Records, 1857-2000.

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

Christian Association (University of Pennsylvania).

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Mott, John Raleigh, 1865-1955.

Mott, John Raleigh.

McCracken, Josiah C., 1874-1962.

McCracken, Josiah C.

Remington, William Proctor, 1879-1963.

Remington, William Proctor.

Rambo, Victor.

Romero, Óscar A. (Óscar Arnulfo), Saint, 1917-1980.

Romero, Óscar A.

Christian Association of the University of Pennsylvania.

Young Men's Christian Association (Philadelphia, Pa.). University Branch (University of Pennsylvania).

Young Men's Christian Association (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Young Women's Christian Association.

Pennsylvania Commission of the United Ministries in Higher Education.

Tabernacle Church (Philadelphia, Pa.).

St. Mary Church (Philadelphia, Pa.).

International Student House of Philadelphia.

International House of Philadelphia.

St. John's Medical School (Shanghai, China).

Canton Christian College.

United Church of Christ, Evangelical and Reformed (Philadelphia, PA).

University of Pennsylvania.

Mobilization for Survival.

Service learning--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Service learning.

Service learning--Mississippi--Tribbet.

Student movements--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Student movements.

Student loans--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Student loans.

Student aid--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Student aid.

Students volunteers in social service.

Students--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Political activity.

Students.

Student volunteers in social service.

Homosexuality--Religious aspects.

Homosexuality.

Gay people--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia--Identity.

Gay people.

Christian sects--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Christian sects.

Protestantism.

Social service--Religious aspects--Christianity.

Social service.

Missions--Asia--Interdenominational cooperation.

Missions.

Missions--Asia--Societies.

Social settlements--Pennsylvania--Philadelphia.

Social settlements.

Camps--Pennsylvania.

Camps.

Medical education--China--Guangzhou--International cooperation.

Medical education.

Medical education--China--Shanghai--International cooperation.

African Americans--Civil rights--Missippi--Tribbit.

African Americans.

Missions--Central America.

Missions--South America.

Missions--South Africa.

Genre:

Minutes.

Annual reports.

Bylaws.

Correspondence.

Clippings.

Photographs.

Ledgers.

Scrapbooks.

Card indexes.

Memorabilia.

Directories.

Physical Description:

60 Cubic ft.

Arrangement:

The collection consists of two record groups. The first group, 1857-1990, has been organized into ten series: 1. History, Bylaws, Mission Statement, 1897-1988; 2. Board Records, 1857-1990; 3. Committee Records, 1902-1989; 4. Administration, 1898-1990; 5. Programs, 1927-1990; 6. Financial Records, 1893-1990; 7. Affiliated Denominational Groups, 1912-1988; 8. Other Organizations, 1952-1990; 9. Scrapbooks, Cards, & Photographs, 1901-1989; 10. Memorabilia. The second record group, 1902-2000, is arranged alphabetically by subject.

Place of Publication:

1857-2000.

Biography/History:

The organization was founded as the University branch of the intercollegiate Young Men's Christian Association in 1892 (John R. Mott was the director), became independent in 1898 and incorporated under the current name in 1901. Under the mission of Christian advancement, the institution engaged in such traditional social services as operating settlement houses for the poor; providing summer camps for kids from less fortunate families in the vicinity; holding various kinds of social activities for women; financing needy students with low-interest loans; and undertaking foreign missions in areas like China and India. In World War II period, when the University camp was substantially used as a military reservation and a large proportion of the student body were in uniform, the institution also provided recreational activities for the service men. The 1960 saw its interest surge in contemporary issues related to global peace, humanitarianism, social justice, as well as in services specifically addressed to minorities or such marginalized groups as homosexuals.

The institution has been affiliated with major denominations of Protestant Christianity: Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, and the United Church of Christ. In the early days, each denomination had a representative on its staff. After 1958, each denomination gradually began to have its own budget. Since 1967, the CA has enjoyed support from the Pennsylvania Commission of the United Ministries in Higher Education.

The CA's interest in social service emerged with the establishment of the institution. In 1898, two undergraduates (one being CA president, the other CA vice president) started a Sabbath-afternoon School for a group of boys in the neighborhood. This effort quickly developed into formal projects--settlement houses and summer camps. The first settlement house opened in January 1899. Several more followed from late 1920s to 1945. The first summer camp for boys started in 1907, followed by a girls' camp in 1925. The camps were required to maintain a 50/50 white/non-white ratio, and had University of Pennsylvania students serve as counselors. Both programs flourished from the late 1920s through the late 1950s.

The CA established its women's division in 1922. The Women's Advisory Council organized bazaars, crafts fairs, antiques fairs, teas and card parties for the purpose of raising funds for CA programs. The women's organization reached its peak in the 1950s and early 1960s.

At the turn of the century, the CA developed its interest in foreign missions. In 1902, the CA Board resolved to support a representative on the foreign mission in China. In 1907, it sent Josiah C. McCracken to China to operate a medical school in Canton, which was then renamed the University Medical School. The CA transferred its interest to Shanghai in 1914, and from 1914 to 1948, McCracken served as Dean of the Shanghai medical school called "The Pennsylvania Medical School being the Medical Department of St. John's University." The medical school turned out hundreds of Chinese doctors, a great contribution to the development of China's modern medicine. In 1938, the CA also formed a committee to support the work of Dr. Victor Rambo, an eye surgeon, in India.

The CA sponsored two more international programs. One was the International Student House, which was founded in 1908. In 1918, the CA bought a house and used it as the program's home. Though only twelve students could live at the house, it served as a center for hundreds of international students. In 1943, the student house separated from the CA and was renamed the International House of Philadelphia. This program was reportedly the first of its kind in the country. Another international program, the International Hospitality Program, became a CA undertaking in 1965. Due to financial constraints of the CA, the program was taken over by the International House of Philadelphia in 1977.

In the 1960s the CA's interest in social service burst into a wide variety of cultural and social activities which corresponded to the liberal and civil rights movements in the nation in general. The CA sponsored art exhibits, film series programs, the Wilma Theater, the Cultural Harvest program, the Big Small Theater, the Fish Poetry series, etc. In addition, the CA developed services specifically addressed to homosexuals. A campus ministry to gay students took shape around 1970. By 1974 the CA had formalized its gay ministry. In 1978, the CA sponsored the Philadelphia Gay Cultural Festival, formed Gay and Lesbian Peer Counseling, supported homosexual student groups at the University, and created the Philadelphia Lesbian Gay Task Force. Although the CA terminated its relationship with PLGTF in 1983, its support of gay ministry continued.

During the same period, the CA expanded its interest in issues that were related to the upholding of social justice and humanistic values. It opposed American military intervention overseas and supported student groups like the Penn Peace Action Committee and a number of "Peace and Justice" projects, among them the Mobilization For Survival (MOBE) and Stop the Pentagon/Serve the People (STP). In terms of geographical areas, the CA focused its attention more on two areas, Central and South America and South Africa. It supported such programs as the Central American Solidarity Alliance and the Penn Committee for Divestment (from South Africa). Throughout the 1980s, the CA organized Central America Week at the University, a movement based originally on the memorial for Oscar Romero, a missionary priest killed in El Salvador. At home, the CA committed itself to a domestic mission called Project Mississippi in 1965. Participants in the program traveled to Tribbit, Mississippi, to build tent homes and facilities for striking tenant farmers who had been evicted. In 1974, the CA organized the Penn Hunger Action Committee and in the early 1980s sponsored the formation of the Penn Committee for the Homeless. The latter grew in time into a cooperative program called the University City Hospitality Coalition, which started feeding local homeless people on a regular basis.

Summary:

The CA records reflect the history of a hundred-plus-year-old institution with strong ties to the Protestant church, which has been engaged in a wide range of programs and activities.

The History, Bylaws, Mission Statement series provides a cursory but comprehensive view of the history of the organization. It includes some historical documents of the early years, bylaws, mission statements, the CA's annual reports to the University Chaplain, and information on the administrative structure of the institution.

The Board Records series comprises all formal records of the Board of Directors as well as correspondence of the Board and its members. The minutes of the early years include one minute book, 1857-1859, of the institution's predecessor--the Christian Society of the University of Pennsylvania. The Committee Records series contains records of the Executive Committee as well as various standing and ad hoc committees. Major operational committees include Student Cabinet, Camp Committee, China Medical Committee, Development Committee, Finance, Investment, Personnel, Program Committee, Property Committee, Rambo Committee, and Women Advisory Committee.

The Administration series includes such major sub-series as the building of the institution, clippings, correspondence, development file, executive director file, donation and fund raising files, International Student House records, and a large staff file. The Program series contains records of all programs and projects undertaken by the CA. Programs run by the standing committees include settlement houses, summer camps, student loan, and numerous activities sponsored by the Women's Advisory Committee. Other major subseries are: bisexual, gay and lesbian oriented programs, Art Exhibit, Craft Fair, Cultural Harvest, film programs, Health and Wellness program, homeless oriented program, Peace and Justice Project, restaurants, lectures on Personal Ethics and Public Policy, Project Mississippi, Student Volunteer Center, theological seminars, Wilmot Project, and various worship programs. With the exception of the student loan file, which dates back to the 1920s, there is a noticeable blank in the documentation of programs before 1960s.

The Financial Records series is the largest series in terms of volume. It includes a fairly complete set of audit reports dating back to 1909, balance sheets, budgets, financial statements, donations, fund and foundation information, investment records, payroll and salary file, tax records, and a large group of oversize ledger books. Also included in this series are financial records of the Wesley Foundation, affiliated with the Methodist denomination, and the Westminster Foundation, affiliated with the Presbyterian Church.

The Affiliated Denominational Groups series contains records of the six religious denominations that are affiliated with the CA. The series includes material of the Drexel Asbury/Methodist Church (with the Wesley Foundation), the St. Mary Church (with its Hamilton Village Council), the Tabernacle Church (with the Westminster Foundation), the University Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, and the Church of the Savior. The Other Organizations series contains the records of hundreds of religious or secular organizations that had established relationships with the CA. One outstanding group of material concerns the Pennsylvania Commission for United Ministries in Higher Education.

The Scrapbook, Cards & Photographs series includes scrapbooks of clippings, boxes of contributor data cards and cards for the Bazaar Fair sponsored by the Women's Advisory Committee, and photographs. The photographs consist of three categories, namely, group pictures, individual pictures, and building pictures. The Memorabilia series is not extensive. It consists of over a dozen of rubber stamps from the Camps and the office of Dana G. How, Executive Director of 1928-1958.

The bulk of the record group of 1902-2000 documents the activities and development of the institution under the directorship of Beverly Dale from the late 1980s to the end of the century. It consists of administrative files, Board and committee records, general financial files, records related to the rental business of the building at 3601 Locust Walk (including a legal case file involving the Christian Association and a restaurant that rented part of the building), and files of various programs, such as black studies, the African American ministry, gay and lesbian peer counseling, etc. This record group also includes some old records of good historical value--a file of the Canton Christian College, 1910-1913; a miscellaneous file of Josiah C. McCracken, 1902-1981; a file of the New Building Fund campaign for the construction of the building of 3601 Locust Walk; and an Episcopal Church file related to the subjects of Viet Nam and college church work in the 1960s.

Additional materials: after the University Settlements were separated from the CA in 1963, the bulk of their records have been donated to the Urban Archives of Temple University. Most of the records of the International Student House were transferred to the International House of Philadelphia in 1985.

Finding Aid/Index:

Finding aid available in the repository.

OCLC:

1346383961

Access Restriction:

Access is granted in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.