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QUICK FACTS

ANDREW JOSEPH AND MARY MAXWELL ARMSTRONG

Birth Dates and Places:

• Dr. A. J. Armstrong (Dr. A): March 29, 1873; Louisville, Kentucky

• Mary Maxwell Armstrong (Mrs. A): September 21, 1883; Buena Vista, Ellis County, Texas

Death Dates and Places:

• Dr. A: March 31, 1954 (81 years old); Waco, Texas; buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, Texas

• Mrs. A: September 1, 1971 (88 years old); West Chester, Pennsylvania; buried in Oakwood Cemetery, Waco, Texas

Dr. A's Education, Career, and Travels:

• Education: B.A. (1902), M.A. (in cursu award, 1904), Wabash College, Crawfordsville, Indiana; five summer sessions at University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (1903 - 1907); Ph.D. (1908), University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Career before coming to Baylor University: Rusk Academy (later East Texas Baptist Institute), Rusk, Texas (September - December 1902); Luna Training School, Franklin, Kentucky (January - June 1903); Broadus College, Clarksburg, Virginia (September 1903 - June 1904); Illinois Wesleyan College, Bloomington, Illinois (September 1904 - June 1907); Georgetown College, Georgetown, Kentucky (September 1909 - May 1912)

• Career at Baylor University: interim position in English Department, 1908 - 1909; Chairman, English Department, 1912 - 1952; Director of the Armstrong Browning Library from its completion in 1951 until his death in 1954

• Travels: meets Pen Browning during his first solo trip to Europe, 1909; conducts first tour to Europe for Temple Tours, 1911; starts Armstrong Educational Tours to Europe and Near East, 1912 (30 plus trips conducted during twenty years); organizes first Browning Pilgrimage in 1926 and the second in 1930

Mrs. A's Education and Career:

• Education: B.A., Baylor University, Waco, Texas (1901); further work at the University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois (summer 1903)

• Career: taught English at Rusk Academy (later East Texas Baptist Institute), Rusk, Texas (1901 - 1902); taught high school English in Waco schools (1903 - 1910); maintained offices in Paris and Waco for the management of Armstrong Educational Tours (1912 - 1932); advisor to Dr. A (1911 - 1954); Director of the Armstrong Browning Library from 1954 to 1959; consultant and administrator of the Guardian Angel organization (1959 - 1966)

Mrs. A's Contributions:

• Assisted Dr. A in fund-raising, expanding the Browning Collection, and planning the Armstrong Browning Library; she is credited with a strong influence on the ultimate beauty and elegance of the Library, especially the formation of the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Salon

Other:

• The Armstrongs had one son, Richard Maxwell Armstrong; they had their own travel agency and led many tours to Great Britain, Italy, and other European countries; profits from their tours were added to the Library building fund; Dr. and Mrs. A, and their assistants, wrote thousands of letters requesting donations to the building fund

THE ARMSTRONG BROWNING LIBRARY BUILDING

Groundbreaking: May 7, 1948

Cornerstone Ceremony: February 25, 1950

Dedication: December 1 - 3, 1951

First-floor Renovation: 1995

Building Cost:

• Approximately 1.75 million dollars in 1951, with a 1.5 million dollar renovation in 1995; if the same quality materials and craftsmen could be found today, the building would cost approximately 50 million dollars; that figure does not include the collections and other contents

SUCCEEDING DIRECTORS OF THE LIBRARY

Mary Maxwell Armstrong, 1954 - 1959; following the death of her husband

Dr. Jack W. Herring, 1959 - 1984; specialist in Robert Browning and John Milton, former student of Dr. A

Dr. Roger L. Brooks, 1987 - 1994; specialist in Matthew Arnold and Victorian literature, former student of Dr. A

Dr. Mairi Rennie, 1996 - 2002; British subject, specialist in Victorian literature

Dr. Stephen Prickett, 2003 - 2008; British subject, specialist in Victorian literature in relation to Victorian theology

Rita S. Patteson, 2009 - ; native Texan, specialist in librarianship and in the Armstrong Browning Library