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American Association of University Women Collection

Introduction

The American Association of University Women Collection contains newsletters, yearbooks, and meeting minutes from the Riverside chapter of the AAUW. The material dates from 1943 to 1995, with the collection being fairly complete, except for a gap in the meeting minutes from the 1970s. The collection should be of interest to scholars interested in the education and professional development of women in the region after World War II. Also, combined with other collections in the RLHRC, it will help researchers who are interested in the role of women in the community in the latter half of the Twentieth Century.

The collection is 1.5 linear feet, and is contained in 2 boxes.

Biographical Note

The American Association of University Women was founded in 1921 when the Southern Association of College Women and the Association of College Alumnae (founded in 1882) merged. The AAUW has continually supported woman's and girl's education, and have been involved in the professional development of women. It was a grant from the AAUW that allowed Marie Curie to purchase radium for her experiments. Another grant was given to Jenny Bramley, inventor of the cathode ray tube. They have also been supporters of contraceptive rights by supporting a doctor's right to distribute contraceptives. Currently, the AAUW maintains observer status with the United Nations. It was an AAUW member, Rep. Patsy Mink, who co-authored Title IX, the legislation that addresses discrimination based on sex. The AAUW remains active today, continuing to commission reports studying the role of women in education and society.

The local Branch of the AAUW was founded in 1909 when the San Gorgonio Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae was started. Riverside became their own Branch in 1943 with 130 members. Some of the projects the local branch has been involved in include the Riverside Mental Health Association, the Japanese Scholarship Association, and the National Association Education Foundation Program.

Scope and Content

The collection is divided into five series. Series I contains 6 folders of meeting minutes from May 1943 to August 1983. There is a gap between December of 1971 and August 1982 for which we do not have minutes. There are minutes for both general meetings and board meetings. Series II contains 23 folders of newsletters. The newsletters range from 1948 to 1995, but the collection is not complete. Series III contains yearbooks (some original, some photocopies) from 1954 to 1990 in 10 folders, with a gap from 1960 to 1965. Series IV deals with the Branch's educational outreach efforts, including their "Flight of Dreams" program. Series IV also contains miscellaneous documents, from newspaper clippings to a flyer announcing the Branch's birthday party.

Series I – Minutes

Series I consists of six folders of meeting minutes. The minutes are from both general meetings and board meetings. For the years 1943 to 1971, the collection appears to be fairly complete. There is a gap from 1971 to 1982, and the 6 th folder only has handwritten minutes for the last five months of 1982 and the first month of 1983. In the first five folders, the minutes are typewritten. Folders three through five are professionally bound.

Folder 1: May 1943 – June 1954

Folder 2: August 1954 – April 1957

Folder 3: May 1957 – June 1960

Folder 4: July 1962 – June 1968

Folder 5: June 1968 – December 1971

Folder 6: August 1982 – January 1983

Series II – Newsletters

Series II contains newsletters published by the local chapter of the AAUW. The newsletter was usually published monthly during the school year calendar. In the early years, the newsletter consisted of one page containing general information about club activities. It later expanded into a multi-page publication. At various times, it was called either the AAUW newsletter, the Bulletin, or the Riverside Pipeline.

Folder 1: 1948 – 1950

Folder 2: 1951 – 1952

Folder 3: 1954 – 1955

Folder 4: 1956 – 1958

Folder 5: 1959 – 1961

Folder 6: 1962 – 1964

Folder 7: 1965 – 1966

Folder 8: 1967

Folder 9: 1968

Folder 10: 1969

Folder 11: 1970

Folder 12: 1971

Folder 13: 1972

Folder 14: 1973 – 1975

Folder 15: 1976 – 1978

Folder 16: 1979

Folder 17: 1980

Folder 18: 1981

Folder 19: 1982

Folder 20: 1983

Folder 21: 1984 – 1985

Folder 22: 1986 – 1987

Folder 23: 1988

Folder 24: 1989

Folder 25: 1990

Folder 26: 1991

Folder 27: 1992

Folder 28: 1993

Folder 29: 1994

Folder 30: 1995

Series III – Yearbooks

Series III consists of branch yearbooks. The collection is not complete, with a notable gap from 1959 to 1966. The yearbooks were published annually and contained officer information (ranging from the international federation to the branch level), a listing of social and study groups, branch policies, a program schedule for the upcoming year, and a directory of members.

Folder 1: 1954 – 1957

Folder 2: 1957 – 1959

Folder 3: 1966 – 1969

Folder 4: 1969 – 1972

Folder 5: 1972 – 1975

Folder 6: 1975 – 1978

Folder 7: 1978 – 1981

Folder 8: 1981 – 1984

Folder 9: 1984 – 1986

Folder 10: 1986 - 1990

Series IV – Educational Outreach

The AAUW, for obvious reasons, was interested in promoting education for young women. The materials in Series IV document some of their outreach efforts in the area.

Folder 1: Flight of Dreams Materials

Folder 2: "We Take the Lead" Brochure

Folder 3: "Alice Through The Looking Glass" Girl's Conference Flyer

Folder 4: Program for 1936 Japanese Scholarship Tea