Newman Foundation of Oregon State University Records, 1962-2008

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Newman Foundation of Oregon State University.
Title
Newman Foundation of Oregon State University Records
Dates
1962-2008 (inclusive)
1980-2006 (bulk)
Quantity
5.4 cubic feet, including 47 photographs, (6 boxes)
Collection Number
MSS Newman
Summary
The Newman Foundation of Oregon State University Records document the establishment of the Foundation in 1965 to support programs for Catholic students and faculty at Oregon State. The records include administrative records, property and legal files, publications, photographs, and sound recordings.
Repository
Oregon State University Libraries, Special Collections and Archives Research Center
Special Collections and Archives Research Center
121 The Valley Library
Oregon State University
Corvallis OR
97331-4501
Telephone: 5417372075
Fax: 5417378674
scarc@oregonstate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Additional Reference Guides

Preliminary container list available online.

Languages
English

Historical NoteReturn to Top

The Newman Foundation of Oregon State University was established in 1965 as a non-profit organization to "preserve, protect, and promote the Catholic faith of its members, to propate the Catholic faith according to the dictates of the church, and to provide facilities for each purposes." In order to develop a Newman Center close to the Oregon State University, the Foundation purchased several properties on Monroe Avenue between 21st and 23rd Streets in 1966. These properties included several rental houses as well as facilities for the Newman Center (also known as Newman House) that offered programs and activities for Catholic students and faculty at Oregon State. One of the structures was the former home of Margaret Comstock Snell, the first Professor and Dean of Home Economics at Oregon State from 1889 to 1908.

During 2001 and 2002, the Foundation donated the properties to the Archdiocese of Portland in the interest of facilitating needed renovation work on some of the structures. The announcement of plans a few years later to sell the properties sparked a legal battle between the Foundation and the Archdiocese that the Foundation lost in 2007. The foundation was dissolved soon thereafter in 2008.

The Newman Club for Catholic students at Oregon State was established in 1917.

Gordon Sitton was director of international education at Oregon State and served as faculty advisor for the Newman Center beginning in the 1960s.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The Newman Foundation of Oregon State University Records document the establishment of the Foundation in 1965 to support programs for Catholic students and faculty at Oregon State. The collection includes administrative records, property and legal files, publications, photographs, and sound recordings.

The administrative records include articles of incorporation and bylaws, meeting minutes, lists of board members, budgets and tax records, correspondence, reports, and subject files. The reports and subject files include planning documents and feasibility studies for redevelopment of the Foundation property on Monroe Avenue as Newman Commons and Trinity Court, including documents presented to the Corvallis Planning Commission. A large portion (about a third) of the records are property and legal files documenting the lawsuit by the Foundation against the Catholic Archdiocese of Portland regarding these properties.

The publications include newsletters, brochures, and flyers. The collection also includes materials on the history of the Newman Center and Margaret Snell as well as an embossing seal and non-profit organization stamp.

The photographs depict the streetscape around the Newman Center buildings and the damage done to a large metal cylinder assumed to belong to the Newman Center. The sound recordings consists of two audiocassette tapes of interviews with Gordon and Veronica Sitton about the history of the Newman Center at Oregon State.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Newman Foundation of Oregon State University Records, Oregon State University Archives, Corvallis, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Processing Note

This collection is not fully processed; this guide is preliminary.

Acquisition Information

The records were transferred to the Archives by the Foundation in 2008.

Related Materials

Additional materials documenting Newman Center activities and programs are available in the Memorabilia Collection (MC-Newman Center). The Daniel P. and Doris Dow Murphy Papers include photographs of Newman Center activities in the late 1930s. The Edgar Raymond Shepard Letters describe his involvement with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • City planning--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • College students--Religious life--Oregon--Corvallis.

Personal Names

  • Snell, Margaret Comstock, 1843-1923.

Corporate Names

  • Catholic Church--Oregon--Corvallis.
  • Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon.
  • Oregon State University--Faculty..
  • Oregon State University--Students.

Geographical Names

  • Corvallis (Or.)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Audiocassettes.
  • Photographs.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Sitton, Gordon R. (Gordon Russell), 1916- (creator)
    • Sitton, Veronica C. E. (creator)