Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr papers Guide to the Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr papers UA 6.017

Guide to the Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr papers UA 6.017


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Special Collections Research Center

William & Mary Special Collections Research Center
Earl Gregg Swem Library
400 Landrum Dr
Williamsburg, Virginia
Business Number: 757-221-3090
spcoll@wm.edu
URL: https://libraries.wm.edu/libraries-spaces/special-collections

Donna Dodenhoff, Fred Gibbs, and Staying Connected Volunteers.

Repository
Special Collections Research Center
Identification
UA 6.017
Title
Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr papers 1907-2012 1945-1974
Quantity
66.00 Linear Feet
Creator
Fehr, Carl A.
Creator
Dept. of Music
Language
English

Administrative Information

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.

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.

Preferred Citation:

Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.

Acquisition Information:

Acc. 2003.1 received 2/20/2003 from Thomas Terry (class of 1974); Acc. 2007.010, 7 cubic feet, received 5/31/2007 from Thomas Terry; Acc. 2007.65, 1 box of music scores, received from G. Lindsey Florence (class of 1967) 9/7/2007; Acc. 2008.08 received 1/18/2008 from Mark '77 and Ann (Spielman) '75 Woolley. Acquisition information for material received after 7/13/2009 is available by consulting a Special Collections Research Center staff member.

Processing Information:

Collection processed by Donna Dodenhoff in 2006-2007. The 2007 accessions of sheet music were processed by Fred Gibbs from July-October 2007. Acc. 2011.479-482 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in July 2011. Acc. 2012.298 accessioned and minimally processed by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in August 2012.


Biographical Information:

Dr. Carl A. Fehr earned degrees from the University of Texas including a Bachelor of Arts in German and French (1928) and a Masters in Psychology and Sociology (1930). In 1942, he received a Masters in Music and Music Education from the University of Michigan and in 1950, a Doctorate in Music and Music Education from Columbia University. He joined the College of William and Mary faculty as an Assistant Professor of Music in 1945, becoming Associate Professor in 1951, rising to Chancellor Professor in 1971, and receiving emeritus status upon retirement in 1974. Integral to Dr. Fehr's faculty duties was his directorship of the College's choir and chorus. Under Dr. Fehr's professional management the choral program gained many new student members and achieved national recognition through such media programs as radio and television broadcasts and phonograph recordings. In 1970, the Choir received the George Washington Honor Medal of the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge. The Choir also appeared at such national events as the 1965 World's Fair's Virginia Day. Under Dr. Fehr's directorship Choir members selected for the Spring Tour program made a total of 27 tours over the years to such cites as New York, Boston, and Atlanta.

Prior to joining the College of William and Mary faculty, Dr. Fehr held several teaching posts in his native Austin, Texas. He served as teacher and organist at the St. Paul's Lutheran Church School (1931-1933) and as music instructor in the Austin public schools (1933-1945). In 1933, Dr. Fehr married fellow Texan Alice Theresa Knippa, who was later employed for many years as a secretary in the College's Physics Department. Although the Fehrs had no children, Dr. Fehr became a surrogate father figure to many of his students, who addressed him as "Pappy." Dr. Fehr set high choral performance standards, often enhancing performances with such visual effects as aesthetically arranged choral groupings. Members of the William and Mary Choir and Chorus took pride in memorized, polished performances of varied, often complex, musical programs. Their fellowship, alumni groups, reunions and special celebrations for Dr. and Mrs. Fehr attest to their esprit de corps. For some students, however, the rigors of academic achievement conflicted with the choral program's demanding rehearsal and performance schedules. As the student culture changed during the mid-1960s, heightened social awareness also elicited some criticism of such stock folk songs as those in the Stephen Foster repertoire. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki: http://scdbwiki.swem.wm.edu/wiki/index.php/Carl A. Fehr.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains materials related to Dr. Carl A. Fehr's career as a music professor as well as his direction of William and Mary's choral program, The Common Glory, the Founders summer pageants and the Williamsburg Baptist Church choir. In addition to his reflections on choral direction and discipline, the collection includes extensive materials on Dr. Fehr's professional management of the College's choral program, a series of published choral programs, a collection of choral music, his teaching notes and curricula, correspondence, professional awards and memberships, as well as his dissertation and other academic credentials. The choral program is also extensively represented in Choir and Chorus communications, activities, group photographs, scrapbooks and publicity during the years of Dr. Fehr's directorship. In addition to the regular academic year choral program, the Choir's annual spring tours, special guest appearances and national broadcast performances are documented in correspondence, news clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, and audio recordings. The audio recordings were reformatted from their original reel-to-reel audiotape and LP formats and CDs are available for purchase. Contact the Special Collections Research Center (spcoll@wm.edu, 757-221-3090) to request a list of available recordings.

Among the artifacts contained in the collection are Dr. Fehr's formal concert attire and other textiles as well as a miniature stage and figures used to arrange choral groupings. Personal memorabilia include material from Austin, Texas, where Dr. Fehr served as choral director in the Austin public school system before coming to William and Mary.

Arrangement of Materials:

The collection is arranged into the following series: Series 1: Concert Programs, 1943-1977; Series 2: Choral Program Statements, circa 1955-1974; Series 3: Choral Program Management, 1946-1974; Series 4: Spring Choir, 1964-1974; Series 5: Choir Activities, 1945-1991; Series 6: Publicity Materials, 1947-1991; Series 7: Department of Music, circa 1950-1974; Series 8: Biographical and Professional Material, 1907-1993; Series 9: News Clippings, 1940-1983; Series 10: Sheet Music, circa 1884-1970; Series 11: Publications, circa 1960-1974; Series 12: Correspondence, 1945-1993; Series 13: Photographs, 1925-1985; Series 14: Audio Recordings, 1946-1983; Series 15: Artifacts, circa 1950-1996; Series 16: Scrapbooks, 1945-1983.

Related Material

See the William and Mary Choir Alumni Reunion Photo Album (UA 7.016) from 1983. Material related to The Common Glory and The Founders is available in the Jamestown Corporation Records (Mss. 77 C73)

Subjects and Indexing Terms


Significant Persons Associated With the Collection

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Container List

id2813
Series 1: Concert Programs
1943-1977
Scope and Contents

This series includes concert programs representing Dr. Fehr's directorship of William & Mary's choral program; The Common Glory and The Founders outdoor summer pageants; and the Williamsburg Baptist Church choir. The series includes William & Mary choral programs of the regular academic year, as well as programs for special event and guest performances. In addition to correspondence and other records pertaining to choral media performances, the series also includes an inventory of concert programs tape recorded between 1949 and 1973.

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id2814
Series 2: Choral Program Statements
1955-1974
Scope and Contents

The Choral Program Statements series consists of Dr. Fehr's formal and informal statements of the place of a choral program in a liberal arts college; standards governing choral member selection, appearance, and conduct; and admittance and dismissal procedures, as well as Dr. Fehr's communications on these matters with choral members and others.

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id2815
Series 3: Choral Program Management
1946-1974
Scope and Contents

This series contains materials on Dr. Fehr's professional management of the choral program, including his directorial and production notes, a concert planning notebook, and his reflections on concert program logistics, as well as a series of blueprints for staging concert performances. The series also contains student applications, auditions, rehearsal schedules, and concert tickets lists for special guests, as well as documents pertaining to choral business matters.

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id2816
Series 4: Spring Choir
1964-1974
Scope and Contents

This series includes choral records such as choir and chorus rosters and directories and a series of spring choir tour journals.

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id2817
Series 5: Choir Activities
1945-2012
Scope and Contents

This series documents Choir/Chorus activities, such as the annual Choir banquet. It includes Choir/Chorus communications, such as bulletins and Choir alumni newsletters. Also included are special choral events including the "Fehr-well Fest," the concert celebrating Dr. Fehr's retirement, materials related to the celebration of the Fehrs' 50th wedding anniversary, the 1965 World's Fair concert, and Staying Connected: The Carl Fehr Project, an event organized to bring Choir alumni together to rehouse the Carl A. "Pappy" Fehr Papers.

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id2818
Series 6: Publicity Materials
1947-1991
Scope and Contents

This series includes Choir/Chorus publicity and promotional materials including brochures, posters, postcards, and magazine articles featuring Dr. Fehr and the choral program.

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id2819
Series 7: Department of Music
1950-1974
Scope and Contents

This series includes Music Department documents collected over the course of Dr. Fehr's faculty appointment. The series also includes information on the department's history, Dr. Fehr's instructional materials, class schedules and exams, as well as documentation of the student assistant program and the Fehr Music Scholarship program. The series also includes Dr. Fehr's philosophy of teaching and his policy on classroom discipline, as well as his documents on music theory and practice.

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id2820
Series 8: Biographical and Professional Material
1907-1993
Scope and Contents

This series includes Dr. Fehr's professional qualifications and performance evaluations, employment applications, awards and honors, academic records, and a copy of his Ph.D. dissertation. Also includes is biographical material including an oral history interview conducted with Dr. Fehr by the College of William and Mary in 1975-1976. The series includes some material from his Texas years as well.

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id2821
Series 9: News Clippings
1940-1983
Scope and Contents

This is a series of news clippings focusing on Dr. Fehr's career, William and Mary choral members, concert publicity, and critical reviews.

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id2822
Series 10: Sheet Music
1884-1970
Scope and Contents

This series is composed of collected sheet music organized by type and including a variety of sheet music. Box 2 holds organ studies and organ anthologies; Box 3 and 4 are entirely organ anthologies; Box 5-7 holds organ sheet music; Box 7-9 holds vocal music; Box 10 includes Christmas Choral Programs as well as religious, secular, and hand-copied music; Box 11 holds correspondence, concert programs, and Christmas music; Boxes 12-17 include a variety of music related to William and Mary, Christmas, The Common Glory, and many others.

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id2823
Series 11: Publications
1960-1974
Scope and Contents

This series includes Dr. Fehr's collection of published materials related to areas of personal interest other than music, such as technology topics and a collection of William and Mary student body literature dating from the 1960s and 1970s.

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id2824
Series 12: Correspondence
1945-1993
Scope and Contents

The correspondence series dates from the years of Dr. Fehr's career at William and Mary (1945-1974) as well as his retirement years. Included in the series is William and Mary interdepartmental correspondence, colleague correspondence, correspondence with choral members, parties outside the university community, and other correspondents.

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id2825
Series 13: Photographs
1925-1985
Scope and Contents

The photographs series visually documents the College of William and Mary choral program from 1945 through 1974, as well as alumni choral events during Dr. Fehr's retirement years. The series documents separately The Common Glory program, the William and Mary choral program by decade, portraits of Dr. Fehr, family and friends (1920s-1980s), and Dr. Fehr's career with the public school system in Austin, Texas. In addition to color and black and white photographs, a small number of color slides and photographic negatives can also be found in this series. Note that each photograph was given an individual number that begins with the letters "FP."

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id2826
Series 14: Audio Recordings
1946-1983
Scope and Contents

This series includes a collection of reel-to-reel tape recordings of William and Mary Choir/Chorus concert performances conducted by Dr. Fehr between 1947 and 1973. The reel-to-reel tapes were reformatted for access and preservation purposes to data discs and CD Audio discs in 2006-2007. The collection also includes phonograph albums of William and Mary choral performances (1940s-1960s), "The Common Glory" (1957), and a miscellaneous collection of phonograph records, such as recordings for vocal exercises and recordings of All-State and Northrop High School choral performances. The audio recordings were reformatted from their original reel-to-reel audiotape and LP formats and CDs are available for purchase. Contact the Special Collections Research Center (spcoll@wm.edu, 757-221-3090) to request a list of available recordings.

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id2827
Series 15: Artifacts
1945-1996
Scope and Contents

The artifact series includes Dr. Fehr's performance attire, items used to plan stage performances, and humorous props to reinforce Dr. Fehr's disciplinary rules. This series also includes the surviving large plastic bus banner used to identify the Choir on its annual spring tour.

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id237077
Series 16: Scrapbooks
1945-1983
Scope and Contents

The series contains scrapbooks compiled by choral members documenting their annual activities and special events (1945-1983), as well as a leather-bound compilation of choral member testimonials to Dr. Fehr on his retirement from William and Mary inscribed "To Pappy from his Children."

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