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Name and location of repository
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Title
Date(s)
- 1947-2006 (Creation)
Extent
2.0 linear feet (2 records center boxes)
Name of creator
Biographical history
Ruth Ann Alexander was born in Lansing, Michigan, on February 13, 1924, to Harry and Anne (Green) Musselman, and died in Brookings, South Dakota, on February 1, 2010. She graduated from East Lansing High School and Michigan State University, earning a B.A. in English in 1945. She later completed a master’s degree in American studies at the University of Minnesota and a Ph.D. in American intellectual history at Michigan State University. In 1955, she married William Alexander, with whom she had three children.
Alexander taught English at South Dakota State University for 34 years, rising to the rank of full professor and becoming the first woman to chair the English Department (1981–1989). She introduced the university’s first courses on women writers, as well as African American and Native American literature. She also chaired the committee that established the Women’s Studies major. She received numerous grants and fellowships, including a Bunting Fellowship at Harvard University in 1987, and was recognized three times with SDSU’s Outstanding Educator Award (1971, 1972, 1974). Upon her retirement in 1989, she was named Professor Emeritus and continued to research South Dakota women writers and women in the Episcopal Church.
From 1994 to 2002, Alexander wrote a column for the South Dakota Church News titled All Sorts and Conditions of Women, which was later collected and published in 2003 as Patches in a History Quilt: Episcopal Women in the Diocese of South Dakota, 1868–2000. She also published scholarly articles on South Dakota writers such as Elaine Goodale Eastman and Kate Boyles Bingham. Beyond her scholarship, she participated in the Great Plains Chautauqua series, portraying Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1989–1991) and later serving as series moderator (1998–2001).
An advocate for women and girls, Alexander was the first woman elected to the Brookings School Board (1970–1975), where she promoted equal funding for girls’ and boys’ activities and raised academic standards. In 1972, Governor Richard Kneip appointed her to the first South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women, where she served until 1979. She also served on the Board of Directors of the South Dakota Historical Association (1988–2000), the Episcopal Church History Association (1992–1997), and the Episcopal Women’s Church History Project (1991–1997). She helped establish the Brookings Food Pantry and chaired the Emergency Services Commission from 1983 to 1999.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The Ruth Ann Alexander Papers document the professional career, research, and public service of Dr. Ruth Ann Alexander, professor of English at South Dakota State University and the first woman to chair its English Department. The collection contains correspondence, course materials, speeches, manuscripts, grant files, and research notes reflecting her work as a teacher, scholar, and advocate for women’s rights. Included are files related to her service on the Brookings School Board, her leadership in developing women’s studies at SDSU, and her involvement in Chautauqua programs where she portrayed Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
The papers also include Alexander’s writings and public lectures on South Dakota women writers, pioneer women, feminism, sexism, and the history of women in the Episcopal Church. Draft manuscripts and published articles illustrate her research on figures such as Elaine Goodale Eastman and Kate Boyles Bingham. Records of her participation in the South Dakota Humanities Council, the South Dakota History Conference, and the Speakers Bureau highlight her contributions to public humanities programming.
Her service on the South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women is well documented through correspondence, reports, task force materials, policy statements, and legislative files, including those related to the Equal Rights Amendment and displaced homemakers legislation. Additional materials reflect her Episcopal Church history work, her writings on parenting and education, and her role as a public intellectual in South Dakota.
This collection is a ressource for understanding the development of women’s studies and feminist scholarship at South Dakota State University, the history of women’s rights and activism in South Dakota, and the broader cultural role of women in education, literature, and the Episcopal Church. It provides researchers with insight into Alexander’s pioneering work in introducing courses on women writers and multicultural literature, her leadership in the women’s movement at both local and statewide levels, and her engagement with public scholarship through Chautauqua, the South Dakota Humanities Council, and community service organizations.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged into series:
- Series 1. Personal material
- Series 2. Brookings School Board
- Series 3. Chautauqua
- Series 4. English Department
- Series 5. Other activities
- Series 6. Writings and speeches
- Series 7. South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
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Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use. .sdstate.edu/sdsu-archives-and-special-collections/researcher-registration-form)
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Physical access
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Conditions governing reproduction
Reproduction of materials from the collection is subject to the following conditions:
- Permission: Written permission must be obtained from the SDSU Archives for any reproduction, publication, or quotation of materials.
- Copyright: Users are responsible for complying with copyright laws and securing any necessary permissions from copyright holders.
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Languages of the material
English
Scripts of the material
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Finding aids
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Notes element
General note
Copyright and Use Statement
In Copyright This Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights. You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses, you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
Materials in this collection may be subject to Title 17, Section 108 of the United States Copyright Act. Users are responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright, privacy, trademark, and other applicable rights for their intended use. Obtaining all necessary permissions is the user's responsibility. Written authorization from the copyright and/or other rights holders is required for publication, distribution, or any use of protected materials beyond what is permitted under fair use.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
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Subject access points
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Name access points
- Alexander, Ruth Ann (Subject)
- South Dakota State University. English Department (Subject)
- Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957 (Subject)
- South Dakota Commission on the Status of Women (Subject)