THE ELWYN B. ROBINSON DEPARTMENT OF SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
CHESTER FRITZ LIBRARY
UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
GRAND FORKS, NORTH DAKOTA 58202

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN (AAUW) RECORDS

COLLECTION: OGL#57

DATES: 1930-1968

SIZE: 6.25 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

ACQUISITION: The North Dakota Chapter of the American Association of University Women's Records were deposited in the Orin G. Libby Manuscript Collection in 1969. The accession record for this collection is unavailable.

ACCESS: Available for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.

HISTORICAL SKETCH

The American Association of University Women (AAUW) formed in November, 1881, in Boston, Massachusetts. Its goals were to promote higher education for women; assist women in their pursuit of various occupations; and help them utilize their higher education for the good of society, as well as for themselves.

The organization grew from the original 16 members to over 200,000 members in its centennial year of 1981. This network of university women exists in 54 countries and has a chapter in every state, including the North Dakota chapter.

In North Dakota, Valley City held its first AAUW meeting on October 12, 1916, and was officially recognized later that year. Grand Forks held its first meeting on October 25, 1916 and was recognized in 1917. Fargo's first meeting was on January 27, 1922. The Fargo branch was recognized with Moorhead in 1922. Fargo was later recognized on its own in 1930. The Dickinson branch held its first meeting on June 21, 1929 and was recognized on July 1, 1929. Bismarck's records are incomplete so the first meeting date is unknown. However, the Bismarck branch was recognized on October 6, 1930.

The State Division was founded in 1930. It included Valley City, Grand Forks, Fargo, Dickinson and Bismarck. Other branches soon followed. They included Minot (April 6, 1934), Jamestown (November 30, 1934), Wahpeton (June 3, 1935), Mayville (1937, disbanded in March 1942, reorganized in 1957), Grafton (October 31, 1951), Mandan (October 27, 1953), Williston (December 13, 1956), and Devils Lake (July 9, 1958).

Through seminars, conferences, meetings, and newsletters, AAUW offers university women information on current women's issues and international issues; promotes international understanding; and establishes lifelong friendships.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The North Dakota Chapter of the American Association of University Women's Records consists of records of National Conventions from 1931-1935, State Conventions from 1930-1964, histories and yearbooks of individual branches of the North Dakota Chapter of the AAUW, correspondence, publications and annual reports of state committees from 1931-1967.

BOX AND FOLDER INVENTORY

Box 1

Folder 1. Notes from Mrs. Tighe's personal notebook when she was State President, 
1932-1936
       2. AAUW stationary
       3. Bulletins regarding activities of Branches
       4. Mrs. Tighe's notes, clippings, ca. 1930-1932
       5. 7th National Convention at Boston, April 6-12, 1931; Mrs. Tighe's 
collected material about the city and convention program
       6. 18th National Convention, Minneapolis, MN, May 1933; convention materia
       7. Bulletins from National Chairman, 1933-1934
       8. Mrs. Tighe's correspondence as N.D. AAUW President, 1934-1936
       9. Mrs. Tighe's correspondence as N.D. AAUW President, 1934-1936
      10. Mimeographed material concerning state school financing problems, 1935
      11. 9th National Biennial Convention, Los Angeles, 1935
      12. 9th National Biennial Convention, Los Angeles, 1935
      13. Mrs. Tighe, State Historian for AAUW; notes and letters of 1950's
      14. Mrs. Tighe's working notes
      15. Bylaws
      16. Reports and notes of State Art Chairman and Branches, 1938-1963
      17. North Dakota and the Arts of Design by Lura Beam
      18. Annual state reports in Higher Education, 1958-1963
      19. Reports of the Elementary and Secondary Education State Chairman, 1959-1963
      20. Reports of the State Chairman of Education, 1936-1963
      21. Reports of the International Relations Committee, 1932-1963
      22. Reports of the Fellowship Chairman, 1931-1963
      23. Correspondence on state Fellowship Fund, 1957-1958
      24. Reports of the Legislative Committee, 1933-1963
      25. Reports of the Mass Media Chairman, 1958-1963
      26. Reports of the Status-of-Women Chairman, 1946-1958
      27. Vitae sheets for candidates from Grand Forks for state officers (removed 
to University Documents, 10/8/81)
      28. Clippings of interest to Governor's Committee on Status of Women
      29. Reports of the Social & Economic Issues (SEI) Chairman, 1957-1963
      30. SEI Committee records and reports
      31. Reports of the Social Studies Committee
      32. Reports of the Membership Committee
      33. File of National Staff Associate on Membership
      34. Reports of the Program Chairman
      35. Reports of the Publicity Chairman
      36. Reports of the Historian, 1940-1963
      37. Notes on nominating committee

Box 2

Folder 1. Reports of the State Presidents, 1934-1963
       2. N. D. Division President's vitae sheets, pictures, accounts of terms
       3. Dr. Bremtzel's letters, Pres. 1948-1952
       4. Correspondence of Mercedes Morris, Pres. 1954-1956
       5. Correspondence of Mrs. W. F. Sharp, Pres. 1956-1958
       6. Correspondence of Dr. M. Adeline Olson, Pres. 1958-1960
       7. Correspondence of Dr. Olson regarding 1959 Convention plans
       8. Historical file of Mrs. M. B. Thomson, 1960-1962
       9. Secretary's file, 1959-1960
      10. Secretary's file, 1960-1961
      11. Correspondence from M. B. Thomson, Pres. 1960-1962
      12. Correspondence of Marcella Hanson, Pres. 1962-1964
      13. Correspondence of Harriet Shurr, Pres. 1964-1966
      14. Correspondence of Gwen Swenson, Pres. 1966-1968
      15. Correspondence regarding recognition applications from Branch group
      16. Copies of Official Bulletins, 1954-1959
      17. Assorted State Directories, 1942-1959
      18. State Directories, 1953-1966
      19. Fold-out chart of officers and Committee Chairmen, 1930-1964
      20. AAUW publicity material
      21. Results of Arts Survey conducted 1960 by Jean Kaldor
      22. Treasurer's records, North Dakota Division AAUW
      23. The Senior Years A report on the North Dakota survey of aging
      24. Vitae material for 1952 nominating committee
      25. Official State Bulletins, 1949-1960
      26. Policy sheets for N. D. State Division
      27. Writing project, 1962; list of manuscripts and one copy of a poem by 
Dolores Schmidt
      28. A report of the Fargo "Junior Group" of AAUW 1934-1935
      29. Correspondence to Historian, 1942-1960
      30. Suggested convention rules
      31. Building Fund Campaign bulletins and a N. D. contribution statement, 
1958-1961
      32. Bylaw file of Branches
      33. Historian's file of reports, 1963-1964
      34. "Financing Public Schools" packet assembled 1962
      35. Reports of the Mass Media Chairman

Box 3

Folder 1. Report of state meeting, 1930, in Fargo and 1931 in Bismarck
       2. Resort of state meeting in Grand Forks, 1932, and Fargo in 1934
       3. 4th State Convention, Grand Forks, 1936
       4. 5th State Convention, Fargo, 1938
       5. A special conventional in Bismarck, 1939
       6. 6th State Convention, Jamestown, 1940
       7. 7th State Convention, Bismarck, 1941
       8. 8th State Convention, Wahpeton, 1942
       9. 9th State Convention, Valley City, 1943
      10. A workshop at Fargo, 1944
      11. A workshop at Fargo, 1945
      12. A workshop at Fargo, 1946
      13. 10th State Convention, Jamestown, 1947
      14. 11th State Convention, Grand Forks, 1948
      15. 12th State Convention, Minot, 1949
      16. 13th State Convention, Fargo, 1950
      17. 14th State Convention, Bismarck, 1951
      18. 15th State Convention, Wahpeton, 1952
      19. 16th State Convention, Dickinson, 1953
      20. 17th State Convention, Valley City, 1954
      21. 18th State Convention, Jamestown, 1955
      22. 19th State Convention, Grand Forks, 1956 (Removed part of the folder to 
University Publications, 10/8/91)
      23. 20th State Convention, Mandan, 1957
      24. 21st State Convention, Minot, 1958
      25. 22nd State Convention, Fargo, 1959
      26. 23rd State Convention, Wahpeton, 1960
      27. 24th State Convention, Williston, 1961
      28. 25th State Convention, Bismarck, 1962
      29. 26th State Convention, Valley City, 1963
      30. 27th State Convention, Dickinson, 1964
      31. History and Yearbooks of the Bismarck Branch
      32. History and Yearbooks of the Devils Lake Branch
      33. History and Yearbooks of the Dickinson Branch
      34. History and Yearbooks of the Fargo Branch
      35. History and Yearbooks of the Grand Forks Branch

Box 4

Folder 1. History and Yearbooks of the Grafton Branch
       2. History and Yearbooks of the Jamestown Branch
       3. History and Yearbooks of the Mandan Branch
       4. History and Yearbooks of the Mayville Branch
       5. History and Yearbooks of the Minot Branch
       6. History and Yearbooks of the Valley City Branch
       7. History and Yearbooks of the Wahpeton Branch
       8. History and Yearbooks of the Williston Branch

-note: The remainder of this box contains folders and packets marked as "duplicate copies" They may well contain material that is missing from the regular files (Removed one copy of Grand Forks AAUW President's Report 1958-1959 to University Publications, 10/8/81)

Box 5

Folder 1. Minutes of the Board of Directors meeting, May 5, 1961 and May 5, 1962
       2. Notes on 1956-1958 by Dr. Anna Carlsen, state SEI chairman
       3. AAUW correspondence of SEI Committee
       4. Activities of state SEI Committee
       5. Histories of National AAUW and North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, 
Kentucky, and Nebraska Divisions. Also, a history of Fort Totten by Helen
Foughty of the Devils Lake branch is included.
       6. AAUW Journal for October, 1962
       7. U. S. Government pamphlets on consumer protection, aging, and books for 
the blind
       8. AAUW pamphlets on membership charter and Bylaws Program publications, and International Federation of University Women
       9. AAUW Leader's Handbook; A Guide for Officers and Chairmen
      10. General Director's Letter, a bulletin for state and branch officers and 
chairmen. Broken series, April, 1952-Sept., 1962
      11. Bulletins, kits, and material for SEI chairmen
      12. Mass-media material

 Original Donation  First Addition: 1931-1977
 Second Addition: 1961-1980 (Bulk Dates 1974-1979)  Third Addition: 1956-1974
 Fourth Addition: 1961-1982  Fifth Addition: 1916-1987 (Bulk Dates 1964-1984)
 Sixth Addition: 1980-1990  Seventh Addition: 1951-1991

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