BERTHA COLD 1932-1940 Correspondence

Pine Mountain Settlement School
Series 09: BIOGRAPHY – Staff
Bertha Cold, Dietitian, 1933-1935
Bertha Cold Correspondence 1932-1940

Bertha Cold and Dr. Ida Stapleton (left) standing in front of a large “snowball” bush. [X_099_workers_2527m_mod]

TAGS: Bertha Cold correspondence 1932-1940, dietitians, Home Economics teachers, application for Pine Mountain Settlement School position, Glyn Morris, Pratt Institute School of Household Science and Arts, train travel, Alice Cobb

BERTHA COLD 1932-1940 Correspondence

SUMMARIES

[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 Bertha Cold are handwritten originals unless specified otherwise. The following list of contents is in chronological order and not necessarily in the order of the image numbers.]

1932

004-004b April 9, 1932. Three-page letter to Glyn Morris, Director, from “Bertha Cold (Miss)” in Trenton, NJ, 004 applying for a position of PMSS teacher of Home Economics for the year 1932-1933. She lists her “Academic and Professional Preparation,” Including graduating in 1910 from Pratt Institute School of Household Science and Arts; earning a B.S. in 1913 in Household Arts Education from Teachers College, Columbia; and several additional studies at various institutions. She also describes her extensive travels abroad and in the U.S. 004a Cold describes her professional experience, including working as a dietitian, teacher, boardinghouse matron, and housemother in a variety of schools. She provides names and addresses of references. 004b Cold encloses her passport photograph and describes her appearance and health. She gives her permanent address in Yonkers, NY, and asks for information about PMSS and the position.

002a Handwritten note on reverse side of reference: “…Miss Cold would be an excellent person for your school. She is self-reliant, practical and able to value things at their true worth.”

005-005a April 13, 1932. Two-page letter to Miss Cold from [unsigned] “Director” [Morris], who tells her that she would be better fitted to work as a dietitian “which is a much larger job and offers more responsibility and correspondingly, more remuneration.” Morris then describes the duties of the position, including supervising the girl students who assist in the kitchen. Cold would replace a person [Ruth B. Gaines] “who has been here ever since the founding of the school and will retire June 1st. She is a Pratt graduate.” He encloses PMSS literature and states the salary as $90.00 a month and maintenance.

006-006a April 19, 1932. Two-page letter to Morris from Cold in Staten Is., NY. Cold is in New York caring for her ill sister and will return to Trenton in a while. She is interested in the dietitian position and describes her experiences as having “alternated periods of teaching with practical institutional positions in schools, camps and boarding homes.” She writes about her work as a dietitian at Tripler Hospital and in the Army and Navy and her practice of “economy,”

007 April 21, 1932. Typewritten Postal Telegraph to Morris from Cold, sent from Harrisonboro, VA, stating that “yes can meet you Saturday.”

008 April 24, 1932. To Cold in Staten Island, NY, from Morris, who will notify Cold about the position when the references are received. He “was very pleased with the results of our interview…and hope it will be possible for you to come to Pine Mountain” by May 7 in order to overlap with the outgoing dietitian.

002-002a April 30, [1932]. Two-sided reference for Bertha Cold from an individual in New York City, NY. Excerpts:

Appearance – Neat, lady-like – not too modern, dresses very plainly.
Personality – Refined, cultured, bright, energetic, reserved.
Breadth of interest and culture – Much traveled, widely read, interested in world affairs.
Initiative – Always knows what to do and goes ahead and does it without officiousness.

009-009b April 30, 1932. Three-page letter to Morris from Cold, thanking him for his comments and describing her travel plans and arrival on May 9.

001 May 2, 1932. Reference for Bertha Cold from an employee of Kingley School for Boys in Essex Falls, NJ. Excerpts:

Appearance – That of a refined woman of middle age.
Personality – Exceedingly pleasant.
Neatness – Neat to meticulousness.
Open-mindedness – Possibly a little set in ways.
Cooperation – Pleasant in her relationships.
Ability with children – Very qualified.
Neatness – Neat to meticulousness.
Open-mindedness – Possibly a little set in ways.
Cooperation – Pleasant in her relationships.
Ability with children – Very qualified.

010 May 2, 1932. Handwritten Western Union telegram to Morris from Cold, who will “try to come in a week.”

011 May 2, 1932. To Cold from Morris, confirming that she has been hired as PMSS dietitian “for the ensuing year, beginning on May 8th. Salary $100.00 a month with maintenance, and one month’s vacation in the summer with pay.” Morris then lists her duties, with ”one day a week as a free day.” He advises travel by railroad from Penn Station to Cincinnati to Corbin, KY, to Laden, KY. “We will meet you at Laden with a horse.”

012-012a May 4, 1932. Two-page letter to Cold from Morris, who gives details concerning train travel to PMSS, provisions made by the School, Kentucky climate, ”telegraphic communication…If you desire you can ride across the mountain on a mule.”

013-013a May 5, 1932. To Morris from Cold.thanking him for his letter and opportunity to work at PMSS.

014 May 24, 1932. Carbon copy of typewritten letter to Miss Brewer, College of Home Economics, Cornell University from Cold, asking, as a former pupil of Brewer, for “the latest bulletins on canning vegetables and meat. She explains her situation as a dietitian for “mountain children.” She recalls beans preserved in salt. “String beans form one of the stable crops of this school and have been heretofore been preserved in two-quart glass jars.”

003 June 1, 193[2]. Statement on PMSS letterhead re: Bertha Cold, Granville, MA, confirming that Cold was hired by PMSS “as head of kitchen and laundry department, a salary of $100.00 a month and living, with a yearly vacation of one month with pay. Signed by Evelyn K. Wells, Acting Director, and Ruth B. Gaines.

015 July 1, 1932. Unsigned notice on PMSS letterhead, stating that Bertha Cold from Staten Island, NY, was hired by PMSS “as head of kitchen and laundry department, at a salary of $200.00 [?] a month and living, with a yearly vacation of one month with pay.”

1933

016 March 17, 1933. To Morris from C.N Manning, President, Security Trust Company, Lexington, KY, explaining the possible reason Miss Cold’s check was not paid to her.

017 May 18, 1933. To Miss [Alice] Cobb in Trenton, NJ, from [unsigned; “Alice Cobb” is written in pencil in bottom margin], asking for Cold’s advice concerning whether students or graduates (Winfield, Ulysses, and Lucy) should be served coffee or tea. Miss [Gladys] Hill is against the practice. She then gives updates about the School and mentions a student whose work is not satisfactory.

018-018c May 20, 1933. Four-page letter to Miss Cobb from Cold, instructing Cobb on how to handle the student whose work is not satisfactory. Cold encloses a letter from Morris that Cobb should copy and send to the student. As for the coffee question, Cold writes, “I think we shall abide by the custom of years gone by,” that is, serve coffee only to workers and to seniors on Sundays. She writes a draft of a letter to “Glyn,” who is on vacation, asking her to come to PMSS “at once” or at least write to Miss Cobb. Cold states that, otherwise, Alafair Miniard “might appreciate the opportunity to come.”

019 May 23, 1933 To Cold from [unsigned, likely Cobb], informing Cold that the unsatisfactory worker has left and Glyn will be sent for. Miss Hill can manage with Polly and Margaret, but Oscar Pearce needs help with gardening. She says that all is “going along nicely” at the School.

020 June 16, 1933. To Cobb from Cold, Staten Island, NY, requesting Mr. Morris’s Wilkes-Barre address.

1935

021 November 28, 1935. To Morris in New York City from Cold, telling him how to get in touch with her. She has “two matters to talk over with you.”

022 December 12, 1935. To Cobb from Cold in Brighton, NY. Morris was unable to speak at New Haven, so Cold wrote to Miss Walch[?] and encloses copies of the letters, newspaper clippings for Morris and a note to Mrs. Morris.

023 December 20, 1935. To Cold from [unsigned, apparently Cobb], responding to Cold’s December 12 letter. She thanks Cold for her ”efforts regarding a Pine Mountain meeting in New Haven. I hope that we can arrange some meetings there next year, for we have a large list of friends there on our mailing list.”

1936

024-024a August 14, 1936. Two-page original typewritten draft to Cold in Yonkers, NY, from [unsigned] on PMSS letterhead, with edits. Morris describes the lack of enough workers in the Laurel House kitchen. Gladys and Cloa are in need of help and Morris asks Cold if she would come and work temporarily until someone is hired. He describes the recent renovation of the kitchen which makes things easier. “What we really need is someone who can assume the responsibility while Cloa does a good deal of the work.” PMSS would pay for her travel expenses; He explains the salary, which would be $25 less than her previous salary. He is sorry to report that “we had to do away with Topsy.”

1940

025 March 21, 1940. To Morris from Cold, thanking him for the message concerning the Laurel House fire. She sends her “regret of the severe loss to the school. I feel it almost as a personal loss — the destruction of the artistic building nestling in the shadow of the mountain wall.”

026 March 27, 1940. To Cold from [unsigned, apparently Morris], expressing appreciation for her March 21st letter and looking forward to a new and better building.

027-027a April 26, 1940. To Morris from Cold, Boston, Mass. Because she was affected by the Laurel House fire, Cold called on Winfield Cornett “to ask if he would assume the leadership for the collections of funds from those in the [Boston] area.” Cornett agreed to do so. Cold also “wrote to one of the [12] Westchester girls,” who agreed to call on the other girls for donations. Cold called others to contribute to either fund. “I felt that all these former Pine Mt. folk should be called upon to give some concrete evidence of loyalty to the School which pointed [to] the greater opportunity in life than the “hollers” of their rugged mountains offered.”

028 May 3, 1940. To Cold from [unsigned, likely Morris], thanking her for her and others’ interest in helping PMSS. “In things like this one feels very strongly the invisible bond which unites all who have had any experience with Pine Mountain.”

029 N.D. Passport photograph of Bertha Cold.
029a N.D. Reverse side of photograph (028) with inscription: “B. Cold….Yonkers, N.Y.”