A Guide to Archival Research

The Saint Mary’s College Archives collects, preserves, and provides access to records, publications, and other documents pertaining to the history of the College.

The College Archives was created to collect and preserve these documents and to serve the research needs of the College community and the public. The collections include documents dating from the founding of the College in 1863 in San Francisco, through its relocation to the “Brickpile” campus in Oakland in 1889, to its move to the Moraga campus in 1928 and up to the present.

Typical topics for research in the College Archives include:

• Background information and photographs of famous sports figures such as Coach Slip Madigan, football great Herman Wedemeyer, baseball Hall of Famer Harry Hooper, basketball standouts Tom Mescherry and Peter Thibeaux, and professional baseball stars Tom Candiotti and James Mouton
• History of the College’s incorporation of liberal arts and the development of the Collegiate Seminar program
• Student unrest and demands leading to the current 4-1-4 calendar, coeducation, diversity student recruitment and faculty hiring
• Navy Pre-Flight School presence on campus during World War II
• Family and Alumni History