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Taylor English
  • Class of 2013
  • Kempton, IL

Taylor English Participates In Archive Project at Illinois College

2013 Mar 8

Illinois College has received grants from the Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board and the Davee Foundation to improve the Iver F. Yeager Special Collections and Archives. The documents and materials that comprise this collection are located on campus in Schewe Library and Whipple Hall.

The Illinois State Historical Records Advisory Board (ISHRAB) awarded a $3,022 grant last year to purchase archival storage materials and pay three student historians to conduct extensive archival work, including transcribing oral histories and rediscovering, organizing and making accessible a large collection of historical photographs and documents related to the history of Illinois College and Jacksonville.

Senior Taylor English from Kempton, a history major at Illinois College, is one of the eight student historians participating in the project this year.

History Professor Steve Hochstadt said the students have made considerable progress in transcribing interviews in the Charles E. Frank Oral History Archive. "They have transcribed and published a 1975 interview with former President Vernon Caine who was Illinois College's president from 1956 to 1973 and is remembered for his expert financial management and leadership during a time of great social change. His interview is part of a set of four interviews with former presidents of Illinois College," Hochstadt said.

The Davee Foundation is providing matching funding to support the archival work of four other students and to purchase supplies to help preserve and publish oral histories of significant figures in the history of Jacksonville and Illinois College.

About Illinois College: Founded in 1829, Illinois College is a residential liberal arts college fostering academic excellence rooted in opportunities for experiential learning while preparing students for lifelong success. The college is located in Jacksonville, Ill. With an enrollment of nearly 1,000 students, the college offers over 50 undergraduate programs and a Master of Arts in Education degree program. In 1932 the society of Phi Beta Kappa established a chapter at Illinois College, and it remains one of only 11 in the state.

Illinois College is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Visit www.ic.edu or call 217.245.3048 for more information.