Clayton C. Kohl papers

Collection

Identifier: MS-0102

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

Personal collection of minor correspondence, clippings, speeches and various writings on topics of education and the social sciences of a faculty member at Bowling Green State University between 1920 and 1938.

Dates

Creation: 1900-1970

Extent

0.92 Cubic Feet (2 legal archive boxes)

Creator

Kohl, Clayton C., 1875-1938 (Person)

Scope and Contents

Dr. Clayton C. Kohl's papers consists of his speeches and various writings, dating from approximately 1900 to 1935, on topics of education and the social sciences. The writings document his extensive academic study and knowledge and his social consciousness. Specific topics of more local interest include a discussion of the Town and Gown Club, a Bowling Green study group comprised of city and university men, and a discussion of the proposed year of graduate instruction being considered at Bowling Green State University.

The small amount of correspondence and memorials offered at the time of his death shed light on his academic credentials, his social involvement, community mindedness, and important influence he had at Bowling Green State University as a faculty member and administrator.

Local depression-era concerns are evidenced in some correspondence of the Wood County Citizenship Council and some news clippings dating from 1933 to 1934 documenting Dr. Kohl's involvement with public welfare. He also illustrated his concerns about the State's interest in converting the University to a mental institution in the 1930s by the clipping, "Costly Folly to Abandon Bowling Green College." Also included is an essay/interview by Lois L. Hodge about the Toledo Travelers' Aid Society which highlights the work of that organization in 1929.

Biographical / Historical

Dr. Clayton C. Kohl was a distinguished member of the Bowling Green State University's faculty, from 1920 until his death in 1938, and the first to hold an earned doctorate. He was instrumental in developing course offerings in liberal arts and graduate study which expanded the University's programs beyond that of a training school for teachers.

He was born near Perrysburg, Ohio, on June 15, 1875. In 1901 he received a bachelor of philosophy degree from Ohio State University. He taught school and became a principal and superintendent at Mechanicsburg, Ohio. He was awarded a fellowship at New York University where he earned his doctorate. He headed the Department of Education at Mount Holyoke College and later returned to New York University as a professor of social history.

In 1912, Dr. Kohl traveled to Berlin to pursue studies in sociology at Tilly Institute and the University of Leipzig. In 1915 he returned to Toledo to teach history at Scott High School and then was appointed director of the teacher's training department of the Toledo schools. By 1920, he moved to Bowling Green to head the history and social sciences department at Bowling Green Normal College. When the College became a University in 1936 he headed the graduate school.

He and his wife Margaret were active in many local civic organizations. Dr. Kohl also was remembered as a notable public speaker. He died November 10, 1938, leaving his wife and two sons, Frederick and John. In 1939, the first male residence hall at Bowling Green State University was named Kohl Hall in his honor.