Title: Dorothy Hedden Boyd Papers, 1903-1945, n.d.

ID: RG 30/203

Extent: 0.7 Linear Feet

Predominant Dates: 1921-1927

Dorothy Hedden was born in Newark, New Jersey on December 28, 1902, the daughter of Clarence Myers and Nellie Estelle Hamilton Hedden. In 1921, she enrolled in Oberlin College where she majored in psychology and served as secretary of the Sigma Gamma Literary Society. On graduation (A.B. in psychology) in 1925, she listed her plans for the ensuing months as travel. Notes in alumni publications report her being in Egypt and Turkey. On April 7, 1926, Dorothy married Arnold Riley Boyd (d. 1955), a New York attorney. A son, Robert Hedden Boyd, was born on October 14, 1927.

From 1926 until 1956, in addition to being a homemaker in Pelham Manor, New York, Dorothy Hedden Boyd served as a board member and/or officer with various voluntary community organizations and social service agencies. These included: The Pelham Woman’s Exchange (President 1937-40); The American Red Cross, Pelham Branch (Director and Chairman of Publicity, 1945); Pelham Community Services (Treasurer, 1946-47); and The Pelham Community Chest (Director, 1947). During these same years, she was also active in the County Council of Social Agencies, the Visiting Nurses Association, and the Family Service Organization.

After her husband’s death on March 25, 1955, Mrs. Boyd enrolled in the New York University School of Education and received an A.M. degree in 1957. During 1957-58, she worked as a Rehabilitation Counselor for the New York State Division of Vocational Rehabilitation in New York City. In 1958, she became a Rehabilitation Counselor for the Queensboro Tuberculosis and Health Association in Jamaica, New York. She remained in that position until the ill health of her son and a sister's terminal illness led her to resign in 1964.

She subsequently settled in Warwick, New York, where she became active in community and church activities. Poor health forced her to curtail many activities in later years.

Dorothy Hedden Boyd died on January 20, 1989.

Sources Consulted (in RG 28 Alumni and Development Records):

Boyd, Dorothy Hedden, Letter to the Class of 1925, 1970

New York University Office of Information Service, Notice of degree granted to Dorothy Hedden Boyd, 1957

Oberlin College Alumni Catalogue Report Blanks, 1926 and 1948

Oberlin College, Class of 1925 Directory, 1984

Oberlin College 125th Alumni Report Blank, 1958

Oberlin Alumni Magazine (June 1926)

Oberlin Review (May 8, 1925, November 17, 1925)

Author: Elizabeth Brinkman

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Administrative Information

Scope and Contents:

The papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd consist primarily of correspondence between Dorothy and her mother, Nellie Hedden, while Dorothy was a student at Oberlin College from 1921 to 1925. The papers also include a small amount of correspondence with other family members and her friends, miscellaneous papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd and Nellie Hedden, and photographs of family members, Dorothy's wedding (?), and homes.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Correspondence (incoming and outgoing), 1910, 1917–19, 1921–27, 1929, 1932, n.d. (14 folders)

The first subset of correspondence consists of letters written by Dorothy Boyd. The bulk of these were written to her mother while Dorothy attended Oberlin College. The second subset consists of letters received by Dorothy. Many of these letters are from her mother, but other correspondents are represented as well in letters and Christmas cards. Finally, the series includes two personal letters to “Pat” from "Ruth" and an unknown correspondent.

Series II. Miscellaneous Papers, 1903, 1911-12, 1917, 1921–25, c. 1945, n.d. (3 folders)

Consists of miscellaneous papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd, including postcards (some with Oberlin College scenes), a class schedule, programs for concerts and commencement exercises, a Red Cross certificate of recognition, and school report cards (restricted). Also included are miscellaneous papers of Nellie Hedden, including two letters, notes, and a bill for a granite monument.

Series III. Photographs, 1923, 1926, n.d. (1 folder)

This series consists of photographs of Dorothy Hedden Boyd, family members (including her father, Clarence M. Hedden), wedding portraits (1926), and interior exterior views of homes or student housing (?).

INVENTORY

Series 1. Correspondence, 1910, 1917-19, 1921-27, 1929, 1932, n.d.

Box 1

Letters sent, 1921-26, 1929, 1932, n.d. (7f)

Box 2

Letters received, 1910, 1917-19, 1921-23,

1925, 1927, n.d. (6f)

Letters to “Pat” [?], 1925, n.d.

Series 2. Miscellaneous Papers, 1903, 1911-12, 1917, 1921-25, c. 1945, n.d.

Box 2 (cont.)

Miscellaneous papers of Dorothy Hedden Boyd,

1911-12, 1917, 1921-25, c.1945

(3f, one is Restricted)

Miscellaneous papers of Nellie Hedden, 1903,

1922-23, n.d.

Series 3. Photographs, 1923, 1926, n.d.

Box 2 (cont.)

Photographs, 1923, 1926, n.d.