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Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens Collection

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Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens Collection University of Dayton eCommons Guides to Archival and Special Collections University Libraries 2014 Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/finding_aid eCommons Citation "Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection" (2014). Guides to Archival and Special Collections. 78. https://ecommons.udayton.edu/finding_aid/78 This Finding Aid is brought to you for free and open access by the University Libraries at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Guides to Archival and Special Collections by an authorized administrator of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 Finding aid prepared by Jillian Slater This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit February 26, 2015 Describing Archives: A Content Standard The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute 300 College Park Dayton, Ohio, 45469-1390 937-229-4214 Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 Table of Contents Summary Information ............................................................................................................................. 3 Biography of John S. Stokes Jr.....................................................................................................................5 Scope and Contents....................................................................................................................................... 5 Arrangement...................................................................................................................................................6 Administrative Information ..................................................................................................................... 7 Search Terms................................................................................................................................................. 7 Collection Inventory...................................................................................................................................... 9 Manuscripts and research........................................................................................................................ 9 Correspondence......................................................................................................................................10 Articles and press.................................................................................................................................. 13 Mary's Gardens records......................................................................................................................... 13 Mary's Gardens movement.................................................................................................................... 14 Catholic organizations and memberships..............................................................................................15 Catholic pamphlets.................................................................................................................................17 Gardening literature and ephemera....................................................................................................... 18 Subject files............................................................................................................................................18 Bonnie Roberson's papers......................................................................................................................21 Photographs, slides, and artifacts.......................................................................................................... 24 Audiovisual materials............................................................................................................................ 25 - Page 2 - Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 Summary Information Repository The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute Creator Mary's Gardens Creator Stokes, John S., (John Stodgell), 1920-2007 Title John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection Date 1938-2007 Extent 60.0 Linear feet Language English Abstract This collection contains the personal papers of John S. Stokes, Jr., and the records of his organization, Mary's Gardens. Materials in the collection date primarily from 1952 through 1990. The collection includes Stokes' manuscripts, correspondence, research materials, articles, photographs, audio recordings and ephemera related to his interests in Catholicism, the Blessed Virgin Mary, gardening, names and symbolism of plants and flowers associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mary's Gardens movement, social justice, civil rights, ecumenism and other related themes. Mary's Gardens records include press releases, newsletters, marketing materials, articles, garden plans, and ephemera on Stokes' organization (cofounded in 1951 with Edward McTague) based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Additionally, some materials deal with Stokes' website, also called Mary's Gardens (mgardens.org). Preferred Citation - Page 3 - Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 [Item title], John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1938-2007. Marian Library, University of Dayton Libraries, Dayton, Ohio. - Page 4 - Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 Biography of John S. Stokes Jr. John Stogdell Stokes, Jr., was born on October 21, 1920 in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. In 1942, Mr. Stokes earned a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Lehigh University. During the 1940s, he was employed by Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio and registered as a conscientious objector to World War II. Mr. Stokes was raised as a Quaker and converted to Catholicism in 1946. The following year he moved to the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and married Helen Patricia Schriever, with whom he had five children. Stokes developed an interest in medieval religious names, symbolisms and uses of flowers, particularly those associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary. Inspired by an article on a devotional garden planted in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, Mr. Stokes cofounded "Mary's Gardens" with Philadelphia based partner Edward McTague in 1951. Stokes publicized Mary's Gardens through articles in Catholic publications, newsletters, and mail-order distribution of seed packets that promoted plants and flowers honoring the Virgin Mary. He focused efforts both on his garden as well as fostering a broader Mary's Gardens movement. Bonnie Roberson of Hagerman, Idaho later joined the movement and corresponded extensively with Stokes on this topic. While promoting Mary's Gardens, Stokes also became active in civil rights and social justice movements and served as the director of the Wellsprings Ecumenical Center in Philadelphia. During the 1960s, he taught interfaith courses at churches and synagogues throughout the city. During this time, he met Marion Metelits, whom he would later marry in 1973. Continuing to promote his garden and the Mary's Gardens movement, Mr. Stokes launched a website, mgardens.org, in 1995. Through his site, Mr. Stokes devoted the later years of his life to sharing his collection of flower photographs and extensive research on the Marian dimension of plants and flowers. According to his family, the site has helped to foster devotional gardens around the world, and Mr. Stokes is considered by many to be the founder of the Mary's Gardens movement. Mr. Stokes passed away in Philadelphia on November 14, 2007 at the age of 87. Scope and Contents This collection contains the personal papers of John S. Stokes, Jr., and the records of his organization, Mary's Gardens. Materials in the collection date primarily from 1952 through 1990. The collection includes Stokes' manuscripts, correspondence, research materials, articles, photographs, audio recordings and ephemera related to his interests in Catholicism, the Blessed Virgin Mary, gardening, names and symbolism of plants and flowers associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mary's Gardens movement, - Page 5 - Guide to the John Stokes and Mary's Gardens collection, circa 1940-2007 ML.034 social justice, ecumenism and other related themes. The collection also contains records of Stokes' organization, Mary's Gardens including press releases, newsletters, marketing materials, articles, garden plans, and other promotional materials. Additionally, some materials deal with Stokes' website, also called Mary's Gardens (mgardens.org). Stokes' manuscripts document published and unpublished works on topics including Marian symbolism of flowers and herbs, Catholic mysticism, medieval gardens, and the Mary's Gardens movement. The collection includes over fifty years of Stokes' personal and organizational correspondence, primarily related to his interests on Mary and flowers, Catholicism, gardening, and the Mary's Gardens movement. He corresponded extensively with a few individuals, primarily Bonnie Roberson and Brother Sean MacNamara. Some materials document Stokes' activities as a member or general interest in over eighteen Catholic and/or social justice organizations. These include, for example, the Catholic Interracial Council of Philadelphia and the National Catholic Rural Life Conference. The collection also contains pamphlets,
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