GOVERNANCE BOT 1944 Correspondence

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 05: GOVERNANCE – Board of Trustees
BOT 1944 Correspondence

May Day 1944. [mayday_1944_001]

GOVERNANCE BOT 1944 Correspondence
January 14 – December 22, 1944

TAGS: Governance, BOT Correspondence, Board of Trustees of Pine Mountain Settlement School, WWII, directors, Evelyn K Wells, H.R.S. Benjamin, William D. Webb, James S. Crutchfield, Glyn Morris’s leave of absence, Gas Rationing Board, independent operator lease contract for coal mine, Pine Mountain Settlement School Mine, Mary Rockwell Hook, United States Code Annotated Title 50 WAR, National Information Bureau, Selective Training and Service Act of 1940

CONTENTS: BOT 1944 Correspondence

[Note: Letters from PMSS staff in the PMSS Collections are carbon copies, typewritten, unsigned, and meant for the Office files. The original signed documents were sent to the correspondents. Letters from others are typewritten originals unless specified otherwise. The following list of contents is in chronological order and not necessarily in the order of the image numbers.]

IMAGE #	DATE	ITEM	PAGES
027	January 14, 1944	Glyn Morris to James S. Crutchfield: The Board’s decision to continue or terminate his leave of absence for the armed forces.	1
031-031a	January 14, 1944	Handwritten letter from Glyn Morris to Crutchfield concerning his desire to continue his leave another year.	2
030-030b	January 15, 1944	Handwritten letter from Glyn Morris to Evelyn K. Wells concerning his position and requesting the support of the Board.	3
026	January 25, 1944	Crutchfield to Wells concerning Morris’s leave, interim Director’s and the problem of keeping a Director during the war years.	1
028	February 11, 1944	Crutchfield to Morris acknowledging the receipt of Morris’s letter indicating his desire to continue his leave of absence.	1
021	March 18, 1944	Wells to William D. Webb concerning the Board’s decision to continue his service as Acting Director without definite tenure. The appointment could be terminated at any time.	1
018	March 20, 1944	Crutchfield to Morris informing him that the Board had voted that his leave of absence should not be extended beyond the second year. The Board remains open to hiring him once he returns.	1
024	March 20, 1944	J.S. Crutchfield to Evelyn Wells concerning director position: Morris, Arthur W. Dodd, and Webb. Return Mr. Dodd to his “proper sphere”.	1
017	March 22, 1944	Wells to Morris informing him of the Board’s decision that a real director, not an acting one, take over. The condition of the plant is the gravest problem next to finding a director.	1
020	April 3, 1944	Wells to Webb concerning the need to moderate requirements in order to keep neighboring 7th and 8th graders in the school. Pittman’s proposal for Medical Settlement. Wells believed Webb’s report was inadequate.	1
025	April 24, 1944	Glyn Morris to J.S. Crutchfield concerning the Board’s decision to not extend his leave of absence.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	May 18, 1944	J.S. Crutchfield to H.R.S. Benjamin, requesting full biographical information and providing answers to questions posed by Benjamin.	2
[MISSING IMAGE]	1944	H.R.S. Benjamin biography.	2
022	May 20, 1944	Wells to Webb concerning a report he had not submitted. Indicates he is leaving PMSS to work in Africa. Suggests problem with Miss McBride’s work.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	June 29, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to Crutchfield concerning Board’s decision concerning offering him the position of Director and raising questions.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	June 30, 1944	AIRMAIL – SPECIAL Delivery. Crutchfield to H.R.S. Benjamin, advising appointment as Director of Pine Mountain Settlement School for the ensuing year.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	July 3, 1944	Evelyn Wells to H.R.S. Benjamin replying to his questions.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	July 3, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to J.S. Crutchfield concerning a telegram about his appointment as Director. Letter to Gas Rationing Board for sufficient gas to permit the move. Interview expenses. Oklahoma to New York City.	3
[MISSING IMAGE]	July 3, 1944	Evelyn Wells to Advisory Board, announcing the appointment of Mr. H.R.S. Benjamin as Director for the ensuing year. Previously served the Foreign Mission Board of the Northern Baptist Church in China (20 years) and Bacone College, a school for Indians in Oklahoma. Morris asked for leave to join the armed services two years previously. “In view of the best interests of the school in the present crisis Capt. Morris’s leave should expire… without prejudice to consideration of his reappointment when he is free again and wishes to be considered.” During Morris’s leave, PMSS had borrowed from the Congregational Board the services of Mr. William D. Webb as Acting Director.	2
[MISSING IMAGE]	July 13, 1944	J.S. Crutchfield to Mr. Webb concerning Mr. Benjamin’s appointment as Director. Webb had served as Interim Director the previous 2 years.	1
019	August 23, 1944	Wells to Webb expressing concern that he had to submit the directors’ report for the year 1943-44.	1
023-023a	1944	Governing Director’s Reports. List of the previous correspondence with Webb concerning his failure to submit timely reports.	2
[MISSING IMAGE]	October 24, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to the Executive Committee concerning the copy of the contract with miners. Compromise. Due to mining of coal a deficit will be created in the budget of 1945.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	October 24, 1944	Agreement regarding the mining of coal entered into by Chester Jackson and Marsh Browning. For mining coal for school use.	1
016	November 9, 1944	Handwritten letter from Mary Rockwell Hook to Wells concerning Morris. Addressed to the Sec. of the Pine Mountain Board of Trustees: “The matter of holding positions open for either drafted or enlisted members of the armed forces is not considered debatable in the middle west. It is a patriotic & moral duty.” Wishes to have her protest recorded.	1
014 & 015	November 22, 1944	Handwritten letter from Hook to Wells concerning Morris andincluding a copy of United States Code Annotated Title 50 WAR.	2
005	November 29, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to Executive Committee concerning the “independent operator” lease contract for the coal mine. Brit Wilder, mine superintendent. Served the community during the war years by the sale and delivery of coal when transportation facilities are limited. May have become dependent. Study the benefits which might be received by employees and staff through group insurance.	1
[MISSING IMAGE]	1944	Draft contract of lease of the Pine Mountain Settlement School Mine. Royalty per ton of coal mined and shipped plus an annual minimum royalty.	3
006-007	December 2, 1944	C.N. Manning to H.R.S. Benjamin concerning the contract for the lease of the coal mine.	2
004	December 6, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to “Friend,”asking for recommendations of individuals that might fill a teaching vacancy in a local primary school. Teacher’s work would be supervised by PMSS. The teacher could live at PMSS.	1
009	December 6, 1944	Evelyn Wells to D. Paul Reed concerning the listing of PMSS in National Information Bureau	1
013-013a	December 6, 1944	Wells [?] to Hook concerning reopening the Board’s consideration of Morris’ leave. The building problems loom large. Requested that Hook states what she wishes her services to be – how largely consulting and advisory, how largely detailed planning, with drafting, blueprints, etc, Thinks in time H.R.S. Benjamin would be able as Ethel and Luigi [Zande] were. “He feels now that he can’t stir without you, and can’t go on with things as they are.”	2
011-011a	December 8, 1944	Wells to Arthur Swift concerning the “interpretation” of her motion to terminate Morris’s leave of absence. Suggest they reopen the discussion. She is troubled. Hook sent copies of the law protecting returning soldiers	2
008	December 8, 1944	Mrs. M.H. Harding to Evelyn Wells thanking her for recommending that the Service Fund Committee of Wellesley College become an institutional member of the National Information Bureau. Concerning PMSS, while they do not consider such schools to be directly in the main field of their work, will be glad to make available information concerning the facts of the school’s operation to any request they receive. They have provided such facts about PMSS in the past.	1
012	December 15, 1944	Crutchfield to Hook concerning receipt of the Selective Training and Service Act of 1940 and a promise to consider its application to Mr. Morris at the next Board meeting.	1
002-003	December 16, 1944	H.R.S. Benjamin to the Executive Committee concerning two matters. 1. student tuition and work program, particularly summer work. 2. furnishing of workers’ rooms and residences. Currently “our workers are not given the best comfort.” Furnishing committee appointed. Completed an inventory of all residences, workers’ rooms, dormitories, and other buildings, “articles as have been moving around in a rather liquid manner.”	2
001	1944	Evelyn K. Wells to H.R.S. Benjamin concerning the provision of workers’ comfort. Recommends workers should bring with them everything but the essential furniture. “do-less.”	1
010	December 22, 1944	Arthur Swift to Wells concerning Morris’ leave. Mentions opposition from the “Southern contingent.”	1
029	1944[?]	Evelyn K. Wells to Glyn Morris concerning his return.	1