Doc 351 (and Doc 352–365 and MSA 112)
Royce Stanley “Tim” Pitkin (1901-1986) Papers, 1912-1983
Scope and Content
This collection contains the professional papers of Royce Stanley “Tim” Pitkin (1901-1986), founding president of Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont, educational innovator, labor arbitrator, and active Unitarian. The collection contains Pitkin’s office files which document the operation of a small, progressive liberal arts college during the period 1938-1969. The collection also includes Pitkin’s voluminous correspondence, notes and outlines for 30 years’ worth of speeches (usually on education), files relating to his involvement with other educational institutions, community organizations, the Unitarian church, and labor arbitration.
The collection came to the Vermont Historical Society in 1987, a gift of Pitkin’s widow, Helen (ms. acc. no. 87.44) The collection takes up 15.25 linear feet of shelf space and is housed in 15 document storage boxes and one archival flip-top box.
Biography
Royce Stanley Pitkin was born June 7, 1901, in Marshfield, Vermont, the seventh child of Ozias Cornwall and Olive Jane (Severance) Pitkin. He received his early education in the Marshfield public schools and at Goddard Seminary in Barre, Vermont. In 1923, he was awarded the Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Vermont where he majored in agriculture.
He received the M.A. and Ph. D. from Columbia University in 1928 and 1933. While at Columbia, he was greatly influenced by the folk high school concept and seminal ideas about liberal thought and progressive education.
Pitkin married Helen Kathleen McKelvey in 1924. They have three children. He held a number of teaching positions and headmasterships at various places in New England before being invited to become the Director of Goddard Junior College (an outgrowth of the earlier Seminary) in 1935. Several re-organizations of the Junior College took place until finally Goddard College was founded on new educational principles in 1938. The campus was moved from Barre to Plainfield, Vermont, that year and Pitkin remained as President of the College until his retirement in 1969.
During his tenure at Goddard, “Tim,” as he was almost universally known, had an immense influence on the development of American education. He took the basic concepts of progressive education, the Danish folkschool, Universalism, and the traditions of Vermont town meeting democracy and put together a new and impressive set of educational principles which have come to be highly regarded on national and Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 2 international levels. He worked vigorously to promote these principles through the Goddard instructional program as well as through numerous conferences and meetings.
In addition to his work at Goddard College, Pitkin had a number of other important associations. During World War II, he was a public panel member of the War Labor Board and later served as an arbitrator in labor-management disputes. He was President of the Vermont and Quebec Universalist-Unitarian Convention; Chairman of the section on residential Adult Education of the Adult Education Association; President of Vermont Foundation of Independent Colleges; Chairman, Board of Directors of the Vermont Labor and Farm Council; Member of the Board of Directors for the Advancement of Small Colleges; Chairman of the Committee on Research and Development of the Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges; Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Union for Research and Experimentation in Higher Education.
Pitkin wrote on various aspects of education and conservation in Saturday Review, Parent’s Magazine, The Nation’s Schools, The NEA Journal, and The New York Times. He also wrote a very popular children’s book entitled Maple Sugar Time.
Following his retirement from the presidency of Goddard College, Pitkin continued a very active life as a consultant, advisor, and trustee to many educational institutions. He died in 1986.
For further biographical information, see Doc 351 Folder 5 in the Pitkin Papers as well as To Know For Real: Royce S. Pitkin and Goddard College by Ann Giles Benson (VHS Lib. Call No. 378.743 GE).
Related Collections
The VHS library has two collections of audio tapes containing interviews with Pitkin. One set was created by Ann Giles Benson for her book To Know For Real: Royce S. Pitkin and Goddard College; the 15 cassettes are M-115 in the VHS collection. The second set was created by Beverly B. Cassara who was director of Adult Education at Goddard 1966-1970. The four reel-to-reel tapes are R-32 in the VHS collection.
There are photographs of Pitkin at the Vermont Historical Society in the Picture File, F-PO-Pitkin. Materials at the VHS on Goddard College can be found in the card catalog, picture file, broadside collection, and manuscript index.
The family of Royce Pitkin has retained his diaries and may have other manuscript material. The library at Goddard College has archival material from the college.
Organization of the Collection
The collection is organized into nine series: Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 3
I. Personal II. Goddard College’s Predecessor Institutions III. Goddard College A. Pitkin as President i. Governance ii. Alphabetical Files B. Pitkin as Teacher C. Pitkin as Trustee IV. Speeches V. Correspondence VI. Other Educational Activities VII. Community Service VIII. Universalist-Unitarian Convention IX. Arbitration
Inventory
I. Personal
Doc 351 Folder 1 Appointment calendars, 1960-1965
2 _____, 1966-1968
3 _____, 1969-1970
4 Australia (Evalyn Bates)
5 Biographical
6 Book Reviews
7 Clippings 8 Editorials
9 Expense Accounts
10 Fairchild/Pitkin Family
11 Family Reunions
12 Manuscripts, undated
13 _____, 1931-1933
14 _____, 1934-1940 15 _____, 1953-1979 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 4
16 _____, (All Around The Farm, first draft)
17 _____, (All Around The Farm, final draft)
18 _____, (T. Jefferson)
19 Mounted Flowers
20 Photos
21 Pitkin Farms Maple Syrup
22 Published Writings
23 Song Book
24 Taxes, 1978
II. Goddard College's Predecessor Institutions
Doc 351 25 Green Mountain Central Institute
26 Goddard Seminary, Alumni
27 _____, Budget and Finance, 1931-1938
28 _____, Clippings
29 _____, Trustees
30 Goddard Seminary and Junior College
III. Goddard College
A. Pitkin as President
i. Governance
31 Trustees, 1938-1969
32 President's Reports, 1939-1947
33 _____, 1948-1953
34 _____, 1954-1957
Doc 352 Folder 1 _____, 1958-1959 2 _____, 1960-1962
3 _____, 1963-1965 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 5
4 _____, 1966-1967
5 _____, 1968-1969
6 Budget and Finance, 1938-1941
7 _____, 1942-1947
8 _____, 1952-1960
9 _____, 1961-1979
ii. Alphabetical files
10 Academic Standards
11 Action Group Experiment
Doc 352 12 Accreditation
13 Administration
14 Admissions Office
15 Adult Degree Program
16 Alumni
17 American Association of University Professors
18 Bookstore
19 Buildings and Grounds
20 By-Laws
21 Campus Planning
22 Catalogs
23 Class Schedules
24 Clippings
25 Commencement Programs
26 Community Government, Constitutions Doc 353 Folder 1 _____, Memoranda
2 Comparative Cultures Program Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 6
3 Current Magazine
4 Curriculum Notes
5 Development
6 Education-Experimental Methods
7 Education for Living
8 Educational Policies Committee
9 _____.
10 _____.
11 _____.
Doc 353 12 _____.
13 _____.
14 _____, 1944-1952
15 _____, 1953-1956
16 _____, 1957-1959
17 _____, 1960-1962
18 _____, 1964
19 _____, 1964
Doc 354 Folder 1 _____, 1964
2 _____, 1965-1968
3 Faculty
4 Faculty Meetings, 1938-1957
5 _____, 1958-1960
6 _____, 1961-1962
7 _____, 1963-1965 8 _____, 1966-1969
9 Goddard Publications Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 7
10 Graduate Program
11 Greatwood Campus, 1965
12 _____, 1966
13 _____, 1967
14 _____, 1968-1969
15 Handbooks
16 History
17 Independent Studies
18 Judiciary Committee
Doc 354 19 Northwood Campus, 1965-1968
20 Off Campus Field Services
21 Photos
22 Presidential Search Committee, 1977
23 Press Releases
24 Public Relations
25 Self-Study
26 Silo Quarterly
27 Students, 1942-1959
Doc 355 Folder 1 _____, 1960-1969
2 Test Scores
3 Work Program
B. Pitkin as Teacher
4 American Society, 1960
5 Class Notes, 1941-1952 6 Community School
7 Contemporary America, 1961 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 8
8 _____, Student Papers, Pt. I
9 _____, _____, Pt II
10 Education Seminars, 1953-1958
11 Education Seminar, 1961, Pt. I
12 _____, _____, Pt. II
13 Farm School, 1955
14 The Idea of the College
15 Philosophy of Education, 1952-1962
16 _____, 1963, Pt. I
Doc 355 17 _____, _____, Pt. II
18 _____, 1964-1967
19 Seminar Outlines
20 Student Papers, 1951
21 Teaching Materials
C. Pitkin as Trustee
Doc 356 Folder 1 Trustees, December 1974
2 _____, 1975
3 _____, January-June 1976
4 _____, July-December 1976
5 _____, 1977
6 _____, 1978-1979
IV. Speeches
7 Speeches, undated
8 _____, 1930 9 _____, 1931
10 _____, 1932 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 9
11 _____, 1935-1936
12 _____, 1937
13 _____, 1938-1939
14 _____, 1940
15 _____, 1941
16 _____, 1942
17 _____, 1943
18 _____, 1944
19 _____, 1945
Doc 356 20 _____, 1946
21 _____, 1947
22 _____, 1948
23 _____, 1949
24 _____, 1950
25 _____, 1951
26 _____, 1952
27 _____, 1952
28 _____, 1954
29 _____, 1955
30 _____, 1955, June 20
31 _____, 1956
32 _____, 1957
33 _____, 1958
Doc 357 Folder 1 _____, January 18, 1958 2 _____, March 6, 1958
3 _____, 1959 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 10
4 _____, 1960
5 _____, 1961
6 _____, May 5, 1961
7 _____, June 19, 1961
8 _____ , October 26, 1961
9 _____, 1962
10 _____, April 17, 1962
11 _____, 1963
12 _____, September 10, 1963
Doc 357 13 _____, 1964
14 _____, April 26, 1964
15 _____, May 9, 1964
16 _____, 1965
17 _____, June 27-July 2, 1965
18 _____, November 23, 1965
19 _____, 1966
20 _____, June 10, 1966
21 _____, June 14, 1966
22 _____, October 7, 1966
23 _____, 1967
24 _____, September 12 & 13, 1967
25 _____, 1968
26 _____, _____, Greatwood Senior Studies
27 _____, _____, Northwood Senior Studies 28 _____, 1969
29 _____, June 13, 1969 Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 11
30 _____, 1970
31 _____, 1971
32 _____, 1972
33 _____, April 14, 1972
34 _____, 1973
35 _____, August 11, 1973
36 _____, 1974
37 _____, December 21, 1974
38 _____, 1975
Doc 357 39 _____, September 18, 1975
40 _____, 1976
41 _____, December 17, 1976
42 _____, 1977
43 _____, 1978
44 _____, May 19, 1978
45 _____, 1979
46 _____, 1980
47 _____, 1981
48 _____, 1983
V. Correspondence
Doc 358 Folder 1 Adams, Frank
2 Anderson, Adolph
3 Baskin, S. , 1962-1968
4 _____, 1969-1976 5 Hamlin, W.
6 Miller, Marianne Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 12
7 Morris, David
8 Polkinghorne, Don
9 Pratt, E., 1942-1955
10 _____, 1956-1958
11 _____, 1959-1962
12 _____, 1963-1969
13 Snitzer, Herb
14 Stephen Daye Press
15 Walton, Dick
Doc 358 16 Watson, Dori, Pt. I
17 _____, Pt. II
18 Wright, Marilyn D.
19 Williger, Gusti (Weiss)
Doc 359 Folder 1 1935-1952
2 1953-1959
3 1960-1964
4 1965-1968
5 1969, January 1- May 20
6 1969, May 21-July 30
7 1969, July 2-July 30
8 1969, August-December
9 1970, Pt. I
10 _____, Pt II
11 1971 12 1972, Pt. I
13 1972, Pt. II Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 13
14 1973, Pt. I
15 _____, Pt. II
16 1974, Pt. I
17 _____, Pt. II
18 _____, Pt. III
19 1975
Doc 360 Folder 1 _____, 1975
2 1976, Pt. I
3 _____, Pt. II
Doc 360 4 _____, Pt. III
5 1977, Pt. I
6 _____, Pt. II
7 _____, Pt. III
8 1978, Pt. I
9 _____, Pt II
10 1979, Pt I
11 _____, Pt. II
12 1980, Pt I
13 _____, Pt. II
14 1981, Pt. I
15 _____, Pt. II
VI, Other Educational Activities
16 Adult Conferences
17 Adult Education, Atlantic City Conf. 18 _____, Cincinnati Conf.
19 _____, Fund For Advancement of Education Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 14
20 _____, Lambton Folk School
21 _____, Laquemac, Camp
22 _____, Liberal Studies
23 _____, Meeting Europe, Pt. I
24 _____, _____, Pt. II
Doc 361 Folder 1 _____, Meijer, Flora C.
2 _____, Residential, Correspondence, 1955
3 _____, _____, _____, 1956
4 _____ , _____ , _____ , 1957
Doc 361 5 _____, _____, _____, 1958
6 _____, _____, _____, 1959-1960
7 _____, _____, _____, 1961-1963
8 _____, _____, _____, 1964
9 _____, _____, _____, 1973-1974, Pt. I
10 _____, _____, _____, _____, Pt II
11 _____, _____, _____, 1975-1976
12 _____, St. Louis Conf.
13 Babson College
14 Covenant College
15 Council for the Advancement of Small Colleges
16 Educational Change, Inc.
17 Educational Resources Center
18 Field Study Centers
19 Hartwick College 20 Institute For Academic Improvement
21 Kauai Field Study Center Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 15
22 Lea College
23 Magnolia Manor Conf.
24 Mercyhurst College
25 Mitraniketan, Budget and Finance
26 _____, Correspondence, 1963-1969
Doc 362 Folder 1 _____, Correspondence, 1970
2 _____, _____, 1971-1977
3 _____, Publications
4 Nasson College, Budget and Finance
Doc 362 5 _____, Clippings
6 _____, Correspondence
7 _____, Reports and Memoranda, 1960-1966
8 _____, _____, January 1969-March 1969
9 _____, _____, April 1969-1971
10 _____, Trustees, 1963-1968
11 _____, _____, 1969-1972
12 New England College Faculty Conf., 1961
13 Rutland Alternative High School
14 Scandinavian Seminar, Budget and Finance
15 _____, Correspondence
16 _____, Clippings
17 _____, Reports and Memoranda
18 _____, Trustees, 1973-1977
19 _____, _____, 1978-1980 20 Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union
21 Stowe School, "Application . . . For . . .Approval" Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 16
22 _____, Budget and Finance
23 _____, Correspondence
24 _____, Memoranda
Doc 363 Folder 1 _____, Trustees, 1972-1975
2 _____, _____ 1975
3 _____, _____, 1976-1977
4 Strategies for Change
5 Trinity College, Budget and Finance
6 _____, Correspondence
Doc 363 7 _____, 50th Anniversary
8 _____, Memoranda, Pt. I
9 _____, _____, Pt. II
10 _____, Trustees
11 Twinfield School District, 1969-1970
12 _____, 1970-1971
13 _____, 1971
14 _____, 1972, Pt. I
15 _____, _____, Pt. II
16 _____, 1973-1974
17 Vermont Council on the Humanities, Budget and Finance
18 _____, Correspondence
19 _____, Meetings
Doc 364 Folder 1 _____, Memoranda, Pt. I
2 _____, _____, Pt. II 3 _____, Projects, 1973-1974
4 _____, _____, 1974, Pt. I Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 17
5 _____, _____, _____, Pt. II
6 _____, _____, 1974-1976
7 Vermont Educational Advisory Council, 1971
8 _____, 1972
9 _____, 1973
10 _____, 1974-1975
11 Washington Northeast Supervisory Union
12 Wilmington College Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 18
VII. Community Services
Doc 364 13 Agricultural Conservation Programs
14 Barre Opera House
15 Cabot Creamery
16 Consumer Co-operative of Plainfield, Vt., 1936-1950
17 _____, 1951-1959
18 Labor Organizations
19 Marshfield Agricultural Society
Doc 365 Folder 1 Upper Winooski Development Assoc.
2 Vermont Cooperative Council, Co-op Briefs, Pt. I
3 _____, _____, Pt. II
4 _____, Notes and Memoranda
5 Vermont Secondary School Program
6 Vermont Youth Study
VIII. Universalist Unitarian Convention
7 Constitution
8 Correspondence, 1941-1953, Pt. I
9 _____, _____, Pt. II
10 Gentile, Frank
11 Pennoyer, C.H., Pt. I
12 _____, Pt. II
13 Perry, George
14 Programs
15 Putnam, Ralph 16 Real Estate, Morrisville
17 _____, Plainfield Doc 351 Royce S. Pitkin Papers Page 19
Doc 365 18 _____, Rutland
19 _____, St. Albans
20 _____, Vernon, Concord
21 Treasurer's Reports
22 Vernon Church
23 Voss, Carl
IX Arbitrations
24 Dartmouth Woolen Co.
25 General Notes
26 Cone Automatic Machine Co.
MSA 112 Folder 1 Florence Stove Co.
2 Jones and Lamson Machine Co.
3 Sullivan Machinery Co.
4 Vermont Foundries
5 Vermont Tap and Die Corp.
6 White Pigment Corp.
7 Windsor Foundry Corp.
8 Worcester Pressed Steel Corp.
By William E. Osgood
With the assistance of: Daisy Doyle Marcia Dwinell Olive Franzi Helen Tannen Ingrid Wackernagel
April 1994