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Agency History/Biographical note:
Ruth Myrtle Sonn was born on November 30, 1897, in Jersey City, New Jersey. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1918 and worked for two years teaching French, German, and Music. On May 7, 1921, she married Harold E. Fritts. In 1946, she received her master's degree from New York State College for Teachers. She worked at Chatham Public School in Chatham, New York. Ruth Sonn Fritts died on March 13, 1988, in Golden, Colorado.

Scope and Content:
The Ruth Myrtle Sonn Fritts Papers contain a diary, letters, notebook of expenses and other notes from her years at Mount Holyoke, biographical material, memorabilia, and photographs. The diary is equivalent to a daily planner that notes Fritts' daily activities and notes special campus events, such as Mountain Day, and family occasions during her four years at Mount Holyoke College (1914-1918). The letters from Fritts' former teacher, Russell Weisman, a member of the Harvard Ambulance Corps, describe his entrance into the military, his "Joining Uncle Sam." The ensuing letters describe Weisman's movements around Europe and his "baptism by fire" on the front line while stationed in France. Weisman further describes the destruction of World War I not only on the physical landscape, but the morale of the troops and he further describes the treatment of American soldiers, especially from gas intoxification, through the Harvard Ambulance Corps. Weisman writes of about the armistice due to German surrender primarily as a result of troop starvation.

Cite as: Ruth Sonn Fritts Papers, Mount Holyoke College, Archives and Special Collections, South Hadley, Massachusetts

Access Restrictions: Unrestricted 

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