Willis Baxter Boyd Papers, circa 1900-1926

Collection Title:

Willis Baxter Boyd Papers, circa 1900-1926

Repository:

The Holloway Archives at Milligan University

P. H. Welshimer Memorial Library

200 Blowers Blvd.

Milligan, TN 37682

Email: archives@milligan.edu

Creator:

Willis Baxter Boyd

Title:

Willis Baxter Boyd Papers, circa 1900-1926

Collection No.

C0133 (formerly Arch. 69)

Extent

1 cubic ft. (1 box)

Language(s):

English

Abstract:

The Willis Baxter Boyd Papers represent both personal and professional correspondence and other ephemera collected by Dr. Willis Baxter Boyd and his wife, Nan. The collection contains material related to his official duties at Milligan College (now Milligan University) as Professor of Philosophy, Psychology, Education and as Dean of Men, from a period of 1914 to about 1928 (the 1929 Buffalo lists Nan Boyd as Librarian but Willis as “Ex Member of the Faculty, Friend of the College.” Charles Burns is the listed as Dean of Men). During much of this period Mrs. Boyd served Milligan College as Librarian. In addition, there is some personal correspondence as well as biographical material.

Biographical Note:

Willis Baxter Boyd was born February 1, 1876 at Sequatchie College, Pikeville, Tennessee. Willis was educated at Sequatchie College and at the short-lived Disciples of Christ school, Burritt College. He also attended the University of Chicago. He founded Mont Vale College (a preparatory school or academy) in Celina, Tennessee in the early 1900s. Later he was a founder and first President of Dixie College (later Tennessee Tech) in Cookeville, also a short-lived Disciples of Christ college. In the 1940s he wrote a book, The March of Progress. Willis died October 14, 1945 of a heart attack.

Dr. Willis Baxter Boyd served Milligan College as Professor of Philosophy, Psychology, Education and as Dean of Men, from a period of 1914 to about 1928 (the 1929 Buffalo lists Nan Boyd, his wife, as Librarian but Willis as “Ex Member of the Faculty, Friend of the College.” Charles Burns is the listed as Dean of Men. In the role of Dean of Men, he regularly looked after the boys of Milligan College and served as surrogate father, including Phillip Anglin, for whom Anglin Field is named. Fundraising for athletics and student activities was another of Boyd’s tasks. Boyd also oversaw admissions, placing students in the dorms, and many aspects of the business office. He was in charge of scheduling all athletic matches with other schools as well as scheduling the Debating teams. He was an ordained minister of the Disciples of Christ and was involved in the congregation now known as Hopwood Memorial Christian Church.

Nan Denton Ford Rouchfuss Boyd was born July 21, 1872 in Putnam County, Tennessee. Willis was her second husband, and they were married on April 29, 1911. During Willis’s time at Milligan College, Nan also served as Librarian and head resident of the Boy’s Dorm. She died in Cookeville, May 18, 1946. They had no children.

Arrangement:

The papers of Willis Baxter Boyd are arranged into three series. I. Series: Personal and Biographical, II. Series: Correspondence, and III. Series: Academic Files. Within each series the folders are arranged alphabetically.

Scope and Content Note:

The papers of Willis Baxter Boyd are arranged into three series. I. Series: Personal and Biographical contains Boyd’s personal documents and biographical documents. II. Series: Correspondence includes correspondence to and from various people. Of special note is correspondence from Hopwood, Hyder, McDiarmid, and Governor Taylor, among others. III. Series: Academic Files contains academic items from Boyd’s time at Milligan.

Within the collection are several interesting examples of student work, papers, exams and debates, which offer a glimpse into student life in the 1920s.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information:

Accession 2018/012

Note: There was no accession year available when this collection was processed, therefore the year when processing ended is used for the accession record.

Access:

The collection is open for research.

The folders “Grades/Student Reports,” “Student Papers/Exams (Taylor, Robert Love),” and “Student Papers/Exams –Blue Books” are restricted.

Preferred Citation:

[Item], Willis Baxter Boyd Papers, Collection C0133, The Holloway Archives at Milligan University, Milligan, TN.

Processing Information:

Processed by: Clinton J. Holloway, Katherine Banks

Completed in 2013, 2018.

After initially being minimally processed in the 1990s, in 2013 it was discovered that an enormous portion of the collection consisted of very mundane and superficial correspondence, such as “Please send me a catalogue.” “Please reserve a room for me.” Thank you for your donation of $5.00,” as well as a very large amount of the Boyd’s personal canceled checks. A very thorough sorting was done and only representative samples of certain types of correspondence were maintained for archival and research purposes. A large amount of material relative to Boyd’s presidency of Dixie College was donated to Tennessee Tech University, as Dixie was the forerunner of that school in Cookeville, Tennessee. Another segment, dealing with Boyd’s involvement with the Johnson City Optimist Club was donated to that organization. A third body of material was integrated it the Archives vertical files. The remaining material represents the corpus of this collection. In 2018, Katherine Banks finished preparing a finding aid and organizing the material into series.

Folder List

Box 1

I. Series: Personal and Biographical

• Boyd, Willis Baxter: Personal and Biographical



• Boyd, Willis Baxter: Personal and Biographical

II. Series: Correspondence

• Correspondence: Athletics



• Correspondence: Baseball



• Correspondence: Basketball



• Correspondence: Football



• Correspondence: A



• Correspondence: Anglin Family (Tom, Phillip)



• Correspondence: B



• Correspondence: Boyd Family/Personal



• Correspondence: Buffalo Calf



• Correspondence: C



• Correspondence: D



• Correspondence: Disciples of Christ (General)



• Correspondence: E



• Correspondence: Edwards, James T. “Tobe” (Athletic Director)



• Correspondence: F



• Correspondence: G



• Correspondence: H (Hopwood, Hart, Hardin, Hyder, Hayden, Hull)



• Correspondence: I. J. K. (Jared, Kegley)



• Correspondence: L (Lucas)



• Correspondence: M. (McConnell, McWane)



• Correspondence: McDairmid, Errett Weir (President)



• Correspondence, McKissick, James Tracy (President)



• Correspondence: N



• Correspondence: O



• Correspondence: P (Payne)



• Correspondence: R



• Correspondence: S



• Correspondence: T (Taylor, Tarwater)



• Correspondence: Taylor, Alfred A. (Governor)



• Correspondence: U.V. W.

III. Series: Academic Files

• Academic Records of Students (Transcripts) c. 1915-1917 (Hyder)



• Buildings/Campus Notes



• Debate Transcripts (Student Work)



• Debate Transcripts (Student Work)



• Debate Transcripts, Orations, Student Work (Oscar M. Fair Oratorical Contest)



• Funds Solicitation



• Grades/Student Reports, RESTRICTED



• Law and Order League of Milligan College



• Milligan College Academy (Transcripts)



• Press Releases



• Student Concerns



• Student Papers/Exams (Taylor, Robert Love), RESTRICTED



• Student Papers/Exams –Blue Books, RESTRICTED



• Student Lists/other lists



• Tennessee College Association