Size: 6 linear feet

Provenance: Received from Mrs. Carol Holton, President of BPW

Access: Open

Related Collections:

Processing Note:  As per request of the donor, this collection was processed in chronological order.

 

Copyright: The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within the collection, or with their heirs or assigns.  Researchers bear full legal responsibility for the acquisition to publish from any part of said collection per Title 17, United States Code.  The Ward M. Canaday Center for Special Collections may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its own discretion.

 

Completed by: Lisa Petree, Ben Grillot, and Marsha Weatherspoon , July, 1999.  Addition by Kim Brownlee 2009

 

Historical Sketch

 

    The history of the Business and Professional Women's Organization (BPW) can be traced to 1914 when a "club" dedicated to promoting the interests of working women formed in Toledo, Ohio.  This prototype was only the third nationwide (Omaha, Nebraska and Detroit, Michigan were the other two) and the first in the state of Ohio.  Similar groups with similar goals began to spring forth nationwide.  In 1918, the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) decided to organize these groups and in 1919 the National Federation of Business and Professional Women was born.  The Ohio Federation, formed in 1920, had individual chapters in Dayton, Cincinnati, and Toledo.

     With the advent of a national group, a committee was chosen to select an appropriate Federation emblem.  Several designs were submitted.  Nike, the "Winged Victory of Samothrace", had particular significance because she represented "strength, progress, freedom and triumph in the face of adversity"---ideals BPW embodied.  Nygaard, a sculptor, was chosen as the designer in 1921 and is responsible for creating the emblem still used today.

     BPW is a social service orgaization which fights tirelessly on local, state, national and international levels for the "equity of all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information".  This goal is met in a variety of ways i.e., through legislative programs, educating professionals via business clinics and workshops, by providing scholarships to women who wish to pursue careers and finally, by having a place for colleagues to interact socially and professionally.  Locally, scholarships from the Florence Allen Endowment Fund are offered to two high school women for their college tuition although additional monetary awards exist on state and national levels as well.

     During the early years of the club, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which gave women the right to vote, was in the process of ratification.  BPW was also on the cutting edge of the movement pushing for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment in the mid seventies.  Their strong commitment to political issues and how these issues affect women continues today.  In fact, the Alice Paul Equal Rights Amendment still remains on Ohio's legislative platform.  With the creation of the BPW Political Action Committee (PAC) in 1980, the organization could pursue their political aims with even greater fortitude.

     The National Federation of Business and Professional Women boasted nearly 200,000 members throughout 3,700 chapters during the seventies.  Even though membership has declined over the years (Today there are 80,000 members among 2,800 clubs), the Federation continues to remain an important, active and committed voice fighting for the rights of women in the workplace and the world.

 

Scope and Content Note

 

     At the request of the Donor, the collection was processed chronologically.  All folders entitled "Club Materials"/"BPW Program" are arranged by the earliest date with the following order:

                       

                        1. Correspondence

                        2. Bulletins

                        3. Reports

                        4. Financial Reports

                        5. News Clippings

                        6. Ephemera (Programs)

                        7. Photographs

                        8. Awards and certificates

 

   Undated materials within each of the seven classifications are arranged.  For example, undated correspondence will follow all dated correspondence and all undated bulletins will follow all dated bulletins, etc.

     Assorted binders were easier to process because they could be independently classified.  The Festival of Britain in Oxford, The Club Legislation Committee, The Personal Development Committee.

 

 

Folder List

Box	Folder	Arrangement
1	1	1922-1924, Minutes
	2	1929-1935, Club Materials
	3	1936-1938, Club Materials
	4	1939-1940, Club Materials
	5	1941-1942, Club Materials
	6	1943-1947, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	7	1943-1947, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	8	1948-1950, Club Materials
	9	1951, Festival of Britain in Oxford
	10	1951-1952, Club Materials
	11	1953-54, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	12	1953-54, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	13	1954-55, Club Materials
	14	1956-1957, Club Materials
	15	1958-1959, Club Materials
	16	1959-1971, Club Legislation Committee (1 of 2)
	17	1959-1971, Club Legislation Committee (2 of 2)
	18	1960, Club Materials
	19	1961, Club Materials
	20	1962-1963, Club Materials
2	1	1964-1965, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	2	1964-1965, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	3	1966-1967, Club Materials
	4	1968-1969, Club Materials
	5	1968-1970, Personal Development Committee
	6	1970, Club Materials
	7	1971-1972, Club Materials
	8	1972-1973, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	9	1972-1973, n.d., Club Materials (2 of 2)
	10	1973-1974, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	11	1973-1974, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	12	1974-1975, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	13	1974-1975, Club Materials (2 of 2)
3	1	1975-1977, Club Materials (1 of 3)
	2	1975-1977, Club Materials (2 of 3)
	3	1975-1977, Club Materials (3 of 3)
	4	1976, Club Materials
	5	1977-1978, Club Materials (1 of 3)
	6	1977-1978, Club Materials (2 of 3)
	7	1977-1978, Club Materials (3 of 3)
	8	1978-1979, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	9	1978-1979, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	10	1980, Club Materials
	11	1981, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	12	1981, Club Materials (2 of 2)
4	1	1982, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	2	1982, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	3	1983-1984, Club Materials (1 of 3)
	4	1983-1984, Club Materials (2 of 3)
	5	1983-1984, Club Materials (3 of 3)
	6	1984-1985, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	7	1984-1985, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	8	1985-1986, BPW Program (1 of 3)
	9	1985-1986, BPW Program (2 of 3)
	10	1985-1986, BPW Program (3 of 3)
	11	1986-1987, BPW Program (1 of 4)
	12	1986-1987, BPW Program (2 of 4)
	13	1986-1987, BPW Program (3 of 4)
	14	1986-1987, BPW Program (4 of 4)
5	1	1987-1989, BPW Program (1 of 2)
	2	1987-1989, BPW Program (2 of 2)
	3	1988-1990, Club Materials (1 of 3)
	4	1988-1990, Club Materials (2 of 3)
	5	1988-1990, Club Materials (3 of 3)
	6	1991-1993, Club Materials (1 of 6)
	7	1991-1993, Club Materials (2 of 6)
	8	1991-1993, Club Materials (3 of 6)
	9	1991-1993, Club Materials (4 of 6)
	10	1991-1993, Club Materials (5 of 6)
	11	1991-1993, Club Materials (6 of 6)
	12	1994-1995, BPW Program (1 of 2)
	13	1994-1995, BPW Program (2 of 2)
6	1	1995-1996, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	2	1995-1996, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	3	1997-1999, Club Materials (1 of 2)
	4	1997-1999, Club Materials (2 of 2)
	5	N.d., Club Materials
	6	N.d., Club Materials
	7	N.d., Club Materials
	8	N.d., Club Materials
	9	N.d., Club Materials
	10	N.d., Club Materials
	11	N.d., Club Materials
	12	N.d., Club Materials
	13	N.d., Club Materials
	14	Membership award and certificates, 2007