IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
QUOTA CLUB (SIOUX CITY)
RECORDS, 1960-1997
1.25 linear feet
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ACQUISITION: |
The records (donor
no. 470) were donated by the club in 1997. |
|
ACCESS: |
The records are open
for research. |
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ARTIFACTS: |
In box 3. |
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AUDIOVISUAL: |
One audiocassette shelved in audiocassette collection (AC467). |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has not been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In box 3. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Lindsay Jones, 1998; Jamie Nelson, 1999. [Word 7, QuotaClub.doc] |
History
Quota International, a professional women’s service
club, was formed in 1919 in Buffalo, New York.
The founder, Wanda Frey Joiner, had attended a special “ladies night” of
the local Kiwanis club in 1918 and decided that a similar classified service
club would be of benefit to executive women and the community.
First Impressions, a new member orientation
handbook (in box 1) states:
Quota International, Incorporated, is a non-profit,
nonpartisan, nonsectarian organization of executive business and professional
women and men dedicated to a common cause—helping those in need. Organized in twelve countries, Quota
International links its members of all ages, occupations, and nationalities in
a worldwide network of service and friendship. . . . The Latin word “quota”
refers to the proportional share of one part to a whole. The founders of Quota knew that they wanted
to share their talents with the world’s less fortunate.
The
club is active in community and world service, with special emphasis on hearing
and speech aid (adopted in the 1970s as Quota International’s unified service
project).
Eligibility in Quota International was originally
based upon a potential member’s job title and caliber of position. Quota International sought the
representation of executive women from various professions, and classified its
members by the type of business, government office or professional office that
the member owned, managed or represented.
Eligibility requirements were changed in the mid 1990s to permit
retirees to belong. The classification
of members was also discontinued, though Quota International still seeks
members from diverse backgrounds.
The Sioux City club was formed before 1935, and in
1996 had the largest membership of any Quota Club in the world. Its projects have included hosting parties
and activity nights for senior citizens and the disabled, funding Girl Scout
camp scholarships, and hosting an annual luncheon honoring female ninth grade
students in the Sioux City area for improvements in their academic work.
In 1989, the Quota International articles of
incorporation were amended to delete gender references. While Quota International has opened its
doors to male members, both regional and national materials demonstrate that
Quota International is a club dedicated to the leadership, teamwork and service
of women.
Scope and
Content Note
The Quota Club (Sioux City) records date from 1960 to 1997 and measure 1.25 linear feet. The records
are arranged in eight series: General, Committee reports, Service committee, Minutes,
Seventh District, Quota International Convention, Photographs and Artifacts.
The General series (1981-1997) contains new member orientation
materials, a Quota International resource book for club presidents, and a
club-produced resource booklet for the hearing-impaired in Sioux City. It also contains Sioux City mayoral
proclamations for “Sioux City Quota Club Week” (November 11-17, 1985) and
“Better Hearing and Speech Month” (May 1986).
Correspondence (1983-1985), flyers from the national Quota Club office
(1996), a national club directory (1996), miscellaneous paperwork (1987-1988),
and an audio tape of a motivational song from 1996, “Everyday Gift,” which is
housed in the audiocassette collection [AC467], are also included in this
series.
The Committee
reports series contains reports from all committees in the 1981-1982 and
1982-1983 fiscal years, as well as comparable reports from 1992-1994. These records are useful in analyzing the
changes the club experienced during this period. The committees represented are: Attendance; Bylaws; Civic and
Public Affairs; Finance; Hospitality and Big Sister; House; Membership;
Program; Promotion; Publicity; Shatter Silence; Special Events; Welfare; and
Yearbook.
Reports from the program and special events
committees detail the activities and entertainment at the monthly
meetings. The 1981-1983 reports from
the House committee, responsible for lunch reservations and menu selection,
contain menu information and correspondence from hotel restaurant staff about
the unique food requests of a “ladies” group. The 1992-1994 subseries contains a menu listing for all luncheons
during the 1993-1994 fiscal year. The
Shatter Silence committee’s coloring book entitled “Ear Care,” which was
distributed to first graders, can be found in the 1992-1994 subseries.
The Service
committee series (1960-1983, 1992-1993) records the extensive community
service which club members undertook over the years from 1960 to 1983 and 1992
to 1993. Records for some years are
lacking. Records include charts of
volunteer hours, donations, menus and lists of door prizes, as well as
narrative descriptions of activities and attendance. While the Service Committee had a variety of interests, including
aid to the hearing impaired, the elderly, and the developmentally disabled,
their especial project was supporting the achievement of young women.
The annual Honors Luncheon commended the efforts and
accomplishments of two-ninth grade girls from each Sioux City area school. The luncheons were held at hotel ballrooms
and restaurants and usually featured a guest lecturer or entertainment. Newspaper clippings and committee reports
show that topics ranged from lectures on the
Scope and
Content Note (cont.)
care
of “new fabrics” (1964), to home movies of Europe (1966), to a ukulele player
advertised as a “man who can feel your feelings” (1971). Records of luncheon planning provide a
window into the etiquette and social graces of the Quota Club women during the
1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The records
from 1992-1993 are not as extensive.
The Minutes
series (1979-1984 and 1993) contains minutes of board and business
meetings. These minutes are concise and
administrative in nature. They provide
a synopsis of committee activities as well as detail the financial health of
the Quota Club.
The Seventh District series contains records of regional Quota Clubs
and the annual district conferences.
The 1971 Conference and the 1979 Conference (1978-1979)
subseries contain planning materials from the 36th and 44th
Annual Seventh District Conferences, which were hosted by the Sioux City
club. The 1971 Conference
contains various receipts and financial records. The 1979 Conference material is heavier on scheduling and
program content. Yearbooks
(1991-1995) contains mailing lists and general information from Sioux City and
other clubs in the district. The Conferences
subseries (1978-1996, lacking 1981, 1985-1991) contains the official minutes
from the annual district conferences.
The conference minutes situate the Sioux City Quota Club in the regional
organization and provide a comparison of activities, service hours, and
fundraising among the clubs in the district.
The Quota International Convention series (1996) contains the 1996
international convention notebook.
The Photographs series (1962, 1969, and undated) contains three
photographs of Sioux City Quota Club members at district conferences and at the
1969 national convention in Washington, D.C. with Iowa congressman Wiley Mayne.
The Artifacts series (undated) contains labels reading “Quota International
serves the hearing & speech handicapped”, a large decal, and a sheet of
Quota Club stationery with an envelope.
Box no. Description
Box 1
General
Club Directory, 1996
Correspondence, 1983-1985
“Everyday Gift,” 1996 (2:52)
[housed in audiocassette collection: AC467
First Impression, new member orientation handbook, 1992
Flyers, 1996-1997
Hearing-impaired resource
booklet, 1992
President’s manual, 1993
Proclamations
“Sioux City Quota Club Week” (November 11-17,
1985)
“Better Hearing and Speech Month” (May 1986)
Miscellaneous, 1981-1988
Committee reports
1981-1983
1992-1994
Service Committee
1960-1964
1964-1971 (lacking 1968)
1973-1976
1977-1983 (lacking 1981)
1992-1993
Box 2
Minutes
Board meetings, 1979-1984
Business meetings, 1979-1984
Board and business meetings,
1993
Seventh District
1971 conference
1979 conference, 1978-1979
Yearbooks, 1991-1995
Conferences
Official minutes
1978-1982 (lacking 1981) (4 folders)
Box 3
1983-1984 (2 folders)
1992-1996 (5 folders)
Quota International
Convention
Notebook, 1996
Photographs, 1962, 1969, and undated
[includes Wiley Mayne]
Artifacts
Stickers, undated
Quota Club stationery,
undated