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Collection Number: 05455

Collection Title: Geraldine Cate Papers, 1918-1996

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.

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Size 2.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 2000 items)
Abstract Geraldine "Gerry" Spinks Cate (1910-1998) was a musician, music educator, and social activist in chiefly in Raleigh, N.C. She studied at the University of South Carolina; Westminster Choir College; Teachers College, Columbia University; and the Juilliard School. Cate held positions at Silliman University in the Philippines, where she was sponsored by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.; Peace College, the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, and Saint Mary's College, all in Raleigh; the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C.; and other institutions. Cate was especially dedicated to interracial reconciliation. The collection includes letters, photographs, printed material, and other papers related to the activities of Geraldine Cate. Travel materials chiefly consist of letters from Cate to her family in South Carolina during her time spent as an instructor at Silliman University in the Philippines and while traveling internationally with Nell Hirschberg, travel diaries, and other documents. Included is documentation of Cate's mother's trip to Japan in 1938. Also included are school records, performance programs, clippings, resumes and applications, awards and honors, letters, student work, and other papers relating the institutions in which she studied or taught. Photographs are chiefly of Cate and the choirs with which she was associated. There are also two photograph albums relating to her time in the Philippines. Note that there are no files related to Cate's activist activities.
Creator Cate, Geraldine (Geraldine Spinks), 1910-1998.
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Geraldine Cate Papers #5455, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Elizabeth Cate Pringle of Chapel Hill, N.C., in February 2010 (Acc. 101255).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Kiley Orchard, April 2010

Encoded by: Kiley Orchard, April 2010

This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Geraldine "Gerry" Spinks Cate (1910-1998) was a musician, music educator, and social activist in Raleigh, N.C., and the Philippines. She held positions at Silliman University in the Philippines (sponsored by the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A.); Peace College, the Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, and Saint Mary's College, all in Raleigh, N.C.; the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winstom-Salem, N.C.; and at other institutions. Cate was especially dedicated to interracial reconciliation.

Born in Columbia, S.C., to Charles Jacob Cate and Florence Spinks Cate, Cate received bachelor's degrees from the University of South Carolina in 1931 and from Westminster Choir College, Princeton, N.J., in 1933. After graduation, she organized a music department and served as a voice teacher and choral director at Silliman University in the Philippines, where she was supported by the Presbyterian Board of Foreign Missions. She remained there until 1938 when she left to obtain her master of music degree from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also attended Juilliard School of Music from 1939 to 1940, after which she moved to Raleigh, N.C., to become the director of vocal music at Saint Mary's College, a position she held until 1976. Cate also was a visiting instructor in voice at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, N.C., from 1968 to 1973.

Cate served as director of music at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh, N.C., from 1944 to 1985, where she was a member of the Board of Deacons and was also involved with the Organ Guild, the Raleigh Oratorio Society, Saint Cecilia Chorus, the Raleigh Chamber Music Guild, the North Carolina Symphony, and the North Carolina Bach Festival. She was a member of the National Association of the Teachers of Singing and served as national vice president, president of the North Carolina chapter, and governor of its southeastern and mid-Atlantic regions. Cate coached voice privately until she left Raleigh in 1997.

In 1985, Cate was the first recipient of the Medal of the Arts given by the Raleigh Arts Commission for her service to arts in the city. She served on the board of the Estey Hall Foundation at Shaw University from 1981 until her death in 1998. Cate lived with Dr. Nell Hirschberg for many years in Raleigh, N.C.

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The Geraldine Cate Papers include letters, photographs, printed material, and other papers related to the activities of Geraldine Cate. Travel materials chiefly consist of letters from Cate to her family in South Carolina during her time spent as an instructor at Silliman University in the Philippines and while traveling internationally with Nell Hirschberg, travel diaries, and other documents. Included is documentation of Cate's mother's trip to Japan in 1938. Also included are school records, performance programs, clippings, resumes and applications, awards and honors, letters, student work, and other papers relating the institutions in which she studied or taught. Photographs are chiefly of Cate and the choirs with which she was associated. There are also two photograph albums relating to her time in the Philippines. Note that there are no files related to Cate's activist activities.

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Contents list

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series Quick Links

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Travel materials, 1932-1982.

About 800 items.

Arrangement: Chronological.

Chiefly letters written by Geraldine Cate to family and friends in South Carolina during her time living in the Philippines. Also included are a few letters to Cate during that time, travel diaries and documents, and letters written during international travel with Nell Hirschberg. Also included is Florence Spinks Cate's travel notebook from a trip to Japan.

Folder 1

Letters from San Francisco trip, 1933

Includes a letter from Cate's father, Charles Jacob Cate, to his wife, Florence Spinks Cate.

Folder 2-12

Folder 2

Folder 3

Folder 4

Folder 5

Folder 6

Folder 7

Folder 8

Folder 9

Folder 10

Folder 11

Folder 12

Letters from the Philippines, 1933-1938

Folder 13

Travel diary, 1936-1938

Documentation of Geraldine Cate's travel in the Philippines and Europe.

Folder 14

Letters from shipboard to Japan, 1938

Folder 15

Trip to Japan recollections, 1938

Florence Spinks Cate's travel notebook and a typed recollection by Geraldine Cate.

Folder 16

Travel letters and related material, 1959-1979

Includes a travel itinerary and a letter written by Nell Hirschberg.

Folder 17

Passport (Geraldine Cate), 1977-1982

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. School and professional career, 1920s-1990s.

About 800 items.

Materials related to Geraldine Cate's school and professional career, including school records, performance programs, clippings, resumes and applications, awards and honors, various letters, and other papers. Also included are performance programs, letters, newspaper articles, and photographs of Cate's students and their career work.

Folder 18

Letters and recommendations, circa 1918-1933

Chiefly letters and postcards to Geraldine Cate from her friends and family regarding school, social, and family life. Also included are recommendations and audition information for Cate and a letter from Florence Spinks Cate to her husband, Charles Jacob Cate, describing the Westminster Choir College graduation.

Folder 19

School records, 1920-1940

Records, report cards, and commencement programs from the University of South Carolina, Columbia University, and the Juilliard School of Music. Also included is Geraldine Cate's University of South Carolina diploma.

Folder 20

Performance programs, circa 1920s-1980s

Programs of performances in which Geraldine Cate performed or directed.

Folder 21

Clippings, circa 1920s-1990s

About Cate, her performances, and later, articles on performances of her students.

Folder 22

Letters from Westminster Choir College, 1932-1933

Letters written by Geraldine Cate during her time as a student.

Folder 23

Musical programs, Silliman University, 1933-1938

Folder 24

Employment material, 1933, 1940, 1973, and undated

Resumes; applications; letters regarding Geraldine Cate's resignation from the North Carolina School of the Arts, 1973; and documents from the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A., including a letter of instruction to missionaries and Cate's letter of resignation and related correspondence.

Folder 25

Printed material, circa 1933-1938

Chiefly Silliman University newsletters and publications. Also includes a map of the Philippines.

Folder 26

Miscellaneous letters, 1933-1990s

Chiefly letters to Geraldine Cate from students, fans, friends, and family.

Folder 27

Reports from Geraldine Cate, 1934-1938

Yearly reports detailing activities in the Philippines.

Folder 28

The Philippine Presbyterian magazine, 1936-1941

Folder 29

Letters to Cate from her choir, 1938

Goodbye letters to Cate before she left Silliman University.

Folder 30-31

Folder 30

Folder 31

Awards and honors, 1940-1994

Includes nomination letters for the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, 1985.

Folder 32

Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, circa 1960s-1980s

Church bulletins, letters to Cate, newspaper articles related to Cate's retirement, and other materials.

Folder 33

Saint Mary's College, 1942, circa 1969-1991

Chiefly letters of appreciation written to Geraldine Cate. Also includes a letter from Cate to her parents, 1942.

Folder 34

Student work, circa 1980s-1990s

Performance programs, letters, newspaper articles, and photographs of Geraldine's students and their career work. Also included is a nomination form for the Raleigh Medal of Arts on which Cate nominated James Longmire, an award he received in 1989.

Folder 35

Cate's speeches and essays on the Philippines, undated

Folder 36

Other papers, 1983-1990

Includes an article about Geraldine Cate and Nell Hirschberg entitled "Snug and Smug... with clef and chisel" by Margaret Jones Hoffman, undated; a poem by Patrick Elliott honoring Cate, 1983; a list of addresses; assorted notes; a document related to the Geraldine Cate Scholarship Fund for Westminster College, 1990; a typed essay by Lena Spinks Laton; and genealogical materials.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Photographs, 1918-1995.

About 400 items.

Arrangement: Chronological.

Photographs of Geraldine Cate and her choirs, her time in the Philippines, and annotated photographs of the home she shared with Dr. Nell Hirschberg.

Image Folder PF-5455/1

Circa 1918-1995

Chiefly of Geraldine Cate.

Image Folder PF-5455/2

1932-1933 and undated

Chiefly of choirs.

Image Folder PF-5455/3-4

PF-5455/3

PF-5455/4

Philippines photograph album 1, circa 1933-1938

Includes enclosures.

Image Folder PF-5455/5-6

PF-5455/5

PF-5455/6

Philippines photograph album 2, circa 1933-1938

Includes enclosures.

Image Folder PF-5455/7

Philippines, circa 1933-1938

Several photographs are annotated.

Image Folder PF-5455/8

Geraldine Cate and Nell Hirschberg's home, undated

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