Melvin C. Shaw collection of Theta Chi fraternity photographs

Melvin C. Shaw collection of Theta Chi fraternity photographs, 1910-1914

Overview of the Collection

Collector: Shaw, Melvin C., 1888-1969
Title: Melvin C. Shaw collection of Theta Chi fraternity photographs
Dates: 1910-1914 (inclusive)
19101914
Quantity: 14 photographic prints (1 folder)
Collection Number: PH0490
Summary: Photographs relating to the early days of the University of Washington chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity, which was known from 1911 to 1921 as Theta Chi.
Repository: University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions: Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries’ Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Additional Reference Guides
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Melvin Cummings Shaw (1888-1969) was born in Tacoma, Washington on July 31st, 1888. He graduated in 1914 from the University of Washington in Seattle with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He may have been a founding member of the Kalevala Club in 1910 while a student at the University of Washington. It was renamed Theta Chi in 1911. Directly after graduation, he was employed by Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he rose to the position of manager of the Blower & Compressor Department by 1946. Shaw died in 1969 while residing in Gig Harbor, Washington.

Historical BackgroundReturn to Top

In June 1910, the Kalevala Club was formed as a local fraternal organization by a group of students at the University of Washington in Seattle. The organization was renamed "Theta Chi" in September 1911. In 1921, Theta Chi became the Washington chapter of the Alpha Delta Phi national fraternity. Except for a period of suspension in the early 2000s, the chapter has remained active at the University of Washington since then and continues to operate as of 2020. (This organization has no connection to the group presently known as Theta Chi.)

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Photographs collected by Melvin C. Shaw, who was a student at the University of Washington between 1910 and 1914. Shaw was probably a founding member of the fraternity known in 1911 as Theta Chi. One Theta Chi fraternity house was located at 5212 18th Avenue NE, several blocks north of the UW campus. At least two different houses appear in the images. The collection contains both exterior and interior views of fraternity houses, most depicting members of the fraternity and their guests posed in groups and engaged in study or leisure activities.

Other Descriptive InformationReturn to Top

Members of the Kalevala Club in the 1910-1911 academic year: Homer O. Blair, Nathan D. Blair, J. Guy Eernisse, Wylie E. Escher, Henry Harmeling, Bruce W. Jarvis, Earl L. Packard, Eugene I. Pease, Melvin C. Shaw, William S. Skans, Fred L. Stetson, Ralph T. Taylor, Eric Therkelsen (or Therkelson), Dean D. Waynick, George B. Welch, Leland S. Wellington, Lawrence B. Wright.

Members of Theta Chi in the 1911-1912 academic year: Harry M. Bardin, J. Fisk Berry, Homer O. Blair, Earl C. Brummer, Noal F. Caywood, J. Guy Eernisse, Wiley E. Escher, Henry Harmeling, William D. Love, W. Benton McClure, John H. Nickerson, G. Bernard Noble, Charles Q. North, Earl L. Packard, Eugene I. Pease, Edgar R. Perry, Melvin C. Shaw, Fred L. Stetson, George H. Stillson, Eric Therkelson [sic], Dean D. Waynick, George B. Welch, Earl H. Winter, William H. Worden.

Members of Theta Chi in the 1913-1914 academic year: Harry M. Bardin, Harold W. Blair, Homer O. Blair, J. Florian Canfield, Wiley E. Escher, Henry M. Grant, Wilber P. Hart, Reynolds D. Jackson, Jess C. Johnson, Roy F. Jones, Robert S. Langdon, Seth C. Langdon, Ben H. Mayfield, Andrew F. McPherson, Arthur P. Newberry, John H. Nickerson, Edward G. Osborne, Wilber H. Robinson, Edward E. Severns, W. Earl Shanly, Mel C. Shaw, H. Curtis Shoemaker, Albert J. Steelman, Guy T. Stegner, Jack A. Talbot, Dean D. Waynick, George B. Welch, E. Roscoe Wilcox, H. Earl Winter.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Donor: Mary Starr, daughter of Melvin C. Shaw.

Processing Note

Processed by Darian Pina, January 2020.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Container(s)		Description	Dates
Folder	item
1	1	Exterior of Theta Chi fraternity house with a group of men on front porch Handwritten on verso: Theta Chi 5212 - 18th Ave NE.	between 1910 and 1914
1	2	Group of men on front steps of Theta Chi fraternity house at 5212 18th Avenue NE, Seattle, Washington	between 1910 and 1914
1	3	Group of men at front porch of a house	between 1910 and 1914
1	4	Group of men sitting on front steps of a house	between 1910 and 1914
1	5	Group of men and three women by a porch	between 1910 and 1914
1	6	Group of men and four women standing by a staircase decorated with foliage	between 1910 and 1914
1	7	Group of men indoors, some eating doughnuts	between 1910 and 1914
1	8	Group of men in front of a mantelpiece containing a photograph of a house, books, and a clock One man is holding a copy of The Heart of the Red Firs by Ada Woodruff Anderson, a Pacific Northwest novelist.	between 1910 and 1914
1	9	Group of men around a bench, one in evening dress, the others in nightclothes, with doughnuts and drinks	between 1910 and 1914
1	10	Group of men in nightclothes seated on the floor	between 1910 and 1914
1	11	Two men studying in a room with diamond-paned windows, lace curtains, a college pillow, and photographs on the walls	between 1910 and 1914
1	12	Three men playing cards in nightclothes There is an unusual container, possibly made of glass, and an alarm clock on the table and an Oliver typewriter case nearby.	between 1910 and 1914
1	13	Five men lying on a lawn by a path	between 1910 and 1914
1	14	Interior with furniture, bay windows, and pennants	between 1910 and 1914

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