Speeches,, 1937-1994

Summary: Primarily speeches given by Mary Roebling and supporting materials. Includes a few speeches given by other people. Document types include published and unpublished speeches, drafts, correspondence, telegrams, notes, programs, press releases, newspaper and magazine articles, a vinyl phonograph record, and a reel-to-reel audiotape.

Consists of four sub-series: Speeches, 1937-1951 (subject file), Speeches, 1937-1951 (place file), Speeches, 1938-1969, and Speeches, 1949-1994.

Speeches, 1937-1951 (subject file) (1 cubic foot) consists of early speeches arranged by subject, including a partial subject index. This series includes many drafts, fragments, and introductions of Roebling and other speakers. Subjects covered include economics, finance, equal rights for women, international relations, public relations, the city of Trenton, unemployment, the Second World War, and women's work in business and industry. Of particular interest is a 1947 speech on relief for China, where she suggests that a prosperous China could become an important market for the products of American industry, and a 1938 speech in which she advocates balancing the budget. In 1944, she spoke about the importance of retaining women in industry once the war had ended, and in 1949 she spoke in support of the Equal Rights Amendment then being considered by Congress.

Some of the speeches are actually radio addresses such as a 1950 talk where Roebling advocated incorporating the neighboring towns of Ewing, Lawrence, and Hamilton into a greater Trenton.

Speeches, 1937-1951 (place file) (.75 cubic feet) consists of early speeches arranged by the town or city in which they were given. Although Roebling spoke at locations throughout the United States including Kansas City, Los Angeles, Alaska, and Hawaii, she most often spoke in New York City, New Jersey and Philadelphia. Roebling often gave the same speech to many different groups.

Of particular interest is a speech Roebling gave to the Women in Industry Conference of the South Jersey Manufacturer's Association in Camden, New Jersey, in 1944, in which she calls for equal rights for women regardless of marital status, equal pay for equal work, equal opportunity for advancement, and increased employment of older women. Also of interest is a speech delivered at Temple University in Philadelphia in 1947, where Roebling calls for education in understanding world cultures to promote peace and create global markets. Included are letters Roebling received in response to this speech.

Speeches 1938(1952)-1969 (2.75 cubic feet) is grouped alphabetically by names of organizations to which Roebling spoke. Roebling often tailored her speeches to the group to whom she was speaking. Also includes award acceptance speeches, tributes, campaign speeches, testimony, canceled speeches, correspondence about declined speeches and television broadcasts, as well as information Roebling sent out to reporters writing articles about her. Includes correspondence between Roebling's secretary, her speech writer Larry Casey, and her father, who advised her.

Subjects covered include women in business, the impact of automation on women's work, public relations, investments, the need to preserve the free enterprise system, the need to deepen the Delaware River, and the evils of migrant labor. Many of Roebling's speeches were educational, explaining to people how to invest their money, how to prepare personal budgets, and the meaning of inflation and other economics terms.

Of particular interest is a speech Roebling gave at the American Banking Association convention in Trenton in 1962, where she spoke via Telstar satellite to Dr. H.C. Boden, President of the International Chamber of Commerce. Also of interest is a questionnaire distributed by the National Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs in 1953. In answer to the question "What Holds Women Back in Job Advancement?", Roebling replied that women's position is improving, although their role as economic producers has not been fully appreciated and they still face discrimination.

Sub-series Speeches, 1949-1994 (7.5 cubic feet) is arranged alphabetically by heading. It is primarily made up of speeches Roebling gave in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and fax transmittals in which she sent written remarks. Among the fax transmittals are arrangements for Roebling's funeral made by her Secretary Kay MacPherson. Includes a book The Art of Being a Boss, by Robert J. Schoenberg (1978), on which Roebling consulted.

Subjects covered include the need for private companies to provide child care, the women's liberation movement, the importance of credit cards to banks, the need to redevelop New Jersey's cities, patriotism, and religious belief.

Subject Files