Clara Syvret Addendum

Although Miss Clara Maud Syvret, known as Maud, did not teach at Wilson every year between 1905 and 1942 in which she retired, she, according to her correspondence, was associated with Wilson throughout that entire period. In 905-1906 she began to teach French at Wilson; however, there are no extant letters in the Wilson collection that indicate her career from 1906 until 1911. In 1911 - 1912 she taught French at Western College in Oxford, Ohio. In the autumn of 1912 she returned to teach French at Wilson and in the summer of 1913 did field work for Wilson in trying to recruit students. In 1913- 1914 she again taught at Wilson but in the second semester again did field work for the college. She spent the academic year 1914-1915 on leave and studied at the University of Chicago. She returned to Wilson in l915 for the academic year 1915-1916. In 1918-1919 she had a leave of absence without pay in order to work for the Young Women's Christian Association and spent part of that time in France with that work. In 1922 she returned to Wilson and remained there as head of the department of Romance Languages until her retirement in June 1942. 

Although Miss Syvret's correspondence with the President of the college, Dr. Anna J. McKeag, focused principally upon Miss Syvret's work in recruiting students in 1913 and 1914, other letters indicate the intensity of Miss Syvret's feelings and her willingness to take responsibilities. In January 1915, after Dr. McKeag had written to Miss Syvret asking whether or not she would return to Wilson, Miss Syvret expressed her feelings that she could not return to Wilson at the same salary she had received in earlier years but that she would return with an increase in salary. In response D. McKeag stated that she would received $950 and home --home includes board, room and plain laundry when the college is in session'" and that she would live in your old quarters in President's Hall." In a later letter Miss Syvret offered to teach Spanish, but Dr. McKeag rejected that idea. When Miss Syvret read in the Chambersburg newspaper about Dr. McKeag's resignation, she wrote a gracious letter statingIam so sorry that you must leave us at Wilson when the college is getting used to its 'higher life' which you have done much to instill." 

While Miss Syvret was on leave without pay during the 1918 - 1919 academic year and until her return to the Wilson campus for the 1922-1923 academic year, Miss Syvret communicated by letter and at least twice by telegram with Dr. Ethelbert Warfield, President of the college. In 1918 and 1919 Miss Syvret went overseas to work with the Young Women's Christian Association. In June 1918 in a brief letter Dr. Warfield wrote : "The College is proud to carry you on its Faculty roll as rendering such service to the cause in which our hearts are so deeply enlisted." Before she left for France, Miss Syvret responded : "My third inoculation for typhoid very unexpectedly put me out of commission....I know there are hard days ahead, but I feel glad and very grate ful for the opportunity to serve in this way..." In 1919 Dr. Warfield wrote to ask if she would be willing to return to the Wilson classroom for 1919 -1920 academic year and asked her to cable the word return if she planned to return and the word cannot if she did not plan to return. On March 12 Miss Syvret cabled from Bourges, France, the word cannot. On April 4 Miss Syvret wrote: It was with mixed feelings that I sent the word cannot, but I am so glad to have the opportunity for work in France, that I decided to stay as long as possible. There may not be the work in the French Foyer des Alliees for Americans throughout the following year - but when my service is finished here, I would like to go to Spain for study before returning home....The work is constant - and absorbing- one is called upon for anything and everything - so the days fly by - and when evening comes - and return from the Foyers about 9:45 we are tired enough to sit around the porcelain stove...." On February 7, 1920, Miss Syvret wrote to Dr. Warfield from 124 rue de Stassart, Brussels, Belgium, that she was taking a vacation from" a long stretch or work" and that she would return to Wilson for the 1920-1921 academic year. However, on April 10 from the same address she again wrote to Dr. Warfield but this time stated that she wanted to stay abroad for another year and that her executive was "urging me to stay - and I feelI should not leave." In responding Dr. Warfield was gracious and understanding, as he assured her that her work overseas was important and added “I want you to know how much I have desired to have you back at Wilson College." 

In early 1921 Miss Syvret seemed to be uncertain about her plans. In January Dr. Warfield wrote to her and again offered her the position of teacher of French. He noted that the teaching of German "had completely disappeared" and that studying Spanish was not popular. In May he sent her a cable Offer French department salary sixteen hundred cable answer immediately E.D. W. Although Miss Syvret initially accepted the position, in June she both wrote to Dr. Warfield saying that she would not return and sent him a cable Regret withdraw acceptance Syvret. 

By the beginning of 1922 both Miss Syvret and Dr. Warfield were eager for her return to the faculty. Dr. Warfield offered her the appointment of professor of Romance languages with headship of the department with a salary of $1600. The only problem was that the Curriculum Committee of the Board of Trustees stated that heads of departments should have doctorates. Dr. Warfield, who did not agree with that decision, stated in a letter to Miss Syvret: "I think it a great mistake to prefer degrees to teaching experience." Miss Syvret responded that she thought her graduate work at the University of Chicago and the Sorbonne and especially her work in France should be the equivalent to a doctorate, that she would accept the appointment if a doctorate were not required, and that she would like the salary of $1800. Miss Syvret, however, accepted the position at a salary of $1600 and thus began her longest stretch of association with the college. 

Upon her return to Wilson in the fall of 1922 Dr. Warfield and she continued a voluminous correspondence. In addition to her work in teaching French and in chairing the department Miss Syvret was the faculty representative to the Student Friendship Fund. Dr. Warfield and she agreed that the fund should be devoted to relief in France and Belgium, as Dr. Warfield noted "propaganda for Russia and the central nations has been so great as to swallow up an undue proportion of American contributions." However, most of the correspondence between Miss Syvret and Dr. Warfield focused upon hiring and retaining members of the Romance Language department, adapting assignments within the department in order to accommodate vacancies caused by academic leaves, and, most importantly, adding courses to the Romance language curriculum. Again she expressed her disappointment when she learned in May 1923 that her salary would be $1800 instead of $2,000 that she thought heads of departments would receive. In December 1923, however, she learned that $200 would be added to her salary and was gracious when ten years later in 1933 she learned that the college could not afford any increases in salary and that department budgets would be cut. A frequent traveler to France, in the summer of 1924 she with friends went there by way of Montreal and Liverpool and was pleased to write to Dr. Warfield that, when they checked in at the American Express office, she saw the names of his daughters who had registered there a few days earlier. In all of her correspondence with Dr. Warfield, despite any disappointments, with the exception of two letters reflecting the faculty's criticism of the way daily chapel was being conducted the correspondence between Dr. Warfield and Miss Syvret was cordial and considerate. When Dr. Paul Swain Havens assumed the presidency of the college in 1936, he and Miss Syvret began a correspondence that was again cordial and considerate. Most of their letters were centered upon building the department by adapting and adding to the curriculum of Romance languages, upon retaining or not retaining teachers in the department, and providing materials requisite for the teaching of languages. During this time le Circle Francais, "a vigorous group of students interested in French studies...," was active, invited guest speakers who spoke about French literature, and in that era gave a play in French each year. She was appointed to the Committee on Religious Life on the campus and served on that committee for many years. Again she revealed her social consciousness. At the beginning of World War II in Europe she was appointed by the National Committee on Food for Small Democracies to direct the work of that agency in Chambersburg in order to provide relief for the people in Europe "facing starvation and pestilence." 

In 1940 after she had written to Dr. Havens and expressed her wish to retire, he, however, persuaded her to stay. In March 1941 the Chamber of Commerce of Chambersburg honored her at a dinner for her work for both the college and the community. Dr. Havens wrote: "I cannot let the occasion pass without expressing my own gratification to you for all that your work here has meant to Wilson and to the community. I feel a little presumptuous in writing like this to one who has served the College several times as long as I have,..." Reluctantly in January 1942 he accepted her letter of retirement to be enacted upon at the June 1942 meeting of the Board of Trustees. To her letter he replied: "The debt which Wilson College owes you is greater than its Board of Trustees could ever describe; and I have personally been deeply grateful to you for your wisdom and experience and your splendid spirit of helpfulness." 

Miss Syvret passed from her earthly life on July 8,1968, at the Memorial Home Community in Penney Farms, Florida.