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Collection Overview
Scope and Contents of the Materials
This collection includes a limited number of materials that belonged to Ruric N. and Mary C. Roark that were donated by family members. Included are photographs of the Roarks and classroom or school photos; the class notes, essays and diploma of Ruric N. Roark, and a silver loving cup given to Mary Roark by the faculty of Eastern. News clippings about Mary and Ruric are also included.
Collection Historical Note
Ruric N. Roark was born at Greenville, Muhlenbery County, Kentucky, May 19, 1859. He was educated in the Greenville Academy and in the National Normal University at Lebanon, Ohio, where he graduated in 1881.
It was there that he met his wife, Mary Creeghan and they married in 1882. In 1885 they established the Glasgow Normal School at Glasgow, Kentucky where they remained for four years. At that time Ruric was selected as Dean of the Pedagogical Department of State University at Lexington, Kentucky. He served in this position until 1905.
After spending a year in post-graduate work in Clark University at Worcester, Massachusetts, he was selected as the first president of Eastern Kentucky State Normal School which was established in 1906 (now Eastern Kentucky University).
When Ruric died in 1909 his wife, Mary, served as acting president of Eastern from February 1909 through April 1910. She was officially recognized as Eastern's second president in 2015. Mary served as Dean of Women while she served as acting president and continued in this position until 1915 when she left Richmond for Chicago. She died in Baltimore in 1922. Both Roarks are buried in the Richmond Cemetery.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives
Processing Information:
This collection combines two accessions into one artificial collection.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Folder:
[Folder 1: Photographs],
[
Folder 2: Ruric N. Roark Essays and Class Notes, 1879-1880, undated],
[
Folder 3: Miscellaneous, 1908-1960],
[
Folder 4: Correspondence between Ruric Roark and his Father, 1865],
[
Folder 5: Ruric Roark Diploma from National Normal University, 1897],
[
Item 1: Mary Roark Loving Cup, 1910],
[
All]
- Folder 1: Photographs
- Item 1: Ruric Roark; Kathleen Roark, ca. 1900
- Ruric Roark holding his daughter Kathleen Roark
- Physical Description: 8x10
- Item 2: William Roark
- Photo of a painting of William Roark, great-grandfather of Ruric N. Roark
- Physical Description: 4x6
- Item 3: Mary Everly Roark
- Photo of a painting of Mary Everly Roark, great-grandmother of Ruric N. Roark
- Physical Description: 4x6
- Item 4: Unidentified church
- Physical Description: 4x5
- Item 5: Tree
- Tree with ropes tied to it, to keep it growing straight
- Physical Description: 4x5
- Item 6: EKU Power Plant
- Interior of EKU's Power Plant
- Physical Description: 4x5
- Item 7: Classroom
- Unidentified women sitting at desks
- Physical Description: 3.5x3.5
- Item 8: Hiking
- Two unidentified men hiking
- Physical Description: 3.75x4.5
- Item 9: Wooded landscape
- Physical Description: 3.75x4.5
- Item 10: Unidentified house
- Unidentified house
- Physical Description: 3.75x4.5
- Item 11: Unidentified group
- Probably school children next to their school house
- Physical Description: 3.75x4.5
- Item 12: Maple tree in Lexington, KY
- Physical Description: 3.75x4.5
- Item 13: Winter scene
- Physical Description: 4.75x6.5
- Item 14: Classroom
- Unidentified group of men at desks, could be on campus
- Physical Description: 3.5x3.5
- Item 15: Unidentified women laying on the grass
- Physical Description: 4x6.5
- Item 16: Roark Family
- Taken in Greenville, KY. Pictured are l-r: Ruric N. Roark, Mary C. Roark, Kathleen Roark, Nannie Davis Roark, Jeff Roark.
- Item 17: Ruric N. Roark
- Item 18: Ruric N. Roark
- Item 19: Mary C. Roark
- Two images of Mary C. Roark on one sheet.
- Item 20: Roark Family, ca. 1908
- Pictured are l-r: Raymond J. Roark, Ruric N. Roark, R. Creegan Roark, Mary C. Roark, Kathleen Roark.
Browse by Folder:
[Folder 1: Photographs],
[
Folder 2: Ruric N. Roark Essays and Class Notes, 1879-1880, undated],
[
Folder 3: Miscellaneous, 1908-1960],
[
Folder 4: Correspondence between Ruric Roark and his Father, 1865],
[
Folder 5: Ruric Roark Diploma from National Normal University, 1897],
[
Item 1: Mary Roark Loving Cup, 1910],
[
All]
