IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
PROFESSIONAL WOMEN'S LEAGUE
(DES MOINES, IOWA)
RECORDS, 1903-2000
2.2 linear feet
|
ACQUISITION: |
The records
(donor no. 172) were donated by the Professional Women's League in 1993 and
succeeding years. |
|
ACCESS: |
The records
are open for research. |
|
COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University
of Iowa. |
|
PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In box 5. |
|
PROCESSED BY: |
George Mullally, 1993. |
History
The Professional Women's
League was founded in Des Moines, Iowa by Dr. Lucy Busenbark Harbach in January
1900. An organizational meeting was
held on January 1, 1900 in the office of Dr. Edith Gould Fosnes to which
"seven or eight women responded."
At the first official meeting, held on January 8, 1900, Rev. Mary A.
Safford, minister of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines, was elected
president and the constitution and by-laws adopted.
The purpose of the League was "to contribute to
the social and intellectual life of its members, and to promote a spirit of
fellowship among women in the professions." In 1944 a second clause was added: "to work for the welfare
of the city in all public activities and civic affairs, and to participate in
community projects." Two final
clauses were added in 1958: 1) "to enhance the role and further the
welfare of professional women" and 2) "to participate in activities
for the improvement of education, health, welfare, civic and community action,
human relations, interest in government and world understanding." These goals were promoted by means of
regularly organized social events; by monthly meetings at which programs on
wide-ranging subjects were presented and debated, e.g., juvenile delinquency,
civic government in Des Moines, world democracy, and advances in the various
professions; and by activities such as that favored during World War II, the
preparation of CARE food packages for shipment to European countries.
Membership was by invitation only
and care was taken not to allow any one profession to predominate. Initially limited to doctors, lawyers, and
ministers, by 1927 the list of named professions had been expanded to include
teachers, librarians, journalists, artists, and musicians. In 1944 the list of named professions was
abandoned in favor of the following statement: "The membership of the
League shall consist of professionally qualified women who are engaged in
intellectual pursuits as a livelihood."
Membership initially was limited to twenty-five
resident members. The League enjoyed
its largest membership from the late 1920's to the early 1940's, reaching its
highest membership, 59, in 1931.
Scope and Content Note
The Professional Women's League records
date from 1903 to 1998 and measure 2.2 linear feet. The bulk of the material dates from 1907 to 1975. The records are arranged in three series:
Administrative files, Program files, and Photographs and slides.
The Administrative files series is
divided into six subseries: History, Constitution and by-laws (1903-1970),
Membership records, Secretary's reports, Treasurer's reports, and
Yearbooks. The subseries History
includes several histories written in the 1910's by members of the League. For the fullest history of the League's
activities researchers must consult the Yearbooks within this series and the
Banquet programs within the Program files series. Researchers should also consult especially
the three papers presented at the 50th Anniversary Party, 1950, by Sara Nollen,
Eva Page, and Georgie Easter in the Papers and plays subseries.
The Membership records include Summary
information; Biographical data by or about five League members, Alice Conger
Hunter, Margaret McKee, Claribel S. Proudfit, Mary A. Safford, and Agnes
Samuelson; and Toasts and memorials to deceased members (1924-1931) by Margaret
McKee, Blanche Wingate, and Ora Williams.
The Secretary's reports (1914-1961)
contain, in addition to the minutes of the monthly meetings, occasional
duplicates of annual and Christmas banquet programs and of monthly treasurer's
reports as well as newspaper clippings.
The Secretary's reports for the years 1900 to 1914, 1934 to 1945, and from
1961 to the present are missing. Also
included in this subseries is the League's correspondence, interfiled
chronologically within the reports.
The Treasurer's reports (1926-1966) are
complete in notebook form from 1926 to 1963 and include as well separately
prepared annual reports and auditors' reports for scattered years between 1948
and 1962. The years 1962 to 1966 are
documented only by means of bank statements and a tentative budget.
The final subseries, Yearbooks
(1907/08-1997/98), is perhaps the heart of this collection, at least in terms
of League membership and in the range of program topics. The normal format lists the current board
members' names, the year's committees and committee members, the program to be
presented at each month's meeting, and a full directory of members. Beginning with the 1917/1918 yearbook,
membership was divided into "Active" and "Non-Active"
categories, the latter including both non-resident members and in later years
retired and inactive members still residing in Des Moines. Next is presented a list of the fourteen
charter members and the past presidents and toastmistrisses. Finally, the "In Memoriam" section
lists the names of deceased members, arranged by date of death. This subseries is particularly important for
showing the broad range of topics and activities of interest to the League.
The Program files series consists
of three subseries: Banquet programs, Papers and plays, and Scrapbooks. The Banquet programs are comprised of Annual
programs (1903-1973) and Christmas programs (1958-1972, incomplete). The former group is normally identified as
the "Annual banquet" but is occasionally referred to in the programs
as "Anniversary dinner" or "Guest night dinner" or some
combination thereof. Researchers should
note that several programs missing from this subseries of separate programs
will be found in the Scrapbooks subseries.
The
subseries Papers and plays (1910-1986) contains papers, programs, and reports
presented at the League's monthly meetings as well as plays, skits, and musical
programs presented at its annual banquets.
The researcher must consult the Yearbooks subseries for the complete
listing of programs presented. Some
noteworthy documents that have been preserved include a burlesque of the state
senate as it might appear in 1935 (1926), the drama "Ban her" (1927),
and discussions of Des Moines' city government (1940/41).
The
final subseries, Scrapbooks (1910-1975), contains correspondence, newspaper
clippings, and programs of musical performances and other programs presented at
monthly meetings as well as duplicate yearbooks and banquet programs.
A
publication received with these records, Sketches of Historic Iowa, by
Harriet P. Macy, a member of the League (Ames, Iowa : Carter Press, 1969) is
cataloged separately.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Administrative files
History, 1913-1985
Constitution and by-laws,
1903-1970
Membership records
Summary information
Biographical data
Hunter, Alice Conger
McKee, Margaret
Proudfit, Claribel S.
Safford, Mary A.
Samuelson, Agnes
Toasts and memorials, 1924,
1930-31
Secretary's reports
Minutes and correspondence
1914/15-1933/34 (6 folders)
Box
2
1945/46-1960/61 (2 folders)
Correspondence, 1980-1983
Treasurer's reports
1926/27-1962/63 (2 folders)
Annual reports and Auditors'
reports,
1948-1962 (scattered)
Bank statements and Budget,
1962-1966 (incomplete)
Yearbooks
1907/08-1936/37 (2 folders)
Box
3
1939/40-1972/73 (4 folders)
1974/75, 1980/81-1999/2000
(2 folders)
Program files
Banquet programs
Annual
1903-1923 (incomplete)
1924-1947 (lacking 1934,
1936; no banquets
held 1942-1946)
1950-1973 (scattered)
Christmas, 1958-1959,
1967-1972
Papers and plays
(incomplete)
1910-1914
1926-1929 (3 folders)
[original 1928 scroll in separate folder]
1933
Box
4
1940-1941 (2 folders) [includes
city government discussion papers]
1948-1950
1953-1986 (scattered)
Undated
Scrapbooks
1910-1931 (2 folders)
1931-1950
1951-1954 (4 folders)
Box
5
1955-1975 (18 folders)
Newspaper clippings
Photographs and slides, 1920s-1971 (2 folders)
Photographs:
von Petzold,
Dr. Gertrude (Unitarian minister)
Safford, Mary
A., and Marie H. Jenney
Penseur Club
(group photo)
Women in
costumes [some in blackface]
Carries,
Eleanor, at potting wheel, 1971
Guest dinner,
May18, 1957, group photo
Anniversary dinner, April 15, 1966 "Every Decade" (20 color
snapshots) in costumes
Annual
breakfast, Hune 4, 1967 (16 color snapshots)
Slides:
Gay Nineties
party, 1945 (6 slides)