Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
American Association of University Women, Texas Division, Bryan-College Station Branch Records
Date(s)
- 1947-1988; Undated (Creation)
Extent
12 boxes
Name of creator
Administrative history
Over a century ago, seventeen college alumnae from eight colleges met in Boston to discuss the needs of women college graduates, and the forming of the Association of Collegiate Alumnae. The intent of this organization was to expand the range of professional opportunities available for female college graduates and to enable more women to pursue higher education in the future.
In 1882, one year after this original meeting, the Association of Collegiate Alumnae (ACA) was formed. It consisted of sixty-five graduates from eight different colleges and universities. By 1884, local branches were being added to the parent organization, and in 1889 a membership policy was codified which specified certain standards to be met by its members.
Since those early years, the organization, now called the American Association of University Women (AAUW), has become nationwide. In 1992, five years after extending their membership to male college graduates, the AAUW celebrated its 100th anniversary with over 140,000 members.
The AAUW has, however, achieved much more than just membership growth. Its services to higher education and the community, in general, have been great. Hospitality programs for foreign students, graduate fellowships for women scholars, educational legislation committees, adult education programs, and current issue workshops are a few of these outstanding accomplishments.
The Bryan-College Station Branch of the American Association of University Women originated in 1948 with seventy-one charter members under the leadership of Mrs. Omar Sperry. Since its inception, the branch has been actively involved in many civic improvement projects for the cities of Bryan and College Station, Tex. Among the activities which have highlighted their history are creating a Friends of the Public Library organization in 1955; beginning the Brazos Valley Museum of Natural Science in 1961; developing local daycare centers in the 1960s, and creating a coalition of organizations through a "women's conference" in 1978.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
This collection consists of AAUW publications, the president's records spanning the organization's forty-year history, and information regarding the branch's involvement in supporting the Bryan Day Care Center, as well as four scrapbooks.
Association publications include the newsletter from the local branch, as well as journals, newspapers, and bulletins published by the national and international parent organizations. Included in the president's records are branch reports, rosters, financial information, and correspondence. Also present are minutes and other records pertaining to the Bryan Day Care Center and the AAUW's contributions to it. In addition, one file in the collection contains a brief history of the local organization, beginning with its inception in 1948 and reviewing important milestones of each year up to 1980.
System of arrangement
This collection is arranged chronologically within the following series:
- Series 1, Publications. 1947-1988
- Series 2, President's Records. 1948-1988; Undated
- Series 3, Minutes and Ledgers. 1948-1988
- Series 4, Bryan Day Care Center. 1948-1975
- Series 5, Scrapbooks. 1948-1987
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Immediate source of acquisition
Received from Sheryl Taylor, President of the American Association of University Women, Bryan-College Station Branch, in 1973, 1980, and 1989.
Accruals
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
Related descriptions
Notes element
General note
Processed in TARO.
Specialized notes
Alternative identifier(s)
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Sources used
Archivist's note
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