| Creator | Gormly, Doris Perdue, 1910-1995 |
| Title | Doris Perdue Gormly papers |
| Dates | 1924-1992 |
| Identification | MS 168 |
| Quantity | 2 linear feet linear feet (1 manuscript container, 1 oversized container) |
| Collection Abstract | The Doris Perdue Gormly papers consists mainly of materials about her years at Simmons College, 1928-1932. The collection includes meticulously kept course materials, class notes and notebooks. Programs document Simmons events and activities, including Glee Club memorabilia and Step Singing. The Alumnae Association and Reunion newsletters offer further personal and professional information on Gormly. There are approximately 70 photographs included in Gormly's collection that consist of family photos, Simmons classmates, and Gormly at Simmons. |
| Historical Abstract | Doris Perdue Gormly, Simmons Class of 1932, was born July 22, 1910, in Brookline, Massachusetts. Gormly lived most of her life in Jacksonville, Florida but spent many summers of her youth visiting family in the Boston area. Gormly attended Simmons College from 1928 to 1932 where she received a B.S. in Household Economics, preparing her for employment as a nutritionist. |
| 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], Doris Perdue Gormly papers, MS 168, Simmons College Archives, Boston, MA, USA.
The Doris Perdue Gormly papers were donated to the Simmons College Archives in 1997 by Richard B. Gormly.
Accession number: 1997.038
Processed by Jessica Suarez, April 2005
Supervised by Donna Webber, April 2005
This collection guide was encoded as part of the LEADS project by Emily Gonzalez, August 2013
Doris Perdue Gormly, Simmons Class of 1932, was born July 22, 1910, in Brookline, Massachusetts. She lived most of her life in Jacksonville, Florida but spent many summers of her youth visiting family in the Boston area. Gormly attended Simmons College from 1928 to 1932 where she received a B.S. in Household Economics, preparing her for employment as a nutritionist. While at Simmons, Gormly was an active member of the Glee Club and participated in school dances and Simmons activities, such as Freshman Bib Signing, Step Singing, and Tennis. After graduating from Simmons, Gormly worked as a dietician at the veteran’s hospital in Perry Point, Maryland and at a veteran’s hospital in Pennsylvania in the 1930s and 1940s. She then returned to Jacksonville where she was employed at St. Luke’s Hospital and concluded her career as a dietician at the veteran’s hospital in Lake City, Florida.
Gormly married Raymond Erl Gormly of Jacksonville, Florida on April 12, 1947, and together they ran Perdue’s Inc., an office machines company, until the business was sold in 1975. They had two sons, Robert Erl Gormly and Richard B. Gormly. Gormly remained active in the Simmons Alumnae Association throughout her life, holding the position of Secretary, 1977-1982, and attending many reunions, including her third (1935), 25th (1957), and 50th (1982). Gormly died on October 3, 1995, at 85 years old.
The Doris Perdue Gormly papers consists mainly of materials about her years at Simmons College, 1928-1932. Collection includes meticulously kept course materials, class notes and notebooks. These course materials do not include syllabi or reading assignments, but still provide insight into the coursework of a Household Economics major in 1928-1932. Programs document Simmons events and activities, including Glee Club memorabilia and Step Singing. The Alumnae Association and Reunion newsletters offer further personal and professional information on Gormly, such as a notice of a new job, trips she took with her husband, and reasons for not attending the 45th reunion.
Photographs consist of a family photos, Simmons classmates, and Gormly at Simmons. The photos range in size from 2x3 to 5x7 with the majority in black and white. Color photos are mainly of the 50th Reunion. Of particular note is a photograph taken of the Main College Building, Simmons College, in the winter, almost completely obscured by snow.
These and related materials may be found under the following headings in online catalogs.
Collection is arranged into 6 series:
Gormly’s course materials and notebooks document her education at Simmons College. These course materials describe classes including Clothing, Foods, Education and Lunchroom Management. This series also includes two notebooks from the eighth and ninth grades.
Box 1
This series includes Glee Club programs, Track Day programs, dance cards, song sheets, and Commencement materials. There is also correspondence from Gormly's Freshman Sister, Betty Taylor, as well as other classmates.
Box 1
This series contains the contents of two scrapbooks Gormly assembled during her years at Simmons, as well as stickers, paper bibs, and other memorabilia. The first scrapbook, which was in poor condition, was disbound. Each of the twenty-one pages was photocopied to preserve the original look of the scrapbook. The photocopies of each page were placed in individual folders. Newspaper clippings were photocopied and the originals discarded. The photocopies of the newspaper clippings and other items from the scrapbook pages were placed in their corresponding folders. The second scrapbook, "Graduation Days," includes Gormly’s high school graduation in 1928 and her Simmons College graduation in 1932. The Class of 1932 Recipe Book includes a recipe by Gormly.
Box 1
This series includes Alumnae Association newsletters, programs, song sheets, minutes, and correspondence. Materials document Gormly’s third, 18th, 25th, 30th, 35th, 50th, 55th, and 60th Reunions.
Box 1
This series contains publications about nutrition, "The Old Salt’s Story" and "The Story of Wheat From Seed to Flour" and advertisements for household products.
Box 1
This series consists of over seventy photographs of Gormly’s family, classmates, activities at Simmons, and her 50th Reunion (1982).
Box 2
