Altrusa International, Atlanta Club records

Altrusa International, Atlanta Club:

A Guide to Its Records at Georgia State University Library

Georgia State University
Georgia State University
Special Collections and Archives
100 Decatur St., SE
Atlanta, GA 30303-3202
404-413-2880
Fax: 404-413-2881
archives@gsu.edu

January 8, 2008

Organization of the Records

Scope and Content of the Records

The Records, 1938-2001, of the Altrusa International Incorporated, Atlanta Club, comprise correspondence, minutes, printed items, financial records, annual conference and convention information, annual reports, project and committee files, photographs and a videotape, and convention memorabilia. The bulk of the records describe the charitable work of the Altrusa International Inc. Atlanta Club, but other clubs throughout Georgia and District III are also documented. There are personal papers of many of the Atlanta Club presidents and officials, including Mary Kate Duskin, Cassie Dollar, Marian Styron and Margaret Windsor. Files are arranged in six series, arranged chronologically, and clippings have been photocopied for preservation purposes. Periodicals have been separated and are listed at the end of the finding aid.

History of the Atlanta Club of Altrusa International Incorporated

Founded in Nashville in 1917 as a women's civic organization where business and professional women could meet and exchange ideas, Altrusa developed into an altruistic group. Led by Mamie L. Bass, Altrusa was established as a classified service organization. It quickly grew into a chain of national clubs, and became international in 1935.

On March 23, 1938, the Altrusa Club of Atlanta was organized. Its Presidents have included Louise Vaughn (1938-1940), Laurie K. Guy (1940-1942), Eleanor Kellow (1943), Mary Kate Duskin, (1955-1957), Cassie Dollar (1966-1967), Marian Styron (1967-1969) and Margaret Windsor (1971-1972). The Atlanta Club is part of Altrusa's District III which includes South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida and Georgia. Officers are elected at the club and district level during the annual conferences and conventions, and work with committee chairs throughout the year.

The club actively participated in a variety of ways to assist the community. It implemented programs such as the American Women’s Volunteer Service Program, which entertained service men from Lawson General Hospital, and a vocational guidance series for women workers of the Bell Bomber plant. It also adopted the Irving Thomas Home for middle-aged women.

Early accomplishments for the Atlanta Club include a $1,000 contribution for nursing schools in 1946; the organization and teaching of regular classes at the Georgia Training School for Girls at Adamsville from 1949-1953; establishment of a revolving scholarship fund in 1953, which gave financial aid to a number of female students; and the creation of an annual Vocational Clinic for the Mature Woman from (1956-1965). In the 1960's and 1970's, the Atlanta club conducted career clinics at the Atlanta Girls' Club, worked once a month with recreation and social activities at Friendship House, created Villa International as temporary housing for newly arrived immigrants to Atlanta, designed and remodeled rooms at the Atlanta Women’s Mission and assisted with Hillside Cottages, a treatment oriented center for emotionally disturbed children. In the late 1970's Altrusa officially adopted literacy as on-going service.

In the 1980's and 1990's, with its increasingly global outlook, Altrusa International, Inc. expanded its projects beyond literacy and education. In 1989, Altrusa adopted a resolution to promote environmental concerns and in 1997, the Altrusa Foundation adopted Camp Safe Haven for abandoned children with HIV/AIDS.

Index Terms

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the Georgia State University Library online catalog (GIL). Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Restrictions

Restrictions on Access

All requests subject to limitations noted in departmental policies on reproduction.

Terms Governing Use and Reproduction

To quote in print, or otherwise reproduce in whole or in part in any publication, including on the Worldwide Web, any material from this collection, the researcher must obtain permission from (1) the owner of the physical property and (2) the holder of the copyright. Persons wishing to quote from this collection should consult the reference archivist to determine copyright holders for information in this collection. Reproduction of any item must contain the complete citation to the original.

Administrative Information

Citation

[item], [folder title], [series title], Altrusa International, Atlanta Club records, W077, Archives for Research on Women and Gender, Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University, Atlanta.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Caryn Arrowood for Altrusa, 2006 (accession W2006-15).

Processing Information

Processed by Hilary Morrish, September-November 2007.

Related Material

Related materials in other repositories:

Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia: Altrusa Club of Savannah Records, 1938-2002

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina: Altrusa Club of Durham Records, 1933-2000

Separated Material

Separated material: During processing, periodicals were separated to Women's Printed Collections. See List of Separated Material following Detailed Description of the Collection.