Table of ContentsCollection OverviewCollection Inventory+/-Biographical Note/Historical NoteContent DescriptionCollection UseAdministrative InformationSubjects |
Collection Overview +/-
Collection Inventory +/-Biographical Note/Historical Note +/-Miss Nunemaker was a successful businesswoman and philanthropist who donated extensively to Westminster College in Salt Lake City. Built in 1977 on the Westminster College campus during President Helmut Hofmann's term (1976 to 1979), Nunemaker Place, an award-winning structure, was named for benefactor Irene Nunemaker who donated it to create a place on campus where students could escape and find intellectual or religious inspiration. In recent times Nunemaker Place has been used as a chapel, for weddings, receptions, programs, and exhibits. It currently houses Westminster College's 100-student Honors program. Many of Nunemaker's philanthropic donations over the years were Presbyterian-related. Irene Nunemaker was born December 3, 1898 in Longmont, Colorado to Harry Grant Nunemaker and Mary Jane Davis Nunemaker. Her older sister, Addie, had been born in January, 1897. Various sources give Irene's birth year as 1897, 1898, or 1902. Irene received her B.A. from Kansas University in 1922. An Avon cosmetics advertising executive, she was a trustee of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation, and a member of Presbyterian churches in New York and Kansas during her lifetime. Miss Nunemaker was named Kansan of the Year in 1986. In the introduction to Douglas Brackenridge's book Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Foundation : a bicentennial history, 1799-1999, he states that Irene Nunemaker "was originally from Kansas but lived for a time in Salt Lake City. A devoted Presbyterian, Nunemaker was connected to Westminster College, a former Presbyterian mission school, through college trustee Rev. A. Walton Roth, also a Kansas native. Known also for her interest in the cultural and artistic scenes, and philanthropic work, Miss Nunemaker provided funds for similar buildings [to Westminster's Nunemaker Place] at a number of college campuses across the country, including the Honors building at the University of Kansas, which is named Nunemaker Center. Irene Nunemaker's donations have also funded a camp for developmentally disabled youth in New York, as well as many buildings in Kansas, including nursing homes, a YWCA building to aid battered women, and the Nunemaker Dance Studio at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. In 1977, she was awarded an honorary doctorate of Humanities from Westminster College." Irene Nunemaker died July 5, 1996 in Topeka, Kansas at the age of 98. Sources:
Content Description +/-This collection consists of a plaque, an honorary degree, and a scrapbook presented in 1978 and 1984 to benefactor Irene Nunemaker by Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. On May 17, 1978, Westminster College presented Irene Nunemaker an honorary degree of Humanities, created a scrapbook with pictures and programs of the event, and sent it to her on August 3, 1978. The plaque was presented to her by the students of Westminster College at the Founder's Day Convocation on April 5, 1984, for her "genuine friendship, sincere interest in our lives and aspirations, and uncommon support to us all at the College." These items were later returned to the College and transferred to the Archives. Collection Use +/-Restrictions on Access: Open to public research. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law. Twenty-four hours advance notice is encouraged. Restrictions on Use: It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain any necessary copyright clearances. Permission to publish material must be obtained from the director of the Giovale Library. Preferred Citation: Westminster College Institutional Advancement records on Irene Nunemaker, 1978-1984, ACC-126, Giovale Library Archives, Westminster College, Salt Lake City, Utah. Administrative Information +/-Arrangement: Arranged chronologically by date. Processing Note: Minimally processed May 2007 by Patricia Lyn Scott. Creator: Westminster College (Salt Lake City, Utah : 1902-1983) Westminster College of Salt Lake City Language: Collection materials are in English. Quantity: 0.3 linear feet Language of the Finding Aid: English. Author of the Finding Aid: Finding aid written May 2007 by Patricia Lyn Scott; expanded March 2014 with a biographical note and list of related materials by Sarah Shaw. EAD Creation Date: 2014 March 4 by Sarah Shaw Standard: Describing Archives : A Content Standard (DACS) Subarea: ArchivesRelated Material: Related collections and photographs in Giovale Library Archives:
Related image held by Kansas University: Related image held by University of Utah: Subjects +/-Corporate Names: Westminster College (Salt Lake City, Utah : 1902-1983)--Benefactors Subject Terms: Academic rites and ceremonies--Utah--Salt Lake City Form or Genre Terms: Certificates Personal Names: Nunemaker, Irene, 1902-1996 Geographical Names:
Salt Lake City (Utah)--History--Sources
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