Macon Lee Almonrode: A Diary Project of One Student’s Life at Tech

Abstract

Imagine sitting in a room with old books lined in shelves along the wall, and dozens of timeworn yearbooks, student catalogs, issue of the Oracle, and photographs lying in front of you with their pages browning on the edges and a musty smell drifting to your nose. This scene was a glimpse into my experience of researching through the archives down in the bottom floor of the library. I wanted to explore more about the history of the English major here at Tennessee Tech. I ended stumbling across Macon Lee Almonrode. She was an English major during the years of 1947-1950 at what was then called Tennessee Polytechnic Institute. She was the editor on the first edition of Homespun, and active member of the English club, and a reporter for the Oracle along with many other hats she wore. I collected this information and created an interpretive diary through Macon’s eyes about her personal life and what college would have been like for her as a female student in 1950.