Letters from Gladys Sen to Corinne Serpe, 1937-1939
Overview
Letters from Gladys Sen to her pen pal, Corinne Serpe, who lived in Illinois, describing teenage life in Hawaii.
Dates
- Creation: 1937-1939
Creator
- Sen, Gladys (Person)
Language of Materials
Materials in English.
Access Restrictions:
Access. Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Copyright. Copyright in the papers created by Gladys Sen as well as copyright in other papers in the collection may be held by their authors, or the authors' heirs or assigns.
Copying. Papers may be copied in accordance with the library's usual procedures.
Extent
1 folderThe collection consists of eleven letters from Gladys Sen to her pen pal, Corinne Serpe, who lived in Summit, Illinois. The letters describe teenage life in Hawaii. Sen recounts her favorite hobbies, such as fashion, sewing, and drawing, as well as sports like basketball, volleyball, hiking with her friends, and swimming at the beach. She also mentions reading magazines such as Look and Click, and movies she likes. Sen describes her course of studies in high school, including House Planning and Decorating, Weaving, Physical Education, and Core Studies, and her work running the school carnival. In addition, the letters vividly describe the landscape of Hawaii, including the beaches, mountains, flowers, and fruit trees. Sen also describes Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve celebrations in Honolulu with firecrackers, crowds, and decorated palm trees. She also writes about her appearance and mentions her brother Mannfried's reaction to Serpe's photograph ("Connie is very gorgeous and carries a sweetest smile").
BIOGRAPHY
Gladys Sen lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, in the late 1930s. In 1938 she was a senior in high school and had a brother named Mannfried. The family was probably Chinese American. They lived on North Kukui Street, near the border of Honolulu's Chinatown.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number: 2021-M33
The letters from Gladys Sen were acquired from Read 'Em Again Books in March 2021.
Processing Information
Processed: December 2021
By: Paula Aloisio
The Schlesinger Library attempts to provide a basic level of preservation and access for all collections, and does more extensive processing of higher priority collections as time and resources permit. Finding aids may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
Creator
- Sen, Gladys (Person)
- Title
- Sen, Gladys. Letters from Gladys Sen to Corinne Serpe, 1937-1939: A Finding Aid
- Author
- Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America
- Language of description
- eng
- Sponsor
- Processing of this collection was made possible by gifts from the Pforzheimer Fund for the Schlesinger Library and Class of 1957 Schlesinger Library Fund.
- EAD ID
- sch02093
Repository Details
Part of the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute Repository
The preeminent research library on the history of women in the United States, the Schlesinger Library documents women's lives from the past and present for the future. In addition to its traditional strengths in the history of feminisms, women’s health, and women’s activism, the Schlesinger collections document the intersectional workings of race and ethnicity, gender, sexuality, and class in American history.