When you have a new collection that contains over 760 individual photographic slides you have to dedicate a full new findings aids blog to it! The SCRC processing team is very excited that this collection is now available for use in the Special Collections Research Center and the finding aid available on our website (or use the link included below).
Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423
Collection processed by Meghan Glasbrenner
A collection of slides taken by George Mason University (GMU) President Vergil Dykstra. Dr. Vergil H. Dykstra (1925-2010) was named GMU’s second President on April 3, 1973 when he was only 48 years old, and was the first person to be hired specifically for that position. During his tenure, Dykstra oversaw both a rapid expansion in the student body and major campus development projects, as well as new academic programs and the development of the Council on Minority Relations and an Affirmative Action Task Force. Dykstra served as President of GMU for four years before leaving the position in April 1977. He passed away on December 31, 2010.
Vergil Dykstra in the “largest garden” in Suzhou, China, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 4, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
During his time as President of GMU, Dykstra also joined a delegation of other U.S. college and university Presidents sponsored by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) in visits to China and Taiwan in 1975 and 1976 respectively.
AASCU group in China, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 11, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
This collection includes hundreds of 35mm color slides taken during these visits. The bulk of the collection, found in Series 1, covers the AASCU’s visit to China in March-April 1975. The majority of the slides in this series include personal inscriptions identifying the locations depicted, allowing for detailed following of the AASCU’s itinerary, which included a mix of educational institutions, cultural experiences, and historic site-seeing:
Vergil Dykstra (center in sunglasses) waiting to board at Dulles Airport, March 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Vergil Dykstra waving from a train in Hong Kong, March 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 1, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Inscription on front: “Briefing at porcelain factor in [Foshan]”, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 2, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
View of The Bund, Shanghai, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 3, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Students in “Political discourse” class at Nanjing University, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 6, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
View from The Great Wall, outside Beijing, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 7, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Inside the Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing, April 1975. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 7, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
The AASCU’s visit to Taiwan the following year, in October 1976, found in Series 2, includes slides with less identifying information, but equally rich coverage in depicting the locations and people:
Entrance to Ami Culture Village, Taiwan, October 1976. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 12, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
AASCU visit to Taiwan, October 1976. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 13, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
The collection’s remaining slides, found in Series 3, include personal images covering 1973-1977. These depict locations on the GMU campus, including many of the President’s House, the general Northern Virginia and D.C. Metro area, and various sites in Binghamton, New York, where Dykstra had served as Vice President at the State University of New York (formerly Harpur College) for five years before becoming president of GMU:
Inscription on front: “Putting in road – GMU”, 1973. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 15, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Inscription on front: “Leaving Binghamton”, 1973. Vergil Dykstra slide collection, C0423, Folder 17, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
