Igler and Friends at Ward-Belmont
The written correspondence which Igler maintained with her friends provides context for her choice to pursue a legal career. Igler's friends had no doubt that she would go on to be successful in any pursuit, despite the expectation that Igler and her friends would go on to become homemakers. Igler's social connections at this time prove her efficiency in networking, a skill which would ultimately benefit her in her career as an attorney.
Photos
(Scrapbook, Elizabeth Igler, ca. 1927-1928, Courtesy of Belmont University Special Collections, Nashville, TN.)
Above are photos which Igler kept of her best friend at Ward-Belmont, Jean Fisher, in her scrapbook. Igler dedicates this entire page to photos of Jean. The closeness of these girls is evident in Jean's writing to Igler, referenced further down. Igler's documentation of their shared experiences and shared love is thorough, and subverts the patriarchal construct of female relationships. Their closeness is curious and distinct from all other female friendships which Igler documented in this scrapbook.
Myrtilla Daniels
Thelma Hart
Igler herself
Jean Fisher, Elizabeth Igler, Myrtilla Daniels, Faye Jesmau altogether
Social Engagements
(Scrapbook, Elizabeth Igler, ca. 1927-1928, Courtesy of Belmont University Special Collections, Nashville, TN.)
To the left are social engagements which Igler partook in during her time attending Ward-Belmont. Included are the ones which she attended with her closest friend, Emma Jean Fisher (Jean). These include but are not limited to a Thanksgiving Dance at Vanderbilt Stadium, which Igler and Fisher attended with Fisher's parents, a Kentucky Club Dance, an All Club Reception, and a Masquerade Dance.
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Despite being mostly dances, it is in spaces like these where women were taught to network and socialize in a way that built confidence in the workspace. Igler's capacity for social networking is a skill which she tempered at Ward-Belmont, and despite being far from her home in Ohio, was able to establish a meaningful community of young women in Nashville.
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When not spending time with a group of women, Igler was most commonly spending alone time with Jean. This sparks additional curiosity regarding the dynamic of their friendship and relationship.
Memory Book Signatures
(Scrapbook, Elizabeth Igler, ca. 1927-1928, Courtesy of Belmont University Special Collections, Nashville, TN.)
Agnes Spears
"Spearsie"
May 28th, 1928
"May you live happy each day of your life. Get a good husband and make a good wife."
This note is an example of the patriarchal power structures which influenced the education of these young women.
Thelma Bolm
"Thel"
May 28th, 1928
"Don't forget the math and English class we struggled through together."
Thelma Hart
"Hart"
May 28th, 1928
"Now Buff, don't forget to apply your European History this summer."
Winogene Hovenden
"Innocence"
May 29th, 1928
"I enjoyed you in trig and loved you elsewhere, love H."
Mabel Swan
"Maby"
May 30th, 1928
"Be good if you can, but if you can't, be careful."
Emma Jean Fisher
"Jean"
May 28th, 1928
"I'll be loving you always."
Jean's note to Igler might suggest a deeper connection between the two women.