Helen Domonkos Papers, 1885-1990
| Oberlin College Archives
Administrative/Biographical History
Helen Edwards was born in West Bedford, Ohio on December 12, 1898, the youngest child of the Reverend Darius L. and Mary Houghton Edwards. The family moved frequently as the Reverend Edwards served various parishes in northeast Ohio before finally settling in Delaware, Ohio. There Helen Edwards graduated from Delaware High School in 1916 and from Ohio Wesleyan University (AB Speech) in 1920. In 1927, she earned the MS degree in Physical Education from Wellesley College in Boston. Her area of specialization was dance, the field in which she later pursued additional work at the University of Wisconsin, New York University, Bennington College (Bennington, Vermont), and the University of Munich in Germany. She studied with such well-known teachers as Martha Graham (d. April 1, 1991), Margaret H'Doubler and Charles Weidman (d. July 15, 1975).
In 1922, Helen Edwards accepted an appointment in Physical Education Department at Oberlin College where she remained until her retirement in 1965. She immediately returned to teach full-time for another three years. (Instructor, 1922-1926; assistant professor, 1926-1947; associate professor, 1947-1958; professor, 1958-1965.)
On June 24, 1933, Helen Edwards married Imre Domonkos, an instructor in German at Oberlin College, 1931-1933. They had no children, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1963.
Mrs. Domonkos held memberships in state and national physical education organizations where she worked to advance physical education for women. She was also active in community affairs. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Oberlin, and was a leader in the women's fellowship. For several years, she was a member of the Oberlin-Wellington area board of Church Women United. She was a long-time member of the American Association of University Women, serving as President of the Oberlin branch, 1962-1964. In 1989, the local branch contributed to the national fellowship fund in her name. She was also active in the Oberlin Woman's Club and the Farm Bureau Council; for several years she served on the Pittsfield (Ohio) Board of Education. She was active in many campaigns to keep Oberlin free of liquor. In 1957, she helped to establish the Delphine Hanna Foundation; her initial financial gift along with the gifts of other staff members, former students and graduates grew into a memorial fund used to enrich the programs of the Physical Education department.
Following several months of failing health, Helen Edwards Domonkos died in Oberlin on August 16, 1990.
Sources Consulted
Biographical Dictionary of Dance. 1982. New York: Schirmer.
Domonkos, Helen Edwards. Oberlin College Biographical Form. n.d.
Domonkos, Imre. Ohio College Biographical Form. n.d.
"Helen Edwards Domonkos". Oberlin, Ohio News Tribune. August 21, 1990. n.p.
International Encyclopedia of Dance. v. 3. 1998. New York: Oxford University Press.
Layman, Emma L. Memorial Tribute to Helen Edwards Domonkos. August 22, 1990.
Note: The above materials are located in the following: Faculty files of Helen and Imre Domonkos; Papers of Helen Domonkos.
Author: Elizabeth Brinkman Forms of Material (links to similar genres) Administrative InformationAmerican Association of University Women [RG 31/6/21]
Delphine Hanna Papers [RG 30/324]
League of Women Voters of Oberlin [RG 31/6/5]
Oberlin Woman's Club [RG 31/6/1]
Physical Education Department [RG 9/6], Subgroup VI: Department of Physical Education for Women, Series 5: Delphine Hanna Foundation
The papers of Helen Domonkos span the years 1885-1970. The bulk of the documents detail the early activities of The Delphine Hanna Foundation from its inception in 1957 through 1959. Entries written in a log book labeled Hanna Foundation Records together with several meeting minutes and correspondence with contributors all reveal much about the establishment of the memorial, about the planning involved in formulating the Foundation's mission and purpose, and about the initial growth of the fund.
Correspondence is limited to a single year. The sentiments expressed by former students and colleagues in letters and cards sent to Helen Domonkos on the occasion of her 1964 retirement offer testimony concerning her abilities and influence as an educator.
The collection has been divided into five series: 1. Biographical Materials 2. Correspondence 3. Department of Physical Education for Women 4. Activities of the Delphine Hanna Foundation 5. Photographs.
SERIES DESCRIPTIONS
Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1960-1990 (0.02 l.f.)
Contains common pleas court documents pertaining to the Domonkos' divorce, an obituary, and the tribute written by Emma M. Layman read at Helen Domonkos' memorial service on August 22, 1990. A photocopy of an article which appeared in the Oberlin Alumni Magazine of August 1965 entitled "Six Faculty Members Retire" and a certificate from the American Association for Health, Physical Education, and Recreation recognizing Helen Domonkos' thirty-five years of loyal membership also reside in this series.
Series 2. Correspondence, 1964 (0.07 l.f.)
The correspondence is comprised entirely of letters and cards received by Helen Domonkos at the time of her retirement in 1964. Many are from former students and colleagues who were unable to attend a surprise dinner party held in her honor on May 23, 1964. Some of the letters from former students contain thoughtful reminiscences of experiences in her class and in the Physical Education Department.
Series 3. Department of Physical Education for Women, 1904-1968 (0.1 l.f.)
Items originating from the Department of Physical Education for Women include alumni mailings (newsletters, greetings), 1955-1959, a calendar of events for 1965-1966, and a class schedule for 1962-1963. Contains news clippings and numerous programs and announcements for dance recitals/workshops and sporting events. Leaflets from Women's Physical Education Department reunion breakfasts, 1962-1968 have also been classed here.
Series 4. Activities of the Delphine Hanna Foundation, 1885-1970 (0.2 l.f.)
A log of activities and proceedings, 1956-1958, member lists, committee meeting minutes, solicitation letters, records of contributions to the memorial fund and gift acknowledgement all provide an account of the early history of the Delphine Hanna Foundation. This series contains correspondence and other materials pertaining to the development of a descriptive statement and the planning of programs. Two copies of a bound file compiled in 1970 by a committee of the Foundation (on which Helen Domonkos served) entitled Delphine Hanna & Physical Education in Oberlin 1885-1920 have been placed here along with original copies of correspondence duplicated therein.
Series 5. Photographs, 1904-1987 (0.01 l.f.)
Consists of five black and white prints, one of which is a head shot of Helen Domonkos labeled "About 1955". Two depict women Physical Education students involved in conditioning drills, 1904-1908. Ethnic folk dancers in traditional dress are the subject of another labeled “Public School Oberlin”, 1908. The fourth is a candid shot of Helen Domonkos conversing with Mrs. Betty Wagner Stentz and Miss Evelyn Schaufele at her surprise retirement party in 1964. Also contains a color portrait of Mrs. Domonkos taken in 1987.
INVENTORY
Series 1. Biographical Materials, 1960-1990
Box 1
Biographical, 1960-1990
Divorce Papers, 1963
Series 2. Correspondence, 1964
Box 1 (cont.)
Retirement, 1964
Series 3. Department of Physical Education for Women, 1904-1968
Box 1 (cont.)
Alumni Mailings, 1955-1959
Events, 1904-1968
Series 4. Activities of the Delphine Hanna Foundation, 1885-1970
Box 1 (cont.)
Log Book, 1956-1958
Memorial Fund, 1956-1957
Delphine Hanna & Physical Education in
Oberlin, 1885-1920, 1885-1970
Series 5. Photographs, 1904-1987
Box 1 (cont.)
Photographs, 1904-1987