Scope and Contents:
This collection is comprised of records from the Rantoul branch of the American Association of University Women. Located in east-central Illinois, the Rantoul branch focused on advancing women's equality and rights through education, advocacy, and research. Records include minutes, correspondence, bylaws, newsletters, and other materials.
The American Association of University Women began in 1881 when seventeen women in Boston formed the Association of Collegiate Alumnae for the purpose of uniting the alumnae of different institutions for practical educational work. In 1889 it merged with the Western Association of College Women under the ACA name. A final union with the Southern Association of College Women in 1921 brought about the present AAUW.
The Rantoul branch of AAUW was chartered on June 23, 1980. LaVerne Greer was the founding president of the branch, and Lyle Greer became the branch's first male president in 1998. The branch disbanded in 2006 due to low membership numbers.
This collection is organized into four series: Administrative, Annual Records, Projects, and Publications. Since the Rantoul branch organized a significant portion of their records by year, much of the material falls under the Annual Records series. The collection offers insight into the administrative arm of the branch with records including bylaws, general branch and Board minutes, officer and member lists, and reports. Project materials provide documentation of the branch's involvement in the community such as providing books in Braille for the Rantoul Public Library and funding an academic enrichment program for Rantoul Township High School. Newsletters discuss upcoming calendar events for the branch, as well as member news such as travel plans, deaths in the family, and other details. Also included in the collection are scripts for an AAUW play called "The Talbot Story: A Play in Three Acts," which details the history of AAUW.
The Library acquired this collection from Roma Chenoweth on October 3, 2007.
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