Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin Papers - Accession 1492

The Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin Papers document the educational experiences, academic achievements, and enduring relationship with Winthrop University of Dr. Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin (1932–2013), as well as the Winthrop education of her mother, Mary Seagle Faris. The collection reflects two generations of women whose academic lives were closely connected to Winthrop Training School and Winthrop College. The collection includes commencement programs, diplomas and diploma covers, photographs, yearbooks, a student handbook, and artifacts. Commencement programs document graduation ceremonies for Mary Seagle Faris (Winthrop Class of 1930) and Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin (Winthrop Classes of 1954 and 1960). Diplomas span the period from 1926 to 1960 and include high school and collegiate diplomas awarded to Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin, as well as diplomas earned by her mother at Winthrop Training School and Winthrop College. Diploma covers embossed with Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin’s name mark key academic milestones in her educational career. Photographs consist of class portraits and school images of both Mary Seagle Faris and Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin during their years at Winthrop Training School and Winthrop College, primarily dating from the 1920s through the 1950s. The collection also contains four bound volumes of the Garnet and Gold yearbooks from the Winthrop Training School, dating from 1946 to 1950, which provide visual and contextual documentation of student life during Mary Jean Martin’s attendance. A Winthrop student handbook from the 1928–1929 academic year, owned by Mary Seagle Faris, offers further insight into campus life during an earlier generation. In addition, the collection includes artifacts documenting Mary Jean Faris Ligon Martin’s later relationship with Winthrop University, including letters, plaques, medals, and name badges. Together, these materials illustrate the multigenerational educational legacy of the Faris–Martin family and reflect Dr. Martin’s lifelong connection to Winthrop University as a student, alumna, and distinguished supporter of the institution.