The books in this series are divided up into two categories: a) and b) Miscellaneous. Generally, editions incorporate the years of the 1930s-1960s. The books in the miscellaneous category pertain to the late 1800s-early 1900s. All of the books in this collection are of a religious nature.

The correspondence in this series are arranged chronologically. Most of the correspondence are letters written to F.C. Lester either from classmates, close friends, or professors. The majority of the longer letters are written to F.C. Lester from a woman named Juanita. Her last name is unknown. In addition, some of the shorter letters are written to F.C. Lester from female acquaintances including Hannah Fuquay, Pauline Lawrence, and Gertrude Minniear. All of the letters offer a small glimpse into the personal, academic, and social life of F.C. Lester while he was attending Elon College during the early 1900s.

Of particular interest in the letters written to F.C. Lester from the three women mentioned above, is that most of the correspondence are replies stating whether or not they will be able to share the company of F.C. Lester during “social hour” on Sunday afternoons at the College. An example of these replies can be found in almost every correspondence folder in this collection. Many of the letters from Gertrude Minniear include discussion pertaining to papers, speeches, and events relating to the debate team, in which they were both members (2:4). The only time the voice and writing of F.C. Lester is found within this collection is a quote that Gertrude Minniear repeats in a letter she writes to F.C. Lester. The quote is from a letter F.C. Lester wrote to Gertrude, and it reads “But then I am inclined to think that I am giving you a blessing by not writing; for your life may be the happier as it is than if I should write” (2:4). Gertrude did not understand what he meant by this, so she was attempting to clarify the meaning of the statement.

An interesting piece of historical information about Elon College can be found in a letter from President Leon E. Smith to Rev. F.C. Lester in December of 1934 (2:10). The letter is in response to a letter that F.C. Lester had written to L.E. Smith regarding dancing and playing cards at Elon College. When President Smith responded, he made seven forthcoming statements about the issues surrounding dancing and card playing at Elon College. In addition, even though President Smith did not personally agree that these two practices should be allowed, he carefully outlined some reasons why they should be allowed at the College. For example, he stated in his letter to F.C. Lester, “Second, at least 90% of the present student body favor it and are permitted to dance in their homes and other places without interference by their parents” (2:10). The letter contains the original signature of Leon E. Smith (2:10). Moreover, this letter was written during the Great Depression, so one can sense the stressful times (2:10).

Also found within this series are original signatures of President William A. Harper and F.C. Lester (2:7, 2:9). In many letters typed from W.A. Harper, he discusses the importance of sending out Elon College applications and letters to prospective students and organizations in order to recruit more students (2:9).

There are a number of other letters in this series that revolve around the themes and ideas mentioned in the above paragraphs. Generally, the letters are from F.C. Lester’s time as a student at Elon College, as well as when he served as minister for the Southern Christian Convention.

This is one of the smallest series in the collection. It contains two types of materials, both original documents. One item is a check for $20.00, written to the Board of Trustees of Elon College to be deposited into the Elon Standardization Fund. The check was written on December 1, 1921 and signed by F.C. Lester while he was living in Graham, NC. There is a second check written for the same amount for the next year, 1922 (3:1).

There are another 2 checks written and signed by F.C. Lester to the Board of Trustees of Elon College to be deposited into the Elon Emergency Fund. Each check is for $25.00. One was written December 1, 1924 and the other in 1925. The signature of C.M. Cannon is on the check from 1924 verifying that the check was paid to the account. Also, the signature of J.C. Amick is on the 1925 check, verifying that the check was paid to the account (3:2).

This is another of the smaller series in the collection. It contains two different sets of listings, both relating to Elon College. The first listing contains the names of students in the Class of 1918 (4:1). In addition to the listing of the Class of 1918, there is a brief list of new names that are to be added to the sophomore and junior class list (4:1). The listings not only give the full name of the student, but also their hometown and state.

The second sets of listings are names of students receiving credit for international standard training courses during June of 1928 (4:2). The list gives the name of the student, where they are from, and the grade they received in the class (4:2).

This additional small series contains both photographs and negatives. There are no dates on the photographs, but the first set are primarily of F.C. Lester and his wife Emily, possibly when they were in their late 70’s or early 80’s (5:1). These photographs could have been taken during the late 1980s or early 1990s. There is one photograph of the first President of Elon College, William S. Long (5:2). Again, there is no date on this photograph, but W.S. Long was President of Elon during the years of 1889-1894.

The negatives contain no identification of who is in the picture or where it was taken. Moreover, many of the pictures appear to be inside a funeral home and there are a few photos of a woman in a casket (5:3). There is one small reference in one of the photographs that says “Grandmother” near a flower arrangement. This woman could possibly be Emily Lester (5:3).

This is one of the largest and most diverse series in the collection. The materials in this series range from items relating to Elon College, the Southern Christian Convention, and the Leadership Training School. Many of the small booklets pertain directly to the origin, principles, history, and government of the Christian Church (6:2, 6:3).

The items that relate to the Southern Christian Convention include a booklet that is the program of the 22nd Regular Session of the SCC held in Burlington, NC over a 4 day period (6:4). Moreover, there is also another program of the 26th Regular Session of the SCC held in Norfolk, VA at the Christian Temple, during the time when Leon Edgar Smith was the pastor (6:13).

Materials in the collection that are relevant to Elon College include a 1934 Commencement program (6:10), a 1916 program of a music event by the students in the Music Department (6:12), and a program of the 1916 Junior-Senior Debate (6:11).

There are a few items that relate to schools held at Elon College, mostly during the summer months. There is a pamphlet for the 3rd Annual Session of the Elon Chatauqua, which was a training school for Christian leaders (6:5). In addition, there are pamphlets for the Leadership Training Summer School and the Young People’s Summer School (6:6, 6:8). Both of these summer schools were held at Elon College and sponsored by the Board of Christian Education. Furthermore, F.C. Lester was the minister and Chairman of the Leadership Training Summer School session during 1932 (6:6).