Winter is almost upon us. This year the winter solstice for the northern hemisphere, the astronomical first day of winter, occurs on December 21st. The solstice marks the moment when the hemisphere is tilted farthest away from the sun, and as a result, is the shortest day of the year. Will winter bring snow to campus or your hometown? Snowfall in Salem has fluctuated greatly over the years. Average annual snowfall for the city is 6 inches but large snow storms do happen. The 1937 storm dumped over 31 inches of snow on the city as did a storm in 1950. There has also been 10 (nonconsecutive) plus years with no annual snowfall recorded.

The Willamette University Archives houses thousands of photos of campus, many of which are available online through the Campus Photo Collection. A search through the collection reveals several images of a snowy winter on campus. Here are just a few:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What do you hope for? Whether it is to be outside enjoying winter sports or inside reading in front of a fire, best wishes for a fun holiday season!

Moral Re-Armament was an international and non-denominational spiritual movement founded by American minister Frank Buchman in 1938. Moral Re-Armament called for a moral reawakening of nations based on the conviction by Buchman and his followers that the root cause of international conflict was essentially a moral problem.

The Stella Douglas papers on Moral Re-Armament consist of correspondence, personal writings, photographs, scrapbooks, Moral Re-Armament publications, address books, and newspaper clippings, covering the years 1944-1978. Items of note include letters and writings that specifically address Douglas’ participation in and ideas about the Moral Re-Armament program. These letters and writings include reflections on MRA leaders Frank Buchman and Peter Howard, but the majority include Douglas’ ideas about MRA’s ideology and practices.

For more information about Moral Re-Armament and this collection, please see the finding aid.

Additional insight into Stella Douglas’ views on the Moral Re-Armament movement can be found in this blog post by Clara Sims, WU Archives and History Department Intern for Fall 2017.