 Dean of Women records: Edith L. Stallings and Louise McBee
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteEdith Stallings (1903-1987) held the position of Dean of Women for the University of Georgia from January 1, 1948 through August 1, 1963. Louise McBee (1924-) took over the position upon Stallings retirement and served as the Dean of Women until the office was abolished in 1969. Under Stallings and McBee's leadership the Office of the Dean of Women dealt with many social changes including the integration of the University of Georgia campus in 1961 and the beginnings of student activism. In addition both Stallings and McBee were confronted with the evolving roles of women both on campus and off. Edith Stallings graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a B.S. degree, did post-graduate work in dietetics at John Hopkins University, and received her M.A. in English from the University of Alabama. Stallings was widowed five years after her marriage to a lung and heart specialist and in 1942 joined the WAVES. While in the WAVES, she served in administrative positions through 1947 when she decided to retire in order to accept the position of Dean of Women at the University of Georgia. Stallings was a world traveler and lived in England for a while after her husband's death. She was active in the installation of four Georgia chapters of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority, the only woman on the board of the Georgia Museum, and president of the Georgia Association of Women Deans and Counselors. In addition she was a supporter of Triquetra, a leadership organization for non-sorority women, at the University. Mary Louise McBee was born on June 15, 1924 in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee. She holds degrees from East Tennessee State University, Columbia University, and Ohio State University. Prior to joining the University of Georgia, Dr. McBee taught English in the Netherlands as a part of the Fulbright Scholarship Program. McBee also taught physical education in Virginia for three years, and served as the Dean of Women at East Tennessee State University for two years before joining UGA in 1963. At UGA, Dr. McBee served as the Dean of Women, the Dean of Students, the Assistant Vice President for Instruction, and the Vice President for Academic Affairs. In 1968, she served as the Dean of Women for Chapman University's World Floating Campus program. In 1988, Dr. McBee retired from the University of Georgia and participated on an expedition to Mt. Everest. In 1991, McBee ran for a seat in the Georgia House of Representatives representing Athens-Clarke County. Representative McBee served on and chaired several committees, including the Appropriations Committee, the Retirement Committee, the World Congress Center Overview Committee, and the Women's Legislative Caucus. She was elected Head of the Education Committee and contributed to the beginnings of the HOPE Scholarship in addition to working on several House Bills related to higher education. McBee was also instrumental in supporting pension plans including the Teachers' Retirement System as well as advocating against the development of a landfill in Arcade, Georgia. After serving five unopposed terms, Representative McBee retired from the General Assembly in 2004. Scope and ContentThis collection mainly documents the Office of the Dean of Women from the years 1946 through 1970. Although most of the collection pertains to the office under the leadership of Edith Stallings, there is a good deal of material associated with Louise McBee. Also included is material from the late 1960s and early 1970s related to UGA Dialogue, a conference designed to promote better communication among University faculty and students, and the National Association of Women Deans and Counselors (NAWDC). Of particular interest is a wealth of information pertaining to how the Office of the Dean of Women dealt with the 1961 integration of the University of Georgia. Also of special interest are annual reports which cover the Office of the Dean of Women under both Edith Stallings and Louise McBee and give a detailed breakdown by year of numerous statistics and facts relating to women students, housing, staff, and the social mores of the day. Along that same theme, some materials illustrate some of the issues surrounding young wome's dress and behavior during the 1950s and 1960s. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationDean of Women records: Edith L. Stallings and Louise McBee, UA97-119, University Archives, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University Archives, The University of Georgia Libraries. General NotesRG 6 Related Materials and SubjectsSubject TermsRelated Collections in this RepositoryRelated collections in this repository: "Stallings, Edith" vertical file ; Dean of Women Edith Stallings papers; Mary Louise McBee papers. | ||||||||||||||||||