The Training School Quarterly is one of the most valuable sources for the study of East Carolina’s early history. It published a number of articles by ECTTS faculty, including writings by President Robert H. Wright, Thomas J. Jarvis, and other leading figures in the founding of the school. Equally important, the Quarterly served as a news source communicating the dynamism of the school, its programs, achievements, and ambitions. For alumnae and supporters, the Quarterly served as a portal for appreciating the school’s growth, development, and vitality.
The first issue appeared in the spring of 1914, at the end of the school’s fifth year. It was edited by the Class of 1914, with Mattie H. Bright serving as editor-in-chief, and Annie E. Smaw as business manager. Associate editors included Blanche Lancaster, Emily D. Gayle, Marion F. Alston, and Grace Smith. The faculty advisory board consisted of Maria D. Graham, Daisy B. Waitt, and Mamie Jenkins. Jenkins, a professor of English, remained the single most important guiding force behind the Quarterly in the years to come. Nevertheless, as a school publication, the first issue highlighted its combination of faculty and student input, fostering in the process an impressive degree of student leadership and collaborative achievement. The result was as a fascinating account of the intellectual and cultural parameters of the new school. A number of state publications reviewed the first issue, and were uniformly impressed by its quality and promise.
The first issue featured a brief piece by the president of the school, Robert H. Wright, on trends in modern education. Other articles addressed North Carolina’s native trees and flowers, and the new Model School at ECTTS for teachers-in-training. Aware of its fifth year milestone, the issue also recalled the school’s history, recording its beginnings and struggles as well as its accomplishments and impressive contributions to improved education in the state and region. As ECTTS grew at a steady pace, its historical development remained a vital theme in later issues. In 1920, as the school approached its new role as a teachers college, the Quarterly again focused on its development with articles by Robert Wright, “What We Stand For;” C. W. Wilson, “Are We Making Good?” Sallie Joyner Davis, “The Material Growth of the School;” Herbert Austin, “The Professional Growth of the School;” Kate Beckworth, “The Neighborhood as it was and is;” Senator F. C. Harding, “Why We are the Town;” and Y. T. Ormond, “The School as the Board of Trustees See It.”
The Quarterly also took full advantage of the resources of photography to depict its leaders, including Robert Wright, Thomas Jarvis, William Ragsdale, Herbert Austin, and others, as well as the groundbreaking ceremony, views of the campus, the Administration Building, the new president’s home, the Infirmary, the cafeteria and its cooks, the Model School, and scenes of natural beauty on the early campus. Today, these photographs along with the articles in the Quarterly are priceless resources for understanding East Carolina’s history.
Sources
- “Carolina Teachers’ Training School Issues Quarterly.” News and Observer. May 25, 1914. P. 3.
- “First Issue, Senior Number.” The Training School Quarterly. Vol. 1, no. 1. April, May, June 1914. Raleigh, N.C.: Edwards & Broughton Printing Co.
- “The Jarvis Monument.” Charlotte Observer. August 10, 1915. P. 4.
- “The Training School Quarterly.” The State Journal. August 6, 1915. P. 8.
- “Training School Quarterly.” Greenville News. January 9, 1920. P. 2.
Citation Information
Title: The Training School Quarterly
Author: John A. Tucker, PhD
Date of Publication: 6/1/2018