The Duke University Board of Trustees has existed since 1924, and grew out of the Trinity College Board of Trustees that existed from 1859 to 1924. The Board is responsible for making major steering decisions in the administration of the school. The Board of Trustees records contain minutes, agendas, correspondence, reports, subject files, trustee handbooks, and other records of the Board and Executive, standing, and ad hoc committees. The minutes include reports, correspondence, resolutions, recommendations for the conferring of degrees, for employment and renewal of employment, and other material. Reports include those made by University officers, Board committees, and outside consultants. The Board's records also include statements of funds and scholarships, investment reports, correspondence, audits, bylaws, petitions from students, and other material. English.
Brantley York was an educator, author, and Methodist clergyman in North Carolina. He organized Union Institute Academy at Brown's Schoolhouse in Randolph Co., N.C. in 1839, which would evolve into Normal College, Trinity College, and later Duke University. York also wrote an English grammar, as well as several other instructional textbooks. The Brantley York Records and Papers contain correspondence, a grade book, certificates, manuscripts, and published works. Modern materials were added to the collection; these include York family genealogical information, as well as clippings about York and his activities. Major subjects include the early history of Union Institute, Normal College, Trinity College and Duke University; education in North Carolina in the 19th century; and the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. English.
John Franklin Crowell was an educator, economist, and journalist. He served as President of Trinity College (Randolph County, and Durham, N.C.) from 1887-1894. The John Franklin Crowell Records and Papers primarily consist of materials concerning Crowell's research interests and publications; his presidency of Trinity College; and his activities after leaving Trinity. The collection includes correspondence, reprints, manuscripts, memoranda, scrapbooks, photographs, printed matter, account books, cash books, and grade books. Materials range in date from 1883 to 1932. English.
John Wesley Alspaugh was a lawyer, editor, and civic leader in Winston-Salem, N.C. A key supporter of Trinity College (Randolph County, N.C), he served as chairman of the Board of Trustees and as a member of the Committee of Management, which ran the school from 1884 to 1887. Papers contain letters from J. S. Carr and J. A. Gray concerning the uncertain financial state of Trinity College (Randolph County, N.C.). Also included are claims, letters of recommendation, a student petition regarding food vendors, and reports of the Committee of Management. English.
Marquis Lafayette Wood was a Methodist clergyman, missionary, and educator. He served as President of Trinity College (Randolph County, N.C.) from 1883 to 1884. The Marquis Lafayette Wood Records and Papers primarily consist of diaries, sermons and addresses, with a small amount of correspondence, minutes, account books, and writings. Modern materials, such as Wood family genealogies and biographies, were added to the collection as well. Major subjects of the collection include Trinity College during the mid 1880s and Wood's career as a minister in North Carolina and as a missionary in China during the early 1860s. Materials range in date from 1852-1984 (bulk 1855-1892). English.
Brown's Schoolhouse was established in 1838 in Randolph County, North Carolina iterations as Union and later went through iterations asUnion Institute Academy, Normal College, and eventually Trinity College. The college relocated to Durham, North Carolina in 1892 and was renamed Duke University in 1924. This collection consists of administrative, academic, and financial records. Materials include accounting ledgers, roll books, student lists and rosters including lists containing the names of students from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, minutes and resolutions, financial and annual reports, account statements, addresses, sermons, correspondence, writings of Braxton Craven, and Trinity College publications.
William Howell Pegram (1846-1928) was a student, professor, and administrator at Trinity College (N.C.). He moved with the school from Randolph County to Durham County (N.C.), and remained active as Trinity College evolved into Duke University. The W.H. Pegram Papers include correspondence, notebooks, writings, clippings, and other material. His relationship with Braxton Craven, both professionally and personally, is detailed. Among the subjects in the collection are Pegram's main academic interest, chemistry, and the administration of Trinity College in both Randolph and Durham counties. English.
William Preston Few (1867-1940) served as President of Trinity College from 1910-1924, and President of Duke University from 1924-1940. Few came to Trinity College in 1896 as Professor of English, was named Dean of the College in 1902, and President in 1910, succeeding John C. Kilgo. Few worked with James Buchanan Duke to establish the Duke Endowment. In 1924, Few directed Trinity College's transition to Duke University and remained as President of Duke University until his death in 1940. Few was an active layman in the Methodist Church and in the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. The William Preston Few Records and Papers contain correspondence from Few's office files as President of Trinity College and Duke University, reports, clippings, copies of speeches and manuscripts, memorandum books, bound volumes, index cards that catalog Few's office files, and other types of printed material. Major subjects include education; philanthropy; the development of Trinity College from its beginning in Randolph County, N.C., to Duke University; the development of the Duke Endowment; Trinity and Duke departmental operations; the school's relationship with the Methodist Church; and business of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. English.
William Gannaway was a Professor of Latin and History at Trinity College in Randolph County from 1857 until his retirement in 1892. The collection includes account books and grade books as well as a small amount of correspondence and notes. The material ranges in date from 1853-1906.