Geary Eppley papers
Collection
0082-MDHC
Geary Eppley graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the Maryland State College of Agriculture in 1920 and received his M.A. from that institution in 1926. Having been appointed Assistant Professor of Agriculture at the University of Maryland, College Park in 1921, Eppley took on the additional responsibility of coaching track in the early 1930s and became athletic director in 1936. From 1936 to 1964 he was also Dean of Men. His papers include correspondence, minutes, reports, pamphlets, statistics, contracts, and clippings relating to athletics, the Southern Intercollegiate Conference on athletics, the National Youth Administration, and housing at the University of Maryland.
Materials of a sensitive nature, such as those containing personally identifiable information, are restricted for 75 years or the life of the individual and may by screened and removed by special collections staff. Please speak with a staff member if you believe that materials have been unnecessarily removed.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
16.25 Linear Feet
46 Photographs
1 Tape Reels : acetate
The Geary Eppley papers consist of correspondence, printed matter, photographs, minutes, and clippings related to his involvement in the University of Maryland. Files cover athletics and athletic associations, including football, boxing, track, interscholastic meets, recruiting, and Southern Conference. Additional subjects covered are World War II, the National Youth Association, veterans, housing, fraternities, sororities, and student welfare. Among the correspondents are Harry Clifton Byrd, C. W. Spears, Leslie Edward Bopst, H. Burton Shipley, and Adele H. Stamp. The papers span the period from 1913 to 1995, although the bulk of the material was created between 1935 and 1953.
Geary Francis Eppley was born in 1895 in Washington, DC. He was a member of the class of 1918 at the Maryland State College of Agriculture but received a B.S. in Agriculture in 1920 as a result of military service in World War I. As an undergraduate at the Maryland State College, he won letters in football and track. In 1922 Eppley became an assistant professor of agronomy. He received an M.A. in 1926 from the University of Maryland. During the 1930s, he was a track coach at the University of Maryland, and he served as athletic director between 1935 and 1947. He was chairman of the university's Athletic Council from 1937 until 1963. Eppley served as Dean of Men beginning in 1936 and was made Dean Emeritus in 1964. During his tenure as Dean, Eppley served as Director of Student Welfare from 1946 until 1958.
After service as a cavalry officer during World War I, Eppley remained in the Army Reserve and served during World War II as a colonel in the office of the Army Chief of Staff. In 1925, Eppley married Elizabeth Flenner, who died in 1976. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Frances, and a son, Geary W. Eppley. At the University of Maryland, Eppley was a member of several honorary groups including Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Pi Delta Epsilon, Phi Eta Sigma, Scabbard and Blade, and the Pershing Rifles. In addition, he was honorary president of the Prince George's County Alumni Association of the University of Maryland. In the community, Eppley served as a member of the board of the county chapter of the American Cancer Society, a director of the Prince George's County Boy's Club, master of the county Grange, a member of the county Welfare Board, and budget chairman of the county Community Chest. He was a member of the Masons and the College Park Rotary Club. In addition, he was a member of the Brotherhood of St. Andrew at St. Andrews Church, where he served as a vestryman. On June 10, 1978, Geary F. Eppley died of a heart condition at Leland Memorial Hospital in College Park, Maryland.
The collection is organized as five series.
Geary F. Eppley donated his papers to the University of Maryland Libraries in December 1977. Eppley's children, Geary Eppley and Frances Eppley Tobin, donated additional materials in 2006.
The subject filing system used by Geary F. Eppley was maintained. Papers were placed into acid-free folders and housed in archival boxes. In 2007, three new series were created to include materials donated by Eppley's children in 2006. These are series 3: Personal; series 4: Photographs; and series 5: Memorabilia.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives