years of high school. Others applied for one or two years because of a change in circumstances. School counselors usually noted applications that were responding to new situations and required urgent handling. Grade reports accounted for a large portion of the student files. Grades were monitored, and a significant number of students were dropped from the program because of low grades. At the same time, some recipients appeared to be the top students in their schools, and reported winning scholarships to highly ranked private and public colleges. In 1998-99, Dr. Margaret Beale Spencer,

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