Finding Aid: MS 514 Frank Wolcott Papers

The bulk of materials in this collection pertain to the Springfield College gymnastics team during the time when Frank Wolcott served as coach: these are predominantly photographs, newspaper clippings, competition scores, rosters, and schedules. There are also documents and letters (but no photographs) about the New England Gymnastics Clinic: these primarily address the administrative and organizational concerns. The photographs show the winner’s podium from championships hosted by the Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastic League (EIGL), National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships, and one from the Division for Girls' and Women's Sports (DGWS). They also show students competing, performing individually, traveling on exhibition tours, forming Tableaux, and performing in the college’s annual Home Show. Finally, there are also formal pictures of the teams, captains, and coaches. This collection also contains documents Wolcott compiled about designing and performing Tableaux (living statues). Typically a group enacting a scene would be mounted on elaborate stands and stairwells decorated to look like a monument, placed on the route of the procession. In the context of Springfield College, Tableaux were performed by the gymnasts during exhibition performances, including the annual Home Show. These documents provide inspiration for creating Tableaux and describe how to stage the performances. There is a small series of miscellaneous materials not related to gymnastics. This includes personal photographs and documents, teaching materials (mostly tests and answer keys), four paintings of the Springfield College campus, and a memorial book commemorating Bob Laveaga. This series also has a newspaper article about Stony Brook Acres, the summer camp he founded in Wilbraham, Massachusetts.For biographical information on Frank Wolcott, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/54