MAUDE ESTHER WHITE (1913-2003)
PAPERS, 1957-1996
8 linear inches and
audiovisual material
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no.
277) were donated by Maude
Esther White in 1995 and succeeding years. |
|
ACCESS: |
The papers are open
for research. |
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AUDIOVISUAL: |
Four videocassettes shelved in videocassette collection (V56-V59) |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In box 2. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Natalie Brody, 1997. [WhiteMaude.doc]
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Biography
Maude Esther White was born on September
13, 1913, in Enterprise, Iowa, the daughter of the Reverend and Mrs. Grant W.
White, and one of nine children. Her
father founded the first black Methodist church in the town of Perry. She spent her early years in Perry and
graduated from high school there in 1932.
White moved to California, where she attended the
Frank Wiggins Secretarial School and worked for the city and county of Los
Angeles (1942-1944) and the California Department of Employment (1944-1950). In 1956 White enrolled at the University of
California-Berkeley, where she completed three years of work toward an
undergraduate degree. She spent a year
in Africa and returned to Iowa in 1964, receiving a B.A. in social science from
Drake University in Des Moines in 1966 and an M.A. in sociology in 1972. Her thesis was entitled “A Sociological
Inquiry into Black Leadership in Des Moines” and dealt with the effectiveness
of black leadership in education, employment, housing, and business.
From 1967 until her retirement in 1978, White was
employed in a variety of positions in the Iowa state government. She was a counselor with the Employment
Security Commission (now Job Service of Iowa) from 1967 to 1969, and coordinator
of the Model Cities program (1969-1973).
In 1973 she was appointed by Governor Robert Ray to be the first
affirmative action administrator for the Iowa Civil Rights Commission and
served in that position until her retirement.
All of these positions required that she work with people disadvantaged
in education, employment, housing and business.
After White retired, she became a substitute teacher
in the Des Moines public school system.
She soon realized that many of the students needed additional academic
assistance. In 1981 at the age of
sixty-nine she began her second career when she founded the Des Moines Tutoring
Center. Originally operated out of her
home, the center expanded to eleven sites, including several located in the Des
Moines elementary schools. A significant
number of the children were from low-income families referred to the program by
parents, teachers, or counselors.
Funding was provided by the United Way of Central Iowa, Des Moines
Housing and Community Development Office, individual donations, and
tuition. In 1993 the Tutoring Center
became an affiliate of Children and Families of Iowa. At the age of eighty White retired from the
center.
White has been widely recognized for
her many achievements and contributions to the community. Among her many honors are the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) President's Award for
Providing Excellence in Education (1983); Young Women's Christian Association
(YWCA) Women of Achievement (1988); honorary doctorate of laws degree from
Grand View College, Des Moines (1994); Friend of the Children Award, Coalition
for Family and Children's Services In Iowa (1994); the National Conference of
Christians and Jews Brotherhood/Sisterhood Award (1996); and the Cristine Wilson Medal for Equality and Justice from the
Iowa Commission on the Status of Women (1996).
In 1995 Grand View
College
established the Maude Esther White Endowed Scholarship. She has also been nominated for induction
into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame.
White has written position papers for many
organizations and participated in task forces for government and civic
organizations. She lectures widely, has
written newspaper columns, booklets, and manuals and has served on numerous
boards and commissions, including the American Association of University Women
(AAUW), Drake Alumni Association, and Girl Scouts of America. She is a past president of the Des Moines
Branch of the NAACP and chaired the Iowa Commission on the Status of
African-Americans.
Scope and
Content Note
The Maude Esther White papers date from 1957 to 1996 and measure 8 linear inches.
The papers are arranged in five series: Biographical
information, Correspondence, Des Moines Tutoring Center, Iowa Commission on the
Status of African-Americans, and Photographs.
The Biographical information series (1966, 1972-1996) comprises materials
about Maude White's life, including newspaper clippings and articles about and
by White and her family. Awards,
certificates of honor, and nomination materials for the Iowa Women's Hall of
Fame complete the series.
The Correspondence series (1976-1996) consists primarily of personal
notes of appreciation and congratulations to Maude White.
Materials about the Des Moines
Tutoring Center and statistical reports on the Center are represented in the Des Moines Tutoring Center series
(1984-1993). Four videocassettes are
devoted to Center programs, including the Asian program, the Model Cities
program, one at the YWCA, and a program, "Reaching for the Stars Without Drugs."
A short interview with White is also included.
The series Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans (1991, 1995)
includes the research report on education written by the educational and
cultural committee, which White chaired.
The Photographs series (1957-1989 and undated) includes some family
photographs but comprises primarily snapshots and slides of Tutoring Center
activities. Most of the photographs have
been disbound from a scrapbook. A sample of these photographs was selected to
illustrate the various activities of the Tutoring Center.
It
includes photographs of Maude White, her colleagues and students at the Center,
as well as the field trips and recreational activities sponsored by the Center.
Box 1
Biographical information
General, 1966, 1976-1994
Awards, 1972-1996
Grand View College honorary
degree, 1994
Iowa Women's Hall of Fame
nomination, 1993, 1995
"A Sociological Inquiry
into Black Leadership in Des Moines," M.A. thesis, Drake University,
August 1972 [shelved in printed works collection]
Correspondence
1976-1996
Des Moines Tutoring Center
General materials, 1984-1993
Programs
Videocassettes [shelved in
videocassette collection]
Asian program, Willkie House, undated (VHS, 10 minutes) [V56]
YMCA tutoring program, July
l, 1991 (VHS, 60 minutes) [V57]
Model City tutoring program,
June 1991, (VHS 60 minutes) [V58]
"Reaching for the Stars
Without Drugs" and Maude White interview, May
1990 (VHS, 7 minutes) [V59]
Reports, 1991, 1992
Iowa Commission on the Status of African-Americans
Correspondence and reports,
"Education Roundtable: Findings and Recommendations" and
"Educational Committee Task Force Overview," 1991-1995
Box
2
Photographs
Family, 1957-1989 and
undated
Des Moines tutoring program,
1984-1985 and undated
White, Maude
Tutoring Center
Individuals and groups
Field trips and recreation
Slides, Tutoring Center,
1984-1985