Runnette, Helen Virginia,
Runnette papers,
1849-1988.
Manuscript Collection: MS 0767
7
boxes
Agency History/Biographical note:
Helen Virginia Runnette was born January 29, 1886 to Joseph H. and
Virginia Anderson Runnette. She was raised in Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania along with sisters Elizabeth Kerr Runnette, a member of
the Mount Holyoke College class of 1912, and Ethel Anderson Runnette
Ramsey, class of 1906. Runnette graduated from Mount Holyoke
College in 1910, but chose to affiliate herself socially with the
class of 1909. After graduating, she taught at Briarcliffe Manor in
New York, 1910-1911, and at the Lakewood School for Girls in New
Jersey, 1912-1913. She took a position with Miss Tower's School for
Children in Salem, Massachusetts in 1913. She attended Boston's New
School of Design and Harvard's School of Education sporadically while
working at Tower.Runnette had joined Miss Tower's School for Children
(later Tower School) shortly after its establishment in 1912. In
1917, she became the Headmistress of the progressive children's
school and changed its name to Tower School. When the school was
incorporated in 1937, her title changed to Director, and she moved
the school from Salem to Marblehead in 1941. Instruction at Tower
stressed the development of language and writing skills and taught
history through art and drama. Both boys and girls studied home
economics and industrial arts together. The school's literary
magazine, "The Turret", was highly regarded and was part of the
collection at Harvard's Widener Library. Some issues are still held
in the Mount Holyoke College library. During World War II, Runnette
offered scholarships to seven British children and was honored for
this with life membership to the Kinsmen of Britain. She was also a
member of the Marblehead Historic Society, the Marblehead Arts
Association, Mount Holyoke College Friends of Art, the Independent
Artist's Group of Boston, and the North Shore Mount Holyoke Alumnae
Club. In 1950, she served as a member of the White House Conference
on Children and Youth and was listed in Who's Who in the East.
Runnette was known as an accomplished artist and playwright with her
children's plays frequently produced at Tower and published in "Plays
Inc". of Boston. Many summers were spent at the Berskire Summer
School for Art in Monterey, Massachusetts, and throughout her life,
she designed bookplates, posters, Christmas cards, and magazine
covers. She also exhibited her work in Boston and its suburbs.
Runnette retired from teaching in 1956, along with longtime friend
and colleague Miriam Luscomb. She had remained with Tower School for
forty-four years. She died January 12, 1988 in her Marblehead,
Massachusetts home at the age of 101.
Scope and Content:
The Helen Virginia Runnette Papers document her personal and
professional life and contain records related to the administration
of Tower School and papers of the Runnette family. The collection
contains material that spans the years 1849 - 1988, with the bulk of
material created from 1940 - 1980. The Runnette Family Papers, a
series within this collection, contains undated correspondence that
may have been written prior to 1849 and photographs from the
mid-nineteenth century.The most significant parts of this collection
consist of Tower School Records and Runnette's correspondence. These
document the administration of a small country day school from 1917
to 1956, through the great changes in the nation's social and
political climates. Included are lists of school trustees, official
correspondence, teaching and evaluation materials, enrollment and
tuition information, and publications including applications,
brochures, and the school literary magazine, "The Turret".
Runnette's philosophies of education and the methods she used to
realize these are reflected in the Director's notes. These are
undated notebooks and loose papers upon which she wrote notes for her
own use in facilitating meetings, developing curricular materials,
and drafting correspondence. Of particular social and historical
significance are letters written during World War II about the
British children being educated at Tower while parents remained in
Great Britain. Student compositions are included in this collection
along with some material evaluating specific students. Diaries cover
the years 1924 - 1979 and contain political, personal, and
educational reflections as well as information on her health,
travels, and the weather. In several instances, diary entries also
overlap in date. Runnette's correspondence contains letters from
family, friends, parents of students, former students, and other
educators. Many letters relate to her retirement and to the death of
a close friend whom she mourned greatly. Runnette's artwork consists
of charcoal sketches, pencil sketches, bookplates, and other
drawings.The Runnette Family Papers contained in this collection
consist of correspondence, memorabilia, clippings, a Bible that
contains genealogical information, and many photographs of family
members including tintypes, gelatin silver prints, and more recent
photographic forms. Biographical information about Elizabeth Kerr
Runnette, and a letter written to her, is also contained in this
collection. Further information about Elizabeth Kerr Runnette and
Ethel Anderson Runnette Ramsey can be found in their collections in
the Mount Holyoke College Archives.
Cite as: Helen Virginia Runnette Papers, Mount Holyoke
College, Archives and Special Collections, South
Hadley, MA.
Access Restrictions: Access restricted to Tower School
student records.
Series List:
- Correspondence
, 1893-1987
,
- Diaries
, 1924-1979
,
- Tower School Records
, ca. 1913-1956
,
- Runnette Family Papers
, ca. 1849-1988
,
- Biographical Information
, ca. 1886-1988
,
- Artwork
,
,
- Memorabilia
, ca. 1940-1965
, 1 folder
- Photographs
, ca. 1850-1988
, 1 box
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