This collection documents the life of Fredrick J. Stare from 1927 to 1935, during which time he attended the University of Wisconsin and worked on post-doctoral research at Washington University. There is very little professional or research material in the collection, perhaps because the collection consists of files Stare apparently stored at his parents' home in Columbus before his departure for Cambridge. This material was eventually donated to the Society in 1979 by his sister, Susan Stare, when the family home was sold. Additional material held by the Society which was donated by Fredrick A. Stare entirely concerns the Columbus Food Company rather than the family. (See Mss 824.)
About half of the Fredrick J. Stare Papers focuses on his participation in the Wisconsin chapter of the Kappa Sigma social fraternity. Because the national conclave met in Madison during the year that Stare was preceptor, the collection contains some rare glimpses of fraternity life during the Depression, ranging from the daily life and academic problems of pledges to social networking among alumni and national organizational concerns. Through the fraternity, Stare also became acquainted with Dean Scott Goodnight, a fellow member of Kappa Sigma, and the collection contains correspondence and frequent references to this notable figure in University of Wisconsin history.
The papers are grouped into four categories: general correspondence, Kappa Sigma files, research and professional files, and visual materials. The general correspondence is arranged chronologically; the Kappa Sigma files and research and professional files are arranged alphabetically by subject.
The GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE consists primarily of letters to and from friends and family during the period from 1930 through 1935, together with some correspondence of a more professional nature. The earliest correspondence is primarily incoming, handwritten letters from Stare's friends during vacations and other times when they were apart. Later periods are more fully documented by carbon copies of Stare's outgoing letters as well. Frequent correspondents included his parents and sisters, his fiancée Joyce Allen (whose letters are filed separately), and numerous Kappa Sigma brothers and other friends. There are also letters from C.A. Elvehjem (Stare was his first doctoral student), Goodnight, and numerous other members of the University community. Topics in the personal correspondence include family matters, university and fraternity life, and Stare's academic progress.
The KAPPA SIGMA FILES, which are the heart of the collection, pertain to Stare's participation in Kappa Sigma, especially at the time of the 13th Biennial Grand Conclave in Madison in 1933. Plans for that meeting are extensively documented through committee reports and correspondence. Aside from the conclave, the files on Kappa Sigma contain information on Stare's tenure as preceptor (1932-1933), house organization, “rushing,” and various other aspects of fraternity life. Some of the most notable files concern Stare's contacts with the parents of members who were experiencing academic or social problems. Because Kappa Sigma formed such an important part of Stare's life, researchers are advised to examine the general correspondence for numerous additional references to the fraternity and its alumni.
The third category, RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL PAPERS, contains a variety of material. The main focus of this portion of the collection is on Stare's work as a recipient of fellowships from the National Research Council (1933-1935) and the General Education Board (1935). Here correspondence, research reports, reprints, and notes document Stare's work in the application of biochemistry to animal and human nutrition. The correspondence in these files is almost entirely professional in nature, although there are a few letters to and from family and friends. The remainder of documents in this category deal with some of Stare's graduate research work, his inquiries about a research fellowship and permanent position in the research laboratories of the American Can Company, his personal expenses as an undergraduate, and projects in which he was involved while at Madison and St. Louis.
The VISUAL MATERIALS contain mostly Stare family related photographs. Includes a group of photographs of the Badger Motor Car Company of Columbus, Wisconsin (circa 1906), Stare family photographs including a trip to the Wisconsin Dells, and a photograph with charcoal crayon, of a young female family member (circa 1910-1920).
