Processed by
Emily Castle
September 2006
Manuscript and Visual Collections Department
William Henry Smith Memorial Library
Indiana Historical Society
450 West Ohio Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3269
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VOLUME OF |
7 manuscript boxes, 1 OM folder, 1 box color photographs, 3 folders, black and white photographs. |
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COLLECTION |
1959–2000 |
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PROVENANCE: |
American Business Women’s Association, Inc., c/o Carol King, Indianapolis, IN, April 2002; ABWA Delta Flame Chapter, c/o Marilyn Schlanzer, Indianapolis, IN, August 2002; ABWA James Whitcomb Riley Chapter, c/o Susan Stout, Indianapolis, August 2002 |
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RESTRICTIONS: |
None |
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COPYRIGHT: |
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REPRODUCTION |
Permission to reproduce or publish material in this collection must be obtained from the Indiana Historical Society. |
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ALTERNATE |
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RELATED |
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ACCESSION |
2002.0407; 2002.0735; 2002.0736 |
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NOTES: |
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World War II was the first time that American women were recognized as a viable factor in the workforce, to fill the jobs left empty by men going off to war. When men returned, it meant that women were expected to leave their newfound careers and return to their homes. However, their desire to seek fulfillment as part of the working world was not easily suppressed, and Kansas City, Missouri, businessman Hilary A. Bufton Jr. recognized the positive impact women had been having upon the economy. He also realized what a widespread loss it would be to let women fade quietly out of the workforce. In September, 1949, Bufton incorporated the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA).
The first ABWA chapter in Indiana was the Indianapolis Charter Chapter, formed in March, 1952, with twenty-seven members. Since the Charter Chapter was formed, the membership increased to over 100 on several occasions. At that time the chapter would split and form a new chapter. Over the years interest in this type of organization increased, and in the 1970’s there were thirty-six chapters of ABWA in the Indianapolis area. It formed Amigas Siempre in 1957, James Whitcomb Riley Chapter in 1963, Indy ’67 Chapter in 1967, New Hope Chapter in 1971, Lucky 13 Chapter in 1972, Circle City Chapter in 1973, and Nu Da ’75 Chapter in 1975. Chapters were also formed in Shelbyville and Huntington, Indiana, and the Charter Chapter helped with the formation of a chapter in the Mooresville/Plainfield area. As of 1997 the number of chapters in the Indianapolis area had dropped to eighteen.
Chapters sponsored several fundraising activities each year to make money for the scholarships they presented to students. Activities would include two bus trips a year, in April and November, to Chicago for shopping. They also would have a booth at races at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and sold baked goods and crafts. Chapters held other activities during the year, just for fun, including picnics, white elephant sales, and Christmas parties. Elections were held once a year in each chapter for Woman of the Year. The woman elected would represent her chapter at the National Convention and any local functions during the year.
In 1987 Indianapolis Area Council was formed with each participating chapter sending a delegate and alternate delegate to the bi-monthly meetings to represent their chapter. The purpose of the council was to promote the networking of the chapters, and to sponsor activities to gain local recognition of the ABWA. This coordination led to the holding of the National Convention of ABWA in Indianapolis in 1993. The council also sponsored the annual Woman of the Year Luncheon to honor each chapter’s recipient, and they sponsored the annual ABW Day Celebration which allowed members of all local chapters to meet in one group to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the ABWA.
Sources:
Materials in collection
This collection consists mainly of papers from the Charter Chapter of the ABWA. The collection is separated into five series’ by chapter, and within each series the folders are arranged in alphabetical order.
Items from the Charter Chapter include folders of yearly activities, put together by the chapter, meeting minutes, member rosters, and chapter newsletters, The Grapevine, from 1961 to 1984. There are also notes about programs from various events the chapter had, and papers from the Indianapolis Area Council. There are several folders of photographs of chapter activities, including bus trips, picnics, meetings, and luncheons.
The other chapters include: Amigas Siempre, Cloud 9, Delta Flame, and James Whitcomb Riley. Each chapter only has a few folders, including information about activities the chapters participated in, and chapter newsletters. There are also a few photographs from these chapters’ activities.
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Activities, 1960s |
Photographs, |
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Activities, 1960s |
Color Photographs, |
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Activities, 1985–95 |
Color Photographs, |
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Activities, 1996–2000 |
Color Photographs, |
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Activities and programs, 1964–98 |
Box 1, Folder 1 |
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Address by Geraldine Neuman, National President, May 1967 |
Box 1, Folder 2 |
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APPA luncheons, 1981–92 |
Color Photographs, |
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APPA luncheons, 1993–99 |
Color Photographs, |
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APPA member lists and programs, 1983–95 |
Box 1, Folder 3 |
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ABWA 50th Anniversary Commemorative Book, 1999 |
Box 1, Folder 4 |
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Awards and citations, 1959–78 |
Box 1, Folder 5 |
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Boss’ Night, 1974–95 |
Color Photographs, |
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Boss’ Night programs, 1961–84 |
Box 1, Folder 6 |
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Bulletin, Oct. 1989–96 |
Box 1, Folder 7 |
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Central district roster, 1961 |
Box 1, Folder 8 |
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Central Regional Meeting, District II, program, 1974 |
Box 1, Folder 9 |
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Chapter Officer and Committee Guide, booklets, 1994–98 |
Box 1, Folder 10 |
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Charter rules and guidelines, 1984–90 |
Box 1, Folder 11 |
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Clippings, 1962–92 |
Box 1, Folder 12 |
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Clippings, 1973–79 |
Box 1, Folder 13 |
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Clippings, 1981 |
Box 1, Folder 14 |
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Committee guides, 1962–91 |
Box 1, Folder 15 |
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Correspondence, 1961–93 |
Box 1, Folder 16 |
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Enrollment parties guestbook, 1973–83 |
Box 1, Folder 17 |
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Fundraiser for scholarship money, 1989 |
Color Photographs, |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, Mar. 1961–63 |
Box 2, Folder 1 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1964–66 |
Box 2, Folder 2 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1967–69 |
Box 2, Folder 3 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1970–72 |
Box 2, Folder 4 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1973–75 |
Box 2, Folder 5 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1976–78 |
Box 2, Folder 6 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1979–81 |
Box 3, Folder 1 |
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The Grapevine, chapter newsletter, 1982–Aug. 1984 |
Box 3, Folder 2 |
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Indianapolis Area Council, 1998 |
Box 3, Folder 3 |
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Indianapolis Area Council, activities, 1990–98 |
Box 3, Folder 4 |
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Indianapolis Area Council rosters and meetings, 1994–98 |
Box 3, Folder 5 |
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Indianapolis chapters, 1980–99 |
Box 3, Folder 6 |
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Marie McDaniel, chapter president, 1994–98 |
Box 3, Folder 7 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Sept. 1987–July 1988 |
Box 3, Folder 8 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1988–July 1989 |
Box 3, Folder 9 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1989–July 1990 |
Box 3, Folder 10 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1990–July 1991 |
Box 4, Folder 1 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1991–July 1992 |
Box 4, Folder 2 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1992–July 1993 |
Box 4, Folder 3 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1993–July 1994 |
Box 4, Folder 4 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1994–July 1995 |
Box 4, Folder 5 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1995–July 1996 |
Box 4, Folder 6 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1996–July 1997 |
Box 4, Folder 7 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1997–July 1998 |
Box 5, Folder 1 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1998–July 1999 |
Box 5, Folder 2 |
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Meeting minutes and activities, Aug. 1999–July 2000 |
Box 5, Folder 3 |
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Meetings, 1981–99 |
Box 5, Folder 4 |
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Meetings, 1987–95 |
Color Photographs, |
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Member lists, 1962–92 |
Box 5, Folder 5 |
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Member obituaries, various chapters, 1996–2000 |
Box 5, Folder 6 |
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Membership rosters, 1960–68 |
Box 5, Folder 7 |
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Membership rosters, 1968–77 |
Box 5, Folder 8 |
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Membership rosters, 1977–85 |
Box 5, Folder 9 |
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Membership rosters, 1985–93 |
Box 6, Folder 1 |
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Membership rosters, 1994–2001 |
Box 6, Folder 2 |
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The Mini-Grapevine, Sept. 1984–1987 |
Box 6, Folder 3 |
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National Board of Directors, 1992–96 |
Box 6, Folder 4 |
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National Convention programs, 1974–94 |
Box 6, Folder 5 |
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National Convention programs, 1995–2000 |
Box 6, Folder 6 |
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National Convention, 1993 |
Box 6, Folder 7 |
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National group scrapbook, 1980 |
OM 0438 |
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Regional meeting, 1983 |
Box 6, Folder 8 |
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Scholarships, 1975–98 |
Box 6, Folder 9 |
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Style show luncheons, 1991–92 |
Color Photographs, |
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Women in Business, 1996, 1999 |
Box 6, Folder 10 |
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Woman of the Year applications, 1983–91 |
Box 6, Folder 11 |
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Woman of the Year luncheons, 1989–95 |
Color Photographs, |
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Woman of the Year luncheons, 1996–99 |
Color Photographs, |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Activities, 1976 |
Color Photographs, |
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Activities, 1978–79 |
Color Photographs, |
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Atlantic City trip, 1976 |
Photographs, |
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Chapter programs and activities, 1976 |
Box 6, Folder 12 |
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Enrollment party guestbook, 1976–80 |
Box 6, Folder 13 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Activities, 1971 |
Box 6, Folder 14 |
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Activities, 1971 |
Color Photographs, |
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Heavenly Tales, chapter newsletter, 1975 |
Box 6, Folder 15 |
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Programs and activities, 1960s |
Photographs, |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Chapter bylaws and rules, n.d. |
Box 7, Folder 1 |
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Chapter programs and activities, 1992–93 |
Box 7, Folder 2 |
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Delta Chatter, chapter newsletter, 1990–92 |
Box 7, Folder 3 |
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Delta Chatter, chapter newsletter, 1993 |
Box 7, Folder 4 |
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New member application, n.d. |
Box 7, Folder 5 |
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Member booklets, 1989–91 |
Box 7, Folder 6 |
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National membership campaigns, 1994–95 |
Box 7, Folder 7 |
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National membership campaigns, 1995–98 |
Box 7, Folder 8 |
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CONTENTS |
CONTAINER |
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Bulletins, 2000–01 |
Box 7, Folder 9 |
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“Count on Cathy” campaign, 1996 |
Box 7, Folder 10 |
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Meeting programs, 1992–94 |
Box 7, Folder 11 |
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Meeting programs, 1995–97 |
Box 7, Folder 12 |
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Membership rosters, 1992–95 |
Box 7, Folder 13 |
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Procedure manual, 1976–77 |
Box 7, Folder 14 |
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Spirit of Indiana Chapter, membership roster, 1983–84 |
Box 7, Folder 15 |
For additional information on this collection, including a list of subject headings that may lead you to related materials:
1. Go to the Indiana Historical Society's online catalog: http://opac.indianahistory.org/
2. Click on the "Basic Search" icon.
3. Select "Call Number" from the "Search In:" box.
4. Search for the collection by its basic call number (in this case, M 0882).
5. When you find the collection, go to the "Full Record" screen for a list of headings that can be searched for related materials.