Business and Professional Women's Club of Montclair, N.J. Records
This collection consists of records of the Montclair Business and Professional Women's Club, a local branch of the New Jersey Federation of Business and Professional Women's Clubs, and which was founded in 1928. The collection is approximately 2.5 cubic feet in size and consists of 6 manuscript boxes and 1 phase box. Records in this collection date from 1931 to 1979, and appear to be spread evenly throughout this period.
The bulk of the club's records consist generally of by-laws, minutes, club bulletins, club rosters, event programs, financial records, committee and officer reports, publicity and public relations files, and correspondence. Specifically, the collection includes the following series in this order: BY-LAWS, MINUTES, BULLETINS, ROSTERS, EVENT PROGRAMS, GENERAL FILES, the RECORDS OF PRESIDENT DIDOMENICO 1974-1976, a PRESS BOOK, and a MEMBERSHIP BOOK. Subjects covered include financial aid offered by the club to young women seeking to further their education, legislation in which the club was interested, fund-raising, planning of parties, community affairs, other activities which the club sponsored or in which it was involved, and internal administrative and political dealings and events.
The BY-LAWS cover the club's internal operating procedures. The MINUTES comprise the written record of the club' s monthly executive board and general meetings. BULLETINS includes a full run of the club's monthly newsletter from 1933-1976. ROSTERS covers generally and with many gaps the club's membership complement from 1931-1977. EVENT PROGRAMS predominantly covers, again with gaps, the programs given out at the annual dinners hosted by the club from 1950-1977. The GENERAL FILES include financial information, Presidents' and Treasurers' Reports that are not interfiled with the minutes, and records of individual officers and committees. The RECORDS OF PRESIDENT DIDOMENICO 1974-1976 consist of detailed files on every aspect of club activity and structure that were maintained by Mimi DiDomenico, President of the Montclair Club from 1974-1976. The PRESS BOOK is a one-volume resource that consists of newspaper and press clippings for the club year 1937-1938, while the MEMBERSHIP BOOK is a detailed roster of the club for the club year 1948-1949 as well as a listing (to the best of the compiler' s knowledge) of every member of the club since its founding in 1928.
The minutes of the executive board and general membership meetings are interfiled with committee and officer reports. Financial records and reports are also generally interfiled with the minutes as financial topics were most often discussed and reported on at the monthly meetings.
This collection also includes records from District III of the New Jersey BPW, of which the Montclair club was a member. These records generally consist of agendas, programs, and correspondence regarding District III meetings and events.
his collection presents a valuable resource for researchers seeking to investigate the manner in which women gathered and made connections, professionally and socially, in the course of the 20th Century. Specifically, the activities of the club inform the analysis of the ways that women assisted and networked with other women during the time period of the club's activities. This collection also shows how women in the club reacted to many of the contemporary issues facing them (like, for example, World War II, the Equal Rights Amendment, and the like).
- Dates
- Majority of material found within 1931-1979
- Extent
- 2.5 Cubic Feet (6 manuscript boxes, 1 phase box)
- Language of Materials
- Undetermined
Summary: This series consists of by-laws for the Montclair BPW. The by-laws provide the internal operating procedures for the structure, organization, operation, and leadership of the club.
- Dates
- 1935-1936, 1958, 1963, 1974, and undated.
- Dates
- 1935-1936, 1958, 1963, 1974, undated
Summary: This series consists of the minutes of the club's executive board, general, and annual meetings, which generally took place from September to May. Interfiled with the minutes are annual reports, treasurer's statements and reports, other officer reports, financial statements, yearly program schedules, and miscellaneous correspondence. In years like 1953-1954, where the minutes of the executive board and general club meetings were kept separately, rather than interfiled, the original order is maintained. The executive board minutes are filed in total before the general meeting minutes. In years like 1952-1953, where the minutes were bound together, they are in reverse chronological order for the given year. That is, the first set of minutes represents·the last meetings of the club year, in May. Some years, like 1957-1958, are incomplete. Additionally, at certain points in the 1930s and 1940s, President' s Reports and Treasurer's Reports were maintained and bound separately from the minutes into single volumes for the relevant time period. These single volumes, President's Reports (1938-1945) and Treasurer's Reports (1935-1948), have been filed in the GENERAL FILES series.
- Dates
- 1933-1934 to 1937-1938, 1942-1943 to 1963-1964, 1967-1968 to 1971-1972.
- Dates
- 1933-1934 to 1937-1938, 1942-1943 to 1951-1952
- Dates
- 1952-1953
- Dates
- 1952-1953
- Dates
- 1953-1954 to 1963-1964, 1967-1968 to 1971-1972
Summary: This series consists of the monthly newsletters that the Montclair BPW mailed to its members during the club year (September to May). The bulletins provide detailed information on the club's activities.
- Dates
- 1933-1934 to 1975-1976
- Dates
- 1944-1945 to 1975-1976
Summary: This series consists of rosters showing the names and addresses (and in some cases, attendance record at meetings) of the club's membership. The rosters come in two different forms, either loose sheets of paper that contain only the membership information, or small booklets with both the membership information and other information on the club like, for example, a yearly schedule of events. Membership records are also contained in the one-volume MEMBERSHIP BOOK, which is filed as a separate series. The MEMBERSHIP BOOK is a detailed roster of the club for the club year 1948-1949 as well as a listing (to the best of the compiler's knowledge) of every member of the club since its founding in 1928.
- Dates
- 1931-1932, 1935-1936, 1946, 1950-1951, 1958-1959, 1959-1960, 1961-1962, 1963-1964 to 1976-1977.
- Dates
- 1931-1932, 1935-1936, 1946, 1950-1951, 1958-1959, 1959-1960, 1961-1962, 1963-1964 to 1976-1977.
Summary: This series consists of programs and/or agendas for five different club activities, Anniversary Dinners, a presentation of club events, Founder's Day Dinners, fundraisers, and President's Day Dinners. The time periods covered under each particular type of activity are as follows: Anniversary Dinners, 1946 (20th Anniversary), 1951 (25th Anniversary), 1978 (50111 Anniversary); presentations of club events, 1955-56, 1961-1962; Founder's Day Dinners, 1971, 1972, 1976; fundraisers, 1972; President's Day Dinners, 1950, 1951, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1962, 1969, 1970, 1974-1977.
- Dates
- 1946-1977 with gaps.
- Dates
- 1946
- Dates
- 1951
- Dates
- 1978
- Dates
- 1955-1956
- Dates
- 1961-1962
- Dates
- 1971
- Dates
- 1972