Mildred Andrews Collection

Collection — Multiple Containers

Identifier: WHC-M-2857

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection includes materials donated by former students of Mildred Andrews. It includes family and professional photographs, wedding albums, memorial albums for Andrews and family members, marriage documents, biographical materials, correspondence with family, manuscripts, employment files, and items from her estate in Norman, Oklahoma. There is also material regarding Andrews' memorial concert held at the University of Oklahoma and the creation of the Mildred Andrews Boggess Memorial Organ Fund.

Dates

circa 1900-1999
Majority of material found within 1915-1987

Biographical / Historical

Mildred Andrews (Mildred Andrews Boggess) was an accomplished organ performer and honored Professor of Music at the University of Oklahoma. Andrews was born on September 25, 1915, in the town of Hominy, Oklahoma. Her musical career began at the age of 6 as a student of piano. She would later receive her bachelor of arts degree from the University of Oklahoma and her master of fine arts degree from the University of Michigan, and completed graduate work at Union Theological Seminary in New York City. After finishing her degree, Andrews continued to take private lessons from Marcel Dupré, an eminent French organist. In addition to lecturing and conducting workshops nationwide, Andrews gave concerts in cities across the continent, including New York, Kansas City, Cleveland, Chicago, Phoenix, Dallas, Edmonton, and Palm Springs. An Episcopalian, she served as organist and choirmaster at St. John's Episcopal from 1936-1962. Perhaps one of Andrews's greatest legacies was her lasting effect on the University of Oklahoma campus. From June 1938 to June 1976, her exceptional teaching career produced some of the nation's best organists, fourteen of whom received Fulbright Fellowships and twenty won national or regional performance competitions. Andrews herself was honored with the Outstanding Young Woman Faculty Member award in 1948, the Outstanding Professor award in 1952, and the Distinguished Service Citation in 1976. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 1971. In 1973, she married Rough A. Boggess, former president of the board of directors of Oklahoma City's Chamber Music Series and Assistant to the Dean of Admissions and Registrar at the University of Oklahoma. Upon her retirement in 1976, many professional journals noted her departure from teaching under the headlines "The End of an Era," "Winningest Coach of the Console," and "The Legend Ends." Additionally, many noteworthy people wrote to congratulate Andrews on her impressive career, including OU Football coach Barry Switzer, Oklahoma Governor David Boren, Congressman Tom Steed, House Speaker Carl Albert, and Vice President Nelson Rockefeller. Andrews died at the age of 71 on August 10, 1987, in Norman, Oklahoma. The University of Oklahoma School of Music continues to honor the legacy of "Dear Teacher" through custodianship of the Mildred Andrews Boggess Memorial Organ.

Extent

3.5 Cubic Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into series: Personal Life, Career, Correspondence, Photographs, and Oversized. The Oversized series includes large photo albums and memorial albums. The Mildred Andrews Music Scores series now exists within the General Music Scores Collection.

Custodial History

The collection was donated by Mary Ruth McCulley, a former student of Mildred Andrews, the the American Organ Institute Archives and Library (AOIAL). Additions to the collection include donations by Lee Ridgeway, Elaine Ehlers, Stephen Roberts and Larry Bishop.

In early 2020, the collection was transferred from the AOIAL to the Western History Collections.

Processing Information

In September 2017, Assistant Archivist Brynn Simons reprocessed the Mildred Andrews collection. This reprocessing included adding unique item identifiers, renaming series, subseries and folders to better reflect the content within them. Certain items were moved to better reflect intellectual arrangement. This reprocessing demonstrates the American Organ Institute Archives and Library's desire to follow current archival standards. The music scores that were part of this collection were added to American Organ Institute's Archive's and Library Music Scores collection. Project supported by an award from the Oklahoma Historical Records Advisory Board and the Oklahoma Department of Libraries, through funding from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission of the National Archives and Records Administration.

In late 2019, The music scores were added back to this collection prior to it's leaving the American Organ Institute and being added the the Western History Collections.