Archives West Finding Aid
Table of Contents
Order of the Spoon Records, 1928-1939
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Order of the Spoon (Oregon State College)
- Title
- Order of the Spoon Records
- Dates
- 1928-1939 (inclusive)19281939
- Quantity
- 0.35 cubic foot, (2 boxes)
- Collection Number
- MSS OrderSpoon
- Summary
- The Order of the Spoon Records document the policies and activities of this faculty club at Oregon State College. The collection contains materials pertaining to the establishment and organization of the Order, meetings and banquets it held, and membership.
- 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.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
The Order of the Spoon, or Ordo Cochlearis, was an organization founded to foster sound scholarship and promote graduate study, including teaching, writing, and research, among doctoral degree holders on the faculty at Oregon Agricultural College (OAC). Established by the Triad Club in 1927, the organization became a separate and independent entity in May of 1929 and the majority of the Ph.D faculty were members. The Order took its name from the history of scholarship; it was derived from the custom of medieval scholars to wear a wooden spoon as the insignia of their calling. The group's committee officers held titles of Chief Spoon Bearer, Assistant Chief Spoon Bearer, and Ladler.
On the day of an Order meeting, members often met at one campus location, dressed in hoods and gowns (academic regalia), each carrying a spoon that was their totem. The group then paraded with much fanfair and frivolity to the location of their meeting, at which members took part in a banquet while speakers gave presentations on the state of scholarship at the College. New members -- new Doctors residing within the "realm" of Oregon Agricultural College -- were inducted into the Order at these meetings.
Notable individuals associated with the organization were Othniel R. Chambers, George W. Peavy, William Edmund Milne, Francois A. Gilfillan, Willibald Weniger, and Clair V. Langton.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Order of the Spoon Records contain materials pertaining to the establishment, organization, and proceedings of the group; membership eligibility and lists; and meetings and banquets held by the Order. Of special note is a large spoon, the presumed emblem of the Order.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Order of the Spoon Records (MSS OrderSpoon), Oregon State University Special Collections & Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Arrangement
The Order of the Spoon Records are arranged in 6 series: I. Articles of Organization and Membership, 1930-1939; II. Meeting Notices, 1928-1939; III. Programs for Ceremonies, 1936-1937; IV. Correspondence, 1934-1938; V. Financial Reports, 1935-1938; and VI. Artifacts, circa 1935.
Acquisition Information
The materials were transferred to the University Archives before 1974.
Related Materials
Additional materials pertaining to the Order of the Spoon are part of the Mathematics Department Records (RG 136) and the M. Ellwood Smith Papers. The Special Collections & Archives Research Center holds the personal papers of many of the members of the Order of the Spoon, including Othniel R. Chambers, George W. Peavy, William Edmund Milne, Francois A. Gilfillan, Willibald Weniger, and Clair V. Langton as well as the Triad Club Records. Materials of other faculty and staff clubs and organizations are also available, including the Faculty Men's Club and the Steak and Chop Club.
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Box | ||
| 1 | Series I: Articles of Organization and Membership
Series I contains the Articles of Organization describing the function of the
Order of the Spoon as well as membership eligibility. The Articles also
establish that the emblem of the organization be a "good sized spoon (shape
and size to be determined)" and that the officers of the Order be referred
to as "the chief spoon bearer, an assistant chief spoon bearer, and a
ladler." Also included within this series are lists of charter and other
members who joined the Order throughout the 1930s.
|
1930-1939 |
| 1 | Series II: Meeting Notices
Series II contains meeting notices sent to the members of the Order as well
as detailed summaries of those meetings. This series also contains
information about the establishment of the Order of the Spoon, from its
humble beginnings within the Triad Club, to its position as an
organization of which the majority of doctoral degree holding faculty were a
part.
|
1928-1939 |
| 1 | Series III: Programs for Ceremonies
Series III consists of programs for banquets and ceremonies held by the Order
of the Spoon. Programs contain invocations, detailed descriptions of orders
of events as well as accompanying scripts, responsibilities of each member of
the Order's committee, lists of candidates, and "Questions for Examination"
which were asked of candidates as part of the ceremony of their entrance
into the ranks of the Order. This series also includes a statement which was
recited in chorus by all the new members of the Order of the Spoon.
|
1936-1937 |
| 1 | Series IV: Correspondence
Series IV consists of correspondence produced by the Order with topics of
discussion including membership invitations and responses; invitations to
speakers to present at Order meetings (and responses); reports about
finances (mainly concerning the purchase of spoons with membership fees);
and other activities of the organization, such as officer elections and
recruitment of new members.
|
1934-1938 |
| 1 | Series V: Financial Reports
Series V consists of financial reports documenting fees collected and the
ways in which they were spent -- mainly on spoons and banquets. The member of
the Order's committee responsible for these tabulations was the Ladler.
|
1935-1938 |
| 1, 2 | Series VI: Artifacts
Series VI consists of table place cards labeled with names of Order members
as well as a number of spare decorative spoons that are a part of the place
cards. The series also contains a large spoon, presumably the emblem of the
Order.
|
circa 1935 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Clubs--Oregon--Corvallis.
Corporate Names
- Oregon Agricultural College--Faculty.
- Oregon State College--Faculty.
Form or Genre Terms
- Ephemera.
Finding aid prepared by Megan Guerre.
2013
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
