| Creator | Thomason, Frances Griswold, 1914- |
| Title | Frances Griswold Thomason papers |
| Dates | 1931-1959 |
| Identification | MS 2 |
| Quantity | 0.5 linear feet (1 manuscript container) |
| Collection Abstract | This collection primarily focuses on her years as a student at Simmons College, 1931-1935, but also documents her years in the dietary program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and her subsequent search for employment. Her years as an employee of Simmons College are not documented in this collection. |
| Historical Abstract | Frances Griswold Thomason graduated from Simmons College in 1935 and received her degree in Household Economics. She then entered the Student Dietitian Training Course at Massachusetts General Hospital. She worked as a dietitian and taught at Simmons between 1937 and 1963, with a small hiatus to raise her family. After leaving Simmons, she became the Dietitian for the Boston Lying-In Hospital (now Brigham & Women's Hospital). |
| Language | Material in English. |
| Location | Collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Archives staff for more information. |
Collection is open.
Copyright for materials resides with the creators of the items in question, unless otherwise designated.
Please contact the College Archivist with requests to publish any material from the collection.
[Identification of item: description and date], Frances Griswold Thomason papers, MS 2, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
Gift of Frances Griswold Thomason, 1978.
Accession number: 78.213
Processed by Anne Gifford, April 1979
Updated by Nora Bloom, June 1996
Supervised by Joan Gearin
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Danielle Geller, February 2013
Frances Griswold Thomason was born Frances Harriet Griswold to William G. Jr. and Frances Sciring Griswold on January 10, 1914 and was brought up on a farm in Wethersfield, Connecticut. Throughout her childhood she was a member of the Girl Scouts of America, reaching the highest honor of Golden Eaglet. In 1931, she graduated from Wethersfield High School and in the Fall entered Simmons College School of Household Economics. At Simmons, Thomason served as Vice President and President of the Home Economics Club, was a member of the committees for the Junior Prom, May Day, and the Junior Welcome and represented Simmons College at the Home Economics Conference in Milwaukee in June 1933. For four years she was also a member of the Glee Club. In addition to receiving scholarship money, she worked in her dormitory for most of her college years. During at least one summer, Thomason was employed as the Camp Dietitian at the Sunshine Camp of the Cambridge Tuberculosis and Health Association.
Griswold graduated from Simmons College in 1935 and then entered the Student Dietitian Training Course at Massachusetts General Hospital. After looking for a job for one year, she found employment in 1936 as the Director of the Dining Room at the Y.W.C.A. in Portland, Maine. She worked a year in Portland and then returned to Simmons College to be the Manager of the Lunchroom and Special Instructor of Institutional Management. In 1938, Griswold married Massis Thomasian (their name was later legally changed to Thomason.) Thomason taught at Simmons College until 1941 when she left to raise her family. She had one child born in 1941, one in 1943 and twins in 1945. In 1959, she returned to Simmons College as Special Instructor of Foods. After leaving Simmons again in 1963, she became the Dietitian for the Boston Lying-In Hospital (now Brigham & Women's Hospital), where she stayed until her retirement in June 1978.
The Frances Griswold Thomason papers focuses on Thomason's years as a student at Simmons College, 1931-1935 and documents her years in the dietary program at Massachusetts General Hospital, and her subsequent search for employment. Her years as an employee of Simmons College are not documented in this collection.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Collection is arranged into 3 series:
These papers consist of Miss Griswold's admission application documents, course work, memorabilia and alumnae materials.
Box 1
These two scrapbooks document Miss Griswold's experiences as a student of Simmons College from 1931 to 1935 as well as her other interests including her family and friends, and the Girl Scouts. The scrapbooks contain newspaper clippings, programs, report cards, physical examination reports, dance cards and other memorabilia, invitations, letters, and notices of scholarships and loans.
Box 1
The materials in this series document Griswold's position as Camp Dietitian at the Sunshine Camp of the Tuberculosis and Health Association circa 1934, her year in the Massachusetts General Hospital Student Dietitian Program from September of 1935 to September of 1936, her attempts to find employment from 1935 to 1936, and her successful procurement of a position at the Portland, Maine Y.W.C.A. in August of 1936.
Box 1
