IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
ALDEEN DAVIS (1916- )
PAPERS, 1954-1995
1.5 linear feet and
audiovisual material
|
ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 382) were donated by Aldeen Davis in 1996 and
1998. |
|
ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
|
AUDIOVISUAL: |
One audiocassette shelved in audiocassette collection (AC357); two videocassettes shelved in videocassette collection (V101, V102). |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In boxes 1, 2, and 3. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
Lindsay Jones, 1998. [DavisAldeen.doc] |
|
REVISION: |
January 27, 1999, Robert Jett. |
Biography
Aldeen Jones Davis, writer and community activist,
was born in Centerville, Iowa, in 1916.
She married William Davis in 1939 and later moved to Muscatine. She belonged to several African-American
women’s clubs: the Sue M. Brown
Federated Women’s Club; Semper Fidelis Federated Women’s Club, of which she was
president from 1964 to 1965; and the Muscatine Federated Women’s Club, of which
she was a charter member. In 1978 she
began writing a column on African-American history and modern life for the Muscatine Journal entitled “Soul Food
and Thought,” which ran until 1990. In
1984 Davis published Soul Food for
Thought, a book-length compilation of some of her articles. She wrote regularly for the Iowa Bystander, a long-running
African-American-owned newspaper, and the Muscatine
Journal. She published several
articles in Prime Time, a publication
for Iowa senior citizens, from 1988 to 1990.
Davis’s numerous contributions to her community
included serving on the Muscatine Human Rights Commission and the Equity
Committee of the school board. She also
served on the Muscatine Public Library board from 1977 to 1983.
Davis was a dietary supervisor at a nursing home and
designed workshops to train others in nursing home nutrition. She was an active member of the Muscatine
Garden Club, serving as historian, and was president of the Muscatine Herb Pals
from 1982 to 1994. She taught classes
at Muscatine Community College, and was a member of the Writers on the Avenue
group, a group of Iowa and Illinois writers devoted to critiquing and
publishing members’ work. She took up
painting after retiring in the late 1970s, and photographs of her work can be
found in box 1.
Scope and
Content Note
The Aldeen Davis papers date from 1954 to 1995 and measure 1.5 linear feet. The papers are arranged in 8
series:
Personal (undated) includes
biographical sketch of Davis and biographical notes by Davis.
Community organizations (1954-1992) includes
involvement in church, club, and civic activities. The earliest entry in this series, the Bethel A.M.E. Sunday School
record, details the revitalization of the school, one of Davis’s first
community service activities. The
series also includes records from the Semper Fidelis Federated Women’s Club;
by-laws, correspondence, reports, and minutes of the Muscatine Federated
Women’s Club; and scattered records from various civic activities, including
the Equity Committee, the Muscatine Human Rights Committee, and the Muscatine
Public Library Board.
Scope and Content Note (cont.)
Interviews (undated) contains two
videotaped interviews of Davis. The
“Touchstone” interview was broadcast on Iowa Public Television.
Awards and
presentations
(1989-1992) includes the Governor’s Volunteer Award and other honors Davis
received, primarily from 1989 to 1992.
It also contains photographs of Davis’s art (c. 1989).
Educational
activities
(1977-1993) includes classes given and participated in by Davis. Davis participated in an intergenerational
writing project which paired senior citizens with elementary school children. The series also includes two Writers on the
Avenue publications.
Newspaper
clippings and manuscripts (1975-1992) contains Davis’s written work unrelated to “Soul Food for
Thought.” These articles were published
in the Iowa Bystander, the Muscatine
Journal, and Prime Time.
Soul Food for Thought (book) (1984) includes a copy of Soul
Food for Thought, published in 1984, and correspondence and public response
to it. [Soul Food for Thought is shelved in the printed works collection in
the Iowa Women’s Archives; an additional copy can be found in the Iowa Authors
Collection in Special Collections.]
“Soul Food and
Thought” (column) (1978-1991) contains clippings and manuscripts of Davis’s long-running
column. In one of her scrapbooks, Davis
notes, “’Soul—Food and Thought’ first appeared in August of 1978 in the Muscatine Journal. It was picked up soon after by the Common Bond—Davenport and the Iowa Bystander—Des Moines[,] both Black
Publications. The Common Bond is no longer in existence, and the Iowa Bystander could no longer afford to pay for the column.” The scrapbook in box 5 is dated from 1982 to
1988 but contains only material from 1982 to 1985.
Related Collections
Billie Lloyd papers
Daughter of Aldeen Davis.
Muscatine Artists in Action
Davis
wrote with its subgroup, Writers on the Avenue.
Muscatine Garden Club records
Davis
was an active member and donated the records in 1996.
Muscatine Herb Pals records
Davis was an active member of the group for many
years and was president from 1982 to 1994.
Seasoned Citizens
Davis’ writings are included in several issues.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Personal
Biographical material,
undated
Community organizations
Bethel A.M.E. Sunday School
record, 1954
“Muscatine Black Families
and the A.M.E. Church,” undated
[shelved in audiocassette collection: AC357]
Semper Fidelis Federated
Women’s Club, 1965
Scrapbook, 1964-1965
[oversize: in box 3]
National Notes, December 1965
Muscatine Federated Women’s
Club
Formation, 1967-1971 and
undated
Scrapbook (disbound, 2
folders), 1967-1971
Civic committees and boards,
1969-1992
Muscatine Herb Pals,
1984-1992
Interviews
“Touchstone,” WOC Midday, undated (29 minutes)
[shelved in
videocassette collection:
V101]
Iowa Commission on Aging—Interview
with Aldeen Davis, undated
(27 minutes) [shelved in
videocassette collection: V102]
Awards and presentations
Governor’s Volunteer Award,
1989
Miscellaneous presentations,
awards, and art, 1989-1991
Educational activities
Classes and workshops,
1977-1982 and undated
Intergenerational writing
project, 1989
Writers on the Avenue, 1991,
1993
Box 2
Newspaper clippings and manuscripts
1975-1984
1988-1992
Undated
Soul Food for Thought (book)
Soul Food for Thought
by Aldeen Davis (PiP Copy Center, 1984,
paperback) [shelved in
printed works collection]
Correspondence and related
material, 1984
“Soul Food and Thought” (column)
Scrapbooks
1978-1981 [oversize: in box
4]
1982-1985 [oversize: in box
5]
1986
1987
1988
Retrospective (10 years),
1988
1989
1990
1991
Undated
Box 3
Oversize:
Community organizations
Muscatine Federated Women’s
Club
Scrapbook, 1964-1965
Box 4
“Soul Food for Thought”
(column)
Scrapbooks
1978-1982
Box 5
1982-1985