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| Record Creator: | Nyland, Dorothy A. |
| Title: | Dorothy Nyland Papers |
| Date Span: | 1932-2009 |
| Abstract: | Dorothy A. Nyland (1905-2008), born on April 15, 1905 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Henry T. and Christine Nyland, was a staff member for the Women’s Society of Christian Service in multiple departments. Serving for fourteen years as the Secretary of Student Work for the Women’s Division of Christian Service of the Methodist Board of Missions, Nyland advocated for peace through her work in race relations and had a hand in developing Christian student leaders through her work with Christian youth. The Dorothy Nyland papers are comprised of writings, seminars, informational files, photographs, and correspondences. |
| Extent: | 1.35 cubic feet |
| Identification: | gcah.ms.4669 |
Dorothy A. Nyland (1905-2008), born on April 15, 1905 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Henry T. and Christine Nyland, was a staff member for the Women’s Society of Christian Service in multiple departments. Serving for fourteen years as the Secretary of Student Work for the Women’s Division of Christian Service of the Methodist Board of Missions, Nyland advocated for peace through her work in race relations and had a hand in developing Christian student leaders through her work with Christian youth. The Dorothy Nyland papers are comprised of writings, seminars, informational files, photographs, and correspondences.
Nyland worked for three years as a teacher for Cleveland Public Schools. In the 1930s, she began her work with the Methodist Church. From 1930 to 1936, holding the position of Director of Student Activities at the Wesley Foundation of the University of Oregon. From there, Nyland moved on to be the Director of Christian Education at the Cleveland Church Federation for six years. In 1943, she moved to Houston, Texas to be the Director of Christian Education at the First Methodist Church. In 1945, Nyland left Houston for New York City, to work as the Secretary of Student Work for the Women’s Division of Christian Service of the Methodist Board of Missions. After fourteen years at this position, she moved back to Cleveland, Ohio, to take care of her elderly parents in 1959 and took the position of Secretary of Promotion at the Women’s Guild Evangelical and Reformed Church. After three years there, in 1962, she left to become the Director of Christian Education at the Bethany Presbyterian Church. During her time in Cleveland, Nyland also worked as the Director of Christian Education at the Franklin Circle Christian Church. After almost two and a half years at Bethany Presbyterian Church, she left in 1965 to be the Director of Peace on Earth for the Fellowship of Reconciliation in Santa Barbara, California, for a year.
During her time working, Nyland made multiple trips to different countries. She took a three month trip to Asia during 1935, spent a summer in Europe in 1939, visited Mexico in 1942, and Puerto Rico in 1948, went on a sabbatical for three months in 1951 to travel around the world, and visited Latin America in 1969. While in Europe in 1951, Nyland was a leader at the First World Conference of Christian Youth in Amsterdam, Holland. In 1957, she attended the World Student Christian Federation meeting in Bossey, Switzerland. Nyland spent a month in 1958 in the Soviet Union with a Peace Group and in 1966 she went on a Study Tour with a Methodist group to Czechoslovakia. Nyland was also a member of the district cabinet of the Epworth League in Cleveland, and director of the Epworth League and young people’s work in the Philadelphia Conference.
Throughout her life, Nyland advocated for peace through her pioneering work in race relations, and had a hand in developing Christian student leaders. She worked closely with Christian youth and traveled extensively around the world, visiting sixty-three countries, as well as all fifty states in the United States. Nyland was the author of multiple newspaper articles and pamphlets, as well as the program guide that accompanied the missionary education movement’s textbook, The Trumpet of the Prophecy by Richard Baker. She was known as the “Epistle Packing Mama” among students because she received extensive world-wide mail.
After retiring on April 15, 1969, she was chosen as the chairman of the Women’s Committee of the Cleveland Chapter of UNICEF. Nyland passed away on April 4, 2008, just eleven days shy of her 103rd birthday at Wesley Glen Retirement Community in Columbus, Ohio.
The Dorothy Nyland papers are comprised of writings, seminars, informational files, photographs, and correspondences, dating from 1935 to 2009. This collection reflects the passion of Nyland in her work for a better spirit among all creeds and races.
The largest part of the collection is correspondences, which can be found throughout most of the folders in the collection. The bulk of the correspondences (1937-1990) are arranged chronologically and can be found in two folders and a bound book of letters. The letters found in the bound book date to 1959 are letters of well wishes for the next step in her life after her departure from the Secretary of Student Work position with the Women’s Division of Christian Service. These letters are from coworkers, friends, and acquaintances she met through the position. The other letters in the two folders date from 1937 to 1990 and contain personal letters, ‘dear friends’ letters, and letters pertaining to general work. Some of these letters are addressed to both Dorothy and her sister, Gertrude. Other correspondences can be found in folders related to an individual, an event, or a trip.
The file folder dealing with her trip to Japan in 1935 include photographs, letters to friends and family, and pamphlets from the ship. There is another file about Japan , which contains personal letters from Yoshi Tokunaga, postcards, and photographs. It also contains clippings, pamphlets, and booklets about international relations and Methodist missions in Japan. The file dealing with her trip to the Conference in Amsterdam in 1939 includes correspondence and writings for the conference, as well as the 1979 Commemoration.
There are also files dedicated to an individual or family. These files include photographs, clippings, pamphlets, and personal letters sent to Nyland from the individual or family members. These individuals are Toyohiko Kagawa, Jameson Jones, Julius S. Scott Jr., Frank and Jean Tubban, Richard Deates, Dr. Benjamin Mays, A.J. Muste, and Theressa Hoover.
Additional files deal with Nyland’s work. A file of seminars she attended, created, and/or organized includes the programs of the “Christian Citizenship Seminar for Students” (first held at the United Nations in 1953) and the “Missionary Education among College Students” seminar. Included in this file are photographs, including two of Eleanor Roosevelt giving a lecture at the “Christian Citizenship Seminar for Students,” letters from parents and participants, and participant surveys. A file that contains her writings includes a copy of the program guide she wrote that accompanied the missionary education movement’s textbook, The Trumpet of the Prophecy by Richard Baker. Other files deal with course outlines, foreign relations, campus co-operatives, Chinese co-operatives, writings about world peace and race relations (especially in the United States). These files all contain clippings, photographs, pamphlets, and some letters.
Materials have been arranged in the following manner.
basic
When citing material from this collection please use the following format: Direct reference to the item or its file folder, Dorothy A. Nyland Papers, United Methodist Church Archives - GCAH, Madison, New Jersey. Do not make use of the item's call number as that is not a stable descriptor.
There are no restrictions regarding this collection.
Detailed use restrictions relating to our collections can be requested from the office of the archivist at the General Commission on Archives and History. Photocopying is handled by the staff and may be limited in certain instances. Before using any material for publication from this collection a formal request for permission to publish is expected and required.
Records of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministry
Administrative Files of United Methodist Communications
Missionary Files series
Records of the Women's Division of the General Board of Global Ministries
Microfilm Edition of the Mission Biographical Reference Files
Microfilm Edition of the Administrative Files Series of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Church
Swarthmore College Peace Collection, Fellowship of Reconciliation-USA
| Call Number | Folder Title | Date(s) |
| 1584-4-2: 1 | In All of Life...Christ Made the Difference, Book | 1972 |
| 1584-4-2: 3 | Dorothy Nyland: Writings | 1940-1965 |
| 1584-4-2: 4 | Dorothy Nyland: Clippings and Programs | 1936-1972 |
| 1584-4-2: 5 | Trip to Japan | 1935 |
| 1584-4-2: 6 | Amsterdam Conference and Commemoration | 1939-1979 |
| 1584-4-2: 7 | Correspondence | 1937-1958 |
| 1584-4-3: 1 | China | 1937-1982 |
| 1584-4-3: 3 | Silver Bay Chinese Youth Conference | 1948 |
| 1584-4-3: 4 | Chinese Cooperatives | 1940-1988 |
| 1584-4-3: 5 | Toyohiko Kagawa | 1935-1988 |
| 1584-4-3: 6 | Japan | 1935-1960 |
| 1584-4-3: 7 | Japan | 1962-1985 |
| 1584-4-3: 8 | Seminars | 1945-1987 |
| 1584-4-3: 9 | Jameson Jones | 1952-1988 |
| 1584-4-4: 1 | Francisco (Frank) and Jean Tubban: Correspondence | 1937-1982 |
| 1584-4-4: 2 | Francisco (Frank) and Jean Tubban: Photographs of Family in Philippines | 1947-1957 |
| 1584-4-4: 4 | Dr. Benjamin Mays | 1946-1984 |
| 1584-4-4: 5 | A. J. Muste | 1964-1985 |
| 1584-4-4: 6 | Cooperatives: Campus Co-ops | 1935-1986 |
| 1584-4-4: 7 | Peace | 1949-1987 |
| 1584-4-4: 8 | Race/Human Relations | 1932-1988 |
| 1584-4-4: 9 | Schools of Mission | 1957-1976 |
| 1584-4-4: 10 | Theressa Hoover | 1950-1979 |
| 1584-4-4: 12 | Miscellaneous: Photographs and Papers | 1935-1984 |
| 1584-4-2: 9 | Correspondence, Album | 1959 |
