IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
CORA CALL WHITLEY
(1862-1937)
PAPERS, 1917-1937
1.1 linear feet
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 226) were donated
by Whitley M. Hemingway, Cora
Call Whitley's grandson, in 1994. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
»Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PROCESSED
BY: |
Your name, year»Natalie S. Brody, 1995. |
Biography
Cora
Call Whitley, prominent conservationist and club woman, was born on May 7, 1862
in Rowelsburg, West Virginia, to the Reverend L.N. Call, a Baptist minister,
and Mary (Guyon) Call. The family moved
to Iowa in 1867 where Cora Call attended public school in Hampton and Webster
City, graduating from the Cedar Valley seminary in Osage. She taught high school in Webster City until
her marriage in 1882 to Dr. Francis E. Whitley. Their three children were Gladys, Grace, and Guyon. Dr. Whitley died in 1918 and Cora Whitley
remained in Webster City until her death in 1937. Cora Whitley was widely recognized for her pioneering role in
conservation, her organizational ability, and her gift as a speaker.
Whitley was
active in church organizations, local women's clubs, the Daughters of the
American Revolution (D.A.R). and numerous state and national
organizations. She was well-known for
her involvement during World War I as the state chairman for the Women's
Committee of the Council of National Defense, working to organize women in Iowa
for various phases of war work. She
also assumed leadership positions in the Federation of Women's Clubs of which
she served as Iowa president from 1915-1917.
Whitley later became a prominent national leader of the General
Federation of Women's Clubs' conservation activities. One of her special projects was the "Outdoor Good
Manners" campaign in 1925. Whitley
died on December 20, 1937. She was
honored for her conservation work with the establishment of the Whitley Forest
at Lake Ahquahi State Park, near Indianola, Iowa.
Scope and Content Note
The Cora Call Whitley papers date from 1917 to 1937 and measure 1.l linear feet. The papers
are arranged in three series: Biographical
information, Council of National Defense Women's Committee, and Conservation.
The Biographical information series (1921-1937)
contains newspaper clippings about Whitley's life and activities, some of her
writings and speeches, and correspondence not related to specific projects.
Whitley's activities during World War I are included in
the Council of National Defense Women's Committee series
(1915-1917). The series comprises
general information about the national and state organizations as well as
information about specific programs and committees, including the Child Welfare
Committee, Children's Year, and Weighing and Measuring Tests. Both the organizational and program
materials include correspondence, newspaper clippings and memoranda.
Whitley's environmental concerns are highlighted in the Conservation
series (1920-1936) which includes publications of the General Federation of
Women's Clubs; information on Iowa issues; and national concerns including the
"Outdoor Good Manners" campaign, forestry and tree planting programs
and the activities of the Izaak Walton League.
A number of pamphlets and publications on conservation issues completes
the series.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Biographical information
Correspondence, 1921-1935
and undated
Newspaper clippings,
1917-1937, scattered
Writings, speeches, 1924-1927
and undated
Photograph, 1920
Council of National Defense Women's Committee, 1917-1919
National organization
State organization
Correspondence (2 folders)
Newspaper clippings
Registration forms
Reports and minutes
Programs
Child Welfare Committee
General
Back-to-School Drive
Children's Year, 1918-1919
Health and Recreation
Protective Work for Girls
Student Nurse Reserve (2
folders)
Box 2
Thrift and Savings campaign
Weighing and Measuring Tests
(2 folders)
Woman's Land Army of America
Women in Industry
Other
Conservation
Cartoons, poems, 1925, 1928 and undated
Correspondence, 1924-1937 and undated
General Federation of Women's Clubs publications,
1916-1928
Iowa issues, 1922-1936
Izaak Walton League, 1923-1936 (scattered)
National
Cooper-Santee Project, S.C., 1935
Forestry, 1920-1922
Box 3
Issues, 1921-1936
Memorial Tree Planting, 1922-1927
Outdoor Good Manners, 1925
Pamphlets and publications, 1923-1936 and undated (2 folders)