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Virginia Judy Esterly Papers
D.Mss.0295
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Title: Virginia Judy Esterly Papers
Dates: 1900-1972
Collection number: D.Mss.0295
Creator:
Esterly, Virginia Judy
Extent:
9.4 Linear Feet
(15 document boxes, 1 flat box, 1 microfilm box)
Repository:
Scripps College. Ella Strong Denison Library. Claremont, CA
91711.
Abstract: The Virginia Judy
Esterly Papers contain correspondence, documents, newspaper clippings, periodicals, printed
material, pamphlets, and ephemera that document Mrs. Esterly's varied interests in women.
The items reflect her interest in domestic workers and household employment, and the
national effort to organize these women into unions in the period between the First and
Second World Wars. As a Scripps College faculty member and administrator, Mrs. Esterly's
syllabi and lectures on her course on the American Home, and speeches made to students, can
be found in the papers. Mrs. Esterly was instrumental in establishing the Ida Rust
Macpherson Collection, the earliest major collection on women at any women's college in the
United States.
Administrative Information
Collection opn for reserach.
Property rights reside with Scripps College. Literary rights are retained by the creators
of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact
Ella Strong Denison Library staff.
[Identification of item], Virginia Judy Esterly Papers (D.Mss.0295). Ella Strong Denison
Library, Scripps College, Claremont, California.
Provenance/Source of Acquisition
The Virginia Judy Esterly Papers were acquired after the death of Mrs. Esterly.
No additions to the collection are anticipated.
Preliminary arrangement by library staff. Processed by Tanya M. Kato, 2009.
Biography / Administrative History
Virginia Judy Esterly was born 25 April 1882, at Hillsboro, Oregon to Fredericka Bremer
Kelly and Martin Judy. She married Ward Benjamin Esterly before she completed her studies
at the University of California, Berkeley, and had two daughters, Josephine and Virginia.
After the death of her husband, she proceeded to complete her studies at the University of
California for her B.A. degree in 1923. From 1923 to 1930, she was Dean of Women at the
University of Oregon. In 1923, she was Acting Dean of Women during the Summer Session of
the University of California, and Dean of Women of the Summer Session in 1924. She
completed work for her M.A. degree at the University of California in 1929 after a
first-hand study of the education of women in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Finland. She
carried on further graduate study at both the University of Oregon and the University of
Southern California. After leaving the University of Oregon, she moved to the community of
La Jolla in San Diego, California and became president of the San Diego Y.W.C.A. in
1933.
In 1934, Mrs. Esterly was appointed Assistant to the President and Counselor on Human
Relations at Scripps College, and served as secretary to the Board of Trustees. The duties
of her position included teaching a course on the American Home, counseling students, and
representing the college before a large public. During the war years, she assumed many
extra duties and without complaint, relinquished the sabbatical leaves which were her due.
She faithfully served the Scripps College community for 12 years.
Mrs. Esterly's interests were many sided. Her early experience as a teacher in China gave
her an understanding of the peoples of the East and led to her active interest in the
Oriental Studies Society of the Associated Colleges of Claremont, of which she was a
director. She was also a member of the Educational Council of the Western Personnel
Service, the Association of American Colleges and Universities of the Pacific Southwest,
and the Southern Branch of the National Council of Family Relations. She was instrumental
in creating the Fine Arts Foundation of Scripps College, and encouraged the work of the
Scripps College Press. She also helped establish the Ida Rust Macpherson Collection, the
earliest major collection on women at any women's college in the United States.
On 17 May 1946, Mrs. Esterly passed away a few hours after suffering a cerebral
thrombosis. In her memory, the Virginia Judy Esterly awards were established in order to
recognize Scripps College students who combine the qualities of good scholarship,
effective service in student activities, and responsible citizenship.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The Virginia Judy Esterly Papers contain correspondence, documents, newspaper clippings,
periodicals, printed material, pamphlets, and ephemera. The newspaper clippings were
photocopied and deaccessioned. Duplicate items were also deaccessioned. The material
documenting Mrs. Esterly's efforts to establish the Ida Rust Macpherson Collection can be
found in the Mrs. Esterly's Files box and Early Files box in the Macpherson Collection.
The collection is organized into six series:
- Series 1: Biographical Material, 1934-1950 and undated
- Series 2: Teaching Material, 1931-1947 and undated
- Series 3: Speeches and Writings, 1930-1946 and undated
- Series 4: Topical Files, 1913-1972
- Series 5: Research Files, 1900-1956
- Series 6: Printed Material, 1918-1945
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library’s online public access catalog.
Claremont Colleges
Housekeeping
Nicholson, Gene
Scripps College
Women -- Organizations
Women -- Societies and clubs
Women and war
Women college administrators
Women employees -- United States
World War, 1939-1945
Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
Correspondence
Manuscripts
Microfilms
Pamphlets
Periodicals
Photographs