Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Unless noted, digital media are not available online. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks. Some or all electronic files may be unavailable or restricted due to privacy reasons, agreement with the donor, software is not available to interact with files, or because files cannot be retrieved from original media.
This collection includes two key charms, one from the Agromeck and one from honorary language fraternity Sigma Pi Alpha. These were the possession of architectural writer Julius Trousdale Sadler, Jr. during his time at NC State College.
Julius Trousdale Sadler, Jr. was born in 1923 and attended North Carolina State College from 1941-1943 before graduating from the University of Virginia. During the 1970s and 1980s, he co-authored several books on architecture, including American Stables: An Architectural Tour (with Jacqueline D.J. Sadler), The Only Proper Style: Gothic Architecture in America (with Calder Loth), and three books with Desmond Guinness. At NC State, Sadler was Fraternity Editor for the Agromeck and a member of Pi Kappa Alpha.
Sigma Pi Alpha was an honorary language fraternity founded at NC State in 1927. According to its entry in the 1943 Agromeck, “Membership is limited to those with an unusual interest in languages, a high honor language average, and an honor average in general scholastic record. It promotes scholarship and fellowship among language students, sponsors speakers, [and] shows travel films as a cultural aid on the campus. This year the chapter is inaugurating a program designed to bring about a closer relationship between foreign born students and the members of the fraternity.” It existed primarily at NC State, with chapters at a few other Raleigh colleges, and disbanded sometime around 1954. It was related to "Los Hidalgos," a fraternity for the study of the Spanish language, which was founded in 1927. A national sorority was founded in 1996 using the same Greek letters. This sorority has no connection to the earlier NC State fraternity, and does not have a chapter at NC State today.
Keys of this type were often given by honor societies. They served as pocket watch keys to wind a watch and were could be worn on the pocket watch chain or on a chain as a necklace.
This collection includes two small key charms. One shows the NC State “S” with a quill and inkwell. On the back, it is inscribed “1943, Agromeck, J.T. Sadler, Jr.” The other depicts the crest of Sigma Pi Alpha, which includes the inscription, “19 Los Hidalgos 17.”
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.
[Identification of item], Julius Trousdale Sadler Jr. Sigma Pi Alpha and Agromeck Keys, MSS 00463, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
Gift of John Sadler, July 2024 (Accession 2024.0115).
Processed and finding aid written by Katie Bushman, 2024 October.
Collection is open for research; access requires at least 48 hours advance notice. Because of the nature of certain archival formats, including digital and audio-visual materials, access will require additional advanced notice. Unless noted, digital media are not available online. Copies of unrestricted digital files will be provided for use in the SCRC Reading Room upon request. Access will be provided to use copies of unrestricted digital files rather than carrier media, such as CDs, DVDs, and floppy disks. Some or all electronic files may be unavailable or restricted due to privacy reasons, agreement with the donor, software is not available to interact with files, or because files cannot be retrieved from original media.
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[Identification of item], Julius Trousdale Sadler Jr. Sigma Pi Alpha and Agromeck Keys, MSS 00463, Special Collections Research Center, North Carolina State University Libraries, Raleigh, NC
The NC State University Libraries generally claims only physical ownership of most Special Collections materials. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. Libraries staff are unable to advise on copyright and other legal matters; the user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials. Helpful resources for assessing copyright include Cornell Libraries’ “Copyright Services: Copyright Term and the Public Domain,” the ALA Office for Information Technology Policy’s "Is It Protected by Copyright?," and copyright.gov. This collection may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information about identifiable living individuals, which may be protected under federal or state laws and regulations. Researchers are advised that there may be legal ramifications for disclosing this information.
The University Archives operates in accordance with the State Public Records Act, with unrestricted access to records not covered by state and federal statutes and regulations.