Lonita Gustad Corothers Papers

Finding Aid

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Collection Summary

Identifier

MA 48

Title

Lonita Gustad Corothers Papers

Creator

Lonita Gustad Corothers

Dates

1942-2010

Extent

6.0 linear feet (6 records center boxes)

Language

English

Repository

South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Access note

This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Preferred Citation

Name of item . Lonita Gustad Corothers Papers. MA 48. South Dakota State University Archives and Special Collections, Hilton M. Briggs Library, Brookings, South Dakota.

Abstract

Lonita Gustad Corothers was a student in the Division of Pharmacy at South Dakota State College starting in September of 1946 and graduating in the spring of 1950. Her graduating class was comprised of eight women and 56 men. Her minor was in chemistry. She began keeping a diary in 1945 when she was 17 years old and realized that she was "living in momentous times." The collection is composed of her diaries from 1946 through 2010, excerpts from and a timeline index of the diaries, correspondence with Tom Corothers written primarily during their courtship, a grief notebook written after her husband died, and her original writings and poetry.

Biographical Note

Lonita Joyce Gustad was born on May 19, 1928 in Sacred Heart Hospital in Yankton, South Dakota. She lived on a farm near Volin, South Dakota with her parents and a younger sister, Roberta, nicknamed Bobby. Lonita was 17 years old in 1945 when she began keeping a diary. World War II was ending and the second atomic bomb was detonated in Nagasaki, Japan when she realized that she was living in momentous times, but that in time the details would be forgotten.

She graduated from Yankton High School in May of 1946 and began her college education at South Dakota State College in September of the same year, graduating with a degree in pharmacy on June 5, 1950. Her pharmacy class of 1950 was comprised of eight women and 56 men. Her minor was in chemistry, a field that was also predominantly male at the time. Following graduation, she worked at Woodward Pharmacy in Aberdeen, South Dakota for a year. She then moved to Sioux City, Iowa where she worked and lived until the time that she donated her papers to South Dakota State University.

She met Thomas Edward Corothers during her time at college, whom she married on June 24, 1951. The couple had one child, a son named John born on August 3, 1952 who was killed in a motorcycle accident in Honolulu, Hawaii on July 25, 1972. Her husband died on March 1, 1998 at the age of 71.

Arrangement

This collection is organized into seven series:

Series 1. Timelines

Series 2. Diaries

Series 3. Correspondence

Series 4. Poetry

Series 5. Original Writings

Series 6. Diary Excerpts

Sub-series 1. 1949 Diary

Sub-series 2. 1948-1955 Courtship and Early Marriage

Sub-series 3.1955-1973 Marriage and Family

Series 7. General.

Within each series, items are arranged chronologically, with the exception of Series 6 which is arranged alphabetically.

Contents Note

Composed of Lonita Gustad Corothers' diaries from 1946 through 2010, excerpts from and a timeline index of the diaries, correspondence with Tom Corothers written primarily during their courtship, a grief notebook written after her husband died, and her original writings and poetry. Of note are the daily descriptions of her experiences as a student at South Dakota State College from 1946 to 1950.

Series 1. Timelines.

Composed of notebooks containing timeline indexes with brief accounts of diary entries from 1945 through 2010. The index was compiled by Lonita Gustad Corothers to easily finding specific dates and accounts. Starred entries indicate more important life events.

Series 2. Diaries.

Composed of diaries from August of 1945 through June 2010. Of note are the early diaries which mention events of World War II and the author's years as a pharmacy student at South Dakota State College from 1946 to 1950.

Series 3. Correspondence.

Comprised of letters exchanged between Tom Corothers and Lonita Gustad dated from 1949-1964 during their courtship and early marriage. The bulk of the letters were exchanged before their marriage, from 1949 to 1951.

Series 4. Poetry.

Comprised of poetry written and arranged by Lonita Corothers. The manuscript was compiled in 2003 out of poems written throughout her adult life. The manuscript was received in five 3-ring binders: 1: Nature, Faith; 2: Love, Anger, Humor; 3: Death, Grief; 4: Philosophy; 5: Age, Miscellaneous.

Series 5. Original Writings.

Comprised of original writing by Lonita Corothers, both poetry and prose. Most, if not all, of these pieces were copied by the author and appear elsewhere in the collection. The writings were collected in envelopes and appear to have been placed in the envelopes by the author as they were copied. They do not appear to have been gathered in any order (chronological or subject) that could be ascertained. They are written on various types of scrap paper, such as discarded letters, envelopes, grocery lists, or church bulletins. The writing is rarely dated, however an approximate date would sometimes be indicated by the scrap paper.

Series 6. Diary Excerpts.

This series contains printed copies of diary entries, with comments occasionally added by the author as she transcribed the entries. The comments added later are usually inside double parentheses.

Sub-series: 1949 Diary.

Comprised of copies of diary entries for 1949, which the author felt was the best year of her life. It describes her experiences in college for the spring semester of her junior year and the fall semester of her senior year in college, as well as time spent at home during vacations.

Sub-series 1948-1955 Courtship and Early Marriage.

Dated from 1949 through 1955, in which the author pulls excerpts from her diaries primarily pertaining to her courtship of and early years of marriage to Tom Corothers. Of note: a description of life on campus during the postwar era was added by the author at the time of transcription on the first page of the excerpts on courtship and marriage.

Sub-series 1955-1973 Marriage and Family.

Primarily full text transcriptions of diary entries dated from 1955 through 1973. Of note is the tragic death of the author's only child, John, on July 25, 1972.

Series 7. General.

Contains general materials dated from 1943 through 2010, including writing and personal reflections and correspondence with South Dakota State University President Peggy Gordon Miller primarily regarding the transfer of the author's papers. Of note is a Grief Notebook, written during the four years following the death of the author's husband.

Key Words

Corothers, John

Corothers, Lonita Gustad, 1928-

Corothers, Thomas E.

Diaries

Poetry

South Dakota State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Division of Pharmacy

Container List

View container list on Open Prairie

Administrative Information

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to researchers without restrictions. The materials in the Archives do not circulate and may be used in-house only.

Researchers conducting extensive research are asked to make an advance appointment to access archival material. Please call or e-mail prior to visiting the collection and indicate as much detail as possible about a particular topic and intended use.

South Dakota State University supports access to the materials, published and unpublished, in its collections. Nonetheless, access to some items may be restricted as a result of their fragile condition or by contractual agreements with donors.

Copyright note

Copyright restrictions apply in different ways to different materials. Many of the documents and other historical materials in the Archives are in the public domain and may be reproduced and used in any way. There are other materials in the Archive carrying a copyright interest and must be used according to the provisions of Title 17 of the U.S. Code. The Archive issues a warning concerning copyright restrictions to every researcher who requests copies of documents. Although the copyright law is under constant redefinition in the courts, it is ultimately the responsibility of the researcher to properly use copyrighted material.

Arranged and Described by

Ruby R. Wilson, 2012 February 7.

Additions made by Crystal J. Gamradt, Archivist on 2017 October 27