By Latanya N. Jenkins
Title: Virginia Kelly Karnes papers, 1910-2006
Primary Creator: Karnes, Virginia Kelly (1909-2006)
Extent: 4.5 Cubic feet
Arrangement:
The Papers are organized into 5 series:
1. Correspondence, 2001 and undated (9 items)
The series includes letters and notes written by or to Virginia Kelly Karnes.
2. Awards and Certificates, circa 1980-2006 (9 items)
The series documents the achievements of Virginia Kelly Karnes. Types of materials include certificates and plaques. Materials in the series are oversized and arranged according to size.
3. Publications and Printed Material, 1935-2006 (4 items)
The series includes a memoir, books, pamphlets, and a DVD. William Karnes wrote about his wife, Virginia, in his memoir My Life and Times.
4. Photographs, circa 1910-2006 (18 items)
The series includes photographs of Virginia Kelly Karnes and her husband, William Karnes. Also included are two group photographs, Alpha Chi Omega sorority sisters and Phi Kappa Psi fraternity brothers, both circa 1935
5. Artifacts, 1935 (1 item)
The series includes one three-dimensional object, an academic hood.
Date Acquired: 00/00/2007
Subjects: Beatrice Foods Company, Purdue University--Alumni and alumnae, Women's Archives at Purdue University
Forms of Material: Artifacts (object genre), Audiovisual materials, Awards, Certificates, Correspondence, Photographic prints
Languages: English
Virginia Kelly Karnes (1909-2006), and her late husband Bill were long-time benefactors of Purdue University. Virginia was named the first woman chair of the President's Council of Purdue, as well as being elected to the Mortar Board at Purdue. The Purdue University Libraries honored her by naming the Archives and Special Collections research center for her in recognition of her generosity to the libraries.
A native of Warsaw, Indiana, Virginia Grace Kelly worked at a box factory for three years after graduating from high school, saving enough money to enroll at Butler University in 1929. When the Warsaw Bank closed in 1930, tying up her money, she had to go back to work. In 1932, she resumed her education at Purdue University and graduated in 1935 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Home Economics. She was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority and did housework at Alpha Chi Omega to pay for her room and board. In 2002, she endowed a financial assistance program for qualifying members of the Alpha Chi Omega attending Purdue.
She met William George Karnes in 1928, and after a nine-year courtship, they were married on May 1, 1937. She became his closest friend, confidant and most valued counsel as he advanced from the position of law clerk to become president and chief executive officer of Beatrice Foods Company in Chicago, Illinois. During Bill's early years at Beatrice Foods, Virginia frequently would travel with him by train from city to city meeting the company's various division managers. They had been married for 63 years when Bill passed away on November 17, 2000.
Virginia Karnes served Rush University Medical Center for fifty years as a member of its Woman's Board (serving as president 1974-1976) and was a member of the Medical Center's Board of Trustees. Her volunteerism and philanthropy were recognized with membership in several of the Medical Center's premier giving groups, including the Anchor Cross Society, Rush Heritage Society, and Board of Benefactors.
Repository: Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections
Access Restrictions: Collection is open for research.
Use Restrictions: No use restrictions.
Physical Access Note: Collection is located on-site.
Acquisition Source: Susan Nelson and Charles C. Snyder
Acquisition Method: Materials were in the custody of Virginia Kelly Karnes upon her death in 2006 when they were donated to the archives by her niece, Susan Nelson, and her attorney and the executor of her estate, Charles C. Snyder
Preferred Citation: Virginia Kelly Karnes papers, Archives and Special Collections, Purdue University Libraries
Other URL: http://collections.lib.purdue.edu/fa/pdf/karnesvk.pdf
