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Carey Croneis papers

 Collection
Identifier: MC 005

Scope and Contents

There is a relatively small amount of presidential correspondence primarily from 1946-1950. Subject matter ranges from financial development to issues involving specific students. This includes correspondence to individuals and to Beloit College different groups within the Beloit College community.

Croneis presided over the college's centennial, so many documents relating to the planning for centennial events and fundraising are included. There are also many speeches and addresses, inauguration materials, news articles, some of Croneis' written publications on geology and higher learning, biographical information, photographs, and general president's reports and memos.

Dates

  • 1941-1972, bulk 1945-1950

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research; however, certain materials are fragile and require Archives staff for handling.

Biographical / Historical

Excerpted from "Seven Presidents of Beloit College" by Dr. Robert Irrmann:

A graduate of Denison University, with his doctorate in Geology from Harvard, Carey Croneis came to Beloit College as fifth president from a distinguished career in Geology at the University of Chicago. President Croneis took the helm in the last year of World War II, to lead the College to meet the challenges and exigencies of a post-war society. Carey Croneis's enthusiasm and skills were equal to the challenge. The President vigorously recruited a young faculty to meet the demands of a growing student body and an expanding curriculum. Genial in his personal relationships, the President had a particular affection for each incoming class, and annually composed a poem in celebration of each addition to the corpus of the college. Dr. Croneis presided proudly over the year-long festivities celebrating the Centennial of the College, 1946-1947, and he embellished the campus with needed facilities: the Field House, and new women's dormitories: Centennial (now Aldrich) and Maurer Halls, as well as with several fraternity and sorority houses. The College's reputation grew widespread through its enhanced role in Anthropology, Athletics, Art, the Theatre, as well as through expanded work in the sciences and the humanities. The President's enthusiasm invigorated his faculty to their best efforts. In the Croneis years Beloit College reached the level of the largest student body it had ever known in its more than century-long life. Resigning in December of 1953, in the following year Dr. Croneis went to Rice University as Harry Carruthers Weiss Professor of Geology to create an outstanding department in that discipline. Returning to Beloit to celebrate the dedication of the Chamberlin Science Center in 1968, Carey Croneis on that occasion gave a magnificent appreciation of the career and contributions of Thomas Chrowder Chamberlin. His last visit to Beloit was to participate in the celebration of the College's 125th anniversary, at which festival the Croneis enthusiasm and vigour was vibrant as of old.

Extent

4 Linear Feet (5 boxes, loose materials)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Carey Croneis was Beloit College's fifth president, and served from 1944-1954. There is a relatively small amount of presidential correspondence primarily from 1946-1950. Subject matter ranges from financial development to issues involving specific students. This includes correspondence to individuals and to Beloit College different groups within the Beloit College community.

Croneis presided over the college's centennial, so many documents relating to the planning for centennial events and fundraising are included. There are also many speeches and addresses, inauguration materials, news articles, some of Croneis' written publications (on topics such as geology and higher learning), biographical information, photographs, and general president's reports and memos.

Related Materials

Annual Reports collection (AC 11)
a href="http://bcarchives.beloit.edu:8081/repositories/2/resources/43">Beloit Area collection (AC 17)

Processing Information

There is some overlap in all the presidents' files, so some of Carey Croneis' correspondence is located with the Irving Maurer papers and the Miller Upton papers. There appears to be a lengthy gap of correspondence for President Croneis for his administration from 1951-1954. The reason for the absence of these files is unknown.

Title
Carey Croneis papers
Status
Completed
Author
Michelle Tom
Date
June, 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Undetermined
Script of description
Code for undetermined script
Language of description note
English

Repository Details

Part of the Beloit College Archives and Special Collections, Beloit, WI Repository

Contact:
700 College St.
Beloit WI 53511 USA
608-363-2485