ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

MARY ELIZABETH EWING SCRAPBOOK

COLLECTION: OGL #1516

DATES: 1920-1922

SIZE: 1.5 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The Mary Elizabeth Ewing Scrapbook was deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection by Lee Bucich, relative of Mary Elizabeth Ewing, Pacific Grove, California in July 2006 (Acc.# 2007-2881).

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Mary Elizabeth Ewing was a student at the University of North Dakota from roughly 1920 to 1923. Born on September 27, 1900, in Tuscola, Illinois, she moved to North Dakota, at age twelve when her father and uncle opened a hospital and nursing school in Kenmare, Ward County. After completing high school, she attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, for one year before persuading her father to let her return to North Dakota to pursue her teaching certificate at UND.

References to Mary in the official records are fragmentary, and an attempt to locate records of her graduation by Special Collections staff proved unsuccessful. She was listed as a junior in the education program in the student directory for the academic year 1921-1922, but her name does not appear in the subsequent directory for 1922-1923. She was, however, listed (again as a junior) in the 1923 Dacotah yearbook, which adds that she was involved in the Women's Athletic Association on campus. She is not mentioned in the 1924 yearbook. Although she identified herself a member of the Class of 1923 at the beginning of her scrapbook, it is unknown what academic degree, if any, she actually received.

Following her time at the University, she spent one year teaching in rural North Dakota, followed by another two years in Burlington, Wyoming, where she met Lester Dustin. They married on August 28, 1924. Their only child, Peggy Jean, was born the next year. The family remained in Wyoming until 1942, when they relocated to Glendale, California. Lester Dustin died in 1970. Elizabeth died in 1991, leaving a daughter, son-in-law, and three grandchildren.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Mary Elizabeth Ewing Scrapbook is dark brown, measures 16.6" x 12", and bears the title "The University of North Dakota Memory Book" on its cover-page. An ownership tag on the second page identifies it as the property of Mary Elizabeth Ewing, and states that she was a member of the Class of 1923, and a resident of Larimore Hall. The next eight pages contain information about Mary's friends, including name, the date they signed the memory book, hometown, birthday, nickname, class year, etc. (A space was provided for photographs, but only two friends are actually pictured.) There follows several pages for recording information about varsity sports, all of them left blank with the exception of the sections for football and basketball. Additional entries were made under the headings "Societies", "Stunts, Spreads, Parties, etc.", "College, Class, and Social Functions", "My Favorites", and "The Faculty." On a page marked "Dormitories at U.N.D.", Mary mounted pictures of Corwin-Larimore and Sayre Halls (still in existence, but no longer used as dormitories), as well as Machie and Budge Halls (since demolished). The next two pages contain photographs of the Main Building (formerly located between Merrifield and Twamley, now the site of the Eternal Flame), Science Hall (demolished), University Commons (now Montgomery Hall), and the old Library Building (now used for administration). The remainder of the book is given over to photographs, notes, programs, and other items of memorabilia. It appears that many more items were part of the scrapbook at one point in time, but have since been lost.

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