| Creator | McCandless, Elizabeth |
| Title | Elizabeth McCandless papers, |
| Dates | 1992 |
| Identification | MS 174 |
| Quantity | 0.5 linear feet (1 manuscript container) |
| Collection Abstract | The Elizabeth "Betsy" McCandless Papers contain primarily the handwritten journals and lists of McCandless, written during the period July to December 1992 when she was trying desperately to hide from her abusive and threatening husband. The notes and lists provide frightening details of McCandless's abuse and attempts to hide. These spiral bound notebook pages were carefully reassembled and numbered by McCandless's brother, Stephen, after her death. Also included in this collection are photocopies of numerous newspaper articles, most reporting on the tragic and violent circumstances of McCandless's death, but some commenting on domestic violence in general. |
| Historical Abstract | Elizabeth "Betsy" McCandless was born in Colorado in 1949 and lived there during her early years. Her family later moved to the Boston area, and McCandless graduated from Brookline High School in 1967. She then attended Simmons College, receiving the B.A. in Psychology in 1971. From Northeastern University, she received the M.Ed. in Counseling in 1974. She held numerous positions as a technical writer and a systems engineer in the greater Boston area until the time of her death in 1992. McCandless was a victim of domestic violence: her husband of less than a year, Sean Murray, shot McCandless to death in the laundry room of her apartment building in Brighton, Massachusetts on the evening of December 15, 1992. Murray then took his own life. |
| 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], Elizabeth McCandless papers, MS 174, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
The collection was donated to the Simmons College Archives by Stephen P. McCandless, brother of Elizabeth, during The Clothesline Project ceremony at Simmons College on September 21, 1999.
Accession number: 1999.051
Porcessed by Claire Goodwin, January 2000
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Samuel Bauer, February 2013
Elizabeth "Betsy" McCandless was born in Colorado in 1949 and lived there during her early years. Her family later moved to the Boston area, and McCandless graduated from Brookline High School in 1967. She then attended Simmons College, receiving the B.A. in Psychology in 1971. From Northeastern University, she received the M.Ed. in Counseling in 1974. She held numerous positions as a technical writer and a systems engineer in the greater Boston area until the time of her death in 1992.
McCandless was a victim of domestic violence: her husband of less than a year, Sean Murray, shot McCandless to death in the laundry room of her apartment building in Brighton, Massachusetts on the evening of December 15, 1992. Murray then took his own life.
Members of McCandless's class, 1971, held a memorial service at Simmons College in March 1993, and established the Betsy McCandless Memorial Fund. This fund has sponsored speakers on domestic violence. Also, a book based on the journals is planned, the proceeds of which will be added to the Fund. Additionally, the Memorial Fund Committee brought The Clothesline Project to Simmons College. This Project, mounted at Simmons College and combined with Relationship Violence Week each September since 1997, helps build awareness of relationship violence. The Memorial Fund Committee also provides funding for "Betsy's Friends," a program to train Simmons students to be peer educators on relationship violence.
A copy of McCandless's resume is in the collection's control file and is available to researchers. Please ask staff if you wish to view it.
The Elizabeth "Betsy" McCandless Papers contain primarily the handwritten journals and lists of McCandless, written during the period July to December 1992 when she was trying desperately to hide from her abusive and threatening husband. The notes and lists provide frightening details of McCandless's abuse and attempts to hide. These spiral bound notebook pages were carefully reassembled and numbered by McCandless's brother, Stephen, after her death. Also included in this collection are photocopies of numerous newspaper articles, most reporting on the tragic and violent circumstances of McCandless's death, but some commenting on domestic violence in general.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Collection is arranged into 1 series:
