Guide to the Zenas Kevorkian papers, 1921-1988
(bulk 1930-1950)
Special Collections, James P. Adams Library
Rhode Island College
600 Mount Pleasant Ave
Providence, RI, 02908
Tel: 401-456-8380
email:digitalcommons@ric.edu
Published in 2024
Collection Overview
Title: |
Zenas Kevorkian papers |
Date range: |
1921-1988, (bulk 1930-1950) |
Creator: |
Kevorkian, Zenas (1910-1991) |
Extent: |
0.85 cubic feet
|
Abstract: |
Collection consists of Kevorkian’s personal photographs, which document his life, family, and community mostly in and around Providence and Cranston, Rhode Island from the 1920s through about 1960. The collection also includes correspondence while Kevorkian was in naval training in 1942, as well as publications of Providence Technical High School and Roger Williams Junior High School. |
Language of materials: |
English |
Repository: |
Special Collections, James P. Adams Library
|
Collection number: |
MSS-0042 |
Scope & content
The bulk of this collection consists of Zenas Kevorkian’s personal photographs, which document his life, family, and community mostly in and around Providence and Cranston, Rhode Island from the 1920s through about 1960. Subjects include photographs of damage left in the wake of the Hurricane of 1938; the U.S. Agricultural Experiment Station grounds in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico in 1939, likely taken by his brother Arthur Kevorkian, who worked for the US Department of Agriculture; trips to New Hampshire, Quebec, Maine, and Washington, D.C. in the 1930s-40s; and scenes from Rhode Island schools where Kevorkian worked, including a National Defense Drive at Roger Williams Junior High School circa early 1940s.
The collection also includes correspondence from Kevorkian to students and teachers at Roger Williams Junior High School during his naval indoctrination at the Amphibious Training Base in Solomons, Maryland in 1942. Additionally, the collection includes Kevorkian’s resume, news clippings related to his work, and a 1988 revision of the constitution of the Barnard Club, a social and pedagogical association of Rhode Island teachers first established in 1878.
Access Points
Subject Names
Subject Organizations
Subject Topics
Geographical Names
Occupations
Document Types
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into the following series:
- Series 1: Photographs; 1921-1960.
- Series 2: Other materials; 1940-1988.
Biographical/Historical Note
Zenas Kevorkian (1910-1991) was a career educator, a United States Naval Officer during World War II, and a hobbyist photographer in Rhode Island. In 1934 he graduated from Brown University with a major in history and a minor in education. He attended Brown Graduate School and worked as a student teacher in history at Central High School in Providence from 1934-35. After this he took numerous extension courses at Rhode Island College of Education and taught general science, mathematics, and journalism at Roger Williams Junior High School.
In 1942, Kevorkian left Rhode Island and his teaching job to join the United States Navy. He was commissioned as an ensign. He served as an executive officer, and then commanding officer, in the Mediterranean for seventeen months, taking part in twelve invasions in North Africa and southern parts of Italy. After further training in the United States, he served as a commanding officer in the South Pacific for twenty-two months, where he was in the initial invasion of Okinawa. Kevorkian was released to inactive duty as a senior grade lieutenant.
After returning from active military duty, Kevorkian worked as a personnel manager for industry in Woonsocket from 1946 until 1949, when he returned to education to work as a guidance counselor and history teacher at Cranston High School East. In 1958, he became Chairman of the Social Studies Department at Cranston High School West, where we worked for over ten years. While working in the Cranston high schools, he also established and directed adult education programs in Cranston. In 1955 he became Director of the Cranston Adult Education Program, and in 1966 he became Director of the Cranston Adult Basic Education Program. In 1970 he left Cranston High School West to serve as the full-time Director of Adult and Continuing Education for the Cranston School Department until his retirement in 1974.
Throughout his career, Kevorkian was active in over a dozen local, regional, and national educational professional associations. Among them, he served as President of the Barnard Club (1962-63), President of the Rhode Island Association of Public School Adult Education (1966-68), and Chairman of the State Membership Committee of the National Association of Public Continuing Education’s for fourteen years. Kevorkian was also deeply committed to numerous community, fraternal, religious, and Armenian organizations. He served on the boards of the Cranston Committee for Better Schools, the Cranston Historical Society, and the International Institute of Providence. He was active in the Armenian Missionary Association of America, and he served as communicant and deacon of the Armenian Euphrates Evangelical Church of Providence.
Access & Use
Access to the collection: |
The collection is open for research. |
Use of the materials: |
Rhode Island College Special Collections holds copyright to materials in this collection created by Zenas Kevorkian. The collection contains materials not created by Kevorkian, which may be under copyright restrictions. Researchers are advised to contact Rhode Island College Special Collections for questions regarding permissions to reproduce, distribute, or otherwise publish material from this collection. Although Rhode Island College has physical ownership of the collection, it does not necessarily hold literary rights to all materials in this collection. It is up to the researcher to determine the owners of the literary rights and to obtain any necessary permissions from them. |
Alternate form: |
Select materials have been digitized and are available in RIC Digital Collections by searching for "Zenas Kevorkian". |
Preferred citation: |
Zenas Kevorkian papers, MSS-0042, Special Collections, James P. Adams Library, Rhode Island College. |
Contact information: |
Special Collections, James P. Adams Library Rhode Island College 600 Mount Pleasant Ave Providence, RI, 02908 Tel: 401-456-8380 email:digitalcommons@ric.edu
|
Administrative Information
ABOUT THE COLLECTION |
Acquisition: |
The collection was donated by Zenas Kevorkian’s children, Esther R. Kalajian and John Kevorkian, in August 2021. A deed of gift was signed at the time of donation. |
Processing information: |
This collection was arranged and described by Molly Bruce Patterson in 2021. The guide to this collection was converted to current standard in 2024 by Anne Boylan. |
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ABOUT THE FINDING AID |
Author: |
Finding aid prepared by Molly Bruce Patterson and Anne Boylan. |
Encoding: |
This finding aid was encoded by Veronica L. Denison, 2024 |
Descriptive rules: |
Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS) |
Additional Information
Separated material: |
Publications were removed from the collection and added to the Special Collections Zenas Kevorkian Rare Book Collection. Contact Special Collections for further information. |
Location/Existence of copies: |
Select materials have been digitized and are available in RIC Digital Collections by searching for "Zenas Kevorkian". |
Inventory
Series 1. Photographs, 1926-1960 (1930-1950)
0.75 cubic feet.
This series includes Kevorkian’s personal photographs. Subjects include landmarks, parks, monuments, and vistas predominantly in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, as well as friends and family members.
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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New Hampshire: Mt. Washington, Mt. Chocorua, Lake Winnipesaukee
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1932 |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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People: Frank Lutz; Murray Hines; Mary Emma Dull, Pembroke College May Queen 1937; K.L. [possibly Kung-Lee] Wang; Helen Anne Weston
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1933-1952 |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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Roger Williams Junior High School: Includes group photos of students, commencement photos, and photos of building exterior
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circa 1935-1942 |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Providence: County Courthouse, “The Scout” statue, Carrie Tower, RI State Supreme Court Building, RI State Capitol
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undated, 1936-1937 |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Camp Brett, Lebanon, New Jersey
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undated, 1937 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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First Baptist Church, Providence
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1937 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Quebec, Maine, and New Hampshire
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1937 |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Roger Williams Park
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1937 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Hurricane of 1938
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1938 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Puerto Rico – San Juan and U.S. Agricultural Experiment Station Grounds, Mayagüez (possibly Arthur Kevorkian photos)
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1939 August |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Washington, D.C.
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circa 1940 |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Theater productions: “The Servant in the House,” “The Dover Road,” “Death Takes a Holiday,” “Mr. & Mrs. North”
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1941-1942 |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Roger Williams Junior High School National Defense Drive “largest donater” [sic]
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circa 1942 |
Box 1, Folder 14 |
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Wedding of Louise Alma Barry and William Carleton Hogg, Jr.
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1943 November 21 |
Box 1, Folder 15 |
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Zenas Kevorkian in Naval Uniform: Zenas Kevorkian, Arthur Kevorkian, Helen Kevorkian (née Anthony)
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1944 |
Box 1, Folder 16 |
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Friends in Europe: Jean Doneux and family, Belgium; “Jenny” Guusje, The Netherlands
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1944, 1952 |
Box 1, Folder 17 |
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German Club initiation of new members
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1949 February 16 |
Box 1, Folder 18 |
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Cranston teachers
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1953 |
Box 1, Folder 19 |
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Jamestown Camp Seaside
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1953 |
Box 1, Folder 20 |
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Class reunions, 1954-1989: Pembroke Class of 1939; Brown University Class of 1934; Providence Technical High School 1928
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1954-1989 |
Box 1, Folder 21 |
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Cranston Adult Education Program: Zenas Kevorkian, Marvin Rife, Haig Varadian
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1960 April 13 |
Box 1, Folder 22 |
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Arthur Kevorkian photo of Morro Castle, Havana, Cuba
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 23 |
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House, mostly interiors
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 24 |
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Landscapes by Stephen Willard
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 25 |
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“Memorial Day Picnic with the gang”
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 26 |
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“My radio class”
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undated |
Box 1, Folder 27 |
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National Bank, Panama City
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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Theatrical performance in a field
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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Travel by ship and scenes with palm trees: Includes photos of the S.S. Ponce, which sailed Staten Island to Puerto Rico; photos on land (possibly Puerto Rico)
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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People at desks
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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Zenas Kevorkian portraits
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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Zenas and friends dancing
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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Groups of young people playing games and doing other activities: Includes photos of people in blackface/minstrel show. Also includes photos of boating, swimming, baseball, and Gillette Castle
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 7 |
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Unidentified people: Includes photos of theatrical performances, WJAR, photo signed by “Alice,” photos of men in military uniforms
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 8 |
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Unidentified places: Includes photo of “Massasoit” statue in Plymouth, MA; Plymouth Memorial Park; Carrie Tower; “The Falconer,” Roger Williams Park
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undated |
Box 2, Folder 9 |
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Negatives
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undated |
Oversize Folder 1, Photographs 1-2 |
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Photographs – Technical High School group shots
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1921, 1928 |
Oversize Folder 1, Photograph 3 |
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Photographs – International Conference of Religious Education Conference, Geneva Point Camp, Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
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1932 August |
Oversize Folder 1, Photograph 4 |
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American Wringer Co. Inc. Employee outing at North Smithfield Fly Fishing Club
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1947 August 23 |
Series 2. Other materials, 1930-1988 (1930-1943)
0.1 cubic feet.
This series includes Kevorkian’s resume, news clippings about him, and some correspondence related to his military training.
Box 2, Folder 10 |
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Zenas Kevorkian resume and news clippings
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circa 1944-1974 |
Box 2, Folder 11 |
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Postcards
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circa 1930-1959 |
Box 2, Folder 12 |
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Roger Williams Junior High School newsletter, “What Cheer, Netop” stationery
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1940-1942 |
Box 2, Folder 13 |
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Correspondence from Zenas Kevorkian to students and colleagues at Roger Williams Junior High School during naval training
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1942 September-1943 January |
Box 2, Folder 14 |
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Revised history and constitution of the Barnard Club
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1988 |