This collection contains personal correspondence between the donor and her family and friends, memorabilia, photographs, newspaper clippings and diaries. The bulk of the letters were written to Madge Wade during her years at college, first at Ouachita Baptist College from 1923-1926 and then at Columbia University in 1930-1931. However, the collection does contain some letters she wrote to her parents during the above mentioned years. The memorabilia includes various holiday greeting cards and birth announcements, 1923-1936. The photographs and newspaper clippings represent different subjects, while the diaries focus on the daily life and observations of Madge Wade during her stay at OBC and Colombia and later. Included with the diaries are undated verses of poems written by the donor.
Madge Wade was born October 2, 1905, the first daughter of Rev. Oscar Jefferson and Clara Davies Wade. They, along with Ada Clare, another daughter, lived in Texarkana, Arkansas as well as other cities. Madge’s father was a prominent Baptist minister who preached to various congregations including the large Immanuel Baptist Church in Little Rock. She graduated from Texarkana High School in 1923 and immediately entered Ouachita Baptist College in Arkadelphia where she earned a degree in organ in 1926. A year later she received an AB in English. Madge taught at Stamps for one year (1927-1928) and at El Dorado for two (1928-1930). In 1930 she entered Colombia University in New York and received her masters in language (with an emphasis on Latin) in 1931. She taught at OBC until 1935 when she married James Edgar Clayton of Conway.
Madge did not teach again until about 1945 when she began teaching Latin part-time at Conway High School. In 1947 she also began to teach French half-time. Madge continued to teach at Conway until her retirement in 1970, nine years after her husband died. She lived in Conway on Caldweld Street until 1987 when she moved to Parkway Village in Little Rock, a retirement home.
NOTE: When requesting material, please specify collection number [M90-01], box number, and file number.
Box 1
File 1 – Correspondence, 1923
File 2 – Correspondence, 1924-1926
File 3 – Correspondence, January-February 1927
File 4 – Correspondence, June 1927
File 5 – Correspondence, July 1927
File 6 – Correspondence, August-September 1927
File 7 – Correspondence, October-December 1927
File 8 – Correspondence, January-March 1928
File 9 – Correspondence, April-December 1928
File 10- Correspondence, 1929
File 11- Correspondence, January-March 1930
File 12- Correspondence, April-August 1930
File 13- Correspondence, September 1930
File 14- Correspondence, October-December 1930
File 15- Correspondence, January-March 1931
File 16- Correspondence, April-December 1931
File 17- Correspondence, 1932-1935
File 18- Correspondence, 1941-1954
File 19- Correspondence, 1960-1970
File 20- Correspondence, 1979-1987
File 21- Correspondence, Undated
End of Box 1
Box 2
File 1 – Diary, May 29, 1923- November 26, 1925
File 2 – Diary, November 27, 1925- September 12, 1926
File 3 – Diary, September 26, 1926- December 9, 1926
File 4 – Diary, December 10, 1926- March 31, 1927
File 5 – April 1, 1927- September 9, 1927
File 6 – Diary, September 22, 1927
File 7 – Diary, February 1, 1928- April 7, 1928
File 8 – Diary, April 8, 1928- June 19, 1928
File 9 – Diary, June 20, 1928- December 9, 1928
File 10- Diary, 1935
File 11- Memorabilia, 1923-1927
File 12- Memorabilia, 1930-1936
File 13- Poetry, Undated
File 14- Newspaper Clippings & Photograph 1930-1970
Env 1 – Dale Ward
End of Box 2
End of Collection