Terms of Access and Use:
The Papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright ownership of Edith Lerrigo's writings is unknown. Copyright to materials authored by persons other than Edith Lerrigo may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Edith Mary Lerrigo (pronounced "Larry Go") was born September 20, 1910 in Lithia, Massachusetts to P.H.J. (Peter Hugh James) and Edith D. Lerrigo. At the time, her parents were on furlough from their work as medical missionaries in the Philippines. The family went back to the Philippines for three years, but the ill health of Edith's mother prompted a return to the U.S. Lerrigo's father went to work for the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, a job which required the family to move around quite a bit. Dissatisfied with the various public schools Edith attended, Lerrigo's parents sent her to Vermont Academy in Saxton's River, Vermont, 1924-28. It was there that she first joined the YWCA. She went on to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, earning a B.A. in sociology and religion in 1932. Lerrigo was a member of the Bates YWCA during all four years there, serving as its Secretary, Vice President, and then President.
After college Lerrigo returned home to New Jersey and spent the following year studying religious education at Teachers College at Columbia University. She earned an M.A. in 1933. Later on, she pursued additional graduate study in Christian Ethics and religious education at Union Theological Seminary.
For the next several years she took charge of running the family home and worked part-time as Director of Young Peoples Activities in the family church, First Baptist Church in East Orange, New Jersey.
Lerrigo joined the national YWCA staff in 1937 in the department specializing in work with college students. There she coordinated work in the northeast region, particularly in New England colleges.
Lerrigo went to the University of California at Berkeley to study Chinese in 1942-43, then went to China under the auspices of the YWCA of the U.S.A.'s Foreign Division. As an advisory staff member to the YWCA of China, Lerrigo primarily worked with college students in Kunming, Chungking, Shanghai, Hangchow, and Nanking.
Upon returning to the U.S. in 1947, Lerrigo returned to the Student Division, this time coordinating work in the Pacific southwest. From there she became Executive in charge of the College and University Division (1954-59), then moved to become National Executive Director of the YWCA of the U.S.A.
Lerrigo's years (1959-74) at the helm were particularly challenging ones for the organization as it struggled with the social upheaval of the era, including strong pressures to merge with the YMCA, to downplay the Association's Christian purpose, and adoption of the "One Imperative" to eliminate racism. Lerrigo was unequivocal in her support of the YWCA's role as an important agent for social change. Tributes at her death describe her as "strong and insightful leader" with "a firm grasp of the problem at hand and [a] creative spirit in approaching it."
In addition to her work in the YWCA, Lerrigo served on the United Church of Christ's Council of Social Christian Action, the Committee to Study Ministry on the Campus of the Danforth Foundation, and on the Board and several committees of the National Council of Churches. She was Co-Chair of the Consultation on Ecumenical Policies and Practices for the Conference of World YMCA and YWCA in Switzerland in 1962, and active in the National Assembly of Voluntary Health and Social Welfare Organizations, the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, and on the editorial board of the liberal Protestant Christian journal Christianity and Crisis .
She received honorary degrees from Bates College (1961) and Keuka College (1963).
A member of Riverside Church in New York City for more than 25 years, Lerrigo served on many of its committees and on the Board of Deacons, and played a leading role in the development of the Riverside Fund for Social Justice.
Edith Lerrigo retired to Pilgrim Place, a religious and cultural center for retired Christian workers in Claremont, California, in 1980. She died there on June 24, 1989.
The Edith M. Lerrigo Papers consist of 2 linear ft. and are primarily related to her professional and public life, dating from 1922 to 1989. Types of materials include correspondence; sermons, prayers, meditations and worship services; speech texts and outlines; photographs; reports; subject files; and writings.
The bulk of the papers date from the 1930s to 1981 and consist primarily of notes, outlines, and texts for Lerrigo's many speeches and presentations.
This collection is organized into six series:
The Papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection without any additional restrictions.
Permission must be obtained to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use." Copyright ownership of Edith Lerrigo's writings is unknown. Copyright to materials authored by persons other than Edith Lerrigo may be owned by those individuals or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights.
Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.
Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:
Edith M. Lerrigo Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.
The Edith M. Lerrigo Papers came to the Sophia Smith Collection with the Records of the YWCA of the U.S.A. in 2002. The YWCA received them from Lerrigo's sister, Florence Lerrigo, in 1990. Additional materials were received from Patricia Corbett in 2014.
Processed by Maida Goodwin, 2009
Contact Information |
Smith College Special Collections Young Library 4 Tyler Drive Northampton, MA 01063 Phone: (413) 585-2970 Fax: (413) 585-2886 Email: specialcollections@smith.edu URL: https://www.smith.edu/libraries/special-collections |
1933-1989 | 4 linear in. | ||
This series provides an overview of Edith M. Lerrigo's career and also includes a small amount of biographical information and correspondence. The biographical materials consist of applications, obituaries, an honorary degree citation, a small amount correspondence, and a "party and social book" of clippings and notes for successful social events. The correspondence to Gordon and Winifred Corbett, most of it from China, provides an informal, behind-the-scenes picture of the life of a YWCA staffer. Materials about Lerrigo's professional activities include press releases; notebooks of ideas, discussion notes, and on talks and events attended from her days in youth work in New Jersey in the 1930s, through her work in the College and University Division of the YWCA in the early 1940s; reports to various YWCA of the U.S.A. and World YWCA committees and boards; materials about Lerrigo's time in China and her continued relations with YWCA women there; a file on a 1982 trip to China; and a transcript of an oral history primarily about Lerrigo's time in China and about the YWCA's role in the world as an ecumenical lay movement. |
1943-82, undated | 2 linear in. | ||
This series consists of prints of photographs of Edith Lerrigo and friends and associates. |
1927-81, undated | 2 linear in. | ||
This series consists of notes and texts for Lerrigo's participation in a variety of religious services dating from her high school days into her retirement years. Lerrigo's sermons, prayers, meditations, and worship services were created for use in professional, volunteer, and personal settings. |
1931-81, undated | 1 linear ft. | ||
This series contains notes, outlines, and some complete texts for many speeches and presentations by Lerrigo. The bulk were either given at YWCA events and meetings, or are about the YWCA. They provide some especially valuable insight into Lerrigo's work with youth and college and university students, as well as her leadership on issues related to race, the women's movement, and the place of religion in the YWCA. |
1955-81, undated | 2 linear in. | ||
This series consists of a variety of printed materials and notes on topics of interest to Lerrigo. Included are files on Christianity in China, files of raw materials for worship services, and notes on miscellaneous reading and lectures attended by Lerrigo. |
1922-74, undated | 1 linear in. | ||
This series consists of manuscript poems, prayers, and school essays; copies of articles by Lerrigo; and a compilation of articles Lerrigo wrote for The YWCA Magazine published by the YWCA as a retirement tribute. |
SERIES I. BIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES | |||
General | 1963-89 undated | Box 1: folder 1 | |
Correspondence to Gordon and Winifred Corbett | 1944-47 | Box 1: folder 1A | |
Application to Columbia University Ph.D. program | circa 1934 | Box 1: folder 2 | |
Transcript of interview conducted by Marion Robinson | 24 Oct 1977 | Box 1: folder 3 | |
Party and social book | circa 1930s | Box 1: folder 4 | |
First Baptist Church of East Orange, New Jersey, Director of Young People's Activities and related work: programs, discussion materials, and lecture and other notes | 1933-37, undated | Box 1: folder 5 | |
Riverside Church | 1966-76, undated | Box 1: folder 6 | |
United Church of Christ: Report on Retreat "Non-Violence in the Midst of Terrorism," Turkey | Feb 1980 | Box 1: folder 7 | |
World YWCA: Report to the Executive Committee of Consultation on Ecumenical Policy and Practices of Lay Christian Movements, St. Cergue, Switzerland | 1962 | Box 1: folder 8 | |
YWCA of China | |||
General | 1944-45, undated | Box 1: folder 9 | |
Correspondence | 1956-83 | Box 1: folder 10 | |
Transfer of funds from YWCA of the U.S.A. Board of Trustees | 1941-83 | Box 1: folder 11 | |
Spring Wind Tour II to People's Republic of China | Apr 1982 | Box 1: folder 12 | |
YWCA of the U.S.A. | |||
Notes and correspondence re: interview with Sarah Lyon about Lyon's work in the YWCA | 1975-80, undated | Box 1: folder 13 | |
Student/College and University Division | |||
General | 1954, undated | Box 1: folder 14 | |
Notebook | circa 1938-43 | Box 1: folder 15 | |
Reports to National Board | 1957, 1959 | Box 1: folder 16 | |
Executive Director | |||
Notes on talks given by others to YWCA groups | circa 1960, 1966 | Box 1: folder 17 | |
Reports to National Board | 1960, 1966 | Box 1: folder 18 | |
SERIES II. PHOTOGRAPHS | |||
Edith Lerrigo alone | 1943-79, undated | Box 1: folder 19 | |
Edith Lerrigo with others | 1945-82, undated | Box 1: folder 20 | |
Identified others | 1956-82, undated | Box 2: folder 1 | |
Unidentified | 1957-82, undated | Box 2: folder 2 | |
SERIES III. SERMONS, PRAYERS, MEDITATIONS, AND WORSHIP SERVICES | |||
Miscellaneous | undated | Box 2: folder 3 | |
Bates Collegen.d | 1931-33 | Box 2: folder 4 | |
Church Women United | undated | Box 2: folder 5 | |
Claremont (California) United Church of Christ Women's Fellowship | 1980-81 | Box 2: folder 6 | |
New Jersey | 1934, undated | Box 2: folder 7 | |
Pilgrim Place, Claremont, California | 1981 | Box 2: folder 8 | |
Riverside Church sermon, "God Risks" | 20 Jan 1974 | Box 2: folder 9 | |
United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia | 1975-76 | Box 2: folder 10 | |
United Church Women: worship services for National Assembly | 1964 | Box 2: folder 11 | |
Vermont Academy | 1927 | Box 2: folder 12 | |
YWCA of the U.S.A. | Box
2 | ||
General | 1939-73, undated | Box 2: folder 13-15 | |
Memorial Service for Jessamine Fenner | 1965 | Box 2: folder 16 | |
SERIES IV. SPEECHES AND PRESENTATIONS | |||
Bates College | Box
2 | ||
General | 1931 | Box 2: folder 17 | |
Baccalaureate Address | 1961 | Box 2: folder 18 | |
Biblical Seminary, [re YWCA] | Feb 1962 | Box 2: folder 19 | |
Christian Youth work, various locations in New Jersey | 1934-35, undated | Box 2: folder 20 | |
National Conference of Social Welfare, "Institutional Racism-Where Do We Go From Here?" | Jun 1970 | Box 2: folder 21 | |
Ohio Wesleyan University, "Involved in Revolution, or The Fourth Act" | Nov 1964 | Box 2: folder 22 | |
Riverside Church | 1960-79, undated | Box 2: folder 23 | |
Union Seminary | Box
2 | ||
Presentations to class in student work | 1956, 1958 | Box 2: folder 24 | |
Women's Conference | 1962, 1963 | Box 2: folder 25 | |
World YWCA | |||
General | 1959-62, undated | Box 2: folder 26 | |
"Racial Tensions in the World Today," World YMCA-YWCA Conference of Young Adults, Beirut | 1964 | Box 2: folder 27 | |
YWCA of the U.S.A. | |||
Miscellaneous and unidentified YWCA groups | |||
1934-58 | Box 2: folder 28 | ||
1959-74, undated | Box 3: folder 1-3 | ||
Community YWCAs | |||
General | 1934-81, undated | Box 3: folder 4-5 | |
"Our Strength as a Women's Movement," YWCA of the City of New York Central Branch | 1963 | Box 3: folder 6 | |
"The Past is Prelude or Match Us to This Hour," Ohio- Wesleyan University YWCA, 75th Anniversary | 1964 | Box 3: folder 7 | |
Conferences and consultations | |||
Miscellaneous | 1955-66 | Box 3: folder 8 | |
Estes Conference | 1957 | Box 3: folder 9 | |
"Freedom to Move," regional conferences | 1969 | Box 3: folder 10 | |
"From Faith to Action," Southern Regional Conference | 1960 | Box 3: folder 11 | |
"The Place Whereon We Stand," National Consultations with Local Association Leaders | 1962 | Box 3: folder 12 | |
"The Student Christian Association Movement," Blue Ridge Conference | Jun 1955 | Box 3: folder 13 | |
"YWCAs-Centers for Social Change," Toledo Workshop | Apr 1972 | Box 3: folder 14 | |
Convention | |||
General | 1961 | Box 3: folder 15 | |
"The Unfinished Task" | 1967 | Box 3: folder 16 | |
Closing session | 1973 | Box 3: folder 17 | |
Former YWCA Board and Staff | 1960, 1963 | Box 3: folder 18 | |
National Board | |||
Miscellaneous | 1957-58 | Box 3: folder 19 | |
"Relationship of the College and University Division of the YWCA with Church Student Movements" | Jan 1956 | Box 3: folder 20 | |
"The Task to Which We are Called Today" | Feb 1957 | Box 3: folder 21 | |
Program Development conferences and institutes | |||
General | 1960-66 undated | Box 3: folder 22 | |
"A National Movement with a Christian Purpose" | 1963 | Box 3: folder 23 | |
"YWCA Purpose: Lodestar of the Movement" | 1974 | Box 3: folder 24 | |
Staff meetings and conferences | |||
General | 1952-70, undated | Box 3: folder 25 | |
National Staff Meetings | 1964 | Box 4: folder 1 | |
Community YWCA Executive Directors and Board Presidents | 1961-69 | Box 4: folder 2 | |
New York Area Professional Staff Conference | Oct 1962 | Box 4: folder 3 | |
"Welcome to YWCA Staff" | 1970 | Box 4: folder 4 | |
Student Division and National Student Assembly | |||
General | 1948-68, undated | Box 4: folder 5-6 | |
"A New Day in the Student YWCA" | Oct 1957 | Box 4: folder 7 | |
To Student YWCAs | 1942-54, undated | Box 4: folder 8 | |
Training | 1962-74 | Box 4: folder 9 | |
Y-Teens | 1965, undated | Box 4: folder 10 | |
Miscellaneous unidentified | |||
"By Faith" | undated | Box 4: folder 11 | |
"From Bittersweet Tears to Dignity and Justice: A Visit to the People's Republic of China after 30 Years:" notes | circa 1976 | Box 4: folder 12 | |
Untitled | undated | Box 4: folder 13 | |
SERIES V. SUBJECT FILES | |||
Christianity in China | 1976-81, undated | Box 4: folder 14-15 | |
Sermons, prayers, and worship services | 1955-77, undated | Box 4: folder 16-17 | |
Miscellaneous notes on reading and lectures | undated | Box 4: folder 18 | |
SERIES VI. WRITINGS | |||
Poems and prayers | 1922-54, undated | Box 4: folder 19 | |
School essays | 1928-32, undated | Box 4: folder 20 | |
Articles | 1959-73, undated | Box 4: folder 21 | |
Compilation of articles written for The YWCA Magazine | circa 1974 | Box 4: folder 22 | |