Fight On, Fight On for Ole Jax State: Houston Cole Library's Historical Collections Highlight JSU's Re- siliency During Its First Pandemic

Fight On, Fight On for Ole Jax State:

Houston Cole Library's Historical Collections Highlight JSU's Resiliency During Its First Pandemic

John-Bauer Graham

Dean of Library Services

Jacksonville State University

jgraham@jsu.edu

Allison Boswell

Electronic Resources/Documents Librarian

Jacksonville State University

amboswell@jsu.edu

Bethany Latham

Digital Assets & Special Collections Librarian

Jacksonville State University

blatham@jsu.edu

In the uncertainty of the COVID-19 world, those with a pragmatic perspective looked for precedent–has any-

thing like this ever happened before and, if so, how did we deal with it? How can the past inform our current

institutional situation? Jacksonville State University’s (JSU) Houston Cole Library (HCL) looked to its histori-

cal collections to offer insight into that most important of questions for an institution of higher education:

What did we learn?

Keywords: pandemic, health, college, collections, historical

Background

The current pandemic is far from unprecedented. There were major pandemics in 1957-58 and 1968-

69. But perhaps the most well-known began in the spring of 1918, when military personnel returning home

from World War I brought an H1N1 virus, known as the Spanish Flu, with them. During its worldwide spread

in 1918-1919, death estimates put the toll anywhere from 20-50 million people, up to 675,000 in the United

States alone (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). This is at a time when, according to census

records, the US population was only 92 million, resulting in a much higher per capita impact than is the case

today (Department of Commerce, 1913). The first cases appeared in Alabama in September 1918 (Spanish In-

fluenza Appears in Montgomery, 1918), and by the last two weeks of October, 37,000 cases were reported

statewide (Alabama Department of Health, 2017).

In attempts to mitigate spread, public health officers in Alabama recommended that public venues be

closed. Many primary schools chose to suspend class for up to two weeks, as did some colleges, notably those

such as Howard College (now Samford University) located in or near urban areas with larger, more concentrat-

ed populations. Jacksonville State Normal School (now Jacksonville State University), tucked away in the

foothills of the Appalachians, did not close its doors.

Figure 1

Travel instructions, 1918. Bulletin of the State Normal School at Jacksonville, Ala.

In addition to a world war and a pandemic, JSNS faced other hardships. Unreliable trains and poor

roads made travel to and from the school problematic (Sawyer, 1983). School bulletins from 1918-1919 give

detailed instructions for students trying to make their way to JSNS. With the establishment of a Student Army

Training Corps (SATC), JSNS was also converted into a training camp for young men needing vocational in-

struction before heading off to war. When the US Army officer assigned to Jacksonville’s SATC unit came

down with the flu and his relief officer also caught the virus, JSNS President C.W. Daugette took it upon him-

self to find a solution (Sawyer, 1983, p. 49).

Figure 2

Student Army Training Corps (SATC) Barracks, ca. 1920. Houston Cole Library Historical Image Collection

one of the McClellan officers was detailed to the school to drill the SATC each afternoon. JSNS already of-

fered medical services to its regular students; it extended those services to the influx of SATC students at the

behest of the Surgeon General of the Army (Sawyer, 1983, p. 49-50).

At its core, the Jacksonville State story during the 1918-1919 pandemic is one of perseverance, com-

passion, and resiliency. Students were eager for education and college life, and the school, led by President

C.W. Daugette, was dedicated to overcoming all obstacles to provide that education. Enrollment was volatile:

1917-1918 saw an 18% dip – from 272 to 224 students – with young men heading off to war, and fear of influ-

enza possibly a factor as well. The following year brought a 54% surge, to 492 students, as male students

joined the newly-formed SATC, and soldiers returned to resume their education (Bulletin of the State Normal

School at Jacksonville, Ala., 1917-19).

Figure 3

SATC Induction List, 1918. Bulletin of the S tate Norm al S chool at Jacksonv ille, A la

everything else, the school experienced financial hardship: state appropriations were often late, leading Presi-

dent Daugette to take out loans to tide the school over until the state money arrived (Clarence W illiam Dau-

gette Papers, n.d.).

While stressing perseverance (the attendance policy in the 1918 Bulletin was abundantly clear: “It is

expected, therefore, that every student will allow nothing to interfere with his regular attendance” (p.11). JSNS

strove to reassure worried parents and also show compassion for those affected by the pandemic, despite the

school’s own precarious finances. Cash-strapped families applied to President Daugette to see what could be

done.

Daugette’s correspondence demonstrates that, though the State Normal School Board of Trustee rules

stated that no fees should be returned to students, he would regularly refund their unused board or offer to roll

it over as credit in the hopes that the student would be able to return to school. “I hope to have her back,” he

wrote to one parent of a recently recovered student, “Wishing you and Miss Adams and all a Merry Christmas

and Happy New Year” (Clarence William Daugette Papers, “Letter from President C.W. Daugette to Mr. Ben-

ton L. Adams, Delta, AL,” 23 December 1918). To another student recovering from influenza, Daugette wrote

to reassure the worried young man that the school was open and a place would be held for him: “Come as soon

as you are able” (Clarence William Daugette Papers, “Letter from C.W. Daugette to Leon H. Machen, Good-

water, AL,” 13 November 1918).

Figure 4

Letter from Benton L. Adams to C.W. Daugette, December 20, 1918. Clarence W illiam Daugette Papers, Houston Cole Library, Alabama Gallery Special Collections

Figure 5

Letter from Leon H. Machen to C.W. Daugette, November 11, 1918. Clarence W illiam Daugette Papers, Houston Cole Library, Alabama Gallery Special Collections

Daugette and the faculty of JSNS also wanted to make sure that students had the best college experi-

ence that could be provided, despite the challenges occasioned by the Spanish Flu. As soon as quarantine was

lifted from Camp McClellan in November, the camp football team took on JSNS, which had roundly thrashed

Presbyterian College the week before: “A hot game is promised” (Anniston Star, “Camp Team Plays State

Normal School,” 13 November 1918). President Daugette was also a keynote speaker at a massive torchlight

parade earlier that month to mark the end of the war, the dissipation of the “flu-scare,” and better times ahead:

The faculty and students at the State Normal college, the student army training corps and the

citizens of the surrounding country all came together in a great rally in celebration, and never

before in the history of Jacksonville has such a celebration bee[n] put on (A nniston S tar, “Jacksonville Celebrates,” 12 November 1918).

tions help to answer the question of what can be learned from

Jacksonville State’s first pandemic: greater hardships have

been faced in the past, but perseverance, courage, compassion,

and a focus on what brings us together saw Jacksonville State

through.

Fast forward a century. Through the hard work, dedica-

tion, and perseverance of its faculty and staff, the Houston Cole

Library fought on for Ole Jax State. The Library was the first

academic building to welcome students back and quickly

reestablished its place as the hub of our University.

Figure 6

Anniston Star, November 13, 1918

As it was over 100 years ago, this same spirit occupied the hearts, hands, and minds of the Houston

Cole Library’s faculty and staff. A directive from Jacksonville State’s Provost and President was issued early

in the COVID-19 pandemic. The call was to be courageous and compassionate, as was done in the past, to

open our university softly, to welcome back our students and to provide them with the “experience” of higher

education that goes hand in hand with their learning. To assist the University in continuing its mission, a three

-stage approach to physically opening back up the Houston Cole Library to benefit the campus community was

taken.

Stage 1: May 13-18, 2020

The Library Dean and Department Heads entered the building to get it "pandemic ready". Those

measures consisted of assessing spaces, putting stickers on floors six feet away from each other and changing

signage in the building. Department Heads also set up a curbside delivery for patrons and manned reference

chat, emails and phone calls while the library was operational but remained closed to patrons.

The Library opened its doors to some patrons on a modified schedule. It was only open to JSU faculty,

staff and students with a proper JSU ID. Library faculty and staff that were deemed essential were expected to

report, but they staggered hours and shifts to allow for social distancing and limit the total number of people in

the building. During Stage 2, faculty and staff that were uncomfortable coming into work for personal or safety

reasons could continue to work from home. Those who came into the building to work were required to follow

proper social distancing protocols. Masks were required to enter the building and were provided by the Li-

brary, along with multiple sanitizing stations throughout the building.

Stage 3: June 1, 2020

The University President called for all offices at the University to be open and all personnel to be on

campus. The fully-staffed Library opened its doors and greeted our patrons back to a modified summer sched-

ule, seven days a week.

The earlier pandemic, as illustrated by the Library’s historical collections, provides a perspective that

faculty, staff, and students can consider in light of COVID challenges. The lessons taught by that earlier pan-

demic suggest that practicing patience with ourselves and others, supporting one another, and being optimistic

about our future may facilitate a quicker and less stressful transition to a post-COVID world.

Figure 7

JSNS female students on the steps of Hames Hall, circa 1919. Houston Cole Library Historical Image Collection

References

Alabama Department of Public Health. (2017). 1918 Flu outbreak. Retrieved from https://

www.alabamapublichealth.gov/pandemicflu/history-of-1918-influenza.html.

Bureau, U. S. C. (2021, October 8). 1910 census: V olum e 1: Population, general report and analysis. Cen-

sus.gov. Retrieved from https://www.census.gov/library/publications/1913/dec/vol-1-population.html.

Camp Team Plays Normal School. (1918, November 13). Anniston Star. State Normal School, Jacksonville,

Ala: Clarence William Daugette Papers, Houston Cole Library, Alabama Gallery Special Collections.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2019, March 20). 1918 pandemic (H1N1 virus). Centers for Dis-

ease Control and Prevention. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/flu/pandemic-resources/1918-

pandemic-h1n1.html.

Historical Image Collection: Archival Collections @ Houston Cole Library: Jacksonville State University.

(n.d.) Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/lib-ac-histimg/

Jacksonville celebrates. November 12, 1918. A nniston S tar.

Jacksonville State Normal School at Jacksonville, Ala. (1917, 1918, 1919). Bulletin of the S tate Norm al

School at Jacksonville, Ala.

Sawyer, E. W. (1983). T he First Hundred Y ears: The history of Jacksonv ille S tate Univ ersity, 1883-1983.

Centennial Committee, Jacksonville State University.

Spanish Influenza appears in Montgomery. (1918, September 28). Birm ingham News.

State Normal School, Jacksonville, Ala [Clarence William Daugette Papers, Houston Cole Library, Alabama

Gallery Special Collections]. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://digitalcommons.jsu.edu/lib-ac-histimg/23/