Summary Information
Wisconsin Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs Records
1920-1992
- Wisconsin Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs
Mss 708; Micro 1106; M2000-048; PH 3730
3.4 c.f. (10 archives boxes), 2 reels of microfilm (16mm), and 3 reels of microfilm (35mm); plus additions of 0.8 c.f. and 21 photographs
Wisconsin Historical Society Archives
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records of the Wisconsin affiliate (1919- ) of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, a group dedicated to community service and to improving the economic and social lives of women in business and the professions. The collection includes materials documenting the group's activities on behalf of conservation in cooperation with the organization Trees for Tomorrow, education for women, and other issues affecting its members.
Some proceedings of the Wisconsin Federation (1921-1929 and 1957-1984) and membership lists (1970-1979) are available only on microfilm.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-mss00708 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs was created at the call of the Young Women's Christian Association of St. Louis in 1919. Soon after, local YWCAs across the United States began organizing clubs designed to meet the needs and interests of business and professional women. Lelia Bascom of the University of Wisconsin was instrumental in organizing the first Wisconsin chapter, which came into official existence on December 4, 1919. By the spring of 1920 several other clubs had been formed throughout Wisconsin. A year later Alma Barry of Milwaukee called a convention for all Wisconsin's clubs, now numbering six, to organize a state-wide federation. After a constitution was written and approved, Barry was elected the first president, and during 1922 the Wisconsin Federation was incorporated under the laws of the State of Wisconsin. Due to financial disagreements, the Wisconsin Federation was not part of the national organization from 1921 to 1925, but in 1925, it rejoined the national organization.
In 1927, the Legislative Committee of the Wisconsin State Legislature recommended that the Wisconsin Federation become a member of the Women's Legislative Council, a group which monitored proposed legislation concerning women, children, sex discrimination, and other issues of concern to women.
The Wisconsin Business Woman, the official publication of the Wisconsin Federation, appeared in October, 1928. In the following decade the Wisconsin Federation took on several projects related to education and conservation: sending girls to the University of Wisconsin's School for Workers, and planting trees in the Chequamegon National Forest. They also gathered data for various occupational studies undertaken by the national organization and studied the problems of Wisconsin's rural schools.
World War II restricted the activities of the organization, but local groups were involved in aiding the war effort. The first small business clinic was held in 1952 as part of what became an ongoing effort in business education. Conferences to inform women about politics were established in 1954 under the direction of a Women in Government Committee. Membership expansion was also an effort of the late 1950s and 1960s. During this period the Wisconsin Federation achieved a rating of 90 percent and third place in a national membership campaign.
Support of conservation also continued as an interest of the Wisconsin Federation. WFBPW supported the Trees for Tomorrow Camp at Eagle River in 1961, sponsored natural resource tours, offered camp scholarships for young people, and, for many years, participated in the Wisconsin Roadside Council.
The year 1967 was a milestone for the Wisconsin Federation, because after serving as Wisconsin's first national officer for seven years, Mabel McClanahan was elected the first national president from Wisconsin.
The golden anniversary of the state and national federation was celebrated in 1969, and in the same club year Wisconsin received a Winged Victory Trophy at the national convention for the highest membership increase. In addition, a history of the Wisconsin federation, Fifty Years of Progress, was published.
During the 1970s and 1980s increased emphasis was placed on legislative activities. As part of their annual legislative platform, the federation worked for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Wisconsin Equal Rights Amendment. They also sponsored numerous conferences to help women develop their leadership abilities and to deal with various women's problems.
Arrangement of the Materials
This collection was received in multiple parts from the donor(s) and is organized into 3 major parts. These materials have not been physically interfiled and researchers might need to consult more than one part to locate similar materials.
Related Material
The bulletin of the Wisconsin Federation is available in the State Historical Society of Wisconsin Library.
Additional Descriptive Information
Original Collection presented by the WFBPW via Anna Leisk, 1959, via Evelyn Ecker, 1973, via Winifred Statz, 1986, and via Evelyn Hansen, 1987; Additions presented by Business and Professional Women’s Club, La Crosse. Accession Number: M59-138, M73-136, M86-363, M87-236, M2000-048
Original Collection processed by Laura E. Sutherland and Joanne Hohler, 1971; reprocessed with additions by Bill Beaudreau, 1987.
Contents List
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Mss 708
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Part 1 (Mss 708, Micro 1106): Original Collection, 1920-19863.4 c.f. (10 archives boxes), 2 reels of microfilm (16mm), and 3 reels of microfilm (35mm) The records of the Wisconsin Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs (WFBPW) have been arranged into five groups: general correspondence, proceedings, projects, local club and membership files, and miscellany. The PROCEEDINGS offers the most comprehensive documentation on the organization's history. During its early years, these records, which consist of minutes of board meetings and conventions, officer and committee reports, financial information, and occasional transcriptions of speeches and remarks, were filed together in one chronologically-arranged group. Beginning in the 1960s, however, BPW filed some of these types of records separately while still other types of records were combined into a new group of records entitled president's reports. The files for the period from the late 1960s through the 1980s were microfilmed by the federation, which fixed the papers in a somewhat inconsistent and haphazard order. In addition, the microfilming was done without the use of a counter for access and indexing purposes. The minutes for the period 1921-1929 were received in a deteriorated condition (possibly as the result of a microfilming project for which the film was not received by the Historical Society). These volumes were filmed by the Society to assure their preservation. Despite these obstacles to the use of the microfilmed material, the papers, together with the federation's publication Wisconsin Business Woman, which is available in the Society Library, remain an important source for studying the changing attitudes and interests of working women in Wisconsin. GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE is primarily concerned with early conventions and other state matters. Some correspondence may be found scattered in the president's report files for the period 1969-1984, but other than this there are no files of officers' correspondence for the period 1950-1985. The PROJECTS files reflect the organization's diverse interests in behalf of working women and conservation primarily during the 1930s and 1940s. Most extensive are the files on cooperation with Trees for Tomorrow. There are a few photographs related to this and other forestation projects. LOCAL CLUB AND MEMBERSHIP FILES include applications for affiliation, membership statements, which list the occupations of all members, and other summary membership reports. MISCELLANY contains citations received by the state organization, various written histories and Fifty Years of Progress, some material concerning conferences, legislative platforms, and a handbook of policies and procedures.
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Box
1
Folder
1-5
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Series: General Correspondence, 1920-1949
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Series: Proceedings
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Combined proceedings files, 1921-1979
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Box
2
Folder
2
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Unidentified material
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Micro 1106
Reel
5
Frame
1
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1921-1929
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Mss 708
Box
1
Folder
6-7
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1929-1933
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Box
3
Folder
1-4
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1933-1940
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Box
2
Folder
3
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Additions to minutes of June 10, 1939
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Micro 1106
Reel
5
Frame
303
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Publicity, 1940
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Mss 708
Box
3
Folder
5-6
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1940-1944
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Box
4
Folder
1-6
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1944-1954
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Box
5
Folder
1-2
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1955-1956
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Micro 1106
Reel
3
Segment
1-8
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1957-1964
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Reel
4
Segment
10-14
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1964-1969
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Reel
1
Segment
10
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1969-1979
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Separately filed records, 1965-1985
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Mss 708
Box
5
Folder
3
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Board meetings, 1969-1984
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Box
5
Folder
4
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Convention minutes, 1970-1984
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Box
5
Folder
5-6
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Executive Committee minutes, 1971-1984
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Audit reports
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Micro 1106
Reel
1
Segment
1
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1965-1979
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Mss 708
Box
5
Folder
7
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1965-1985
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Budget reports
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Micro 1106
Reel
1
Segment
2
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1968-1979
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Mss 708
Box
6
Folder
1
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1968-1980
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Box
6
Folder
2-3
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Convention programs, 1970-1985
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Micro 1106
Reel
2
Segment
2-10
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Presidents reports, 1969-1984
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Mss 708
Box
10
Folder
7
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Highlights, 1969-1984
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Box
10
Folder
4
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North Central Regional Conference convention minutes & material, 1930-1955
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Series: Projects
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Box
7
Folder
1
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Chequamegon Forest, 1932-1934
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Box
7
Folder
2
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Chequamegon National Forest, Trail & Plantation, 1959-1979
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Box
7
Folder
3
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Independence bond drive, 1950
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Box
7
Folder
4
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Married working women, Survey & data, 1939
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Box
7
Folder
5
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Memorial Foundation, 1945-1951
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Box
7
Folder
6
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State club house, “Home for Retired”, 1934
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Box
7
Folder
7
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Summer School for Workers, 1928-1931
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Mss 708/Micro 1106
Box/Folder
8/1
Reel/Segment
1/15
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Trees for Tomorrow, 1964-1978
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Mss 708
Box
8
Folder
2
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Natural resources tour, 1961-1981
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Box
8
Folder
3
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Reports, 1961-1984
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Box
8
Folder
4
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Scholarship, 1968-1978
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Box
8
Folder
5
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Wisconsin Council on World Affairs, 1940-1945
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Box
8
Folder
6
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Wisconsin Roadside Development Council, 1939-1947
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Box
8
Folder
7
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Women's Advisory Committee to the War Manpower Commission, 1943-1945
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Box
8
Folder
8
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Women's Work Division of the Civil Works Administration, 1934
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Series: Local Club and Membership Files
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Applications for state membership, constitutions, and by-laws
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Box
8
Folder
9-10
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1919-1956
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1959-1981
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Box
8
Folder
11
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Amery-Kate Newcomb
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Box
9
Folder
1
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Lake County-Waushara
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Box
9
Folder
2
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Annual reports of local clubs, 1924-1935
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Statements of membership
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Box
9
Folder
3-5
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1954-1956
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Micro 1106
Reel
1
Segment
25
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1970-1979
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Mss 708
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Rosters
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Box
9
Folder
6
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1969-1974
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Box
10
Folder
1-2
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1974-1985
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Mss 708/Micro 1106
Box/Folder
10/3
Reel/Segment
1/9
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Membership reports, 1965-1982
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Mss 708
Box
10
Folder
4
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Disbanded clubs, 1968-1980
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Micro 1106
Reel
1
Segment
4
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Club charters, 1969-1977
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Series: Miscellany
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Reel
1
Segment
12
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“Accent Awareness” (BPW Crime Prevention Program), 1967
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Mss 708
Box
10
Folder
5
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Citations, 1947-1955
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Micro 1106
Reel
1
Segment
5
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Conferences, 1978 - “Battered Women”
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Reel
1
Segment
6
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Conference - Legislative, 1969-1979
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Reel
1
Segment
3, 7
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Handbook of Policies and Procedures, 1973, 1977
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Mss 708
Box
10
Folder
6
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Histories, 1941-1969
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Micro 1106
Reel
4
Segment
14
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Fifty Years of Progress, 1919-1969
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Legislative platforms
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Reel
2
Segment
1
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1963-1984
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Reel
1
Segment
8
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1969-1979
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Reel
1
Segment
11
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Nike (girls) clubs, 1968
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Reel
1
Segment
12
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“The Wheel of Leadership,” 1979
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M2000-048
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Part 2 (M2000-048): Additions, 1949-1992
0.8 c.f. (2 archives boxes)
: Additions, 1949-1992 (bulk dates 1970-1992), consisting of various administrative materials, including policy manuals, rosters, public relations material, meeting minutes, newsletters, and other miscellaneous materials.
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Box
1
Folder
1
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Articles of incorporation and state by-laws, 1989
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Box
1
Folder
2
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Leadership manual, 1991-1992
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Box
1
Folder
3
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Policy manuals, by-laws and guidebooks, 1989-1992
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Box
1
Folder
4
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Handbook, policies and procedures
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Box
1
Folder
5
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Financial material, 1975-1991
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Box
1
Folder
6-8
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Membership rosters, 1964-1991
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Board meeting materials
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Box
1
Folder
9-11
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1988-1989
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Box
2
Folder
1-3
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1991-1992
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Box
2
Folder
4
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Planning meeting materials, 1989-1990
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Box
2
Folder
5
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Wisconsin Women's Legislative Conference, 1988
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Box
2
Folder
6
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Convention materials, 1971-1980
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Box
2
Folder
7
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Appointments, 1989-1990
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Box
2
Folder
8
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President's newsletter, 1971-1978
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Box
2
Folder
9
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News notes, 1949
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Box
2
Folder
10
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Media and Public Relations Primer, 1989
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Box
2
Folder
11
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Miscellaneous administrative materials, 1985-1991
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Box
2
Folder
12
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National Federation of BPW materials, 1978, 1991
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Box
2
Folder
13
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Photograph, Wisconsin delegation to the National Convention, 1986
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PH 3730
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Part 3 (PH 3730): Additions, 1965-1972
21 photographs
: Photographs related to planting trees in the Cooperative Forest Plantation in Chequamegon National Forest, Wisconsin, 1965-1972.
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