• Brief Description of Collection

• Provenance

• History of the Organization

• Scope and Contents

• Series Description and Container List

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Name American Association of University Women of Colorado.

Title Records, 1898-[ongoing] (bulk 1915-[ongoing]).

Extent (1996) 30.0 linear ft.

Historical note Founded in 1898 as the Colorado Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) to increase enrollment of women in colleges and universities. When the ACA merged with the Southern Association of College Women in 1921 to form the American Association of University Women, the Colorado Branch was named the Denver Branch. Between 1915 and 1976, 31 additional branches were established statewide, which formed the Colorado Division. In 1991 the Colorado Division was renamed the American Association of University Women of Colorado, although it is more commonly referred to as the Colorado AAUW by its members. The AAUW of Colorado has been active in public health services, public school finance, services to the elderly, equal rights, and women's studies research.

Scope & contents Includes organizational documents, legal papers, minutes, reports, correspondence, financial reports, membership lists, grant applications, programs, branch histories, publications, photographs, scrapbooks, and yearbooks.

Arrangement Organized into the following series: 1. Organization; 2. Meeting Agenda/Minutes; 3.Administration; 4. Finances; 5. Committees; 6. Conventions and Workshops; 7. Special Projects and Programs; 8. Branches; 9. Publications; 10. Photographs; 11. Scrapbooks; 12 Subject Files; 13. Non-Print.

Provenance AAUW of Colorado material was donated in 1989 by the state organization and its branches. Material from the Denver Public Library Western History Department in 1990. Periodic future transfers of materials are anticipated.

Finding aid Printed descriptive guide and electronic database available in repository.

Access points

Document types

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AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY WOMEN OF COLORADO (COLORADO AAUW) RECORDS, 1899-[ongoing] (bulk 1915-[ongoing])

Collection number MSS-037

The American Association of University Women of Colorado (Colorado AAUW) records were donated in 1989 to Auraria Library Archives and Special Collections. In 1990, the Denver Public Library Western History Department transferred four boxes of unprocessed records of the Denver Branch of the Colorado AAUW, which included records of the Colorado Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The papers were processed by Roberta Weston (University of Colorado at Denver student assistant) and Rose Ann Taht (Metropolitan State College of Denver student intern) under the direction of Rutherford W. Witthus, Head of Archives and Special Collections, during the Fall of 1989 and the Fall of 1990. Spring semester 1996, F. H. Tapp, Archives and Special Collections Department technician, and Cecilia Rios, Archives and Special Collections Department student assistant, processed an additional 15.75 linear feet of material into the collection.

Future transfers of material to the collection from the state organization and the branches are anticipated. The Colorado AAUW will transfer records and publications at regular intervals. Direct solicitation of materials from the branches located throughout Colorado is expected to increase the collection's geographic coverage and historical importance. As new material is acquired after 1990, updated descriptions will be electronically added to the Archives and Special Collections database. Revised descriptive guides will be published as needed.

Property rights are held by Auraria Library Archives and Special Collections. Photocopies may be made for purposes of scholarly research.

Donation procedure

American Association of University Women. Records, 1881-[ongoing]. AAUW Educational Foundation Library, 1111 16th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Dorothy Sponder, Archivist. 202/785-7763

American Association of University Women. Boulder Branch. Records, 1926-1978. Western Historical Collections, University of Colorado at Boulder.

Aurora Branch records held by the Aurora Histroical Museum.

Boulder Branch Records held by the Boulder Public Library, Carnegie Branch.

Colorado Springs Branch Records held by Colorado College, Tutt Library.

The bulk of the Douglas County Branch Records are held by the Douglas County Public Library.

Leadville Branch Records are held by the Lake County Public Library - Historical Collections.

Longmont Branch Records held by the Longmont Public Library.

HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION______________

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In February, 1898, eight women, most of them graduates of eastern colleges and universities, organized the Colorado Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA). There were 29 charter members. One of the goals of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae was to increase college enrollment among women. The ACA met monthly in private homes. The first president of the Colorado Branch of the Aca was Kate R. Lobinger. Other early presidents included Margaret P. Campbell, Gertrude Vaile, and Edna Hendrie. Membership in the national organization was accorded women whose Alma Mater had been admitted to membership in the Association of Collegiate Alumnae.

When the Association of Collegiate Alumnae merged with the Southern Association of College Women to form the American Association of University Women (AAUW) in 1921, the Colorado Branch of the ACA became the Denver Branch of the AAUW. Other early Colorado branches included Colorado Springs (1915), Pueblo (1917), Fort Collins (1921), Greeley (1924), Boulder (1926), Grand Junction (1927), Gunnison (1927), Rocky Ford (1927), and La Junta (1929). On March 26, 1926, a group of AAUW members decided to form a state organization. The constitution and bylaws of the Colorado Division were accepted on January 22, 1927 by seven branches. By 1976, 32 branches had been established throughout the state. In 1991 the name of the state organization was changed from the American Association of University Women - Colorado Division to the American Association of University Women of Colorado. This organization is commonly referred to as the Colorado AAUW by its members.

The AAUW has always considered its scholarship program a major focus. At the second state convention in 1928, the Colorado Division pledged $30,000 to the AAUW's Million Dollar Fellowships Fund. The fellowship for the Rocky Mountain Unit was later named for a Colorado scientist, Dr. Florence Rena Sabin.

The AAUW of Colorado has been active in library projects, youth surveys, teacher housing, public health services, public school finance, services to the elderly, the Colorado Status of Women Commission (1965), equal rights, and women's studies research. Priorities in the 1990s include equity for women, excellence in education, funding for human services, protection of health and environment, reporductive health care, and funding for the humanities.

The AAUW is still very much involved in its primary goals of equity, education, and self-development for girls and women. Membership is open to all graduates who hold the baccalaureate, or higher degree from a college or university on the AAUW list of qualified institutions. The Colorado Bulletin is published quarterly by the American Association of University Women of Colorado.

SCOPE AND CONTENTS____________________

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The American Association of University Women of Colorado Records contain material from the state organization and its branches, the largest of which is the Colorado Springs Branch. The records document the Association's organization, administration, history, membership, committees, special projects, and branch activities. The collection consists of organizational documents, legal papers, minutes, reports, correspondence, membership lists, grant applications, programs, branch histories, publications, photographs, and scrapbooks.

The records are organized into 13 series. (See Series Description below) Series 1 - 7 document the various functions of the American Association of University Women of Colorado. Series 8 includes records from the branches of the AAUW of Colorado. The branch records follow the pattern established for the State organization records. Publications, photographs, scrapbooks, general subject file, and non-print materials have been extracted from both state and branch records to facilitate their cataloging, use, and storage.

The Denver Branch records include the minutes and membership list of its predecessor, the Colorado Branch of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The Denver Branch's first permanent home at 1400 Josephine Street is well-documented with the records relating to the 1947 donation of the Bosworth House by Lenora Snyder Bosworth. Also included are papers documenting the sale of the house in 1966 to the Assistance League of Denver. The files contain the papers of the Elizabeth Fackt Trust and the Dora Fielding Estate. Among its special projects is the Book and Author Dinner.

The earliest records from branches outside the Denver area include the 1929-1935 secretary's book of the La Junta Branch, which includes descriptions of the membership teas, special projects, and guest speakers.

Of particular interest to researchers is the role of socially-prominent women in educational reform, adult education, health legislation, child health programs, and cultural programs. The changing role of women in American society is mirrored in the changing focus of the AAUW. The members redirected the emphasis of their Study Groups from literary discussions to participation in national, state, and civic activities. The goal continues to be informed, responsible action for women through intellectual growth.

This publication should be used by researchers both as a guide to the organization of the records of the American Association of University Women of Colorado and as a description of the collected records of that organization at Auraria Library Archives and Special Collections through February 1996. Additions of Division and branch records, publications, photographs, and scrapbooks will be added to the database electronically as they are donated to Auraria Library. Physically, records are maintained in the order received; intellectually, records are added to the appropriate series. Contact the Head of Archives and Special Collections to determine if specific records have been added after February 1996.

SERIES DESCRIPTION AND CONTAINER LIST____________________

Series 1: Organization

National and state charters, bylaws, resolutions, and policy statements. Arranged in alphabetical order by type of document.

Series 2: Meeting Agenda/Minutes

Minutes and agenda from the meetings of the Board of Directors meetings and the Colorado AAUW Annual Meetings. Arranged in chronological order by meeting type