The Triangle Club was founded in 1908 at the University of Rhode Island to provide for the promotion of social contacts and friendship among all women of the University Community. Its aims were threefold—sociability, service through scholarship, and study. It was established to be an organization of faculty wives, women faculty, and other women associated with the University. The members would usually meet about six times a year and, in addition, they would host formal teas, coffee parties, suppers, luncheons and dances.
The very first meeting was held at the house of Mrs. Howard Edwards, wife of the then-President of Rhode Island College, on November 6, 1908. Initially seventeen women met; there were no dues, although anyone missing a meeting was expected to pay a fine of five cents. Various talks, picnics, and other welcoming events were presented before the Club was more formally organized in 1909 with elected officers, dues, and programs.
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Triangle Club of the University of Rhode Island, Mss. Gr. 131, University of Rhode Island, University Archives and Special Collections.
The papers of the Triangle Club include bylaws, brochures, programs, minutes of meetings, scrapbooks, treasurer’s reports and ledgers, membership lists, minutes of the Executive Committee, newsletters, and correspondence. The group continues to exist, has an active scholarship program, gourmet club, and book group. The records were organized into four series as follows: Series I, Minute Books, 1910-1960, contains bound volumes of notes from meetings. They may also, but not always, contain Treasurer’s Reports, copies of programs of events, membership lists. The Minute Books are handwritten, typed, and mimeographed and are arranged chronologically.
Series II, Financial Records, 1917-1952, contains Treasurer’s Books, treasurer’s reports, and deposit books from various banks. The series is arranged chronologically.
Series III, Social and Service, 1910-1985, contains programs of the club, newsletters, press notices, brochures from other women’s organizations, scholarship information, fall tea reports and other social events. The series is arranged chronologically within folders.
Series IV, Executive, 1926-1982, contains by-laws, membership lists, correspondence, Minutes of the Executive Board, a ca. 1930 history of the founding of the Triangle Club, and a scrapbook entitled, "Historian’s Records, 1953-1980. The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
The collection is arranged into four series as follows:
Some of the records were given to the University Archives circa 1970; the rest were given to the Archives in 1989 by Mrs. James P. Reid.
The Minute Book series contains bound volumes of minutes from meetings, financial reports, and correspondence. They may also, but not always, contain Treasurer’s Reports, copies of programs of events, membership lists. The Minute Books are handwritten, typed, and mimeographed and are arranged chronologically. The Minute Books are bound in various formats.
The Financial Series contains the financial records of the Triangle Club that are not included in the bound Minute Book series. The series includes Treasurer’s Books, treasurer’s reports, and deposit books from various banks. The series is arranged chronologically.
The Social and Service series contains programs of the club, newsletters, press notices, brochures from other women’s organizations, scholarship information, fall tea reports and other social events. The series is arranged chronologically within folders.
The Executive series contains by-laws, membership lists, correspondence, Minutes of the Executive Board, a circa 1930 history of the founding of the Triangle Club, and a scrapbook entitled, "Historian’s Records, 1953-1980". The series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.