"TO SERVE THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF ": SARAH GIBSON BLANDING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF ADMINISTRATIVE SKILL, 1923-1941

CAROLYN TERRY BASHAW

On Friday, 11 October 1946, inaugurated its first woman president, Sarah Gibson Blanding, former dean of the State College of Home Economics at . As tangible recognition of Blanding's administrative acumen and national reputation, Vassar College departed from its eighty-five year tradition of male presidents. Numerous dignitaries attended the ceremony, including Brigadier General Roger Anderson who presented Blanding with the War Department's civilian service award for her "exceptional service as a consultant to the Secre- tary of War from March 1943 to June 1946. ''1 Virginia Gilder- sleeve, dean of Barnard College, conveyed congratulations from women's colleges across the country. In his comments praising Blanding's contributions to home economics in New York, Cor- nell University President Edmund E. Day reminded the audience that in 1941, "We found this lady. She was lost down in Ken- tucky."2 Day's comments force us to consider in some depth two pos- sible meanings of the word "lost." Between 1923 and 1941, Sarah Gibson Blanding served as dean of women at the in Lexington. Clearly, Blanding's early career, despite her subsequent successes at Cornell and Vassar, has been lost to historians because of her position, her institution, and its location. But, as dean of women at a provincial state university, was Blanding "lost" professionally as well? Did her years at Kentucky contribute in any way to her later achievements ?

CAROLYN TERRY BASHAW is a PH.D. candidate in history at the University of Georgia. She has accepted a position in the history department at Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York. 1 "Vassar Inducts Woman President," New York Times, 12 October 1946, p. 12. 2 Ibid.

]'he Filson Club History Quarterly 281 Vol. 65, No. 2, April 1991 282 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

Carolyn G. Heilbrun in her discussion of the possible varieties of women's biographies encourages scholars to look beyond con- ventional women for "as yet unnarrated lives.''3 Recently, his- torians of women have become increasingly concerned with just such lives, particularly women like Blanding- talented women employed at coeducational institutions outside the Northeast. Geraldine J. Clifford in Lone Voyagers: Academic Women in Coeducational Institutions, 1870-1937, the newest addition to the literature, reminds us that despite numerous studies of academic women at northeastern women's colleges, "the silence about early women at coeducational institutions is especially pro- nounced."4

In her effort to discover pioneer women faculty and admin- istrators, Clifford first isolates several ways in which women obtained employment at coeducational institutions. To evaluate Blanding's career accurately, two of these merit particular at- tention. The development of home economics as a recognized field of study offered many women academic employment in co- educational institutions. Clifford cites Blanding's rise from the deanship at Cornel] to the presidency at Vassar as just such an example.5

Clifford's major contribution, however, is her recognition of the significance of the office of the dean of women -- a position which scholars have virtually dismissed or ignored. She points out that not on]y did the office of dean of women have "the most consistent effect in bringing more women into the professional community at coeducational eol]eges and universities," but it also offered opportunity for additional professional mobility.8 Clifford's observation suggests a potentially rich source for

3 Carolyn G. Heilbrun, Writing a Woman's Life (New York: W. W. Nor- ton & Company, 1988), 28. 4 Geraldine Joncieh Clifford, ed., Lone Voyagers: Academio Women in Coeducational Institutions, 1870-1987 (New York: The Feminist Press at The City University of New York, 1989), xi. 5 Ibid., 17. 6 Ibid., 13, 14. 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 283 scholars. By 1920 the majority of college women in the United States attended coeducational institutions.7 The dean of women, as the highest ranking and usually only woman administrator on the campus, occupied a unique position in American higher education. Despite her perceptive comments concerning the position of dean of women, Clifford fails to consider the significance of Sarah Blanding's years as dean of women at the University of Kentucky. After all, her success while "lost down in Kentucky" attracted the attention of several prestigious academic employ- ers, including Bryn Mawr, Case Western Reserve, Oberlin, and Cornell. Between 1923 and 1941 as dean of women at the Univer- sity of Kentucky, Sarah Gibson Blanding developed her admin- istrative skills and acquired the reputation both regionally and nationally which made her success at Cornell and Vassar a reality. Founded in 1865, under provisions of the Morrill Act, the University of Kentucky admitted its first women students in 1880 when forty-three women matriculated in .the newly estab- lished Normal Department.8 Twenty-eight years later, after re- peated requests from numerous women's organizations including the Women's Christian Temperance Union, Equal Rights Associ- ation, and Woman's Club of Central Kentucky, the Board of Trustees established the office of dean of women.9 On 3 June 1908 by unanimous vote, the board "moved that the position of Dean of Women in this university be created.., and that the dean of women be a professor in the University with a seat in the Faculty.''1° That same day it appointed Florence O. Stout,

7 Mabel Newcomer, A Century of High6r Education for Women (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1959), 45. 8James F. Hopkins, Th6 University of Kentucky: Origins and Early Years (Lexington: University of Kentucky Press, 1951), 129-30. 9 "State College Trustees Meet," Lexington Democrat, 3 June 1903, p. 1. See also "Women Appeal for Their Sex at State College," Lexington Leader, 10 June 1904, p. 6. 10 Minutes of the Executive Board, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 2, June 3, 1908, pp. 851-52. 284 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

director of physical education for women, as the university's first dean of women.11 Four deans of women preceded Sarah Blanding at the Univer- sity of Kentucky. In 1915 her immediate predecessor Frances Jewell, a Vassar alumna, joined the faculty of the English De- partment. Four years later, she became dean of women.•2 Bland- ing enrolled in an English course with Jewell in 1919, and their subsequent friendship was instrumental in the development of Blanding's career.•S Born on a farm near Lexington in 1889, Sarah Gibson Bland- ing hoped to become a physician. Following her father's death, however, she lacked the financial resources necessary for medical training. Recognizing both her athletic ability and need to be- come self-supporting, Blanding enrolled in the New Haven Normal School of Gymnastics which offered a two-year training program. Following her graduation in 1919, Blanding accepted an instructorship in physical education at the University of Kentucky.•4

Blanding's first contract at the University of Kentucky indi- cates both her resourcefulness and self-confidence. She agreed to accept the position if she could enroll in undergraduate courses in the mornings and teach physical education courses in the afternoons. The university concurred, and in 1919 Sarah Gibson Blanding became instructor of physical education at an annual salary of $800.15

11 Ibid., 852. 12 Edna Drill Heck, Kentucky Division o[ the American Association of University Women 1930-1960 (Danville: KY: Advocate Messenger, 1960), 7. 13 Sarah Gibson Blanding, interview by Bill Cooper, 23 May 1976, Lake- ville, Connecticut, transcript, p. 3, Alumni/Faculty Oral Histery Project, Special Collections and Archives, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky. 14"Sarah Gibson Blanding," Louisville Courier-Journal Magazine, 12 May 1963, pp. 7-8. See also Transcript of interview with Sarah Gibson Blanding, Alumni/Faculty Oral History Project, pp. 1-2. 15 Ibid., 2. See also P. P. Boyd to Frank L. McVey, 13 June 1919, Frank LeRond MeVey Papers, box 30, Special Collections and Archives, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky. (Hereafter cited as McVey Papers) 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 285

In 1923 Frances. Jewell resigned her position as dean of women to marry the University of Kentucky's president Frank L. Mc- Vey. In that same year Blanding graduated with an A.B. degree in history and political science. Convinced of her friend's ability and promise, Frances Jewell McVey encouraged Blanding to assume the deanship. Although she was initially reluctant to accept such a responsibility, Blanding finally agreed to take the job on a temporary basis, at least until the McVeys returned from their wedding trip.iS In 1925, however, following Frances Jewell McVey's official resignation, Sarah Blanding formally accepted the position. Only twenty-seven years old, Blanding became one of the youngest women administrators in higher education in the United States.

Throughout her years at Kentucky, Sarah Blanding submitted annual reports to the president. These accounts, which grew in length and complexity, provide a valuable source for understand- ing how she developed a program for women students and the position of dean of women itself. Careful examination of her annual reports along with institutional and personal correspon- dence suggests that she possessed not only a precise definition of the position but also a realistic understanding of its value to her as a developing administrator.

The dean of women, Blanding maintained, served as "the•chief personnel officer for women."]• Her major concern, "the philoso- phy upon which I have built the program," was "the student as a whole," her intellectual, physical, social, and emotional well- being.]s To succeed, the dean of women must design an efficient,

16 Transcript of interview with Sarah Gibson Blanding, Alumni/Faculty Oral History Project, p. 5. See also Minutes of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 7, 21 November 1923, p. 142. 17 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1939-1940, pp. 352-53, Special Collections and Archives, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky. (Hereafter cited as Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women.) • 18 Ibid., 352. 286 The Filson Clltb Histo•T Quarterly [April

P

Sarah Gibson Blanding University of Kentucky

effective administrative structure for addressing the woman student and her needs. '•'L I i', L hr II-• i;L! ',' -:' ; :I,'I II I,' [', ;h:,!, :ii!'; TII'IE' ,'i,q;Ill;•ll

' • lli ,: i 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 287

In her assessment of her work, Blanding consistently com- mented upon the diversity of the job: "To me, it is somewhat like the Kentucky weather -- sometimes terribly dreary and the next minute bright and sunny. This element of change.., is always thrilling. ''19 Consequently, she expressed surprise when many of her professional colleagues at institutions throughout the country found themselves "dissatisfied and restless.''2o Blanding, how- ever, insisted that diversity and difficulty added "zest and anti- cipation to the position.''21 Clearly, the diversity of the job made Blanding a better administrator. As a consequence, her success at the University of Kentucky and within the profession itself formed the basis of her growing regional and national reputation.

A successful dean of women must combine the skills of a competent manager, diplomat, counselor, advocate, and public speaker. As dean of women, Sarah Blanding had three major responsibilities. She successfully organized, supervised, and ex- panded the office of the dean of women. She insured that women students enjoyed the full range of college life--athletic oppor- tunities, extracurricular activities, and exposure to outstanding women in a variety of fields. Furthermore, Blanding served on numerous university committees and maintained an active off- campus speaking schedule.

Sarah Blanding took justifiable pride in her success as dean of women. In her 1939-1940 annual report, marking her sixteenth year at the University of Kentucky, she reminded President McVey in some detail of the expansion of the office of the dean of women and of the services and opportunities available to women students. Comparing her three-page annual report of 1924 with the hefty document of 1939, she suggested that, "Suf- fice it to say, over the years, my delight in being dean of women, my satisfaetion in the efficient functioning of the office...

19 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of WcQ'nen, 1929-1930, p. 164. 20 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1930-1931, p. 9. 21 Ibid. See also Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1932- 1933, p. 173. 288 The Filson Chub History Quarterly [April

[have] increased in proportion to the length of my reports.''22 Between 1923 and 1939, the number of women students at the University of Kentucky more than doubled m from 566 to 1,165. When Blanding assumed the position in 1923, the dean of women's office boasted one part-time secretary and a minimal dormitory staff.2a Enlarging her staff remained a consistent priority. The volume of clerical work expanded in direct propor- tion to the number of women students, overwhelming one part- time secretary. In hopes of obtaining additional clerical help, Blanding reminded President McVey of the activity character: istic of the office: "The correspondence and reports.., together with the telephone (our office has an average of 61•/• calls a day) and students who come to the office for interviews.., keep one secretary spinning around like a top.''24 in her 1939 annual report, Sarah Blanding expressed justi- fiable pride in her staff which included a full-time assistant dean of women, a full-time secretary, and a dormitory staff of twelve "all with excellent training."25 Undoubtedly, the most valuable addition to her office was Sarah B. Holmes who became assistant dean in 1929 and succeeded Blanding in 1941.28 A perceptive administrator, Blanding recognized that to do her job properly, she must delegate authority among her staff and trust in their ability. She was also generous enough to acknowledge their con- tribution to her success. Reflecting upon a particularly produc- tive year, she informed McVey that "my staff has worked harder than ever before.., if we have been more successful, it is be- cause of the deep interest and real devotion on the part of these women.',2•

22 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1939-1940, p. 341. 23 Ibid., 341-42. 24 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1932-1933, p. 174. See also Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1926-1927, p. 197. 25 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1939-1940, p. 342. 26 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1928-1929, p. 136. See also Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1929-1930, p. 164. 27 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1936-1937, p. 279. See also Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1935-1936, p. 236. 1991] Sarah Gibson Bl•nding 289

Blanding and her staff spent much of their time compiling a variety of statistical data concerning the enrollment, academic achievements, and living accommodations of the women students. Close examination of these reports, however superficially pedan- tic, reveals much concerning Blanding's efforts to make a place for women students in a predominantly male environment. For example, each year the dean of women's office produced detailed reports of the scholastic averages of the women students, cate- gorized according to their living quarters, class, and membership in an honor society. Comparable annua! reports of the office of the dean of men contain no such data. Clearly Btanding had to justify, year by year, the continuing and increasing presence of women students.

The dean of women's office also produced detailed reports concerning the living accommodations of the women students. During Blanding's tenure, approximately one-third of the women lived on the campus and one-third in town with relatives. The rest lived in a variety of settings, including sorority, cooper- ative, and home management houses.2s Lack of adequate on- camptis housing remained a persistent problem which she never adequately solved despite continual efforts.

The question of dormitory space, a seemingly mundane issue, is, in fact, a provocative one. In her study of architecture and experience at women's colleges in the Northeast, Helen L. Horo- witz examines the conflicting views of administrators, faculty members, and students concerning the use of space on the wom- en's college campus.29 Such a question assumes even greater im- portance in a coeducational setting. In her analysis of the concept of separate spheres, Linda K. Kerber identifies a number • of

28 Each annual report contains housing statistics. Under Blanding's administration, the figures varied little. For representative examples, see Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1923-1924, p. 82 and Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1940-1941, p. 384. " 29 Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, Alma Mater: Design and Experience in the Women's Colleges from Their Nineteenth Century Beginnings to the 19508 (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984). 290 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

scholars using the concept "to refer to domain in the most ob- vious and explicit sense.''30 Such space, she maintains, is "com- pletely structured by an ideology of gender. ''3z Instructively, Kerber cites the university campus, a traditionally male space, as just such an example. In her unsuccessful effort to secure additional dormitory space for women, Blanding confronted the universal dilemma of aca- demic women, both students and faculty, in coeducational set- tings. Initially, most institutions, reluctant to house even a few women students on the campus, placed them instead in boarding- houses. As their number increased, however, anxious parents demanded greater supervision for their daughters. Administra- tors answered with the dean of women and minimal dormi- tory accommodations. Surprisingly to some, women students generally earned high marks, surpassing their male counterparts. As more women matriculated at coeducational institutions seek- ing all the opportunities of college life, the dean of women found herself negotiating for space in its most literal sense- dormi- tories and other facilities for women students. "Every space in the women's residence hall was taken and today there are seventy-five girls on a waiting list," Blanding reminded the president in 1940.32 As a consequence, the univer- sity suffered in at least two ways. The office of the dean of women, she claimed, could not maintain adequate order or super- vision with the women students "scattered over town.''a3 Further- more, the institution "is losing excellent students because we are unable to house them. ''34 Blanding lobbied for increased housing

30 Linda K. Kerber, "Separate Spheres, Female Worlds, Woman's Place: The Rhetoric of Women's History," Journal of American History 75 (1988) : 31. 31 Ibid., 37. 32 Sarah Gibson Blanding to Thomas P. Cooper, 14 September 1940, Herman Lee Donovan Papers, box 32, Special C•llections and Archives, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky (Hereinafter cited as Don- ovan Papers). See also Blanding to McVey, 3 September 1936, McVey Papers, box 28. 33 Blanding to Cooper, 14 September 1940, Donovan Papers, box 32. 34 Ibid. 1991] Sarah Gibson Bla•di•lg 291 ! II 292 The Filson Club Histo•T Quarterly [April for women even after she had accepted the position at Cornell. She advised acting president Thomas P. Cooper that "it is im- perative to begin.., the construction of another hall for women students.''35 She even offered financial support for the project. Citing the fiscal probity of her office, Blanding reminded Cooper that "there has always been a comfortable balance.., with which to give greater service."30 These profits, she insisted, should be reinvested in additional residence halls for women and not ap- propriated for other university expenses.37 Women enrolled at the University of Kentucky not only to study but also to enjoy the full undergraduate experience. Conse- quently, Blanding sought to secure social, athletic, and vocational opportunities for them. To do so, she "found herself negotiating again for space in which the women could enjoy all facets of college life. Central to Blanding's success in this endeavor was the estab- lishment of the Woman's Building which opened in 1933.as For several years, she urged President McVey to approve the project. Blanding insisted that women students in the already over- crowded dormitories sacrificed additional privacy since women's organizations met in dormitory parlors or lounges,a9 In 1932 the Patterson House, a potential site for the Woman's Building, became available. Built in 1880, it had been the home of President James K. Patterson until his death in 1922. His brother Walter K. Patterson continued to occupy it until his death in 1933.40 Blanding immediately surveyed the building, obtained an estimate of the renovation costs, and assured McVey that the women's student government possessed the necessary

35 Ibid. 36 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1940-1941, pp. 387-88. 37 Blanding to Cooper, 1 July 1940, Donovan Papers, box 32. 38 Minutes of the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 10, 1 June 1933, p. 177. 39 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1929-1930, p. 159. 40 Minutes of the Executive Committee, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 10, 1 June 1933, p. 177. 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 293 funds to prepare the building for use.4• "I am bubbling over with plans for a woman's building," she informed President and Mrs. McVey.4• Not only would it offeradequate space for women's organizations but also cooking and social facilities for town women.43 Following its formal opening in April 1933, the Woman's Building quickly became "the center of women's activities.''• Blanding reported that each year an increasing number of wom- en used the facility with "as many as five group meetings going on at once. ''4• Furthermore, the building served as a valuable social center for those women who did not pledge sororities. Blanding assured McVey that the Woman's Building, "with its teas and open houses has served a group of students who might not otherwise have been provided for.''4• Not surprisingly, Sarah Blanding maintained a lively interest in women's athletic opportunities. Throughout her years at Kentucky, she successfully expanded thephysical education pro- gram for women. As instructor of physical education, Blanding revised the curriculum to include not only traditional calisthenics but also tennis, soccer, and hockey. Furthermore, Blanding es- tablished the Women's Athletic Association.47 As dean of women, she supported its desire to abolish intercollegiate sports, em- phasizing instead intramural competition "with the result that not only was much more interest manifested, but many more women participated in athletics.''48 Concerned with life after intramurals, Blanding encouraged the physical education de- partment to instill in the women students "an understanding of the part that good health means in successful living. ''49

41 Blanding to Frances J. McVey and Frank L. McVey, 9 September 1932, McVey Papers, box 28. 42 Ibid. 43 Ibid. 44 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1933-1934, p. 203. 45 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1936-1937, p. 285. 46 Ibid. 47 Transcript of Interview with Sarah Gibson Blanding, Alumni/Faculty Oral History Project, p. 20. 48 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1924-1925, p. 103. 49 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1937-1938, p. 331. 294 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

An independent woman from an early age, Sarah Blanding remained especially concerned that women students possess "a broad understanding of various fields of endeavor.''s° To accom- plish this, she not only brought successful women from a variety of fields to the campus but also sponsored formal vocational programs. Among the women artists, professionals, and political activists whom Sarah Blanding invited to the campus were Zona Gale, Isabel Bevier, Lillian Gilbreth, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Lucy Randolph Mason.S• In her 1939-1940 annual report, Blanding took justifiable pride in her expansion of vocational counseling for women students.5Z A comparison of the vocational guidance programs of 1925 and 1939 indicates her success. In 1925, a number of women profes- sionals addressed the women students. All, however, represented traditional women's professions, including social work, librarian- ship, teaching, and nursing,s3 Fourteen years later, the Associa- tion of Women Students sponsored a two-day vocational con- ference with speakers representing, in addition to the more traditional career options, publishing, medicine, government, journalism, and commerce.• In addition to her management of the office of the dean of women and programs for women students, Sarah Blanding also held numerous committee assignments and maintained an active off-campus speaking schedule. Each year she not only served on the university council, which included the president and various deans, and as chair of the board of control for women's dormi- tories but also on at least five or six additional university corn-

50 Ibid. 51 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1928-1929, p. 142; 1940- 1941, p. 425; 1927-1939, p. 323; 1938-1939, p. 395. 52 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1939-19,10, p. 342. 53 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1924-1925, pp. 103-104. 54 "Vocational Information Conference," Sponsored by the Association of Women Students, University of Kentucky, 13-14 March 1939, Office of the Dean of Women Papers, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Ken- tucky. 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 295 mittees,s5 Her equally ambitious speaking schedule included ad- dresses to student groups, women's organizations, and various professional societies,ss In conjunction with her work at the University of Kentucky, Sarah Blanding also participated in the development of the profession of dean of women itself on both the regional and national levels. Her efforts, however, should be considered within the larger context of women's professionalization. Geraldine Clifford correctly defines the position as a valuable source of employment for academic women in coeducational institutions. Penina M. Glazer and Miriam Slater, however, in their study of women and professionalization between 1880 and 1940, identify several strategies which women employed in their search for vocational opportunity. According to Glazer and Slater, women such as Sarah Blanding were innovators, actively creating new, female-dominated professions.5T Like other ambitious professionals, deans of women sought the institutional trappings of expertise: formal graduate train- ing programs, a body of scholarly literature, and professional societies. Sarah Blanding made a significant contribution to the development of professional organizations for deans of women on both the regional and national levels. Throughout her years at the University of Kentucky, she remained an active member of the Kentucky Association of Deans of Women, serving as its president in 19285s In addition, Blanding also hosted the confer- ence on the Lexington campus for several years and periodically delivered papers at the annual meeting.59

55 For a comprehensive report of Blanding's committee assignments, see University of Kentucky Bulletin, 1924-1941 or Annual Reports, Office of the Dean of Women, 1924-1941. 56For representative, examples of Blanding's speaking schedule, see Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1927-1928, p. 144; 1928-1929, p. 136; and 1939-1940, p. 353. 57 Penina Migdal Glazer and Miriarf Slater, Unequal Colleagues: The Entrance of Women into the Professio•as; 1880-19•0 (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1987), 14, 217-19. 58 Proceedings of the Fifteenth Regular Meeting of the National Aseoci- atlon of Deans and Women (Boston, Massachusetts, 1928), p. 12. 59 Program, Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Kentucky Association of 296 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

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2 ill ji • I If I• i • I •lI¸ i iii •i i 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 297

Sarah Blanding's work with the National Association of Deans of Women earned her a national reputation as an executive ad- ministrator. The National Association of Deans of Women, founded in 1916 by a group of deans of women enrolled in sum- mer school at Teachers College, , held an- nual meetings and began publishing its proceedings in 1923. By 1929 the organization secured a permanent headquarters in Washington, D.C., and began its own professional publication The Jou•mal of the National Association of Deans of Women in 1938.60 Blanding's sustained advancement in the NADW is particu- • larly noteworthy since no woman from a southern coeducational • institution held national office in the organization until 1932. Agnes Ellen Harris, dean of women at the University of Ala- bama, became first vice president in 1932 and held the presidency from 1933 until 1935. During Harris•s tenure, Blanding served as chair of the university section of the NADW.sl In 1936, she chose not to accept the nomination for national president. During that same year Blanding was secretary-treasurer of the Ameri- can Council of Guidance and Personnel Associations. Reflecting upon her decision, she informed President McVey, "I declined the honor because I felt that if elected I could not do justice to my own job and two organizations of national scope in one year."62 Sarah Blanding served as NADW president between 1939

Deans of Women, Lexington, Kentucky, 25-26 October 1935, Office of the Dean of Women Papers, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky. See also Program, Kentucky Association of Deans of Women, Morehead, Kentucky, 16-17 October 1931, Office of Dean of Women Papers, Margaret I. King Library, Lexington, Kentucky. 60 Kathryn McLean Phillips, "Beginnings," Journal of the National As- sociation of Deans of Women XVI (June 1953) : 143, 145. See also Barbara Catton, "Our Association in Review," Journal of the National Association o] Women Deans and Counsellors XX (October 1956) : 3, 5-7. 61Proceedings of the Eighteenth Annual Meeting of the National Asso- ciation of Deans of Women (Cleveland, Ohio, 1934), 8. See also Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Meeting of the National Association of Deans of Women (Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1935), 5. 62 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1936-1937, p. 290. 298 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

1 and 1941- only the second chief executive from a southern coeducational institution.• During her tenure as president, she earned the respect of women administrators throughout the United States. Dorothy C. Stratton, well-known dean of women at Purdue University, assured President McVey that Blanding "is held in very high regard by members of her own profes- sion...."• Commenting upon the performance of her superior, Sarah B. Holmes reminded the administration that "the Univer- sity should be proud of the contribution [Blanding] has made to national leadership in her field...."• This national reputa- tion, along with her proven skill as an administrator, made Sarah Blanding an attractive candidate for administrative posi- tions throughout the United States. Although numerous organizations and institutions approached her with job opportunities, Blanding chose to remain at the University of Kentucky. In 1933 she declined the offer of an executive position with the National Board of the YWCA "be- cause of my belief in the growth and development of the Univer- sity of Kentucky...."• Three years later when Oberlin College considered Blanding for its dean of women, President McVey informed Oberlin President Ernest H. Wilkins, "We need Miss Blanding here at the University.... I would not know where to find a successor.''•7 In 1940 representatives of Bryn Mawr College asked Blanding if she would apply for the presidency.• In support of her appli- cation, McVey assured the search committee of her versatility as an administrator: "We have been trusting her with a great many difficult tasks and in every one she has proven not only

63 Carton, "Our Association in Review," 9. 64 Dorothy C. Stratton to McVey, 27 February 1940, McVey Papers, box 30. 65 Sarah B. Holmes to Cooper, 24 February 1941, Donovan Papers, box 32. 66 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1933-1934•, p. 203. 67 McVey to Ernest H. Wilkins, 5 December 1936, McVey Papers, box 30. See also Wilkirm to MeVey, 12 December 1936, McVey Papers, box 30. 68 Mrs. Henry G. Leach to McVey, 26 February 1940, McVey Papers, box 30. 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 299 satisfactory but excellent.''es Although obviously interested in the position, Blanding also possessed a rea!istic sense of the com- petition for such an opportunity. Commenting upon her pros- pects, she informed McVey, "I am not losing sleep over this job but I shall take a good deal of pleasure in seeing how far a graduate of a state university can get with the committee.''70 In 1940, Blanding's relationship to the University of Kentucky changed dramatically with the resignation of Frank McVey and subsequent administrative reorganization.71 Case Western l•e- serve and Cornell, two prestigious institutions, considered her for major administrative positions.72 In April 1941, Blanding accepted Cornell University's offer to become dean of the State College of Home Economics.73 Doubtless, this decision came in part as a result of the administrative reorganization which she consiciered detrimental to the influence of the dean of women at the University of Kentucky.

During the McVey administration, Blanding had negotiated not only for space for the women students but also for accept- ance of the dean of women and her role in administrative councils. As dean of women she had been a member of the uni- versity council which included the president and deans. In what would be her final annual report, Blanding expressed concern "that under the reorganization plan, there seems to be no place for the dean of women to sit on the higher academic councils of the University.... If the dean of women is as effective as she should be, she has much to give to the educational policies of an institution and much to learn from her colleagues who are re- sponsible for those policies. ''74

69 McVey to Mary C. Woodworth, 22 March 1940, McVey Papers, box 30. 70 Blanding to McVey, 13 March 1940, McVey Papers, box 30. 71 Minutes of the Executive Board, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 17, 7 June 1940, p. 254. 72 Blanding to Cooper, 5 March 1941, McVey Papers, box 30. See also Blanding to Cooper, 18 March 1941, Donovan Papers, box 32. 73 Blanding to Cooper, 25 April 1941, Donovan Papers, box 32. 74 Annual Report, Office of the Dean of Women, 1940-1941, pp. 386-87. 300 The Filson Club History Quarterly [April

Despite her antipathy to the institutional reorganization, Blanding recognized the importance of her work in Lexington, especially her association with Frank McVey, to her development as an administrator: "No dean of women in the country has been more fortunate than I in the administrators under whom it has been my privilege to work....,,•5 For its part, the board of trustees acknowledged not only Blanding's skill as an admin- istrator but also her national reputation and its value to the institution.76

Examination of Sarah Blanding's career as dean of women at the University of Kentucky indicates that as an administrator she was certainly not "lost down in Kentucky." In fact, the provincial state university, where the dean of women's office was less institutionalized, provided her with the independence to build a program and to grow into a seasoned professional. Blanding recognized that as the chief personnel officer for women she held a challenging position which required varied talents, including organization, diplomacy, understanding, and persuasion. The well-trained staff in the office of the dean of women, the Woman's Building, and the extent of her speaking schedule attest to her success. Furthermore, Blanding's col- leagues on both the regional and national levels recognized her expertise by electing her president of both the KADW and NADW. Sarah Blanding's achievements at the University of Kentucky, where she had both the ability and good fortune to expand an administrative office almost single-handedly while establishing a regional and national reputation, prepared her well for the challenges of Cornell and Vassar. Historians, however, have generally not been" so perceptive in recognizing the skills, successes, or even stories of academic women at southern coeducational institutions. In that context, Sarah Blanding indeed remains "lost down in Kentucky." Geral-

75 Blanding to Cooper, 25 April 1941, Donovan Papers, box 32. 76 Minutes of the Executive Board, Board of Trustees, University of Kentucky, Vol. 18, 16 May 1941, p. 29. 1991] Sarah Gibson Blanding 301

dine Clifford, despite her brief comment concerning Blanding, includes no lone voyager from a southern coeducational institu- tion. Apparently sensitive to this omission, she maintains that adequate primary source collections are unavailable.• Blanding's story is but one facet of a more comprehensive analysis of the work of influential deans of women at a variety of white, southern coeducational institutions. Substantial pri- mary source collections form the basis of this work, which should fill some of the "critical gaps" which Sally Schwager has identi- fied in the history of women's higher education.7s No longer lost to historians, Sarah Blanding and her colleagues, employed at non-elite coeducational institutions, represent some of the most resourceful examples of Glazer and Slater's innovators-- women who forged successful professional opportunities in a •raditional region of the United States.

77 Clifford, Lone Voyagers, xii. 78 Sally Schwager, "Educating Women in America," Signs 12 (Winter 1987) : 371.