University's Archives To Hold Club Records

To preserve the memory of those Harvard organizations which may dissolve during the war, Clifford K. Shipton, custodian of the University Archives, has requested that officers of all clubs and societies deposit their records in his office on the top floor of Widener.

Shipton's statement follows:

"Among the casualties of the last war were many old and famous Harvard organizations. The O.K. Society was one of the most distinguished clubs of the pre-war generation, but it broke up in 1918 and is now so very dead that not even the meaning of its name can be recovered.

"Many existing student organizations are sure to disappear during the present struggle, and to prevent the loss of their records, the officers are urged to deposit them now in the Harvard University Archives, on the top floor of Widener.

Saves Club Records

"The Archives Department has always cared for club and society records as well as the official archives of the University. They now have portions of the records of hundreds of student organizations, the first being one which was flourishing in 1721. The early records of the Hasty Pudding and similar societies are of great historical value.

"Club records deposited in the University Archives are scaled to all but the officers of the particular club for fifty years. The most important parts of such records are minutes of meetings and the correspondence of officers."