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Preferred Citation:  Etter, Mary Spitzer.  Papers.  SC# 5012, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA. 

Descriptive Summary.
Physical Characteristics: Consists of one Hollinger box.
Abstract:  This collection contains mostly correspondence, minutes, and accounting records related to the James Madison University Alumni Association.

Scope and Content:  This collection documents the relationship of Mary Spitzer Etter (class of 1934) with James Madison University as an active alumna, class agent, and member of the Alumni Association's Board of Directors.

The first series, Correspondence, 1959-1975 and undated, contains several dozen responses to Mary Etter's January 15, 1968 letter of appeal to her classmates to support the Agnes S. Dingledine Retirement Fund honoring "Mama Ding's" years of service as Alumni Secretary.  Also included are letters regarding fundraising for the Glee Club Alumni Association as well as the State Madison College Alumni Association and the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chapter of Madison College Alumnae. 

Series 2, Minutes, 1924-1976, contains the minute book of the Alumni Association 1924-1976 and handwritten minutes of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chapter of Madison College Alumnae, 1961-1968.

Series 3, Treasurer's Reports, Accounting Records and Miscellaneous Papers, 1962-1975 and undated, contains financial records of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chapter of Madison College Alumnae, including receipts and treasurer's reports from 1963-1968.  This series also contains lists of donors and donations from 1976-1972 and undated, as well as a constitution and by-laws (1965-72), a JMU crest needlepoint pattern, and  miscellaneous papers of the Alumni Association.

Series 4, Publicity and Photographs, 1986-2002, includes newspaper coverage of a historic exhibit featuring Mary Etter, two photographs of the 1988 Bluestone Society induction ceremony, and a self-published booklet of poems, 1986.

Biographical/Historical: Mary Spitzer Etter (1912-2002) was the daughter of Perry Franklin and Mabel Baldwin Spitzer.  A 1934 graduate of the State Normal School (later James Madison University), she was active in the Glee Club, and was a devoted participant in campus events both before and after her tenure as a student.  Her subsequent teaching career spanned four decades.  She sponsored scholarships at Bridgewater College, Shenandoah University and James Madison University to honor her sister, Ruth, and her parents. 

Mary Etter was an active member of the Madison College Alumni Association, serving as President of the Board from 1962-1966 and in various capacities throughout the 1950s and into the 1970s.  She bequeathed her late Victorian era home to the local (Harrisonburg) arts association.  Her life and possessions were featured in a 2002 exhibition at the Shenandoah Valley Folk Art and Heritage Center in Dayton, VA, "Vignettes from the Mary Spitzer Etter Collection." 

Bibliography:
Krueger, Erin.  "A 'Jewel' of a lady," Daily News Record, Harrisonburg, VA, April 16, 2002.

Organization:
Series 1:  Correspondence, 1959-1975, and undated.
Series 2:  Alumni Association Minutes, 1924-1976.
Series 3:  Treasurer's Reports, Accounting Records, and Misc. Records of the Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chapter of Madison College Alumnae, 1962-1975, and undated.
Series 4:  Publicity and Photographs, 1986-2002.

Contents: 
Folder 1:  Correspondence, 1959-[1968]-1975 and undated.

               Alumni Association Minute Book, 1924-1976.
Folder 2:  Harrisonburg/Rockingham Chapter of Madison College Alumnae Minutes, 1961-1968

Folder 3:  Financial Reports, 1963-68
Folder 4:  Misc. Papers, 1962-1975

Folder 5:  Publicity and Photographs, 1934-2002 [4 images]

Acquisition Information: Received from Alumni Relations, May 2003.

Related Collections:

Alice Virginia Kellam Scrapbook, 1923-1925, SC# 5004

Elizabeth Arrena Carroll Scrapbook, 1921-1925, SC# 5011

JMU Archival Collections: Memorabilia and General; SU 2004-0904 and SU 2004-1216

Marian Colton Smith Harris Papers, 1932-1938, SC# 5008

Virginia Elizabeth Tisdale Fenlon Collection, 1925-1934, SC# 4058