IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
PAULINE
LYON (1922- )
PAPERS, 1884-1994
1 linear foot and audiovisual material
ACQUISITION: The papers (donor no. 283) were donated by Pauline Lyon in
1995.
ACCESS: The papers are open for research. Box 3 is currently on loan to the donor and will be unavailable for research use until May 2008.
ARTIFACTS: In box 2.
AUDIOVISUAL: Two audiocassettes shelved in audiovisual collection (AC325 and AC326). One videocassette shelved in videocassette collection (V90).
COPYRIGHT: Copyright held by the donor has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
PHOTOGRAPHS: In boxes 1 and 2.
PROCESSED BY: Kristen Rassbach, 1996.
Biography
Pauline Dryden Lyon was born on November 18, 1922 in Waterloo, Iowa, to Clifford and Grace Dryden. After graduating from high school in 1941 Dryden decided that she needed to make a contribution to the war effort and joined the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1943. She began her naval training in New York City and completed her education in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She served as a WAVES Yeoman second class in charge of advancement in rating of enlisted personnel at the Ottumwa Naval Air Station in Ottumwa, Iowa, from 1943 to 1946.
Much of the rest of Lyon's career was spent in the service of the Black Hawk county chapter of the American Red Cross. She served both in volunteer and professional capacities. Several of the positions she held were assistant director of the Black Hawk county chapter, director of Service to Military Families, Volunteers, and Youth, which she held from 1971 to 1977, and director of donor resources and development, which she held from 1977 until her retirement in 1984.
Scope and Content Note
The Pauline Lyon papers date from 1884 to 1994 and measure 1 linear foot. The papers are arranged in three series: Personal, American Red Cross, and Military.
The Personal series (1884, 1909, 1922-1994 and undated) consists of Lyon's birth announcement, school records, biographical writings, family information, personal correspondence and Christmas letters, and skits and speeches she wrote. Also contained in this series are scrapbooks and photo albums from her youth, a record of her wedding, and many family photographs. The 1884 document is Lyon's father's birth certificate, and the 1909 document is her mother's graduation announcement.
The American Red Cross series (1959-1988 and undated) contains materials from Lyon's American Red Cross experiences. There is general Red Cross information, a listing of her job responsibilities, honors and certifications, newsletters she created and contributed to, and buttons promoting Red Cross blood donation. Correspondence created in her position as director of donor resources is also included.
The Military series (1943-1995 and undated) consists of Lyon's memorabilia about the Navy in World War II and the WAVES in particular. There are pages of scrapbooks, newsletters, correspondence about naval and WAVES matters, photographs, and recruiting posters. Lyon also taped her memories of her World War II experiences on audiocassette; the tape is included here, as is a videocassette on the history of and war experience at the Ottumwa Naval Air Base.
Related Collections
Muriel Anne Dryden papers (Lyon's sister) .
Box no. Description
Box 1
Personal
Birth announcement, 1922
Biographical writings
"By Polly Dryden,
Yeoman, second class," undated
Resume, undated
"World War Two
Memories of a Navy WAVE," undated
Correspondence
1931-1991 and undated
Christmas letters,
1980-1981, 1985, 1989-1992, and undated
Education
High school diploma, 1941
Newspaper clippings and
memorabilia, 1938-1941
Report cards, 1928-1947
Family
Parents
Important documents, 1884, 1909, 1960 and undated
IMemorial services, 1960, 1973
Extended family
Newspaper clippings, 1947-1948 and undated
Interests, 1970-1971 and undated
Skits, speeches, and stories, 1985-1986 and undated
Scrapbooks
Childhood, 1922-1939 and
undated
High school, 1939-1941
and undated
Box 2
Wedding
Newspaper clippings, 1953
Invitation, 1953
Guest book, 1953
Photographs
Album, 1935-1939
1923-1985 and undated (2
folders)
American Red Cross
Buttons, undated
Correspondence, 1959-1991 and undated
General Red Cross information, 1977, 1984 and
undated
Job responsibilities, undated
Newspaper clippings, 1977 and undated
Red Cross certifications, 1969-1988
Newsletters
Life Savers, 1985
The People Next Door,
1983-1984
Retirement
Program, 1985
Newspaper clippings, 1985
Box 3 [Unavailable for research use November 2007-May 2008]
Military
Correspondence, 1987-1994
Navy memorabilia
For Service Women in New
York City, 1943
Newspaper clippings,
1943-1994
5 Sullivan Brothers
Convention Center Dedication program, 1988
The Sullivan Family of
Waterloo, 1988
Newsletters
Five Season WAVES,
1990-1991
White Caps: The
Newsletter for WAVES National, 1993
Ottumwa Naval Air Station, undated [shelved
in videocassette collection: V90]
WAVES and navy photographs, 1944 and undated
WAVES memorabilia, 1943-1988
How to serve your country
in the WAVES, undated
Newspaper clippings,
1944, 1994 and undated
Official papers, 1943
"The Old Gold"
yearbook, 1943-1944
Scrapbook pages, 1943,
1944 and undated
Scrapbook, undated
WAVES national convention, 1994
Women in the military
Calendars, 1992, 1995
Reprints of recruiting
posters, undated
"World War Two Memories of a Navy
WAVE"
(taped reminiscences of
Pauline Lyon), undated [shelved in audiocassette
collection: AC325 and AC326]