MSS 151

Hall, Dr. Percival, 1872 – 1953

Papers of Dr. Percival Hall, 1887 – 1958

 

 

Gallaudet University Archives.

 

 

Descriptive Summary

Repository: Gallaudet University Archives
Call No.: MSS 151
 Creator:
Title: Papers of Percival Hall, 1887-1958.
Quantity: 2.5 Linear Feet (5 document boxes)
Abstract:
Note: This document last updated 2005 December 8.

Administrative Information

Acquisition Information: The collection of Percival Hall Papers was donated to the Gallaudet University Library by Percival Hall. The gift was made in 1948. Some years later, his family donated additional papers to the Archives.
 Processed by: Michael Olson. 2005.
Processing Note:
Conditions on Use and Access: This collection is open to the public with no restrictions. Photocopies may be made for scholarly research.

 

 

Related Material in the Archives:

The Archives has an extensive collection related to President Percival Hall. Please See ALADIN for a complete listing.


Biographical Sketch

Percival Hall, 2nd President of Gallaudet University, was born in Georgetown, D. C. on September 16, 1872. His father was Asaph Hall who was a professor of mathematics and astronomy at the Naval Observatory in Washington, D. C. Percival grew up in Georgetown and attended the public schools. He entered Harvard University at the age of 16 and received his Bachelor of Arts degree at the age of 19. His ambition was to enter the engineering field, but a twist of fate; he spent his Christmas vacation on Kendall Green with his Harvard roommate, Allan B. Fay, resulted in his becoming interested in the education of the deaf.  Percival entered Gallaudet as a Normal student, graduated in 1893. Following his graduation, he taught at the New York School for the Deaf for two years. He was invited to accept as a secretary to President Edward Miner Gallaudet for a short time. He taught Latin and mathematics. Upon the retirement of President Gallaudet in 1910, Percival became the next President of Gallaudet where he remained until his retirement in 1945. He was the President during the two world wars and the great depression. He was involved in public and civic interests in the metropolitan Washington, D. C. area.

            Percival Hall was married to Carolyn Clarke in 1895; however, Carolyn was stricken with an illness and passed away within one year. In 1900, he married a deaf woman, Ethel Taylor at the House One on the campus. They had three children. During the retirement of Percival, he and his wife remained on the campus until he passed away on November 7, 1953.

 

Scope and Content

 

The Percival Hall Papers consist of letters, clippings, certificates, diary, newsletters, telegrams, poems, photographs, by-laws, thesis, sermons and lectures.

The collection, which consists of approximately 4,250 pages, dates from 1887 to 1958. The bulk of the collection consists of his lectures, speeches and sermons. The next bulk of the collection consists of his biographical information. The bulk dates are mostly between 1930s and 1940s.

            The largest subject in the collection is focused on the education of the deaf. Percival wrote many articles and speeches on deaf education. There are letters and greeting cards included in honor of President Hall’s anniversary of his employment and also his birthday celebration.  One interesting item in the collection is an 1890 thesis that Percival wrote while he was a student at Harvard. The thesis is titled, “Harmonoids”. It is about mathematics.  Also included in the collection are correspondence between Percival and the Como Orchard Land Company in the West where he invested in stocks with the company.

 

Series Descriptions and Folder Lists

No Series.

 

Box

Folder

Title of Folder

Date

1

1

75th Anniversary Celebration, Gallaudet College

1938

1

2

American Annals of the Deaf, The - Copies of

1944

1

3

Articles on Dr. Percival Hall

1936-1944

1

4

Articles - Dr. Hall's 70th Birthday Celebration

1942

1

5

Awards and Certificates

1887-1953

1

6

Biographical Information

1929-1953

1

7

Buff and Blue, The

1910

1

8

Cosmos Club, The - 50th Anniversary

1929

1

9

Cosmos Club - List of Members

1941

1

10

Diary

1910

1

11

Dr. Hall's 70th Birthday Anniversary from Graduates of the Normal Dept.

1942

1

12

Funds Available for the Columbia Institution for the Deaf

n.d.

1

13

Funeral Services for Dr. Percival Hall

1953

1

14

Great Educator of the Deaf, A - Dr. Percival Hall, 1872-1953 Bulletin #1 Vol. 4

1955

1

15

Greeting cards - 70th Birthday Anniversary

1942

1

16

Greeting cards from Dr. and Mrs. Percival Hall

1940

1

17

Harvard College

1887-1947

1

18

Hazel's Handy Pocket Parliamentary Chart

1936

1

19

Installation of Leonard M. Elstad as Third President of the College

1947

1

20

Kappa Gamma Fraternity

1939-1947

1

21

Letter - Closson, Grace Gallaudet

1941

1

22

Letter - Elstad, Dr. Leonard M. to Ethel Taylor Hall

1953

1

23

Letter - Gallaudet Dinner - California School for the Deaf, Berkeley

1939

1

24

Letters - Gallaudet, Edward Miner

1910

1

25

Letter - Garner, John Nance, Vice President of the United States

1935

2

1

Letter - Hall, C. A. S. to Percival Hall

1892

2

2

Letter - Hall, Percival to May Koehn

1933

2

3

Letter - Hall, Percival to Mr. Tiberio (C. Samuel Tiberio)

1950

2

4

Letter - Hoover, Herbert, President of the United States

1931

2

5

Letter - Noyes, Theodore W.

1946

2

6

Letter - O. W. L. S. Sorority

1939

2

7

Letter - Pach, Alexander L.

1936

2

8

Letters - Roosevelt, Franklin D., President of the United States

1935-1942

2

9

Letter - Wilbur, Ray Lyman, Secretary of the Interior

1933

2

10

Letters - 25th Anniversary as President of Gallaudet College

1935-1936

2

11

Letters - Dr. Hall's 70th Birthday Celebration

1942

2

12

Letters - Hannan, Helen to Ethel Taylor Hall

1954

2

13

Membership cards

n.d.

2

14

National Research Council - Conference on Problems of Deafness

1940

2

15

National Research Council - Conference on Problems of Deafness - Letters

1940

2

16

News Release - Special Celebration at Gallaudet College

1931

2

17

Notes for suggestions for the Federal Works Agency re: construction at Gallaudet

n.d.

2

18

Notes on Publications

n.d.

2

19

Obituary

1953

2

20

Percival Hall Fund

1949-1954

2

21

Poems

1932-1954

2

22

Program - 93rd Annual Commencement of George Washington University

1914

2

23

Program - All Souls Church Unitarian

1957

2

24

Program - Birthday Dinner in Honor of Dr. Percival Hall

1942

2

25

Program - Testimonial Dinner in Honor of President and Mrs. Percival Hall

1933

2

26

Program of Tribute to Dr. Percival Hall

1953

2

27

Program book - Inauguration of Arthur A. O'Leary as President of Georgetown U.

1935

2

28

Report of Accreditation Committee after their visit to Gallaudet College

1952

2

29

Retirement as President of Gallaudet College - Articles

1944-1945

2

30

Retirement as President of Gallaudet College - Letters

1945-1947

2

31

Retirement as President of Gallaudet College - A Resolution

1945

2

32

Scrapbook contains clippings in honor of Dr. Hall's Birthday

1942

2

33

Silent Worker, The

1923

2

34

Story of the Peets, The - by Elizabeth Peet

1958

2

35

Sympathy Letters

1953-1954

2

36

Testimonial from the Faculty

1933

2

37

Thesis - Harmonoids

1890

2

38

Wedding and Honeymoon Trip of Ethel Taylor and Percival Hall

1900

3

1

Asaph Hall, Astronomer

n.d.

3

2

Background of Dr. Peet, The

1949

3

3

Early History of the Education of the Deaf in America, The

n.d.

3

4

Early History of the Education of the Deaf in America, The (original)

n.d.

3

5

Education of the Deaf

1921

3

6

For the Complete Education of the Deaf

1924

3

7

Gallaudet College - College Magazine

1924

3

8

Gallaudet College - Letter to the Alumni by Percival Hall

1920

3

9

Health at Columbia Institution for the Deaf

1923

3

10

Impressions of English Schools for the Deaf

n.d.

3

11

Industrial Education of the Deaf

1917

3

12

Plan to Further Secondary Education of the Deaf in the U. S. A., A

1952

3

13

President Hall's Creed

n.d.

3

14

Problems of Technical Training for the Deaf

1907

3

15

To the Gallaudet College Alumni

1941

3

16

Address at the Laying of the Primary Unit Cornerstone, West Virginia School Deaf

1938

3

17

Address to Alumni at the Alumni Meeting

1947

3

18

Address to the Class of 1927

1927

3

19

Address to the Members of Board of Directors, Gallaudet College

n.d.

3

20

Address to the Teachers Association, New York City

1940

3

21

Addresses - Untitled

n.d.

3

22

American Oligarchy, An

1933

3

23

Carnegie Institution of Washington, Opening of Administration Building

n.d.

3

24

Century of Progress, A - Illinois School Deaf's 100th Anniversary Celebration

1937

3

25

Columbia Institution for the Deaf

n.d.

3

26

Commencement Address at the Indiana School for the Deaf

1938

3

27

Commencement Address at the New York School for the Deaf, Fanwood

1937

3

28

Dedication of the New School Building at Morganton, North Carolina

1939

3

29

District of Columbia Medical Association

n.d.

3

30

Do You Understand Me?

1952

3

31

Duke of Wellington, The

n.d.

3

32

Education of the Deaf in America, The

1916

3

33

Education of the Deaf on the Western Continent

1937

3

34

Educational Problems of the Deaf

n.d.

3

35

Eighty-eight Years of Service to the Nation

n.d.

3

36

Enoch Henry Currier

1917

3

37

Entrance Requirement for Gallaudet College

n.d.

3

38

Evolution of Transportation

n.d.

3

39

Faculty Lectures

n.d.

3

40

Fifty Anniversary of Founding of Gallaudet College

1914

3

41

Forward March! Or A Forward Step in the Education of the Deaf

n.d.

3

42

Gallaudet College

1937

3

43

Gallaudet College and Our Schools

n.d.

3

44

Gallaudet College Today

n.d.

3

45

Government Aid at Gallaudet College

n.d.

3

46

Harder Road, The

n.d.

3

47

Hartford School Address on the Occasion of the 125th Anniversary

1942

3

48

Higher Education of the Deaf in the United States

1925

3

49

History of Gallaudet College

1936

3

50

Lecture Delivered to the Normal Class of Gallaudet College

1907

3

51

Literary Society Lectures

n.d.

3

52

Looking Backward and Forward

n.d.

3

53

Maryland School Commencement

1941

3

54

Meeting of the Alumni in Chapel Hall

n.d.

3

55

Miscellaneous Pages of Manuscripts

n.d.

3

56

Mississippi Day Address

1910

4

1

New York School for the Deaf, Fanwood - Dedication of New Buildings

1939

4

2

Notes on the Education of the Deaf

n.d.

4

3

Other Side, The

1941

4