Finding Aid for the Kent Branch American Association of University Women records

Author: Kristin Silvestro, July 2024

Descriptive Rules: DACS 2nd Edition

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Origination: American Association of University Women. Kent Branch

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Inclusive Dates: 1927-1999

Bulk Dates: 1950-1985

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Extent:  7.83 cubic feet ( 7 boxes= 3 Record Storage Boxes, 1 Document Case, 3 oversize flat boxes )

Physical Location: 10th floor

Language of Materials: English

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Abstract: This collection includes materials related to the activities and administration of the Kent Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Additionally there are materials from the Ohio Division and National Office of the AAUW. Included are organizational and administrative papers, conference and convention files, minutes, news clippings, photographs and scrapbooks, and some small artifacts. A majority of these documents came from scrapbooks that were disbound in the 1980s. 

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History of Kent Branch American Association of University Women : 

The Kent-Ravenna branch of the AAUW formed in 1927 as part of the Ohio Division of the national AAUW. However, the branch was not officially accepted by the AAUW until 1953. The first president of the Kent branch was Mona Fletcher. 

The group's mission mirrored that of the national organization as it focused on providing resources and support for women interested in higher education as well as preparation for professional careers. To meet this goal the branch provided study groups on various subject areas such as education, international relations, music, art, and literature. Over the years, the Kent Branch also took on new causes and interests such as community welfare, sex discrimination, ecology, and computer literacy. One of their major annual initiatives was their book fair that started in 1963 and provided money for the AAUW fellowship fund. The Kent branch is no longer an active AAUW branch, but the exact date of when it was disbanded is not known.  

Additional information on the history of the local, state, and national groups can be found in the folder "Branch Histories" in box 2 of the collection. 

Scope and Content: 

A majority of the records in this collection are materials that were removed from branch scrapbooks in the 1980s. 

The bulk of the organizational records are for the Kent Branch, but there are records for the state and national groups as well. The organizational records make up the first three series. Series one contains the minutes of the Kent Branch meetings. Series two and three contain records such as anniversaries, awards, by-laws and policies, correspondence, directories, and newsletters or the Kent branch, state division, and national AAUW. In series three there is a folder titled member resources which includes brochures, pamphlets, and informational materials that would have been shared with members. Topics include managing personal and family finances, public safety and civil defense, professional and career advice, and family management. These were not produced by AAUW, but provide useful historical context for different eras in which the group operated. 

The fourth series contains programs and event information for AAUW conferences and conventions. Ohio Division, Regional, (Northeast Central Region), and National conventions and conferences are included. The fifth series is comprised of photocopies of all clippings appearing in the Kent Branch scrapbooks. The news clippings were photocopied and divided by subject matter, either by the donor or upon accessioning in the 1980s, and this organization was retained during processing as the original order of the clippings in the scrapbooks was not known. Series six contains black and white and color photographs as well as four bound scrapbooks. The final series, series seven, includes small artifacts such as membership pins, election buttons, and book fair bookmarks. 

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Statement of Arrangement: The collection is organized into seven series:

1. Organizational Papers-Kent Branch Minutes
2. Organizational Papers-Kent Branch 
3. Organizational Papers- National and State Divisions
4. Conferences, Conventions, Workshops
5. News Clippings
6. Photographs and Scrapbooks
7. Artifacts

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Preferred Citation: Kent Branch American Association of University Women records. Kent State University Libraries. Special Collections and Archives.

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Acquisition Information: The Kent Branch of the AAUW donated the bulk of this collection to Special Collections and Archives in September 1987. Some small additions were made between 1988 and 2000 by the Kent Branch and others. 

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Controlled Access Headings:

Subjects
American Association of University Women. Kent Branch -- Archives
Kent State University -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Women -- Ohio -- Kent -- Societies and clubs -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Women college graduates -- Ohio -- Kent -- Societies, etc. -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Women in community development -- Ohio -- Kent -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Kent (Ohio) -- History -- 20th century -- Sources

Function
Community organization

Genre/Form
Artifacts (object genre)
Business records
Minutes (Records)
Clippings
Photographs
Albums (Books)
Scrapbooks

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Series 1: Organizational Papers-Kent Branch Minutes

Box 1
Folder -- Contents

1. Minutes, 1927-1933
2. Minutes, 1934-1941
3. Minutes, 1941-1948
4. Minutes, 1948-1952
5. Minutes, 1952-1957
6. Minutes,1957-1960
7. Minutes, 1960-1963
8. Minutes, 1963-1967
9. Minutes, 1967-1970
10. Minutes, 1970-1973
11. Minutes, 1974-1975
12. Minutes, 1978-1980
13. Minutes, 1980-1982
14. Minutes, 1982-1984

Series 2: Organizational Papers-Kent Branch

Box 2
Folder -- Contents

1. Anniversary- Golden Anniversary Resolution, 1977
2. Anniversary- AAUW Century of Progress and Time Capsule, 1999
3. Awards and Acknowledgements, 1950s-1990s
4. Branch Application, ca. 1941, 1950s, 1970s
5. Branch Histories, 1963, 1988, 1999
6. Branch Newsletters, 1957 - 1960
7. Branch Newsletters, 1961 - 1966
8. Branch Newsletters, 1967 - 1970
9. Branch Newsletters, 1972 - 1974    
10. Branch Newsletters,1975 - 1978
11. Branch Newsletters, 1979 - 1981
12. Branch Newsletters, 1982 - 1985
13. Branch Newsletters, 1990s
14. Budget reports, 1968-1972, 1982-1984
15. By-laws and policy sheets, 1959-62, 1966, 1969, 1971-1973, undated
16. Correspondence, 1930s-1970s
17. Correspondence, 1950s-1980s
18. Directories, 1935-1955 
19. Directories, 1955-1971
20. Directories, 1971-1980
21. Directories, 1980-1985, 1995-1998
22. Election Materials, 1980s
23. Grants- Named Fellowships, ca. 1999
24. Groups- Book Review Group, 1950s-1960s 
25. Groups- Music Group, 1960s-1970s
26. Flyers, Announcements, pamphlets, 1950s-1990s
27. Invitations, 1950s-1960s, 1980s
28. Kent State University Theater collaboration, 1950s, undated
29. Letterhead, undated
30. Lists- Membership, 1955, 1958, 1962-69, 1985
31. Positions- Secretary, undated
32. Programming, 1939-1941, 1956, 1965, 1967, 1969
33. Questionnaires and Surveys, 1960s
34. Reports- General, 1939-41
35. Reports- Committees 1940, 1954-70
36. Stickers, Seals, Logos, 1970s-1980s

Series 3: Organizational Papers- National and State Divisions 

Box 2
Folder -- Contents

37. National AAUW: Approved Colleges, 1939, 1940, 1963
38. National AAUW: By-Laws, Planning, and Structure, 1940s-1960s
39. National AAUW: Brochures and pamphlets, 1930s-1980s
40. National AAUW: Educational Center Campaign, 1958-1961
41. National AAUW: Educational Foundation and Fellowships, 1939-1941, 1971-1973, 1982-1984

Box 3
Folder -- Contents

1. National AAUW: Educational Foundation: Names Honored Programs, 1971-1980
2. National AAUW: Educational Foundation: Names Honored Programs, 1980-1984
3. National AAUW: Educational Foundation: Names Honored Programs, 1990-1991, 1993-1996
4. National AAUW: Member Resources, 1940s-1950s
5. National AAUW: Newsletters: State, National, and International, 1940s-1950s, 1980s-1990s
6. National AAUW: Press Releases, 1939-40, 1958, 1960
7. Ohio Division: Brochures, 1980s-1990s
8. Ohio Division: Bulletin: Ohio State Division of AAUW, 1939-1940 
9. Ohio Division: Bulletin: Ohio State Division of AAUW, 1955-1966
10. Ohio Division: Bulletin: Ohio State Division of AAUW, 1967-1973, 1999
11. Ohio Division: Directories, 1939-41, 1961-1966
12. Ohio Division: Directories, 1960s-1970s, 1991
13. Ohio Division: History of the Ohio Division of AAUW, 1924-1974, 1974?
14. Ohio Division: Reports, Resolutions, and By-Laws, 1957-1961, 1982, 1985
15. Ohio Division: Voting and Elections, 1984-1985

Series 4: Conferences, Conventions, Workshops

Box 3
Folder -- Contents

16. Conference on Opportunities in Public Service, 1939
17. Northeast Central Region, 7th Biennial Conference, , 1940
18. 15th Conference on the Cause and Cure of War, 1940
19. Ohio Division, Fall Workshop, 1954
20. Ohio Division, Convention, 1955
21. Ohio Division,  Convention, 1957
22. Northeast Central Region, 15th Biennial Conference, 1958
23. Ohio Division, Convention, 1959
24. AAUW-National, Biennial Convention, 1959
25. Northeast Central Region,16th Biennial Conference, 1960
26. Ohio Division, Convention, 1961
27. AAUW-National, Biennial Convention, 1961
28. Northeast Central Region, 17th Biennial Conference, 1962
29. Ohio Division, Convention, 1963
30. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1964
31. Northeast Central Region, 18th Biennial Conference, 1964
32. Ohio Division, Convention, 1965
33. Ohio Division, Workshop, 1965
34. Ohio Division, 43rd Convention, 1967
35. Ohio Division, 45th Convention, 1969
36. Northeast Central Region, 22nd Biennial Conference, 1972
37. Ohio Division, 49th Convention, 1973
38. Ohio Division, 50th Convention, 1975
39. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1975
40. Ohio Division, President's Conference, 1976
41. Northeast Central Region, 24th Biennial Conference, 1976
42. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1976
43. Ohio Division, 53rd Convention, 1977
44. Ohio Division, President's Conference, 1977
45. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1977
46. Northeast Central Region, 25th Biennial Conference, 1978
47. Ohio Division, Workshop, 1979
48. Ohio Division, 56th Convention, 1980
49. Ohio Division, Workshop, 1980
50. Ohio Division, 57th Convention, 1981
51. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1981
52. AAUW-National, Convention [100th Anniversary], 1981
53. AAUW-National, United Nations Seminar, 1981
54. Ohio Division, 58th Convention, 1982
55. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1982
56. Northeast Central Region, 27th Biennial Conference, 1982
57. Ohio Division, 59th Convention, 1983
58. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1983
59. AAUW-National, Convention, 1983
60. Ohio Division, 60th Convention, 1984
61. Ohio Division, Workshops, 1984
62. Great Lakes Region, Biennial Conference, 1984
63. Ohio Division, 61st Convention, 1985
64. AAUW-National, 33rd Biennial Convention, 1985

Series 5: News Clippings

Box 3
Folder -- Contents

65. Awards and Honors
66. Biographies and Obituaries
67. Book Review Group
68. Community Services
69. Conventions and Conferences
70. Meetings
71. Music Group
72. National organization news
73. Officers
74. Social Events

Box 4
Folder -- Contents

1. Visiting Speakers
2. Workshops

Series 6: Photographs and Scrapbooks

Box 4
Folder -- Contents

3. Events [black and white], 1950s-1970s 
4. Events [color], 1970s-1980s
5. Events- 50th Anniversary [black and white], 1977
6. Events- Fall Brunch [black and white], 1970
7. Events- Senior Tea [black and white], 1950s-1960s
8. Events- Spring Luncheon [black and white], 1960s-1980s
9. Events- Summer Picnic [black and white],  1950s-1960s
10. Groups- Book Review Group [black and white], 1960s-1970s
11. Groups- Music Group [black and white], 1960s-1970s
12. Kent State University Theater, 1950s
13. Meetings [black and white], 1950s-1980s
14. Meetings [color], 1960s-1980s
15. Members and Officers [black and white], 1910s-1980s
16. Members and Officers [color], 1950s, 1970s
17. Members in the News [black and white], 1930s, 1950s-1960s
18. Members in the News [color], 1970s
19. Speakers [black and white], 1950s-1970s, 1990s
20. Unidentified, 1950s-1980s

Box 5
Folder -- Contents

1. Scrapbook, 1927-1954

Box 6
Folder -- Contents

1. Scrapbook, 1953-1954
2. Scrapbook, 1990-1991

Box 7
Folder -- Contents

1. Scrapbook, 1991-1995

Series 7: Artifacts 

Box 7
Folder -- Contents

2. 50th Anniversary Branch Blue Ribbon, ca.1977
3. Bookmarks-Leather Bookworm bookmarks for 50th Anniversary, ca.1977
4. Centennial Convention Charm 1881-1981, 1981
5. Buttons- AAUW Smiley face, ca.1973
6. Buttons-Campaign [9 unique buttons], 1984-1985
7. Buttons- Kent Fest, undated
8. Medallion- “Foundation Night AAUW Educational Foundation Houston 1987,” 1987
9. Membership Pins [3 unique pins], undated
10. Pennant- “AAUW Invest in Yourself, 1980s