ALTHEA
CATHERINE CATER
Papers, 1917-2001
1.25 l.f.
Biographical Information
Dr Cater came to NDSU in 1962 and during her tenure at NDSU she presided over
the Faculty Senate, led the local chapter of the American Association of University
Professors, and started the Scholars Program. She has received many awards
and honors over the years for her efforts, including the Robert Odney Award
for Excellence in Teaching in 1976, the Vogel Faculty Award in English in 1978,
the Temple Beth El award in 1987, and the Distinguished Educator award from
the NDSU Blue Key Fraternity in 1998. In
the spring of 1982, Dr. Cater “retired” from NDSU and was made Professor Emeritus
of English. Her retirement has not kept her from teaching, however; in fact,
since 1982, she has continued to teach at least one class each semester. In
2001, NDSU awarded her an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree in recognition
of her dedication to teaching and her promotion of the humanities.
Scope and Content
The Althea Catherine Cater papers, artificially created from a donation by the
college of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at NDSU, document the many
activities and accomplishments that have marked Catherine’s life from
her days as a toddler in Alabama to her present life in Fargo. The collection
reflects Cater’s deep love for teaching and her continuous interest in
the humanities. The papers are divided into eleven series: Biographical Materials
Series, Research Papers Series, College Degrees Series, Newspaper/Magazine Articles
Series, National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Series, Talks Series, Official
Correspondence Series, Travel Series, Art Prints and Christmas Cards Series,
Awards Series, and Photos Series.
The Biographical Materials Series includes papers related to
her parents and to her aunt, Hattie Cater Haynes, her father’s oldest
sister. Catherine lived with Hattie Cater Haynes for a little while when she
was a young child. The Interview Sub-Series contains materials from an interview
of Catherine Cater conducted by Hannah Vanorny on April 13, 2005, at Catherine’s
home in Fargo. Two cassette tapes, a list of the questions asked, and a synopsis
of the interview make up the sub-series. In the interview, Catherine discusses
her childhood, her family, her teaching experiences, and other aspects of her
life.
The Research Papers Series consists of three papers written
by Catherine in college. The papers, which include both her masters and doctoral
theses, all have literary themes.
The College Degrees Series contains all five college degrees
Catherine has earned. These include her bachelor’s degree (1938) from
Talladega College; her master’s degree (1939), library degree (1940),
and doctorate degree (1945) from the University of Michigan; and her honorary
doctorate degree (2001) from NDSU.
The Newspaper/Magazine Articles Series consists of articles
about Catherine and some of her activities. Three of the articles specifically
describe Catherine’s life and her love of teaching. The article titles
are reflective of this theme. They are: “Cater: ‘infect one another
with the desire to learn’ (1977); “Catherine Cater: Her Former Students
at Moorhead State and NDSU Repeatedly Describe Her as ‘A Great Teacher’
(1983); and “All in the name of learning” (2000). “Respect
for U.S. declines, Dr. Mead tells F-M Forum” (1959) is an article about
anthropologist Margaret Mead’s trip to Moorhead as part of the Fargo-Moorhead
Open Forum lecture series, which Catherine helped organize. “Silent Auction
to benefit Cater lecture series” (2000) describes a fundraiser held to
benefit the Catherine Cater Lecture Series, which was founded in 1986. “Excerpts”
is a short list of quotes by Catherine published in the first issue of NDSU
Magazine (Fall 2000). The 1978 “Tri-College University” newsletter
contains a photo of Catherine under the “Faculty” section (part
3, p. 7).
The National Collegiate Honors Council (NCHC) Series papers
demonstrate Catherine’s heavy involvement in this honors organization.
The series displays Catherine’s talent for writing. She wrote and edited
a number of articles for various NCHC publications over the years, including
A Handbook on Honors Semesters, The National Honors Report, and Forum for Honors.
In 2000, an entire issue of the Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council
(JNCHC), entitled: “Liberal Learning in the New Century: A Festschrift
for Catherine Cater,” was dedicated to Catherine. The series also contains
a scrapbook Catherine put together after the Tenth Annual Conference of the
NCHC, held at Washington State University in 1975. The scrapbook contains clippings
and photographs from the event.
The Talks Series features just a few of the talks Catherine
has given during her career. The 26th Annual Faculty Lectureship Award, which
Catherine received in 1982, represents one of NDSU’s most esteemed honors.
Her speech for the occasion (entitled “Fire & Rock”) focused
on a topic in mythology, a favorite subject of hers. Materials from Catherine’s
Faculty Lectureship speech include a cassette tape of her talk, several newspaper
articles about the occasion, and a program from the event. Also included in
this series is a newspaper article describing Catherine’s speech at the
annual Phi Kappa
Phi banquet in 1960, and the text from an undated speech given by Catherine
entitled,
“Yet Generations Remain the Same.”
The Official Correspondence Series consists of just two letters;
both are from 1948 and both concern original pieces of writing by Catherine.
The first letter (June 4, 1948) is from editor Lorenzo Greene, writing to confirm
Catherine’s decision to submit an article to the Midwest Journal. The
second letter (July 27, 1948) is a note from the Permissions Department of Doubleday
& Company requesting permission to include Catherine’s poem, “Here
and Now,” in a 1949 book of poetry compiled by Arna Bontemps and Langston
Hughes.
The Travel Series contains papers demonstrating Catherine’s
love of travel. The series includes two passports (1959, 1964), a Swedish For
Tourists booklet (1955), two certificates of vaccination (1959, 1960s), and
an Air Letter to Catherine from Bonnington Hotels in London (1971). The postcards
in the series feature just a few of the places that Catherine has visited, including
such diverse locations as England, South Carolina, Mexico, and SeaWorld. Also
in this series is a keychain from “The London Room.”
The Art Prints and Christmas Cards Series contains postcard-sized
prints of art by such famous artists as Diego Rivera and Pablo Picasso, as well
as Christmas cards (and letters) from Catherine’s numerous friends and
family members.
The Awards Series showcases the many awards that Catherine
has won over the years. The series contains both certificates and plaques. A
newspaper article, program, and speech notes describe the two awards Catherine
has received from the NDSU Blue Key Honor Society: the Blue Key Doctor of Service
Award (1970) and the Blue Key Distinguished Educator award (1998). Certificates
document Catherine’s acceptance of the Robert Odney Award for Excellence
in Teaching (1976), the Close Up Award (1992), and the Mortar Board National
Honor Society’s “Preferred Professor” award (1993). The series
contains nine plaques: the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Woman
of the Year award (1973), an NCHC award for serving as president of the organization
(1974-75), the Robert Odney Award for Excellence in Teaching (1976-this came
with a certificate also), the Century II Prairie Club award (1981/82, 1982/83),
the Century II Pioneer Club award (1987-88), the Temple Beth El award (1987),
the Outstanding Campus Communicator award from Pi Kappa Delta (1993), the Liberty
Bell Award (1995), and the President’s Bronze Medallion from NDSU. This
series also contains the Woksape Lifetime Achievement Award clock from the North
Dakota Humanities Council, and a paperweight honoring Cater as a “Gunkelman
Award Nominee” (1993). The Mary McCannel Gunkelman Recognition Award is
given to an individual on campus who contributes to creating a satisfying and
happy environment for NDSU students.
The Photos Series contains pictures of Catherine from infanthood
to older adulthood. The series includes photos of Catherine’s family,
her friends, and her colleagues. There are also pictures from Catherine’s
travels all over the world. Other photographs include shots of the NDSU College
Quiz Bowl team and pictures from William Faulkner’s life provided by Historical
Graphics photography (1973-1974). Many of the people in the photos are unidentified
and, except for the travel photos, most of the pictures are undated.
BOX 1
1 Finding Aid
BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS SERIES:
2 St. Martinville, Louisiana – town where Catherine’s mother grew
up – tourist guide, short historical message from the St. Martinville
Evangeline Museum, St. Martinville brochure
3 Funeral announcement for James Tate Cater (Catherine’s father) –
May 1958
4 Hattie Cater Haynes – marriage certificate between Hattie and Charles
Henry Haynes (1920), Hotel Training School diploma (1940), death announcement
(1979)
Interview Sub-Series:
5 Two cassette tapes of the interview (April 13, 2005)
6 List of questions
7 Synopsis of interview
RESEARCH PAPERS SERIES:
8 “Four Voices Out of the South” – English Proseminar 211g
– 21 pages – date unknown – published in the Michigan Review.
9 Masters thesis - “Keats, Endymion, and the Critics” – University
of Michigan - 31 pages - May 1939
10 Doctoral thesis – University of Michigan - topic: the attitudes of
five Southern fiction novelists “in terms of their individual approaches
to social problems” - 257 pages - 1945
COLLEGE DEGREES SERIES:
11 Bachelor of Arts - Talladega College – June 6, 1938
12 Master of Arts - English Language and Literature – University of Michigan
– June 17, 1939
13 Bachelor of Arts in Library Science – University of Michigan - June
15, 1940
14 Doctor of Philosophy - English Language and Literature - October 20, 1945
15 Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts from NDSU – degree, short profile of Cater
in the Annual Spring Commencement booklet, Spectrum article: “Two at SU
to receive honorary doctorates” (April 10, 2001, p.4) - May 12, 2001
NEWSPAPER/MAGAZINE ARTICLES SERIES:
16 “Respect for U.S. declines, Dr. Mead tells F-M Forum” - Western
Mistic
(Moorhead State College newspaper) – story on Margaret Mead’s lecture
for the Fargo-Moorhead Open Forum, organized by Catherine – includes photo
of Margaret Mead and Catherine - March 12, 1959
17 “Cater: ‘infect one another with the desire to learn’ –
by Ellen Kosse – Spectrum - February 8, 1977, p. 6
18 “Tri-College University: A Study” – newsletter –
includes photo of Catherine on page 7 – December 1978
19 “Catherine Cater: Her Former Students at Moorhead State and NDSU Repeatedly
Describe Her as ‘A Great Teacher’ – by Nancy Edmonds Hanson
- Howard Binford’s Guide to Fargo, Moorhead, and West Fargo. v.15, n.3
(September 1983), p. 19-22, 24, 28, 34
20 “Excerpts” – list of quotes written by Catherine - NDSU
Magazine – v.1, n.1 (Fall 2000), p. 16-17
21 “Silent Auction to benefit Cater lecture series” - Spectrum -
November 3, 2000, p. 3
22 “All in the name of learning” – by Conor Shenk –
Spectrum - November 3, 2000, p. 4
NATIONAL COLLEGIATE HONORS COUNCIL (NCHC) SERIES:
23 A Handbook on Honors Semesters - as Coordinator for the Scholars Program
at NDSU, Catherine edited this handbook and wrote the Foreword
24 Tenth Annual Conference of the NCHC - Washington State University –
Oct. 23- 25, 1975 – “The Many Faces of Honors” – Catherine
(president of NCHC at the time) assembled a scrapbook of the event featuring
brochures and photos
25 The National Honors Report (NCHC publication) – Winter 1986 –
article by Catherine on p. 17-18 entitled: “A Brief Consideration of Honors
Research”
26 Forum for Honors (NCHC publication) – Summer 1987 – v.17, n.4
- article by Catherine on p. 52 entitled: “The Guilford Forum in Retrospect”
27 Forum for Honors – Winter/Spring 1991 – v.20, n.3 - Catherine
wrote the Introduction and is listed as a member of NCHC Executive Committee
28 The National Honors Report – Winter 1991 - article by Catherine on
page 7 entitled: “A Humanist’s View of Twenty-five Years of NCHC”
29 The National Honors Report – Spring 1996 – front page article
by Catherine entitled: “Balancing the Role of Faculty and Administrators:
An Honors Conundrum”
30 National Collegiate Honors Council Conference - Renaissance Orlando Resort,
Florida – October 27-31, 1999 - program - the Forum 2 talks featured those
people who had agreed to write for the upcoming JNCHC “Festschrift”
Spring/Summer 2000 issue honoring Catherine
31 Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (JNCHC) – Spring/Summer
2000 – v.1, no.1 – the issue was in honor of Catherine and was entitled:
“Liberal Learning in the New Century: A Festschrift for Catherine Cater”
32 Journal of the National Collegiate Honors Council (JNCHC) – Fall/Winter
2000 - v.1, no.2 – article about Catherine on p. 87 by Paul Homan entitled:
“A Humanist in Honors: Another Look at Catherine Cater”
TALKS SERIES:
33 Guest speaker at annual Phi Kappa Phi banquet – speech title: “Footnote
to Daedalus” – Spectrum (May 13, 1960, p.4) article - May 5, 1960
34 26th Annual Faculty Lectureship Award – speech title: “Fire &
Rock” – cassette tape of lecture, two newspaper articles (Fargo
Forum, March 1, 1982, p.7), lecture program, typed text of the speech, lecture
invitation - February 23, 1982
35 “Yet Generations Remain the Same” – typed speech given
by Catherine – unknown occasion
OFFICIAL CORRESPONDENCE SERIES:
36 Letter from editor Lorenzo Greene (Jefferson City, Missouri) confirming Catherine’s
promise to submit an article to the Midwest Journal – June 4, 1948
37 Letter from the Permissions Department of publisher Doubleday & Company,
Inc., requesting permission to include Catherine’s poem, “Here and
Now,” in a 1949 book of Modern Negro Poetry, compiled by Arna Bontemps
and Langston Hughes – July 27, 1948
TRAVEL SERIES:
38 Passports (2) – issued May 25, 1959 and April 15, 1964 – includes
two photos of Catherine
39 Assorted travel materials: Swedish For Tourists booklet (1955) – two
certificates of vaccination (records of shots from 1959, 1960s) – Air
Letter to Catherine from Bonnington Hotels in London (April 6, 1971)
40 Postcards of: London - Charlotte, North Carolina - Mexico - South Carolina
flowers - Winthrop College (Rock Hill, South Carolina) buildings – Olivet
College in Michigan - SeaWorld
41 “The London Room” keychain - includes photo of Catherine
ART PRINTS AND CHRISTMAS CARDS SERIES:
42 Small art prints - Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Metropolitan Museum of Art
43 Christmas cards – two from 1998, the rest are unknown years
AWARDS SERIES:
44 Blue Key Doctor of Service Award from NDSU Blue Key Fraternity – typed
text
of speech about Catherine given by good friend, roommate, and fellow NDSU
professor Delsie Holmquist during Blue Key Banquet – 1970
45 Robert Odney Award for Excellence in Teaching - certificate - May 11, 1976
46 Close Up Award – certificate - in recognition of Catherine’s
“time, efforts and leadership in contributing to the success of the 1992
Southeast Regional Close Up Program”
47 Mortar Board National Honor Society’s “Preferred Professor”
award – certificate - 1993
48 Blue Key Distinguished Educator award – Distinguished Educator Banquet
program (December 3, 1998), Spectrum article (December 4, 1998, p.1) –
1998
49 Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) Woman of the Year award –
plaque – 1973
50 NCHC award – to honor Catherine for serving as national president of
the organization from 1974-75 and “for her efforts in putting Fargo on
the map” – plaque
51 Robert Odney Award for Excellence in Teaching – plaque - May 11, 1976
52 Century II Prairie Club plaque – sponsored by NDSU Alumni Development
- 1981/82, 1982/83
53 Century II Pioneer Club plaque – sponsored by NDSU Development Foundation
1987-88
54 Temple Beth El award – plaque – “for showing understanding,
exemplifying tolerance and fostering sensitivity among all people in our community”
– September 12, 1987
55 Outstanding Campus Communicator award from Pi Kappa Delta – plaque
- 1993
56 Liberty Bell Award – plaque – 1995
57 President’s Bronze Medallion from NDSU – awarded for “extraordinary
generosity, leadership and personal commitment to North Dakota State University”
– date unknown
58 Paperweight commemorating Catherine as a “Gunkelman Award Nominee”
– 1993
PHOTOS SERIES [NDSU Photo Collection]
1 Catherine as a baby and toddler – many of these include photos of Catherine’s
mother also – undated [68]
2 Catherine’s mother - Daisy Rochon Cater – undated [7]
3 Catherine as a young woman and later in life – undated [35]
4 Photographs of Catherine from the Blue Key Fraternity – undated [4]
5 Catherine with friend and housemate Delsie Holmquist –1955, 1983, some
undated [13]
6 Catherine with Dr. Richard Bovard, NDSU English professor – 1983 [1]
7 Catherine with Dr. Johannes Vazulik, NDSU Professor – 1983 [1]
8 Catherine with others at an Honors Program meeting – College of New
Rochelle, New York – 1999 [8]
9 Catherine with Connie Battreal Abrook – MSU Class of 1957 – photo
taken in February 2001 [1]
10 Travel/Tourist photos – from Mexico, Italy, Germany, Sweden, France,
England,
Austria, Nova Scotia, and other unidentified places – 1955, 1956, 1957,
1958, 1959, 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1976, 1978, 1980, 1994, 1996, some
undated [119]
11 William Faulkner prints from Historical Graphics photography – 1973-1974
[16]
12 NDSU College Quiz Bowl Team – Catherine was the coach – undated
[3]
13 The Mulkern family – friends of Catherine’s – 1998, 2000
[4]
5/05, 12/05
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