The Gentlemen of the College records
Scope and Contents
The records of the College of William and Mary men's a capella group Gentlemen of the College include internal and external correspondence related to public performances; the constitution and by-laws; fliers advertising performances and auditions; a history of the group; membership lists; photographs; an extensive collection of audiovisual material documenting both live performances and studio sessions; and several scrapbooks. A portion of the collection was created to mark the group's 10th and 20th anniversaries, however, material from throughout the group's history available.
Dates
- Creation: 1990-2023
Conditions Governing Access:
The collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.
Conditions Governing Use:
Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.
Historical Note:
The Gentlemen of the College, a men's a cappella group at the College of William and Mary, was organized in January 1990 and formally recognized by the Office of Student Activities in November 1990. Founding members identified in a photograph taken in Fall 1990 include Doug Stambler, class of 1992, and Michael Fitch, class of 1993. As of December 2007, the group remains active on campus and is the oldest men's a cappella group at the College of William and Mary. The group performs live many times throughout the academic year. Performances are both on and off campus in the Williamsburg area in addition to their annual spring tour and any competitions in which they compete throughout the year. The group performs barbershop standards in addition to more modern tunes with traditional a cappella arrangements. Typically the group will consist of anywhere from 10-15 members. Their performances are known for lively antics during the songs and the comedy skits performed between numbers. Every academic year ends with a Gentlemen of the College final concert in Phi Beta Kappa Hall. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: .
Extent
4.71 Linear Feet
Language
English
Arrangement of Materials:
This collection is arranged into five series: Series 1: Scrapbooks, 1990-1998; Series 2: Audiovisual Material, 1990-2000; Series 3: Photographs, 1990-2000; Series 4: Administrative Records, 1990-2005; and Series 5: Publicity Material, 1990-2006.
Custodial History:
Additional portions of the collection were removed from the artificial collection the University Archives Publications Collection. The portions of the collection given to the University Archives prior to 2007 were assigned the accession number 2007.030 except for the material included as part of acc. 1994.032.
Acquisition Information:
The collection was given to the University Archives prior to 2007 and at least a portion was a gift of Michael Fitch. Acc. 1994.032 was also received by the University Archives. Acc. 1995.007, scrapbooks, was received from the organization on 5/14/1993. The provenance of portions of the collection is uncertain and was given the accession number 2007.030. Accession 2007.78 was received on 11/20/2007 from the Gentlemen of the College via business manager Dan Maguire.
Separated Materials:
Artifacts related to the Gentlemen of the College have been separated from this collection and have been added to the University Archives Artifact Collection.
Two tablecloths that were used at the 2003-2004 banquet were deaccessioned from this collection in May 2010.
Audiovisual material from the Gentlemen of the College have been separated from this collection and have been added to the University Archives Audiovisual Collection under Acc. 2007.030.001-2007.030.093
Processing Information:
Records received prior to 2007 were described as part of the University Archives Publications Collection. This material was reprocessed by Rebecca Barnhart, SCRC Staff, when additional material was received from the Gentlemen of the College in November 2007.
Subject
- College of William and Mary--Alumni and alumnae (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the The Gentlemen of the College records
- Status
- Unprocessed
- Author
- Rebecca Barnhart, William & Mary Special Collections Research Center staff.
- Date
- 2007-06-07
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- May 24th, 2018: Record updated by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in May 2010.
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository