IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
MARY ELIZABETH WOOD
(1902-1998)
PAPERS, 1920-1998
2.5 linear feet and artifacts
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 365) were donated by Mary Elizabeth Wood in 1996. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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AUDIOVISUAL |
Three audiocassettes
shelved in audiocassette collection:
AC364-AC366. |
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ARTIFACTS |
In box 7. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PHOTOGRAPHS: |
In box 6. |
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PROCESSED BY: REVISIONS BY: |
Randel W. Lackore, 1997. Eugenia M. Hernández, 2000 [Word 7 WoodMaryE.doc] |
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Biography
Mary
Elizabeth Wood, educator, certified social worker, and Young Women’s Christian Association
(YWCA) administrator, was born August 28, 1902, in Des Moines. Her parents were Emmett and Rose Wood, who
instilled in their six daughters and three sons the importance of education. Every night when the family gathered for
dinner, each had to describe something they had learned or done that day. “If you hadn’t done anything or learned
anything you were in hot water,” recalled Wood (Des Moines Register, April 6, 1995).
Wood grew up in
Des Moines and graduated from East High School in 1920 and Drake University in
1924, the only African-American in her graduating class at each
institution. With a teaching
certificate from Drake she was offered a job at Houston College in Texas, where
she taught for a year before becoming the director of the youth program for the
African-American branch of the Tulsa, Oklahoma, YWCA. Wood received her M.A. in Community Organization from New York
University in 1946. In 1949, Wood was
one of six American YWCA leaders chosen to attend a six-week Leadership
Training Institute in Geneva, Switzerland.
Wood worked at YWCA branches in Denver, Newark and Philadelphia before
her appointment as metropolitan executive director of the YWCA of Buffalo and
Erie County, New York, in 1957. She was
the first African-American woman to hold such a post. In 1968 she became metropolitan executive director of the YWCA of
Greater Pittsburgh, working there until her retirement in 1972. After her retirement Mary Wood served as a
consultant to the National Board of the YWCA, helping the association assess
the progress of branches in implementing “the one imperative: to eliminate racism.” Throughout her life Mary Wood has received
many honors and awards for her professional service and in 1996 she was
inducted into the Iowa Women’s Hall of Fame.
Scope and Content Note
The
Mary Elizabeth Wood papers date
from 1920 to 1996 and measure
2.5 linear feet. The papers
are arranged in five series: Personal information; Church, civic groups, and clubs; Honors and
recognition; Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA); and Photographs. The bulk of the collection is related to
Wood’s work as an administrator at the Buffalo, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh
YWCAs.
The Personal information series (1941-1996)
contains Wood’s personal correspondence as well as some of her poetry, most of
which was included in her annual Christmas letter. Of interest are a drawing and Lenten letter sent out by Wood after
she had a near-death experience in 1992.
There is also the transcript of an oral history interview conducted in
1997 by the Iowa Women's Archives as part of the “Giving Voice to Their
Memories: Oral Histories of African-American Women in Iowa” project.
The Church, civic groups and clubs series
(1958-1996) contains files that reflect Wood’s involvement in her church and
community. The files related to the
Health and Welfare Planning Association and the 1977 Conference on Aging
indicate her concern for the elderly.
The Honors and recognition series (1920-1982)
contains Wood’s diplomas and many certificates and awards she received in
recognition of her professional service to the community, as well as her church
involvement and charitable giving.
The Young Women’s Christian Association series
(1941-1995) is divided into two subseries:
Consultant and Director. The
Consultant subseries contains materials documenting Wood’s work as a volunteer
for the national board of the YWCA after her retirement. The Director subseries chronicles Wood’s
professional career at the Buffalo, Newark, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh YWCAs.
The Photographs series (1925-1996) illustrates
events from Mary Wood’s adult life. The
Des Moines folder contains an undated group photograph of the Des Moines Junior
NAACP chapter probably from the 1920s.
Of interest are two panoramic photographs that document Wood’s earliest
work. One photograph features the
students and staff of Houston College (Houston, Texas), where Wood was first
employed after graduation from Drake University. The second panoramic photograph shows Wood and other attendees at
the National YWCA Conference in Frankfort, Kentucky in 1926.
Box no. Description
Box 1
Personal information
Class assignment, 1945
Correspondence
General, 1936-1996
Drake University, 1961-1996
Creative writing class, 1991
Diary, undated
Funeral program, 1998
Graphology analysis, 1956-1957
“The Impact of the War on College Women” by
Mary Elizabeth Wood, Journal of the
National Association of College Women, 1941-1943
Insurance policy, driver’s
licenses and registration, 1932-1961
Monthly minder, 1991
Newspaper clippings,
1983-1997 [oversized shelved in map case]
New York University,
1939-1943
Notes, 1975-1993
Oral history transcript: “Giving Voice to Their Memories: Oral Histories of African-American Women in
Iowa,” transcript, 1997
Passport, 1978
Poetry, 1972-1996 [including
oversized shelved in map case]
Poetry group, undated
Resume, 1954(?)
Undergraduate transcript,
Drake University ‘24
University of the State of
New York Bulletin, 1969
Box 2
Church, civic groups, and
clubs
Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh
100th anniversary
Memorabilia, 1994
Newspaper clippings, 1994
[oversized shelved in map case]
Administrative materials, 1982-1998
Correspondence, 1982-1996 and undated
Devotions, 1981
Program yearbooks, 1977/78-1994/95
Television soap opera presentation, 1976-1977
Gertrude E. Rush Award Dinner, 1982
Health and Welfare Planning Association (HWPA)
“Area-Wide Model Project for Aging” staff report, 1973
Long-term care planning proposal, 1979
Memoranda, 1977-1979
“Some Comments on Allegheny County’s Plan for
the Replacement of John J. Kane Hospital,” 1978
Working papers
Elderly Homeowners’ Association Project, 1978
Health education, 1979
Housing alternatives, 1979
In-home care, 1977-1979
Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance,
1989-1994 [including oversized shelved in map case]
Miscellaneous, undated
Mount Ararat Baptist Church (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Budget Manual, 1977
Catalog, 1989-1990
Cooperative Venture: Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary and Mount Ararat Baptist Church Committee, 1981-1994
Church retreat, 1978
Farewell tribute, 1993
Installation service for Rev. Donald O. Clay Jr., undated
Newspaper clippings, 1961, 1986
Neighborhood census, 1970
Women’s Day services, 1958-1975
1977 Conference on Aging (Hershey, Pennsylvania), 1977
Planned Parenthood Center of Pittsburgh, Inc., 1977-1979
Box 3
Honors and recognition
Certificates, 1922-1996 [including oversized
shelved in map case]
Diplomas, 1920-1968 [oversized: shelved in map case]
New York University commencement, 1946
Young Women’s Christian
Association
Consultant
Cincinnati, Ohio, 1976
Communications National Board, 1981
Correspondence
1972-1977
1984-1987
Eastern regional conference council of urban league guilds, 1974
Invitation to serve as a national volunteer on special assignment, 1974
Management function workshop Lexington, Kentucky, 1974
“Mary Wood,” Courier Page (Black Aged Special Edition) by Ron Suber
National board reports, 1973-1974
Notes, undated
One imperative YWCA action audit for change, 1973 and undated
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania,
1976-1993
Report on redirecting programs and priorities at YWCA of Greater Cincinnati, 1976
Resource file, 1942-1992 and undated
“Richness in Diversity,” Conference, 1981
Speeches, 1986-1988 and undated
Twenty-sixth national convention
Working design for cluster communities, 1973
“Women in the ‘70s fact book,” 1973
Box 4
World YWCA
Correspondence, 1949-1994 and undated
Protest against South Africa apartheid, 1976
“Report on Bahamas Assignment April 19-May 7, 1977, Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas,” 1977
World relations workshop, cluster meeting, 1977
Director
Buffalo, New York
125th-anniversary souvenir program, 1995
Administrative papers, 1956-1959
All-Girl weekend, 1968
Annual reports, 1958-1967
Board of directors dialogue group, 1968
California and Pacific Southwest Recreation
and Park Conference, 1965
Camp Forty Acres, 1960
“Challenge for 1966-1967” staff orientation
and Upper Manhattan Leadership Conference, 1966
Correspondence
1953-1966
1968, 1994-1995
Executive director’s reports, 1967-1968 and undated
Good Neighbor Award program, 1959
Memorials, 1959-1969
Newspaper clippings, 1957-1968
Reports, 1957-1968 and undated
“The Role of the YWCA in a Changing Era,”
National Board of the YWCA, 1960
“Sex: A Moral Dilemma for Teen Agers, conference, 1967
Speeches, 1958-1966 and undated
Professional evaluations, 1957-1968 and undated
Programs, undated
Denver, Colorado
Correspondence, 1929-1937 and undated
Job description and contracts, 1929-1937
Box 5
Newark, New Jersey
Correspondence, 1937-1941 and undated
Contracts and date book, 1939-1942
Speech: “The Impact of War on College Women,” 1942
Notes
Sketchbook, undated
Speeches, 1949-1968
Speeches, undated
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Correspondence, 1942-1956 and undated
Executive director’s reports, 1949-1956
Job description and contracts, 1942-1956
Leadership Training Institute
Correspondence, 1949
Newspaper clippings, 1949
Notes, 1949
Scrapbook, 1949 (2 folders)
[photographs in photograph series]
Speeches, 1949
Training materials, 1949
Travel itinerary, 1949
Membership Campaign kickoff speech, 1973
Newsletter, 1949
Newspaper clippings, 1953-1956 and undated
Box 6
“The Philadelphia YWCA Replies to Charges of Communist Influence in the National YWCA,” 1948(?)
Second Annual Forum on the Dynamics of Democracy, 1953
“The Walking Stick,” reprinted by special permission of the Saturday Evening Post, 1945
“What America Means to Me,” Christian
Herald, 1953
“Women of the Future,” speech, 1963
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Annual reports, 1969-1972
“As I Heard It,” The YWCA
Magazine, 1972
Correspondence, 1969-1972
“Documentation of Racial Discrimination at Camp (Epworth Forost)”
Equal Employment Opportunities for Older Women
Executive director’s report, 1972
Good Friday service, 1970
Newspaper clippings, 1968-1973
The One Imperative--to eliminate racism, 1971-1972
Resource File, 1971
Seminars and workshops on racism, 1968-1972
Speeches, 1972 and undated
Staff list, 1971-1972
“Tribute to Lois Jones” retirement ceremony, 1969
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Correspondence, 1929
Photographs
Aurora Reading Club of Pittsburgh 100th anniversary, 1994-1995
Buffalo Urban League award presentations, 1958
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, 1996
Des Moines, 1926-1970 and undated [includes photograph of the Des Moines Junior NAACP]
Family and friends, 1922 and
undated
Houston College students and staff, 1925
[oversized shelved in map case] [closed for conservation]
Needlepoint work and
personal art collection snapshots, undated
Negatives, undated
Read Program Exchange speaking engagement
Atlantic City, New Jersey, 1953
YWCA
Bahamas [1974]
Denver, 1929-1932
Leadership Training
Institute scrapbook, 1949 (2 folders)
National YWCA Conference Frankfort, Kentucky,
1926 [oversized shelved in map case] [closed for conservation]
Philadelphia, 1945-1957
Pittsburgh, undated
Tulsa, 1935 and undated
Box 7
Artifacts
Drake University Veritas medal, undated
Good Neighbor Award, 1958
Parting gift [sandal and
poem], undated
YWCA Distinguished Service
Award, 1987