Display celebrates history of Salve Regina College Guild

University archivist Genna Duplisea recently introduced a display on the Salve Regina College Guild, including some of the guild’s silver trays and pots, which were used during teas for freshmen and their mothers.

“The Salve Regina College Guild: Leading ‘Culturally, Educationally and Spiritually’ in Salve Regina’s Early Years” celebrates the role the guild played in shaping the institution. Beginning as a quest to learn more about a collection of silver and silver-plated items transferred from Ochre Court to the archives, the display includes tea service and ephemera from the guild’s history.

An organization of interested members of the Newport community, parents and alumnae, the guild was founded in 1948 to pursue the social and financial advancement of Salve Regina and flourished during the 1950s and 1960s.

“It was kind of a precursor to the advancement office and the alumni office combined,” Duplisea said. In addition to teas, the guild also held concerts and lectures, and once hosted John F. Kennedy while he was still a senator from Massachusetts.

Duplisea, who joined the Salve Regina community earlier this year, hopes to curate additional displays in the future. In addition to materials that document the history, development and administration of the University, the archives currently hold interesting items such as ships’ passes from the 1800s, rare books and catalogs of the tapestries and art originally installed in Ochre Court.

Visitors can view the Salve Regina College Guild display on the first floor of McKillop Library by taking a left at the circulation desk and walking into the southeast wing. For more information, visit the archives website or its Twitter account, @SRUArchives.