Maryland Division of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) records
Collection
0014-MDHC
The Maryland Division of the American Association of University Women (AAUW) was founded in 1942 to unite the five local branches of the organization which already existed in Maryland. The collection contains the operating records of the Maryland Division, as well as its charters, bylaws, and memorabilia. Also included are extensive program and project files, and the records of several of the division's presidents. Subjects covered include the division's history and operations, legislative concerns of the members, programs sponsored, projects undertaken, and interrelationships with the Mid-Atlantic Region and the Educational Foundation of the Association.
This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.
This collection contains restricted material in Series II. Please check the series and folder listings for additional information.
Photocopies of original materials may be provided for a fee and at the discretion of the curator. Please see our Duplication of Materials policy for more information. Queries regarding publication rights and copyright status of materials within this collection should be directed to the appropriate curator.
67.50 Linear Feet (67.50 linear feet and 3 items)
67.50 Linear Feet
3 Items
The archives of the Maryland Division of the American Association of University Women cover the period 1935 to 2002. They consist of correspondence, publications, reports, minutes, charters, bylaws, financial materials, newspaper clippings, photographs, and memorabilia. Also included are extensive program and project files and records from a number of the division's presidents. Subjects covered in the records include the division's history and operation, legislative concerns of the members, programs sponsored, projects undertaken, branch activities, and interrelationships with other state divisions in the region and the Educational Foundation of the AAUW.
Founded in Boston in 1882 by sixty-five female college graduates, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) is the oldest and largest national organization of women in the United States. Originally formed to encourage and improve education for women, the AAUW soon broadened its purpose and activities. While advocacy for women and women's educational opportunities have remained basic elements of the AAUW program, international relations, cultural interests, and the quality of community life have become long-standing commitments as well. Currently, the AAUW offers college-educated women conferences and seminars on such subjects as the United Nations and the American family, fellowships for doctoral or postdoctoral work, grants for members to return to school after a five-year absence, a coalition of woman-power influencing local, state, and national legislation, and several publications. The AAUW and the AAUW Educational Foundation are headquartered in Washington, D.C.; this building also houses a comprehensive library and archival collection on women.
The AAUW counts members in over 1900 communities and fifty-three countries around the world. Most women affiliate with a local branch. AAUW members are also members of the International Federation of University Women (IFUW), which the association helped to found in 1919 to unite women worldwide in working toward common goals and international understanding.
Sixty years after the founding of the AAUW, the Maryland State Division was organized. Enthusiasm for uniting the five existing Maryland branches in a state division stemmed from the South Atlantic Regional Conference, held in Baltimore, April 24-25, 1942. Dr. Elizabeth Fuller Jackson, Vice President from the South Atlantic Region, was asked by the delegates from the Baltimore City, College Park, Carroll County and Frederick County branches to explain the steps by which a state division could be organized. This handful of delegates then volunteered to lead in the founding of the new division.
There were two primary motivating factors behind the desire to create a Maryland State Division. First, Maryland was the only South Atlantic state without a state organization and one of only six states in the entire country without one. Secondly, it appeared likely that the upcoming 1942 national convention would be canceled, in which case national questions would be referred to the state groups for decisions. Maryland, without a state organization, would not have a vote.
With these factors in mind, the Maryland State Division was officially launched on November 18, 1942 when delegates from four Maryland branches met and adopted Bylaws, appointed committee chairmen, and elected Mrs. J.D. Duve of the Frederick branch the first Maryland State Division president. The initial membership of the Division was 471 individual members.
The current objectives of the Maryland Division of the AAUW are to assist in the formation of new branches in the state, to give and receive suggestions from other state branches, and provide backing for programs of individual Maryland chapters.
The division also actively sponsors a variety of programs and projects in such areas as community, education, cultural interests, international relations, women's issues, and legislative concerns.
The collection has been separated into twenty-one series:
The Maryland Division donated the bulk of the archives of the Maryland Division of the American Association of University Women to the University of Maryland at College Park Libraries between October 1985 and July 1987. Division officers and other members have added to the collection periodically.
After an initial survey, a series structure was devised in cooperation with AAUW Maryland Division members. Several members from the Maryland Division donated their time to process materials into the series, during which time paper clips were removed, refoldering was done, national publications were weeded out, and materials were reboxed. Mary Bailey, Louise Dickson, Charlotte Ferguson and Helen Koste originally processed the collection in August 1989. Photographs and memorabilia were sorted out and transferred to separate collections. The AAUW members wrote initial descriptions. The staff of the Archives and Manuscripts Department produced editing and additional descriptions. Virginia Beauchamp, Sally Lent, Julie Snell, Jean Thompson and Gwen Turnbull processed a large accretion to the collection in June 1997. Pamela Alsop, Marianne Beane, and Patricia Rettig processed another large accretion in August 1997. At this time, materials in Series IV relating to division presidents, conventions/conferences and the Maryland State Board of Directors/Executive Committee were removed and relocated to Series II, VIII and XVIII respectively. In 2003, Terry Ann Sayler processed materials received since 1997, including scrapbooks, photographs and videotapes from the Computer, Math, Science Career Learning Day Fun Fairs. Additional materials were added in 2006.
Part of the Special Collections and University Archives