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.
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 |
Processed by: Kiley Orchard, April 2010
Encoded by: Kiley Orchard, April 2010
This collection was processed with support from Elizabeth Moore Ruffin.
Back to TopThe 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.
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.
Back to TopThe 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.
Back to TopArrangement: 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, 1933Includes a letter from Cate's father, Charles Jacob Cate, to his wife, Florence Spinks Cate. |
Folder 2-12
Folder 2Folder 3Folder 4Folder 5Folder 6Folder 7Folder 8Folder 9Folder 10Folder 11Folder 12 |
Letters from the Philippines, 1933-1938 |
Folder 13 |
Travel diary, 1936-1938Documentation of Geraldine Cate's travel in the Philippines and Europe. |
Folder 14 |
Letters from shipboard to Japan, 1938 |
Folder 15 |
Trip to Japan recollections, 1938Florence Spinks Cate's travel notebook and a typed recollection by Geraldine Cate. |
Folder 16 |
Travel letters and related material, 1959-1979Includes a travel itinerary and a letter written by Nell Hirschberg. |
Folder 17 |
Passport (Geraldine Cate), 1977-1982 |
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 1918-1933Chiefly 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, 1920-1940Records, 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-1980sPrograms of performances in which Geraldine Cate performed or directed. |
Folder 21 |
Clippings, circa 1920s-1990sAbout Cate, her performances, and later, articles on performances of her students. |
Folder 22 |
Letters from Westminster Choir College, 1932-1933Letters 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 undatedResumes; 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 1933-1938Chiefly Silliman University newsletters and publications. Also includes a map of the Philippines. |
Folder 26 |
Miscellaneous letters, 1933-1990sChiefly letters to Geraldine Cate from students, fans, friends, and family. |
Folder 27 |
Reports from Geraldine Cate, 1934-1938Yearly reports detailing activities in the Philippines. |
Folder 28 |
The Philippine Presbyterian magazine, 1936-1941 |
Folder 29 |
Letters to Cate from her choir, 1938Goodbye letters to Cate before she left Silliman University. |
Folder 30-31
Folder 30Folder 31 |
Awards and honors, 1940-1994Includes nomination letters for the City of Raleigh Arts Commission, 1985. |
Folder 32 |
Pullen Memorial Baptist Church, circa 1960s-1980sChurch bulletins, letters to Cate, newspaper articles related to Cate's retirement, and other materials. |
Folder 33 |
Saint Mary's College, 1942, circa 1969-1991Chiefly letters of appreciation written to Geraldine Cate. Also includes a letter from Cate to her parents, 1942. |
Folder 34 |
Student work, circa 1980s-1990sPerformance 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, 1983-1990Includes 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. |
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 1918-1995Chiefly of Geraldine Cate. |
Image Folder PF-5455/2 |
1932-1933 and undatedChiefly of choirs. |
Image Folder PF-5455/3-4
PF-5455/3PF-5455/4 |
Philippines photograph album 1, circa 1933-1938Includes enclosures. |
Image Folder PF-5455/5-6
PF-5455/5PF-5455/6 |
Philippines photograph album 2, circa 1933-1938Includes enclosures. |
Image Folder PF-5455/7 |
Philippines, circa 1933-1938Several photographs are annotated. |
Image Folder PF-5455/8 |
Geraldine Cate and Nell Hirschberg's home, undated |