Arminda Fix Family Papers
Scope and Contents
The richest sources of documentation in the collection are Fix’s early diaries, which describe her life as a resident of Walla Walla and a Whitman College student and staff member from 1889-1893 and 1902-1907. In them, she describes her work, social activities and relationships with family, friends, and coworkers. Transcriptions of most of the diaries from this period are available for use.
The collection also contains a small correspondence series; of particular interest are Fix’s letters to her sister. Other items include handwritten poems and poem fragments, papers from her student years at Whitman College, nearly 70 photographs, postcard collection primarily featuring images of Walla Walla, the American West and Canada, and Whitman College and Walla Walla ephemera.
Fix , Sanders, and Goodwin family papers round out the collection.
Dates
- Creation: 1871-1980
- Creation: Majority of material found within 1889-1957
Creator
- Fix, Arminda (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Biographical Note
Arminda Fix was born October 1, 1872 in Walla Walla, Washington, the third of eight children born to early Walla Walla pioneers Andrew J. Fix and Nancy Sanders Fix. She entered Whitman Academy in 1891 and attended Whitman College from 1894-1899, receiving a B.S. in 1899. She subsequently attended library school in New York and studied at Columbia University and the University of Washington.
Fix became the first librarian of Whitman College in 1899, a post she held until 1916. Her duties included supervising academy students during study hours, running the bookstore, and day to day library operations. She later worked at the Walla Walla Public Library.
Fix had a passion for writing and oration. Her poetry was often published in programs for local events. She was renowned for her speeches given regularly at local club meetings and gatherings, and she kept a diary regularly from 1889 to 1907 and sporadically from 1933 to 1957.
Fix was active in several local organizations, including the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington, the Narcissa Prentiss Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Walla Walla and Washington State Historical Societies, the YWCA, the Delta Gamma Sorority, the Delphian Cultural Club, and the Walla Walla Garden Club. She served as an officer in several of these organizations, and was recognized locally for her service.
Fix died March 22, 1965 in Walla Walla.
Extent
5.35 Linear Feet (7 manuscript boxes, 1 flat box, 1 small flat box, 1 tube)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The collection consists of personal and family papers of Arminda Fix, the first librarian of Whitman College.
Arrangement
Arranged by series; diaries are organized chronologically; most other series are organized alphabetically.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Whitman College and Northwest Archives by Mrs. Dorothy Cassen in 1980 and added additional materials in 1988. The accession number is retro-0002.
Subject
- Fix, Arminda (Person)
- Whitman College (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the Arminda Fix Family Papers
- Author
- Colleen McFarland and Lucy Palmersheim
- Date
- 2006
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
- Sponsor
- Funding for preparing this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Repository Details
Part of the Whitman College and Northwest Archives Repository