Special Collections Department
403 Parks Library
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-2140

MS 76
Ames Business and Professional Women's Club
Records, 1921-1988


Descriptive summary

creator:

Ames Business and Professional Women's Club
title:

Records
dates:

1921-1988
extent:

7.98 linear feet (17 document boxes, one oversize box and one card file box)
collection number:

MS 76
repository:

Special Collections Department, Iowa State University.

 

Administrative information

access:

Open for research
publication rights:

Consult Head, Special Collections Department
preferred citation:

Ames Business and Professional Women's Club Records, MS 76, Special Collections Department, Iowa State University Library.

 

Historical note

The Ames Business and Professional Women's Club was founded by Angeline McKinley and others who saw a need for an organization of working women in Ames. After consulting with a few of the business women on the Iowa State campus, a party was given for local business women and clerical staff on the Iowa State campus (about one hundred and twenty-five attended). A meeting was called in order to form a club on November 9, 1921. Fifty-two charter members joined and the name Pi Gamma Alpha, standing for the Business Women's Sisterhood, was chosen. The name later changed to the Ames Business and Professional Women's Club (circa 1931-1932).

The group held monthly meetings and sponsored a variety of programming. The Club voted to disband in 1985.

 

Collection description

This collection (1921-1988) contains constitutions and by-laws, annual reports, certificates, correspondence, financial records, histories, manuals, membership lists, minutes, newspaper clippings, printed materials, programs, project information, scrapbooks, and yearbooks. The material documents the activities of the Ames Business and Professional Women's Club and also includes information regarding the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs and the National and International Federations of Women's Business and Professional Women's Clubs.

The records of the Research Committee (1926-1937) contains information from investigations of conditions affecting women and other files documenting work related to the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1960s and 1970s.

 

Container list

Box

Folder

Title

Dates

1

1

Pi Gamma Alpha constitution and by-laws

1920s

1

2

Pi Gamma Alpha articles of incorporation, by-laws, emblem pageant and initiation ceremony

1920s

1

3

Pi Gamma Alpha and Iowa and National Federations of Business and Professional Women's Clubs founding: histories

n.d.

1

4

Correspondence regarding affiliation

1921-1922

1

5

Pi Gamma Alpha Bulletin

1922-1927

1

6

Play: "In Ceres Garden" (fundraiser)

1925

1

7

Pi Gamma Alpha annual reports

1928-1930

1

8

Pi Gamma Alpha seal, notice of meeting, two gold keys, name tag, membership card

1921-1923

1

9

Pi Gamma Alpha songs

n.d.

1

10

Constitution, by-laws and standing rules

1931-1982

1

11

Club prayer

1930, 1944

1

12

Business and Professional Women's Club emblem and meaning

1960-1963

1

13

Initiation and installation ceremonies

1936-1971

1

14

Lists of officers

1928-1980

1

15

Lists of members

1930-1931

2

1

Lists of members

1939-1959

2

2

Lists of members

1966-1984

2

3

Membership book

1921-1971

2

4

Certificates

1952-1979

2

5

Chronology and history notes

1921-1963

2

6

Newspaper clippings

1923-1937

2

7

Newspaper clippings

1942-1988

2

8

Newsletters: Bit O' News

1930-1962

3

 

Scrapbook: includes photographs (56) of officers and newspaper clippings

1929-1932

4

1

Scrapbook material

1931; 1944

4

2-4

Scrapbook material, including photographs (8)

1960-1961

4

5

Scrapbook material

1961-1962

4

6

Scrapbook material

1963

4

7

Scrapbook material: banquet

1965

4

8

Scrapbook material: fashion show

1965-1966

4

9

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (10)

1967-1968

4

10-12

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (10)

1967-1968

4

13

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (2)

1970

4

14

Scrapbook material

1970

4

15

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (5)

1970

4

16

Scrapbook material: includes negatives (1)

1971

5

1

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (9)

n.d.

5

2

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (8)

1920s

5

3

Scrapbook material: includes photographs (13)

1931-1984

5

4

Scrapbook materials

n.d.

5

5

Yearbooks

1930-1940

5

6

Yearbooks

1940-1947

5

7

Yearbooks

1947-1954

5

8

Yearbooks

1954-1959

5

9

Yearbooks

1959-1968

5

10

Yearbooks

1968-1974

6

1

Yearbooks

1974-1985

6

2

Correspondence

1931-1970

6

3

Correspondence

1977-1985

6

4

Correspondence

1965

6

5

Banquet programs

1923-1930

6

6

Banquet programs

1934-1950

6

7

Banquet programs

1951-1956

6

8

Banquet programs

1958-1963

6

9

Banquet programs

1965-1978

6

10

Banquet arrangements

n.d.

6

11-12

Financial records

1945-1980

6

13

Bills, reimbursements, and receipts

1957-1969

7

1-8

Bills, reimbursements, and receipts

1957-1969

7

9

Budgets

n.d.

7

10-11

Check registers

1963-1983

8

1-10

Deposit slips and monthly statements

1926-1970

9

1-13

Deposit slips and monthly statements

1970-1983

9

14

Treasurer's book

1983-1984

10

1-2

Treasurer's book

1984-1985

10

3

Dues receipts

1963-1965

10

4-6

Gifts

1939-1980

10

7-13

Ledgers

1945-1985

10

14

Treasurer's correspondence

1957-1981

10

15

Treasurer's guidelines

1981-1982

11

1-4

Minutes

1935-1980

11

5-9

Minutes

1921-1938

12

1-9

Minutes

1939-1959

13

1-9

Minutes

1960-1985

13

10

Projects

n.d.

13

11

Display signs-Bicentennial

1976

13

12

Book Club program

1941-1942

14

1

Matins talks by club members given on WOI radio

n.d.

14

2

Matins talks by club members given on WOI radio

1943-1959

14

3

Response from a listener

1951

14

4

Research Committee, related to conditions affecting women in business, in the professions and in industry..."
Annual reports, bulletins, and programs
"Occupational Survey of Business and Professional Women"

1926-1937

14

5

Thank you notes from residents of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women at Mitchellville

1969

14

6

Guest book

1943-1944

14

7

Guest book

1969-1981

14

8

Record book of cards

1941-1967

14

9

Roll book and record of attendance

1943-1944

15

1

Committee reports

1927-1967

15

2

Notes for speech

1955 ca.

15

3

Publicity notebook

1959-1960

15

4

Publicity material

1960s

15

5

Correspondence

1921-1971

15

6

Newspaper clippings and reservations for National Convention

1927

15

7

Business and Professional Women's Club membership cards and name tags

1921-1954

15

8

National Business Women's Week program (Webster City) and Humboldt Business and Professional Women's Club yearbook

1938, 1979-1980

15

9

District V meeting programs

1948-1962

15

10

District VI correspondence

1963

15

11

District VI Director's notebook

1977-1978

15

12

District meeting instructions, invitations, and rules

1968-1978

15

13

Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs; articles of incorporation and bylaws

1923-1963

15

14

History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1920-1934
(by Elizabeth Kenney)

n.d.

15

15

History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1934-1947
(by E. Persis Sheldon, signed by the author)

n.d.

16

1

History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1934-1947
(by E. Persis Sheldon and Alice S. Warsaw)

n.d.

16

2

History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1957-1965
(by Alice S. Warsaw)

n.d.

16

3

Histories: History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1970-1975
(by Lillian B. Thada) and History of the Iowa Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1975-1978 (by Lillian B. Thada)

n.d.

16

4

Annual meeting programs and song sheet

1929-1932

16

5

Annual meeting programs

1934-1980

16

6

State Board meetings

1980-1981

16

7

Programs for banquets, luncheons, health days and research meetings

1929-1936

16

8

Brochure on parliamentary procedures

n.d.

16

9

Guide to Federation Leadership

1959-1964

16

10

Leadership materials (handouts)

n.d.

16

11

Iowa Federation Manual

1969-1977

16

12

Iowa Federation Manual

1977-1980

17

1

Iowa Federation Manual

1980-1985

17

2

President's Manual

1969-1970

17

3

Iowa Business Woman

1927-1969

17

4

Newsletters from state officers

1964

17

5

Newsletters from state officers

1979-1981

17

6

Questionnaire for compilation of qualified women for possible appointments; Questionnaire for promotion of women in policy-making positions

n.d.

17

7

National Federation of Women's and Professional Women's Clubs; Articles of incorporation and bylaws

1923-1944

17

8

National Federation brochures

n.d.

17

9

A History of the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, 1919-1944 (by Geline MacDonald Bowman and Earlene White)

1945 ca.

17

10

National Federation annual convention programs

1925, 1969

17

11

National Federation manual for committee chairman

n.d.

17

12

BPW action manual

1966

18

1

Handbook of policies and procedures

1963-1964

18

2

Handbook of policies and procedures

1969

18

3

Equal Rights Amendment instruction material

1969

18

4

Independent Woman

1927

18

5

Annual report

1976-1977

18

6

Membership survey

1978

18

7

"Trooping Along" : presentations by c-chairs at Equal Rights Amendment America convention (cassette tape)

1976

18

8

"200 Years Too Long": pro Equal Rights Amendment song (cassette tape)

1975

18

9

International Federation of Business and Professional Women: constitution and bylaws

1947

18

10

International Federation of Business and Professional Women: Widening Horizons

1970

19

1

Ames Business and Professional Women's Club:
deposit stamp

n.d.

19

2

National Federation flag

n.d.