Thomas C. Mendenhall Collection

Overview of the Collection
	Repository:	G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport
	Creator:	Mendenhall, Thomas C. (1872-1994)
	Title:	Thomas C. Mendenhall Collection
	Dates:	1910-1994
	Extent:	24 linear ft.
	Abstract:	Papers written or collected by Thomas C. Mendenhall regarding American collegiate rowing. Documents include research, correspondence, newspaper clippings, and drafts for Mendenhall’s books entitled The Yale-Harvard Boat Race, 1852-1924, The Coming of Sport to the American College, A Short History of Rowing, and Coaches and Coaching. Collection also includes general research material on rowing history.
	Identification:	Coll. 263

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Biography of Thomas C. Mendenhall

Thomas Corwin Mendenhall (1910-1998) was the recognized authority on the history of American collegiate rowing.

For thirty years Mendenhall reported on rowing events for the the Yale Alumni Magazine, and on the history of crew for The Oarsman. His books on rowing include Have Oar Will Travel: A Short History of the Yale Crew of 1856, A Short History of American Rowing, The Harvard-Yale Boat Race 1852-1924 and the Coming of Sport to the American College, and the forthcoming Coaches and Coaching.

Mendenhall received his B.A. at Yale in 1932, and went on to Oxford as a Rhode Scholar. There he was captain of the Balliol Boats, and back at Yale as a graduate student he rowed on the Berkeley College intramural crew. While teaching in the Yale History Department between 1937 and 1959 he served on the University’s Rowing Committee. He also helped establish the Directed Studies Program. In 1959 Thomas Mendenhall accepted the position of President at Smith College. From this office, which he occupied until 1975, Mendenhall led Smith through what has been described as “some of the most turbulent times in American education.” He also served as informal coach for the Smith rowers.

In 1975 Thomas Mendenhall retired to his home on Martha’s Vineyard, and began actively working on his definitive history of the Harvard-Yale crew races, and other aspects of American rowing. The collected papers, correspondence, notes and assorted documents contained in this collection are the result of these years of dedicated research.

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

Available for use in the Manuscripts Division.

Restrictions on Use

Various copying restriction apply. Guidelines are available from the Manuscripts Division.

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Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the catalog of the G. W. Blunt White Library. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Subjects:

Rowing–United States

Document Types:

Clippings (Books, newspapers)
Letters (Correspondence)
Research (document genres)

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Coll. 263, Manuscripts Collection, G. W. Blunt White Library, Mystic Seaport Museum, Inc.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

 

Correspondence; 1950-1987
Box	Folder
1	1		Correspondents: A;
	2		Correspondents: B
	3		Correspondents: Burk, Joe; 1950-1987
	4		Correspondents: Burnell, Richard D.; 1954-1981
	5		Correspondents: C
	6		Correspondents: Coffey Corporation Racing Shells; 1981
	7		Correspondents: D
	8		Correspondents: E
	9		Correspondents: F
	10		Correspondents: G
	11		Correspondents: H
	12		Correspondents: I-J
	13		Correspondents: K
	14		Correspondents: L
	15		Correspondents: M
	16		Correspondents: Mystic Seaport Museum Publications
Box	Folder
2	1		Correspondents: N
	2		Correspondents: O
	3		Correspondents: P-Q
	4		Correspondents: R
	5		Correspondents: S
	6		Correspondents: T
	7		Correspondents: U-V
	8		Correspondents: W
	9		Correspondents: Way, Diana; 1990-1991
	10		Correspondents: Way, Richard; 1988-1990
	11		Correspondents: X-Z
	12		Replies to Mendenhall; 1953-1982
Drafts, diagrams, photographs (copies), notes and correspondence; chapters; n.d.
Box	Folder
3	1		Chapter I, “The Beginnings”
	2		Chapter II, “The First Race”
	3		Chapter III, “Search for Shape and Place”
	4		Chapter IV, “Civil War Interlude: Coats, Style, and Training”
	5		Chapter V, “The Race Resumed”
	6		Chapter VI, “Bob Cook-The Races Take Shape”
	7		Chapter VII, “Fall of Assoc. Rise of H-Y”
	8		Chapter VIII, “The Boat Race Comes of Age”
	9		Chapter IX, “The Rise and Fall of Michael Davis”
	10		Chapter X, “Cook Triumphant, The Ruling Genius Bob Cook”
	11		Chapter XI, “Cook Challenged”
	12		Chapter XII, “Rowing With Confidence, 1899-1901”
	13		Chapter XIII, “Harvard Gets Its Act Together”
	14		Chapter XIV, “Guy Nickalls and Brighter College Years”
	15		Chapter XV, “Rowing at War”
	16		Chapter XVI, “Searching for a Coach”
	17		Chapter XVII, “Rowing for the Many and the Wizards of the West”
	18		Illustrations #56-128
	19		Articles, Perspectives on Higher Education and Athletics
Newspaper clippings (copies); primarily “Yale Alumni Weekly,” and the “Harvard Bulletin”; 1872-1899
Box	Folder
4	1		Newspaper clippings; 1872
	2		Newspaper clippings; 1873
	3		Newspaper clippings; 1874
	4		Newspaper clippings; 1875
	5		Newspaper clippings; 1876
	6		Newspaper clippings; 1877
	7		Newspaper clippings; 1878
	8		Newspaper clippings; 1879
	9		Newspaper clippings; 1880
	10		Newspaper clippings; 1881
	11		Newspaper clippings; 1882
	12		Newspaper clippings; 1883
	13		Newspaper clippings; 1884
	14		Newspaper clippings; 1885
	15		Newspaper clippings; 1886
	16		Newspaper clippings; 1887
	17		Newspaper clippings; 1888
	18		Newspaper clippings; 1889
	19		Newspaper clippings; 1890
	20		Newspaper clippings; 1891
	21		Newspaper clippings; 1892
	22		Newspaper clippings; 1893
	23		Newspaper clippings; 1894
	24		Newspaper clippings; 1895
	25		Newspaper clippings; 1896
	26		Newspaper clippings; 1897
	27		Newspaper clippings; 1898
	28		Newspaper clippings; 1899
Box	Folder
5	1		Newspaper clippings; 1900
	2		Newspaper clippings; 1901
	3		Newspaper clippings; 1902
	4		Newspaper clippings; 1903
	5		Newspaper clippings; 1904
	6		Newspaper clippings; 1905
	7		Newspaper clippings; 1906
	8		Newspaper clippings; 1907
	9		Newspaper clippings; 1908
	10		Newspaper clippings; 1909
	11		Newspaper clippings; 1910
	12		Newspaper clippings; 1911
	13		Newspaper clippings; 1912
	14		Newspaper clippings; 1913
	15		Newspaper clippings; 1914
	16		Newspaper clippings; 1915
	17		Newspaper clippings; 1915-1916
Box	Folder
6	1		Newspaper clippings; 1916-1917
	2		Newspaper clippings; 1917-1918
	3		Newspaper clippings; 1918-1919
	4		Newspaper clippings; 1919-1920
	5		Newspaper clippings; 1920-1921
	6		Newspaper clippings; 1922-1923
	7		Newspaper clippings; 1924
	8		Sources
Data sheets and publication papers; 1855-1992
Box	Folder
7	1		Harvard-Yale Race data sheets; 1855-1998
	2		Harvard-Yale Race data sheets; 1998-1910
	3		Harvard-Yale Race data sheets; 1911-1924
	4		Correspondence, publication; 1985-1986
	5		Correspondence, notes, and copies; 1992
	6		Correspondence; “A Proposal for a Book on the History of the Harvard Yale Boat Race”; 1960-1977
	7		Letter, review by Yale University; 1990
	8		Notes, photocopies; n.d.
	9		Notes, photocopies; n.d.
	10		Notes, photocopies; n.d.
	11		Notes, photocopies; n.d.
Miscellaneous papers; 1877-1994
Box	Folder
8	1		“Boat, Oar and Scull Rigging Survey,” FISA-Norway and Czech Republic; 1993
	2		Boat race bulletin; 1878-1889
	3		Bulletins, newsletters, etc. regarding women’s rowing; 1978-1980
	4		Cambridge coaching diary, H.R.N. Rickett; 1951
	5		Coaches and trials, including “Springfield Rowing News”; 1959
	6		Correspondence; 1980-1984
	7		Correspondence, committee on the history of Yale sports; 1982.
	8		Correspondence, Frederick W. Allen, (photocopies), and misc. materials; 1914-1916
	9		Correspondence, George St. John Sheffield (photocopies); 1877-1923
	10		Correspondence, Harvard selection of a coach; 1923-1924
	11		Correspondence, John C. Rice and rowing paper; 1954-1958
	12		Correspondence, Julian Kennedy regarding an engineer’s perspective on rowing (photocopy); 1922
	13		Correspondence on rowing tactics, newspaper clippings; 1914
	14		Data file cards, Harvard-Yale enrollment; 1898-1920
	15		Lists, Andover College admissions; 1884-1900
Box	Folder
9	1		Magazine and newspaper articles; 1920-1921
	2		Magazine and newspaper articles; 1980’s
	3		Magazine and newspaper articles; 1983
	4		Magazine and newspaper articles; 1987-1988
	5		Magazine and newspaper articles, coaches; 1963-1980
	6		Magazine and newspaper articles, Harpers Weekly; 1879
	7		Magazine and newspaper articles, miscellaneous
	8		Magazine and newspaper articles, New York newspapers; 1923-1925
	9		Magazine and newspaper articles, Saratoga; 1874
	10		Magazine and newspaper articles, Yale University; 1980-1991
	11		Miscellaneous; 1986
	12		Miscellaneous; n.d.
	13		Miscellaneous; n.d.
	14		“Modern Rowing,” Paul C. Wilson (photocopy)
	15		Newspapers articles, notes, clippings, etc.
	16		Newspapers articles, notes, correspondence, etc.
Box	Folder
10	1		Walter Camp on rowing
	2		Records, Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts
	3		Reports and minutes, Harvard Athletic Governance Committee; 1883-1907
	4		Reviews, 1994 Eastern Sprints race; 1994
	5		“Summer Circular”, Leander Club; 1984
	6		Papers on training methods, including “Developments in Conditioning Methods for American Collegiate Rowing, 1850-1900” by Delaney Kiphuth; 1974
	7		“Yale Alumni Weekly” rowing reviews; 1921-1924
	8		Correspondence and notes, Yale Athletic Administration; ca 1910
	9		Yale class histories, class and athletic statistics
	10		Yale crew newsletter; 1948-1950
	11		Yale miscellaneous materials
	12		Yale miscellaneous materials
	13		Yale records; 1879-1890
	14		YUBC Log, also includes notes from the “Yale Record”; 1873-1896 Mar
Correspondence, drafts and research materials; 1979-1984
Box	Folder
11	1		Correspondence; 1979-1984
	2		Legal correspondence and contract with Charles River Books and attorneys; 1980-1984
	3		Manuscript
	4		Manuscript with publisher’s mark-up
	5		Glossary and bibliography manuscripts
	6		Picture caption drafts
	7		Research material, race results; 1852-1979
	8		Research material re. the Ward brothers, including photocopy of Irene Ward Norsens’ “The Ward Brothers”; newspaper clipping copies and correspondence; 1958
Drafts;
Box	Folder
12	1		“Introduction” and related correspondence
	2		Chapter I, “American Rowing Comes of Age; Robert J. Cook”
	3		Biography, Bob Cook
	4		Chapter II, “Michael Davis; An Ingenious Man”
	5		Chapter III, “Charles Courtney; Cornell’s Old Man”
	6		Chapter IV, “Hiram Conibear; Founder of the Washington Dynasty”
	7		Chapter V, “Rudi Lehmann; the British are Coming”; xerox copy of Mendenhall article “The British are Coming,” from The Oarsman
	8		Chapter VI, “The History of Rowing at the University of Washington From 1928-1945”
	9		Statistics, University of Washington crews; 1899-1975
	10		Chapter VII, “Ky Elbright; The Little Admiral from the Oakland Estuary”
	11		Chapter VIII, “The Pococks; Boatbuilding from the Thames to Seattle”
Box	Folder
13	1		Chapter IX, “Ed Leader, The Wizard of the West”
	2		Chapter X, “Rusty Callow; We Happy Few, We Band of Brothers”
	3		Chapter XI, “The Dour Dane; Ulbrickson”
	4		Chapter XII, “Tom Bolles; Washington Comes to Harvard”
	5		Chapter XIII, “Cayuga’s Stork”
	6		Chapter XIV, “Honest Joe Burk”
	7		Chapter XV, “Weird Harold; Harry Parker’s First 20 Years at Harvard”
	8		Chapter XVI, Steve Fairburn
	9		Edmond Warre (1837-1920)
	10		Research notes regarding John D. Spaeth
	11		Correspondence, rowing technique, rowing history, and olympic rowing; 1960-1967
	12		Preliminary publishing material
Coaches research;
Box	Folder
14	1		Outline and preliminary research
	2		Abbott, Mather A.
	3		Bolles, Thomas
	4		Bolles, Thomas
	5		Burk, Joseph
	6		Burk, Joseph
	7		Burk, Joseph
Box	Folder
15	1		Callow, Russell S.
	2		Callow, Russell S.
	3		Callow, Russell S.
	4		Callow, Russell S.
	5		Conibear, Hiram B.
	6		Conibear, Hiram B.
	7		Conibear, Hiram B.
	8		Conibear, Hiram B.
Box	Folder
16	1		Cook, Robert J.
	2		Davis, Michael
	3		Elbright, Carroll M.
	4		Faulkner, George
	5		Gulston, Francis S.
	6		Leader, Edwin O.
	7		Leader, Edwin O.
	8		Leader, Edwin O.
Box	Folder
17	1		Lehmann, Rudolph Chambers
	2		Nickalls, Guy
	3		Parker, Harry L.
	4		Parker, Harry L.
	5		Parker, Harry L.
	6		Pocock, George Y.
Box	Folder
18	1		Sanford, R. Harrison
	2		Ulbrickson, Alvin M.
	3		Ulbrickson, Alvin M.
	4		Ulbrickson, Alvin M.
	5		Ulbrickson, Alvin M.
	6		Ward Brothers
Crew logs (copies), University of Washington, Al Ulbrickson, coach; 1926-1952
Box	Folder
19	1		Crew logs (copies); 1926
	2		Crew logs (copies); 1927-1928
	3		Crew logs (copies); 1930
	4		Crew logs (copies); 1931
	5		Crew logs (copies); 1932
	6		Crew logs (copies); 1935
	7		Crew logs (copies); 1936
	8		Crew logs (copies); 1948
	9		Crew logs (copies); 1951
	10		Crew logs (copies); 1952
Crew logs (copies), Harvard University, Thomas Bolles, coach; 1937-1951
Box	Folder
20	1		Crew logs (copies); 1937
	2		Crew logs (copies); 1938
	3		Crew logs (copies); 1939
	4		Crew logs (copies); 1940
	5		Crew logs (copies); 1940-1941
	6		Crew logs (copies); 1941-1942
	7		Crew logs (copies); 1946
	8		Crew logs (copies); 1947
	9		Crew logs (copies); 1947-1948
	10		Crew logs (copies); 1948-1949
	11		Crew logs (copies); 1949-1950
	12		Crew logs (copies); 1950-1951
Crew logs (copies), Cornell University, R. Harrison Stanford, coach; 1938-1970
Box	Folder
21	1		Crew logs (copies); 1938-1939
	2		Crew logs (copies); 1939-1940
	3		Crew logs (copies); 1940-1941
	4		Crew logs (copies); 1941-1942
	5		Crew logs (copies); 1942-1943
	6		Crew logs (copies); 1944-1945
	7		Crew logs (copies); 1945-1946
	8		Crew logs (copies); 1946-1947
	9		Crew logs (copies); 1947-1948
	10		Crew logs (copies); 1948-1949
	11		Crew logs (copies); 1949-1950
	12		Crew logs (copies); 1950-1951
	13		Crew logs (copies); 1951-1952
	14		Crew logs (copies); 1952-1953
	15		Crew logs (copies); 1953-1954
	16		Crew logs (copies); 1954-1955
	17		Crew logs (copies); 1955-1956
	18		Crew logs (copies); 1956-1957
Box	Folder
22	1		Crew logs (copies); 1957-1958
	2		Crew logs (copies); 1958-1959
	3		Crew logs (copies); 1959-1960
	4		Crew logs (copies); 1960-1961
	5		Crew logs (copies); 1961-1962
	6		Crew logs (copies); 1962-1963
	7		Crew logs (copies); 1963-1964
	8		Crew logs (copies); 1964-1965
	9		Crew logs (copies); 1965-1966
	10		Crew logs (copies); 1966-1967
	11		Crew logs (copies); 1967-1968
	12		Crew logs (copies); 1968-1969
	13		Crew logs (copies); 1969-1970
Records, Harvard University Boat Club (copies); 1866-1889
Box	Folder
23	1		Records; 1866-1868
	2		Records; 1868-1869
	3		Records; 1869-1870
	4		Records; 1870-1871
	5		Records; 1871-1872
	6		Records; 1872-1873
	7		Records; 1872-1874
	8		Records; 1874-1875
	9		Records; 1875-1876
	10		Records; 1882-1883
	11		Records; 1883-1884
	12		Records; 1884-1885
	13		Records; 1885-1887
	14		Records; 1887-1888
	15		Records; 1888-1889
Newspaper clippings (copies); 1932-1959
Box	Folder
24	1		Newspaper clippings; 1932
	2		Newspaper clippings; 1933
	3		Newspaper clippings; 1934
	4		Newspaper clippings; 1935
	5		Newspaper clippings; 1937
	6		Newspaper clippings; 1938
	7		Newspaper clippings; 1939
	8		Newspaper clippings; 1940
	9		Newspaper clippings; 1941
	10		Newspaper clippings; 1942
	11		Newspaper clippings; 1943
	12		Newspaper clippings; 1944
	13		Newspaper clippings; 1945
	14		Newspaper clippings; 1946
	15		Newspaper clippings; 1947
	16		Newspaper clippings; 1948
	17		Newspaper clippings; 1949
	18		Newspaper clippings; 1950
	19		Newspaper clippings; 1951
	20		Newspaper clippings; 1952
	21		Newspaper clippings; 1953
	22		Newspaper clippings; 1954
	23		Newspaper clippings; 1955
	24		Newspaper clippings; 1956
	25		Newspaper clippings; 1957
	26		Newspaper clippings; 1958
	27		Newspaper clippings; 1959
Drafts, Thomas C. Mendenhall; ca. 1985
Box	Folder
25	1		The Schuylkill, Philadelphia and Rowing in America; ca. 1985
	2		“Rowing Dangerously”, and other articles and pictures regarding Triremes; n.d.
	3		Rowing English and American; n.d.
	4		The Politicization of the Olympic Games; n.d.
	5		Articles for the Sprints Programs; 1986
	6		“Technology, Technique, Training”, “Rowing in the Olympics”, “Amateur and Professional Oarsmen”, and “Sports as Entertainment”; n.d.
	7		Overseas crews and Henley; n.d.
Newspaper clippings and papers, rowing related; 1940-1994
Box	Folder
26	1		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1940
	2		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1941
	3		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1942
	4		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1947
	5		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1949
	6		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1951
	7		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1952
	8		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1953
	9		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1954
	10		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1955
	11		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1956
	12		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1957
	13		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1959
Box	Folder
27	1		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1960
	2		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1961
	3		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1962
	4		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1963
	5		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1964
	6		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1965
	7		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1966
	8		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1967
	9		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1968
	10		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1969
Box	Folder
28	1		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1970
	2		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1971
	3		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1972-1973
	4		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1974
	5		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1975
	6		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1976
	7		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1977
	8		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1978
	9		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1979
	10		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1980
	11		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1981
	12		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1982
	13		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1983
	14		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1984
	15		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1985
	16		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1986-1986
	17		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1989
	18		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1990
	19		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1991
	20		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1992
	21		Newspaper clippings and papers; 1994
	22		Newspaper clippings and papers; n.d.
Papers on various rowing subjects; 1954-1992
Box	Folder
29	1		College sports; 1954-1992
	2		Eakins, Thomas
	3		Eastern Association of Rowing Colleges; 1992
	4		Harvard Rowing; Book chapter copy, “Lightweight Crew”, and correspondence by Michael W. Christian; 1985
	5		Henley Royal Regatta and Leander Club ephemera; 1899-1994
	6		Kennedy, Julian; 1993
	7		Leander Club; 1988-1993
	8		Miscellaneous correspondence; 1949-1994
	9		Miscellaneous papers; 1983-1986
	10		Montclaire Award acceptance speech; ca. 1970
Box	Folder
30	1		Olympic games; 1954-1994
	2		Postage stamps relating to rowing; 1979-1980
	3		Splash, Official Bulletin of the U.S. Rowing Association, Volume 1
	4		Women’s rowing; National Women’s Rowing Association; 1973-1980
	5		Women’s rowing, newspaper clippings; 1950-1990
	6		Women’s rowing; Smith College; 1969-1979
	7		Women’s Olympic Rowing Committee; 1973
Rowing articles and theses, authors other than Thomas Mendenhall; 1899-1988
Box	Folder
31	1		Woodhouse, M.K. “How Newburgh Learned to Hate Rowing”; n.d.
	2		Miller, Patrick B., “Making True Men of Boys: The True Origins of the Athletic Idea in America”; correspondence; 1983
	3		Nicholls, Michael L., “The Geographical Legacy of American Rowing”
	4		Cunningham, Frank, “Watermanship” published as “The Sculler at Ease”; 1988
	5		Meyers, Gretchen A., “Paper Rowing Shell Building in the United States, 1867-1900”; 1981
	6		Meyers, Gretchen A., “Rowing Clubs in the United States: Their Rise and Decline, 1870-1977”; 1978
	7		Allen, Charles Metcalf, “The Design and Construction of an Oarsman’s Indicator” (photocopy); 1899
	8		Traphagen, Ross, “The First Twenty-Five Years of Crew at Yale”; 1943
Other material; n.d.
Box	Folder
32	1		Index card file, Harvard-Yale research notes
Box	Folder
33	1		Index card file, bibliography of rowing materials; miscellaneous notes
Box	Folder
34	1		Oversized materials, posters, newspapers, etc.

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