Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club Records, 1919-1989
Collection Overview
Title: Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club Records, 1919-1989
ID: OGLMC416
Primary Creator: Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club (1919-)
Extent: 8.5 Linear Feet
Date Acquired: 07/26/1977. More info below under Accruals.
Subjects: Business and Industry, Grand Forks - Organizations, Women's History - Women's Organizations
Languages: English
Abstract
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Collection Historical Note
On June 7, 1919, a group of North Dakota women met in Grand Forks to discuss joining the National Federation of Business and Professional Women. This nationwide organization had seen its genesis in the Woman’s War Work Council, a body created in the wake of the United States' entry into World War I. The National Federation held its first meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, in July 1919. Agnes Rex of Grand Forks was present and was given the task of organizing clubs in North Dakota.
A state convention took place July 21, 1920, in Fargo. Five clubs were formed at this meeting: Grand Forks, Fargo, Valley City, Jamestown, and Bismarck. Agnes Rex was elected the first state BPW president. Within the following five years, clubs were also organized in Minot, Williston, Mandan, Dickinson, and Lisbon. The objectives of the group were:
1. to elevate the standards for women in business and in professional positions
2. to promote the interests of business and professional women
3. to bring about a spirit of cooperation among business women in the United States and other countries
4. to extend educational opportunities to business and professional women along the lines of industrial, scientific and vocational activities
The North Dakota Federation also published a monthly newsletter, The Gist of It, which ran from 1922 to 1932. Special Collections has cataloged holdings for this periodical (1922-1928). Another monthly newsletter, North Dakota Flickertales, began in the late 1940s. Holdings in Special Collections are incomplete (1951-1962, 1964-1976, and 1978-1979).
The Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club was chartered August 18, 1919, and is the oldest club in the state. During its history, the club has sponsored numerous programs, conferences, and events. In the 1920s, the club operated a placement service for women seeking jobs and sponsored dances in 1923 to raise funds for a new snowplow for Grand Forks. In the 1950s, the club sponsored a scholarship for third year medical students. The club was active in supporting the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970s and 1980s, as were both the state and national levels of the organization.
The Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club has also been active in sponsoring other local chapters. The club was instrumental in forming chapters in Devils Lake and Grafton, as well as Crookston, Minnesota. The most recent club to be sponsored by the Grand Forks Club was the Grand Forks Air Force Base Business and Professional Women’s Club, founded March 20, 1968.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections
Accruals: Additional materials were donated by Edith Froiland, Grand Forks, North Dakota, on July 9, 1992 (92-1842) and by Sandra Moore, Grand Forks, North Dakota on February 28, 1990 (90-1696), February 4, 1991 (91-1736) and May 14, 1991 (91-1769).
Access Restrictions: Open for inspection under the rules and regulations of the Department of Special Collections.
Acquisition Source: Linda Evans
Acquisition Method: Donation; 77-433
Related Materials: North Dakota Federation of Business and Professional Women’s Clubs: OGLMC 495
Preferred Citation: (Description of Item). Grand Forks Business and Professional Women’s Club Records. OGLMC 1416, Box #, Folder #. Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
Finding Aid Revision History: Finding aid added to Archon in May 2015.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Photographs :],
[All]
- Box 1
- Folder 1: Constitution and bylaws, 1960
- Folder 2: Correspondence, 1955-1963
- Folder 3: Ledger Book, 1940-1964
- Folder 4: Minutes and meeting notes, 1919-1923
- Folder 5: Minutes and meeting notes, 1923-1926
- Folder 6: Minutes and meeting notes, 1947-1951
- Folder 7: Minutes and meeting notes, 1951-1954
- Folder 8: Minutes and meeting notes, 1954-1955
- Folder 9: Minutes and meeting notes, 1956-1959
- Folder 10: Minutes and meeting notes, 1959-1960
- Folder 11: Minutes and meeting notes, 1967-1975
- Folder 12: National Convention program, 1968
- Folder 13: Scrapbook, 1926-1943
- Folder 14: Scrapbook of National Convention, 1948
- Folder 1: Constitution and bylaws, 1960
- Box 2
- Box 3
- Scrapbook 1: 1919-1974 (notable material itemized below)
- Item 1: "James W. Foley, North Dakota's Poet: A biographical sketch"
- Item 2: "History of the North Dakota Federation of Business and Women's Clubs" by State Club President Lillian Gubelman, 1946.
- Items 3: "The Gist of It" newsletter. Volume 9, Issues 2 and 3, 1930/1931.
- Section 4: Equal Rights Amendment regional news clippings
- Item 1: "James W. Foley, North Dakota's Poet: A biographical sketch"
- Scrapbook 2: 1971-1975
- Scrapbook 3: 1975-1989
- Scrapbook 1: 1919-1974 (notable material itemized below)
- Box 4
- Folder 1: National BPW and Grand Forks BPW Club Bylaws and Constitutions, 1962-1978
- Folder 2: Grand Forks BPW roster, correspondence, and miscellaneous papers, 1977-1978
- Folder 3: Grand Forks BPW roster, correspondence, clippings, yearbook, 1979-1980
- Folder 4: Grand Forks BPW roster, bulletin, The Gist of It, and correspondence, 1978-1979
- Folder 5: Minutes, 1972-1979
- Folder 6: Receipt and Disbursement Register, 1941-1968
- Folder 7: Financial and Budget Reports, 1968-1981
- Folder 8: Past State Presidents, 1920-1967
- Folder 9: Grand Forks BPW board and committee directory, 1968-1969, 1972-1974
- Folder 10: Membership Lists and Rosters, 1943-1949
- Folder 11: Membership Lists and Rosters: 1950-1955
- Folder 12: Membership Lists and Rosters: 1956-1960
- Folder 13: Membership Lists and Rosters: 1960-1961
- Folder 14: Membership Lists and Rosters: 1968-1969
- Folder 15: Grand Forks BPW Yearbooks, 1933-1934, 1953-1970, 1978-1979
- Folder 16: State Convention correspondence and program: Jamestown, May 15-17, 1970
- Folder 17: State Convention minutes, rosters and miscellaneous: Devils Lake, April 26-27, 1985
- Folder 18: BPW International Peace Garden Project: 1970-71
- Folder 19: Newsclippings and paperwork for "University Bards" project
- Folder 20: Awards
- Folder 21: Newspaper clippings: 1959-1962
- Folder 22: Newspaper clippings: 1969-1972
- Folder 23: Miscellaneous
- Folder 24: Re-issued membership certificate for the Grand Forks Business and Professional Women's Club: original date of issue, April 18, 1919
- Folder 25: Statement of Club Membership: 1966-1979
- Folder 1: National BPW and Grand Forks BPW Club Bylaws and Constitutions, 1962-1978
- Photographs :
- Separated and placed in the Photograph File Cabinets.
- Photograph 1: Nita Fox
- Photograph 2: Nita Fox
- Photograph 3: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 4: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 5: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 6: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 7: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 8: Silver Tea, Grand Forks Air Force Base, May 25, 1969
- Photograph 9: North Dakota BPW Board, 1954
- Photograph 10: North Dakota BPW Convention, no date
- Photograph 11: BPW at Washington, D.C., 1960-61?
- Photograph 1: Nita Fox
Browse by Box:
[Box 1],
[Box 2],
[Box 3],
[Box 4],
[Photographs :],
[All]