E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon Papers
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/c832008q No online items E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon papers Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library 800 North Dartmouth Ave Claremont, CA, 91711 Phone: (909) 607-3977 Email: [email protected] URL: http://libraries.claremont.edu/sc/default.html © 2015 Claremont University Consortium. All rights reserved. E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon H.Mss.0493 1 papers Descriptive Summary Title: E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon papers Dates: 1824-1991 and undated Bulk Dates: 1930-1980 Collection number: H.Mss.0493 Creator: Lyon, Carolyn Bartel, 1908-2006 Creator: Lyon, E. Wilson (Elijah Wilson), 1904-1989 Extent: 49 linear feet(27 records boxes; 13 document boxes; 3 slim document boxes; 7 pamphlet boxes; 7 flat boxes; 1 textile box) Repository: Claremont Colleges. Library. Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library. Claremont, CA 91711. Abstract: The collection consists of the papers of E. (Elijah) Wilson Lyon (1904-1989) and his wife, Carolyn Bartel Lyon (1908-2006). E. Wilson Lyon was appointed the sixth President of Pomona College in Claremont, California, in 1941 and led the college for almost three decades - the longest serving president in the college’s history - retiring in 1969. E. Wilson Lyon’s papers consist of files from his scholarly and administrative work, extensive file material bearing on his scholarly interests in history and in higher education, as well as the raw material from his book research and publishing, most notably from his History of Pomona College 1887-1969. Mrs. Lyon’s papers prominently feature a broken run of personal diaries from 1952-1988. Physical location: Please consult repository. Language of materials: Languages represented in the collection: English, some in French. Access This collection is open for research. Publication Rights All requests for permission to reproduce or to publish must be submitted in writing to Special Collections. Preferred Citation [Identification of item], E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon papers (H.Mss.0493). Special Collections, Honnold/Mudd Library, Claremont University Consortium. Provenance/Source of Acquisition Most of the collection was gifted by Carolyn Bartel Lyon and Elizabeth Lyon Webb in 1992. Previous gifts were received in 1986 and 1987 from E. Wilson Lyon. Additions to the collection were made in 1993, 1999 and 2009 by the Lyon family. Accruals No additions to the collection are anticipated. Processing Information The collection was minimally processed by Special Collections staff. File folders were left in their original order and transferred from non-archival to archival boxes. Photographs were sleeved in mylar and kept in their original folders. Textiles were removed from non-archival boxes, cataloged, and placed into tissue-lined archival textile boxes. Oversized items were placed into appropriate file folders and a large flat archival storage box. Biography E. Wilson Lyon Born on June 6, 1904, in Heidelberg, Mississippi, E. (Elijah) Wilson Lyon at first planned to be a journalist. But the love of history soon took over. Lyon went to the University of Mississippi, where his outstanding record and his tenure as senior class president and editor of the college newspaper, helped him win a Rhodes Scholarship to St. John's College at Oxford. After returning to the United States, he began his career in the world of academics, first as an assistant professor of history at Louisiana Polytechnic Institute and then at Colgate University, where he was named head of the history department in 1934. In 1941, he was named Pomona College’s sixth president and would go on to serve for 28 years, still the longest presidency in the history of the college. Credited with developing Pomona College into a leading liberal arts institution, he saw the school's endowment rise from $3.5 million to more than $22 million and the student body swell from 790 to 1,200. Nine dormitories and academic buildings were added to the campus, including the highly regarded Seaver Science Complex and the Oldenborg Center, a residential hall for students studying foreign languages and international relations. After retiring in 1969, Lyon returned once again to history, writing more history books and speaking at major colleges throughout the country. Lyon also spent the first eight years of his retirement dedicated to writing the College's history, a E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon H.Mss.0493 2 papers remarkable achievement that can be found in The History of Pomona College, 1887-1967. E. Wilson Lyon died on March 3, 1989. Sources: Arnold, Roxane (1989 March 05). E.W. Lyon, 84; Ex-President of Pomona College. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/1989-03-05/news/mn-509_1_pomona-college 1941: Leadership, President E. Wilson Lyon. Retrieved from http://www.pomona.edu/timeline/1940s/1941.aspx . Carolyn Bartel Lyon Born on March 28, 1908, in Richmond, Indiana, she entered nearby Earlham College at the age of 16 and transferred two years later to Wellesley College, where she graduated in 1928. After earning a master's degree in history from the University of Chicago in 1930, she stayed on at the University to work as an editorial assistant at the Journal of Modern History. While there, she met E. Wilson Lyon, and they were married in 1933. After their marriage, she accompanied her husband to Hamilton, N.Y., where he was a professor of history at Colgate University. During those years, she gave birth to their two children, Elizabeth in 1936 and John three years later. In September 1941, the family moved to Claremont, Calif., where Wilson Lyon became president of Pomona College. An active member of the Claremont United Church of Christ for almost 65 years, she served at various times as a member of the church’s Education, Building, Music and Library committees. From 1958 to 1964, she served as alumnae trustee at Wellesley College. Awarded an honorary degree by Pomona College in 1974, she remained active with the College for many years, serving as honorary co-chair of the Campaign for Pomona College which was completed in 2002. She lived in San Antonio Gardens from 1989 until the year 2000 when she moved to New York. Carolyn Bartel Lyon died on August 4, 2006. Source: Peters, Cynthia (2006 September 21). Carolyn Bartel Lyon Memorial Service Set for Sept. 30, 2006. Retrieved from http://www.pomona.edu/news/2006/09/21-Carolyn-Bartel-Lyon-Memorial.aspx . 1904 Born, Heidelberg, Mississippi 1925 BA, University of Mississippi 1927 BA (Rhodes scholar), Oxford University, England 1928 B. Litt. (Rhodes scholar), Oxford University, England 1928-1929 Assistant professor, Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, Ruston, Louisiana 1929-1941 From assistant professor to professor of history, Colgate University, Hamilton, New York 1932 Ph.D., University of Chicago, Illinois 1933 Married Carolyn Bartel Lyon, Chicago, Illinois 1934 Author, Louisiana in French Diplomacy (1759-1804) 1936 Daughter, Elizabeth was born 1937 Grantee, Social Science Research Council 1939 Son, John was born 1941-1969 President, Pomona College, Claremont, California 1942 Author, The Man Who Sold Louisiana, the Life of François Barbé-Marbois 1943-1944 President, Western College Association 1943-1946 Board editor, Journal of Modern History 1945 LL.D., Colgate University, Hamilton, New York 1947 D.Litt., Occidental College, Los Angeles, California 1951-1952 Member, California Special Crime Study Commission on Organized Crime 1955 L.H.D., Trinity College, Hartford, Connecticut 1956-1962 Board editor, The American Oxonian 1957-1958 Chairman, Commission on college students, American Council for Education 1957-1960 Member, National Commission on Accrediting 1958 LL.D., University of California, Los Angeles 1960-1961 Chairman, Commission on language and area centers 1960-1963 Member, Commission on federal relations 1960-1966 Member, Pacific Regional Committee for Marshall scholarships 1962-1968 Member, Overseas liaison committee 1964 Decorated honorary Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire 1966 LL.D., Grinnell College, Iowa 1967 LL.D., Claremont Men's College, California 1967 LL.D., College of Idaho, Caldwell, Idaho 1967 Recipient Alumni medal, University of Chicago, Illinos E. Wilson and Carolyn Bartel Lyon H.Mss.0493 3 papers 1968 D.Litt., University of Redlands, California 1968 L.H.D., Claremont Graduate School, California 1968 American Academy Achievement award 1968-1971 Trustee, Latin American scholarship program of American University 1968-1983 Trustee, John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation 1969-1985 Trustee, Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, California 1969-1989 President emeritus, Pomona College, Claremont, California 1974 L.H.D., Hamilton College, Clinton, New York 1974 L.H.D., Pomona College, Claremont, California 1975 Named to Hall of Fame, University of Mississippi 1977 Author, The History of Pomona College (1887-1969) 1977 Editor, The History of Louisiana by François Barbé-Marbois 1989 Died, Claremont, California Scope and Contents of the Collection The collection consists of the papers of E. Wilson Lyon and his wife, Carolyn Bartel Lyon. The bulk of E. Wilson Lyon’s papers consists of raw material (clippings, research notes, minutes, etc.) for his scholarly and administrative work through copies of speeches, to correspondence. Some material is of particular interest to the history of Pomona College including a substantial amount of ephemeral materials pertaining to Pomona College, the Claremont Colleges, and to some extent, Claremont. Included are copies of brochures, leaflets, etc. from World War I and before, early years for the Colleges and community. There is extensive file material bearing on Lyon’s scholarly interests in history and in higher education. The raw material of Lyon’s books is also included – from note cards and reading notes through handwritten drafts and successive typed drafts and onto galleys. Awards, honorary degrees and other certificates of achievement as well as memorabilia in the form of photo albums, scrapbooks can also be found in the collection. Lastly, a variety of commencement hoods and a Pomona College banner are part of the collection.