LeRoy Adams Grumbine Papers

The papers of LeRoy A. Grumbine detail mainly his time spent at Oberlin (1899-1907) when he took various courses in Greek and Latin, English Literature and Bible studies, and Organ and Harmony. Included are grade reports (restricted) for various subjects in the academy, the College and Conservatory as well as his student schedules for the Conservatory which include his term bill.

The greatest volume of the collection is devoted to items from the scrapbook Grumbine kept during his years at Oberlin College. The items have been removed and stored in envelopes for preservative purposes. These items include lists of the names, hometowns, and grade levels of the students in his boarding house for each semester. Also included are the names of instructors for the aforementioned classes. In addition to these lists, Grumbine collected concert programs and ticket stubs as well as church bulletins to place in his scrapbook. Many of these were filed elsewhere. Grumbine often composed poetry for various female students for valentine's Day and included them in his scrapbook. Copies of all the original documents in the scrapbook have been made for reference use.

Several letters--both incoming and outgoing--describe Grumbine's interest in Oberlin's building plans and his suggestions to use a model both to promote the project and to aid in its planning.

The printed matter of the collection includes clippings and illustrations relating to Grumbine's models, a pamphlet promoting their use, and three articles written by Grumbine for various publications, including "Cardboard models-I," The Architectural Review (2 August 1922); "A Florida House and Garden in Model," House & Garden (February 1924); and "The Use of Scale Models as an Aid to the Architect," The Western Architect (June 1925).

A final addition to the collection [2001/072] consists of two items: Grumbine's typescript journal of his training and tour of duty as an officer in the U.S. Army (1917-18) during World War I, and a typescript of a play by Leonard Barkan. The journal is an extensive, daily account of events, and provides extensive daily accounts of Grumbine's activities both in the United States and Europe (France and Germany). The donor of the journal and the play by Barkan stated that the play pertained to LeRoy A. Grumbine, but in what way has not been determined.