ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202
COLLECTION:OGL #1319
DATES:1952-1989
SIZE:1 Linear foot
ACQUISITION:Experiment in International Living materials were deposited into the Department of Special Collections by Mary-Margaret Frank, 1020 Boyd Drive, Grand Forks, 58203, November 30, 1995.
ACCESSION:Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
RELATED MATERIALS:UA #61, Box 25, Folders 1-7.
The Experiment in International Living (EIL) program was founded by Donald B. Watt, who recognized a need to further sympathetic understanding across international lines. In 1932, he brought together a group of fourteen American boys with a group of fourteen French or German speaking boys. The University of North Dakota became involved with the program in 1953. EIL provided students with the opportunity to study abroad and experience other cultures, in turn, claimed Watt, "making the world a better place."
Dr. Richard E. Frank headed the Experiment in International Living at UND from 1953 to 1975. The program gradually ended here, as a result of changing priorities. While the UND program was active, however, it sent over fifty students to foreign countries. These students include Mary Wilson Dibbern, a professional pianist living in France, Earl Pomeroy, elected North Dakota Representative to Congress in 1992, and Karen Sethre White, a "food stylist" who received a Sioux Award in 1989.
This collection consists of four series: Administrative, Participants, News Clippings and Publicity, and Dr. Richard E. Frank. Materials within each series have been arranged chronologically.
The Administrative series contains a brief history of the Experiment in International Living, as well as documents pertaining to committees, the national meetings and conventions (1960-1967), plans and fundraising for the experiments, a capability statement of 1984, and correspondence with national headquarters in Putney, Vermont (1952-1984).
The second series in the collection is titled Participants. This contains records of experimenters, otherwise known as "Ambassadors," and their destinations, a file on incoming groups from foreign countries, and posters promoting the EIL (1956-1981). Communication to students about the program, correspondence from participants to Dr. Frank, and personal testimonials (1954-1970), including newspaper articles about their experiences, can also be found in this series. Updates on former experimenters, including their 1989 reunion, are contained in this series.
News Clippings and Publicity is the third series and consists of convocations, news releases, and newspaper clippings (1954-1990).
The fourth and final series, Dr. Richard E. Frank, contains information related to Dr. Frank, including newspaper clippings and letters, and a certificate of appreciation for outstanding volunteer service awarded to him and his wife in April 1980.
Materials that have been separated from the collection include two scrapbooks that display photographs and personal experiences of the Ambassadors and their travels (1967-1975), several photographs that were found with the collection, two posters, and a newspaper article about Congressman Earl Pomeroy's EIL experience.
Box 1
SERIES I: ADMINISTRATIVE
Folder
SERIES II:PARTICIPANTS
SERIES III:NEWS CLIPPINGS AND PUBLICITY
SERIES IV:RICHARD E. FRANK
The following documents have been separated and stored with the Orin G. Libby oversize materials, located elsewhere within the Department of Special Collections:
Two posters informing public about "Living Abroad"
Article concerning Pomeroy's return to Sarajevo, Grand Forks Herald, 1 DEC 1995
The following materials have been separated and placed on shelves adjacent to the collection:
Scrapbook (1967-1968)
Scrapbook (1971-1975)
The following photographs have been separated and placed with Orin G. Libby Photographs:
| OGL#1319 - 1 | William Bochle of the Music Department speaking at awards ceremony for Dr. Richard E. Frank, ca. 1975 |
| OGL#1319 - 2 | Award being presented to Dr. Richard E. Frank, ca. 1975 |
| OGL#1319 - 3 | Earl Pomeroy standing near Dr. Richard E. Frank after Linda Laskowski's speech, ca. 1975 |
| OGL#1319 - 4 | Earl Pomeroy speaking about Experiment in International Living, at ceremony for Dr. Richard E. Frank, ca. 1975 |
| OGL#1319 - 5 | Class picture of Cal Hallada, the first "Ambassador" from UND for Experiment in International Living, ca. 1954 |
| Original Donation | First Addition: 1974 |
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