Jeanne Ragner Papers
Scope and Contents
The Jeanne Ragner Papers contribute some documentation of student life in a language program house at Oberlin College during the 1940s through the 1960s, particularly in the photographs series. Most of the photographs are informal snapshots of Ragner, students, and others associated with French House. There are a few professional college photographs in the series that were likely used in publicity vehicles such as the Alumni Magazine. At least three of the French House locations in former private homes rented or owned by the College are documented, as are some of the activities enjoyed by the program house residents. Only a few of the photographs capture Ragner family members.
The correspondence series reveals close mentoring relationships between Madame Ragner and her students, in which some students and graduates recount their experiences in the study abroad program in France, graduate school or employment, military service, and marriage and family matters. Some letters from family members and friends concern personal matters.
Dates
- Creation: 1941-1978, 2008, undated
- Other: Date acquired: 2008 March 31
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
Unrestricted.
Biographical or Historical Information
Jeanne Montégut, born on August 20,1894 in Estampes, Gers in the Southwest of France, was the third director of the French House in Oberlin from 1948 to 1965, and was known as the “Grande Dame” of the Oberlin College community. She was educated at Bordeaux University, the Sorbonne, and College Sevigne. In 1923 she married Bernhard O. Ragner (1891-1947), the managing editor of the Paris edition of the Chicago Tribune. In August of 1940 Bernhard left France through Portugal for the United States, and a year later Jeanne, along with their two daughters, also left France to join him in Pittsburgh. When Bernhard died suddenly in 1947, Jeanne Ragner applied for American citizenship; she became a U.S. citizen in 1955. In 1948 she joined the faculty of the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at Oberlin College, and assumed her position as director of French House, a language program residential house for Oberlin students, until her retirement in 1965. Ragner insisted that the students in French House speak French at all times, and while she was described as brilliant and demanding, she was very popular with the students. After retirement she moved to central Pennsylvania to be near her daughter, Jacqueline Marguerite (1924-2005), and her family, including her husband Thomas Hunton Rogers (1927-2007). Jeanne Ragner died in October 1982 after a brief illness.
Sources Consulted
Jeanne Ragner faculty file (RG 28).
Letter to Roland Baumann, Archivist, from Susan Fox Rogers, March 27, 2008 (Ragner Case File).
Extent
0.90 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
French
Arrangement
Series 1. Correspondence, 1941, 1951, 1953-69, 1978, undated
Letters, cards, announcements, and telegrams from family, friends, and former students, mostly in French. Letters cover personal and work matters, as well as Jeanne Ragner’s retirement in 1965. Invitations and announcements concern marriages, births, and a range of other events.
Series 2. Photographs, 1948, 1950-53, 1956-62, undated
Many photographs of Jeanne Ragner in Oberlin with family, including her daughter, Helene Ragner Gulbenkian, friends, students, and staff. The collection includes photographs of the French House (La Maison Française), at Oberlin College. French House had four different locations during Ragner’s tenure as director. Prior to 1953 the language program house was located at 135 West College Street. In 1953, the program moved to 58 E. College Street; in 1955-56, it was moved to Webster Hall (demolished 1968) at 51 South Professor Street. In 1963-64, French House moved to Baldwin Cottage at 30 South Professor Street until 1967.
INVENTORY
Series 1. Correspondence, 1941, 1951, 1953-69, 1978, undated
Box 1
Correspondence, 1953 June – 1958 October
Correspondence, 1959 July – 1969 December, 1978 February
Correspondence, undated
Fragments of Letters, 1956 October, undated
Invitations and Announcements, 1941, 1951, 1955-56, 1958, 1960-61, 1965-66, 1968, undated
Letters Re: Retirement, 1965
Notes for Calendar of Letters by Betty Cleeton, 2008
Series 2. Photographs, 1948, 1950-53, 1956-62, undated
Box 2 (tall legal)
Photographs, 1948, 1950-53, 1956-62, undated (5f)
Photographs from Scrapbook, undated
Framed photo collage, undated
Method of Acquisition
The Ragner Papers were received in two installments from Susan Fox Rogers, granddaughter of Jeanne Ragner, in 2008.
Accruals and Additions
Accession Nos: 2008/018, 2008/036.
- Title
- Jeanne Ragner Papers Finding Guide
- Author
- Betty Cleeton, Anne Cuyler Salsich
- Date
- 2014 February 18
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Oberlin College Archives Repository
420 Mudd Center
148 West College Street
Oberlin OH 44074-1532 US
440-775-8014
440-775-8016 (Fax)
archive@oberlin.edu