Content Description
This collection contains research notes and materials compiled and used by Charles Trantanella to write "Brown and Blue and Greek: A history of fraternities, sororities, and early student organizations at Tufts University." Material includes handwritten and typed notes as well as photocopied archival material and photographs, and is largely arranged by Greek organization and year, beginning in the 1850s and dating through 2015. Original folder titles were maintained. The collection also contains a copy of the published book, as well as reference copies made from archival material related to Tufts fraternal organizations at other institutions, such as the American Jewish Historical Society and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Dates
- Creation: circa 2010 -- 2022
Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Some material in this collection may be protected by copyright and other rights. Please see “Reproductions and Use” on the Digital Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permission to publish.
Any intellectual property rights that the donor possesses have not been transferred to Tufts University.
Biographical / Historical
Charles Joseph Trantanella (1967- ) earned his bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering at Tufts University in 1989. He is the author of Brown and Blue and Greek: A history of fraternities, sororities, and early student organizations at Tufts University (2017).
Charles Joseph Trantanella was born in Massachussetts in 1967 to Sheilagh Trantanella and the late Charles Trantanella, Jr. He attended Tufts University, where he was a part of the Sigma Nu fraternity as well as the Men’s Cross-Country team, and where he met his wife, Valerie Ruth Hodgkin. After graduating Tufts in 1989, he received a M.S. and PhD in Electrical Engineering at the University of Arizona.
In August 2010, Trantanella started writing a book that would look at the history of the fifty-five fraternity and sorority organizations that have existed at Tufts University since the school’s founding. He was inspired by newly digitized school records, specifically old photographs, on the Tufts website. Trantanella wanted to focus on student life, an area he felt was neglected in existing histories of Tufts. For his book, he interviewed over 150 Tufts alumni and professors, spoke to 50 other national organizations, and did archival research in Digital Collections and Archives at Tufts University. Brown and Blue and Greek: A history of fraternities, sororities, and early student organizations at Tufts University was published in August 2017.
Trantanella lives in Westford, MA with his wife and two children. He is an electrical engineer in Chelmsford, MA.
Extent
2 Linear Feet
1 Volumes
Language of Materials
English
Overview
This collection contains research notes and materials compiled and used by Charles Trantanella to write "Brown and Blue and Greek: A history of fraternities and sororities at Tufts University."
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in received order, which is largely by Greek organization and year. Original folder titles were maintained.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Charles Trantanella, 2017, accession MS-2018-028.
Existence and Location of Originals
American Jewish Historical Society. New York, New York.
University of Illinois Archives. Urbana, Illinois.
Processing Information
Processing of this collection was completed by Leah Edelman in 2018. Materials were placed in archival boxes; received order and folder titles were maintained. A folder-level inventory and series-level description were created as part of the finding aid created at the time of processing.
- Status
- In Progress
Repository Details
Part of the Tufts Archival Research Center Repository
Contact:
35 Professors Row
Tisch Library Building
Tufts University
Medford Massachusetts 02155 United States
617-627-3737
archives@tufts.edu
35 Professors Row
Tisch Library Building
Tufts University
Medford Massachusetts 02155 United States
617-627-3737
archives@tufts.edu
