Introduction | Agency History | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

Introduction

The manuscript collection of the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club, Wood County, Ohio, covers the years from 1944 to 1980. Minutes, correspondence, subject files, newsletters, newspaper clippings (dated and undated), and scrapbooks provide illumination into the organization's relationship with the Bowling Green community and other Soroptimist chapters.

The records of this collection were donated and transferred to the Center for Archival Collections after the organization's disbandment in the summer of 1982. Property and literary rights have been given to the public and duplicationof material is permitted for scholarly research and preservation. The register was prepared by Henry Tribe in April 1983.

Agency History

The Bowling Green Soroptimist Club was chartered in 1944, and disbanded in 1980. Like the Lions, Rotary, and numerous men's service clubs, Soroptimist Clubs provide the same opportunities to women for public service. The goal of any Soroptimist Chapter is to "assist in developing the highest concept of patriotism and love of country; to promote the spirit of service; to foster high ethical standards in business and professions; to develop interest in community, national and international affairs." During its existence the Bowling Green Club served as a good model to its parent Soroptimist International Association.

Between 1944 and 1980, the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club was involved in a number of community activities. In 1949, the Club established the Kate Offerman Scholarship Fund (named in honor of a charter member) which offered financial assistance to girls attending college. During the 1950s, the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club raised money for a Polio Fund, aided the local Girl Scouts and twice sponsored a horse show to generate money for crippled children. Twenty years later, the Bowling Green organization was planning fund-raisers and making donations to the Crusade of Mercy, the Heart Fund, the March of Dimes, Wheeled Meals, and Dollars for Scholars.

Toward the end of the 1970s, membership declined in the Bowling Green Soropitimist Club. As a result, with active membership below the number required to hold the Charter, the Soroptimist Club agreed to relinquish its Charter. The few remaining members of the Bowling Green organization applied for membership in thee nearby Toledo and Napoleon, Ohio Soroptimist Clubs.

Scope and Content

The manuscript collection of the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club spans the years 1944 to 1980. The minutes are the most important and detailed account of the organization's history. They offer insight into the Soroptimist Club's activities--mostly on a monthly basis--and are the most complete set of records in the collection.

Appendages to the minutes include correspondence, subject files, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, treasurer's reports, and ledgers. Some of this material, which is undated, appears to be of limited value. Most of these items, however, offer insight into the Club's activities at the local and national level and are important sources in understanding the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club.

The large section of printed material in the collection deals mainly with the Soroptimist organization at the national level. This material, mostly from the 1970s, includes Soroptimist publications of conference minutes, programs, information related to Soroptimist Conferences, and various miscellaneous material. These items offer some illumination into Soroptimism, but deal little with the Bowling Green Club.

Series Description

PROCEEDINGS

MINUTES
1944-1980.
Arranged chronologically
Includes minutes of board and business meetings; attendance rosters and treasurer's reports from 1944 through July 1962.

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
1955, 1979.
Arranged chronologically
Includes Constitution and amendments of the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club.

GUEST BOOK
1956-1974.
Arranged chronologically
Given to the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club from its sister club in Aberdeen, Scotland, it contains lists of individuals who attended installation banquets and other club functions.

MEMBERSHIP ROSTER
n.d.
Includes two undated membership rosters of the club.

CORRESPONDENCE

BOWLING GREEN SOROPTIMIST CORRESPONDENCE
1955-1980, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes personal correspondence form Bowling Green community leaders and groups, letters of resignation, messages from district and national Soroptimist officers.

CORRESPONDENCE--GREETING CARDS
1952-1979, n.d. (Scattered)
Arranged chronologically
Includes Christmas cards from individuals and groups.

CORRESPONDENCE--SOROPTIMIST FEDERATION OF AMERICA
1973, 1974.
Arranged chronologically
Includes correspondence and form letters from Soroptimist Federation of America.

SUBJECT FILES

ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND
1953-1957, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes greeting cards, correspondence, and programs from the Soroptimist Club of Aberdeen, Scotland.

MIDWEST REGION SCHOLARSHIP RETURNS
1973-1974.
Arranged chronologically
Includes applicants correspondence with club President Mabel Muir, scholarship application forms, pictures of contestants, and letters of recommendations supporting applicants.

MATERIAL RELATED TO CLUB'S DISBANDMENT
May 1980-August 1980.
Arranged chronologically
Includes letters and forms dealing with the disbandment of the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club.

MEMBERSHIP TRANSACTIONS
1972-1979.
Arranged chronologically
Includes all club membership transactions.

REPORTS

REPORTS--TREASURER
1962-1980.
Arranged chronologically
Includes treasurer's reports and proposed budgets. Also contains IRS Form 990 "Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax" for 1977 through 1979.

REPORTS--PRESIDENT
1974-1977.
Arranged chronologically
Includes President's Reports (on Bowling Green Soroptimist Club) for Midwestern Region Soroptimist Conference.

FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS

LEDGERS
1950-1980.
Arranged chronologically
Includes records of disbursements, statements of receipts and disbursements and controlling accounts.

LEDGERS--RECORDS OF CASH RECEIPTS
1954-1967
Arranged chronologically
Includes records of cash receipts.

LEDGERS--CASH BALANCE SHEETS
1954-1966.
Arranged chronologically
Includes balance sheets and auditing committee reports.

LEDGERS--KATE OFFERMAN FUND
1954-1968.
Arranged chronologically
Includes records of the Kate Offerman Educational Loan Fund.

SCRAPBOOKS AND SCRAPBOOK MATERIALS

PRESSBOOK
1948-1950.
Arranged chronologically
Xeroxed copy of pressbook. Includes material related to "Pressbook Contest" of 1948-1950.

NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
1949-1963, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes articles and pictures printed in newspapers related to Bowling Green Soroptimist Club.

PRINTED MATERIAL

CONFERENCE--MIDWESTERN REGION MINUTES.
1968, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979
Arranged chronologically
Includes publications of the Soroptimist Federation of the Americas listing minutes of conferences.

MATERIAL RELATED TO MIDWESTERN REGION CONFERENCE
1973, 1974, 1976, 1978
Arranged chronologically
Includes booklets on Regional Conferences and numerous forms relating to each conference.

INSTALLATION PROGRAM
1976.
Program deals with installation of new Soroptimist officers from Napoleon, Bowling Green, and Toledo, Ohio.

DISTRICT IV MEETINGS
1972-1979.
Arranged chronologically
Includes material related to District IV meetings.

VENTURE CLUB COUNCIL PROGRAM
1974.
Deals with the Venture Club Council of the Americas 18th Biennial Convention at Portland, Oregon. Includes balance sheet for 1973.

NEWSLETTERS
1949, 1954-1956, 1966-1979, n.d. (Scattered)
Arranged chronologically
The Soroptimist Echo 1949-1956. Includes information on numerous Soroptimist activities.

AWARDS
1956, 1961, 1978, 1980, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes numerous awards (to the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club) related to community service.

PRINTED MATERIAL--MISCELLANEOUS
1970-1978, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes miscellaneous printed material pertinent to the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club, and to the Soroptimist Federation of the Americas, Inc.

PRINTED PROGRAMS OF SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION CONVENTION
1950-1962 (scattered)
Arranged chronologically
Includes programs of S.I.A. Conventions.

PROGRAMS OF LOCAL SOROPTIMIST CHAPTERS
1951-1980, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes programs of Bowling Green, Toledo, and Anacartes, Washington Clubs.

PROGRAMS FOR MIDWESTERN REGION OF SOROPTIMIST AND VENTURE CLUBS
1956-1958.
Arranged chronologically
Includes programs for Midwestern Region of Soroptimist and Venture Clubs.

SOROPTIMIST GUIDES
1976-1979, n.d.
Arranged chronologically
Includes guides (n.d.) For administration, club procedures, and programs. Other guides (1976-1979) deal with laws, classification, and education.

NORTHWEST REGION ROSTERS
1976.
Arranged chronologically
Includes rosters of Akron, Bowling Green, Canton, Cleveland, Columbus, Fremont, Kenton, Mansfield, Mount Vernon, Napoleon, and Toledo Soroptimist Clubs.

MIDWEST REGION ROSTERS
1972-1974.
Arranged chronologically
Includes rosters of every Soroptimist Club in Midwest Region--Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.

GENERAL CLUB FORMS
n.d.
Includes order forms for Soroptimist supplies and membership transaction forms.

BYLAWS AND PROCEDURES
1978-1980.
Arranged chronologically
Includes bylaws and procedures for Soroptimist International of the Americas.

FILE GUIDES
June 1968-April 1971.
Arranged chronologically
Guides for Soroptimist Clubs published by Soroptimist Federation of the Americas.

CLUB RULES AND GUIDELINES
1970s.
Includes rules and guidelines from regional chapter.

SOROPTIMIST MANUAL
1970.
Includes basic information for every Soroptimist--published by Soroptimist Federation of the Americas.

PROGRAM OF SIXTEENTH BIENNIAL CONVENTION
1960.
Includes proceedings of the convention.

PHOTOGRAPHS
1950-1960, n.d.
Includes photographs of Bowling Green and Aberdeen (Scotland) Soroptimist Clubs and undated negatives.

HORSE SHOW RIBBONS

HORSE SHOW RIBBONS
1955.
Includes Paul Revere Award, third place and fourth place ribbons of the Second Annual Charity Horse and Pony Show held at Bowling Green.

OVERSIZE MATERIAL

SCRAPBOOKS
1944-1952, 1954-1960.
Arranged chronologically
Includes newspaper clippings and photographs related to the Bowling Green Soroptimist Club.

Inventory

Box 1

1. Minutes, October 1944-January 1946
2. Minutes, July 1946-July 1947
3. Minutes, July 1947-July 1948
4. Minutes, August 1948-July 1949
5. Minutes, September 1949-June 1950
6. Minutes, June 1950-September 1951
7. Minutes, October 1951-July 1953
8. Minutes, August 1953-June 1954
9. Minutes, June 1954-August 1955
10. Minutes, September 1955-May 1956
11. Minutes, June 1956-July 1957
12. Minutes, September 1957-December 1958
13. Minutes, January 1959-December 1960
14. Minutes, January 1961-December 1962
15. Minutes, January 1963-December 1964
16. Minutes, January 1965-December 1965
17. Minutes, January 1966-December 1966
18. Minutes, January 1967-December 1967
19. Minutes, January 1968-December 1968
20. Minutes, January 1969-December 1969
21. Minutes, January 1970-December 1970

Box 2

1. Minutes, January 1971-December 1972
2. Minutes, February 1973-December 1974
3. Minutes, January 1975-December 1975
4. Minutes, February 1976-December 1976
5. Minutes, February 1977-December 1978
6. Minutes, March 1979-July 1980
7. Constitution and Bylaws, 1955, 1979
8. Guest Book, August 1956-November 1974
9. Membership Rosters, n.d.
10. Correspondence, November 1955-May 1958, June 1970-December 1973
11. Correspondence, January 1974-December 1975
12. Correspondence--Greeting Cards, 1952-1979, n.d. (Scattered)
13. Correspondence--Soropitmist Federation of America, 1973, 1977
14. Subject File/Aberdeen, Scotland, 1953-1957, n.d.
15. Subject File/Midwest Region Scholarship Returns, October 1973-April 1974
16. Subject File/Material Related to Club's Disbandment, May 1980-August 1980
17. Subject File/Membership Transaction, August 1972-June 1979
18. Reports--Treasurer, September 1962-July 1969

Box 3

1. Reports--Treasurer, June 1971-September 1974
2. Reports--Treasurer, October 1974-September 1975
3. Reports--Treasurer, October 1977-June 1979
4. Reports--Treasurer, July 1979-August 1980
5. Reports--President, 1974-1977
6. Ledger, September 1950-June 1954
7. Ledger, September 1954-June 1962
8. Ledger, July 1962-August 1966
9. Ledger, February 1967-May 1970
10. Ledger, June 1968-1975
11. Ledger, July 1975, July 1977
12. Ledger, July 1978-1980
13. Ledger--Records of Cash Receipts, July 1954-January 1967
14. Ledger--Cash Balance Sheets, 1954-1966
15. Ledger--Kater Offerman Fund, June 1954-June 1968

Box 4

1. Press Book, 1948-1950
2. Newspaper Clippings, 1949-1963
3. Newspaper Clippings, n.d.
4. Printed Material of Minutes of Midwestern Region Conference, 1968
5. Printed Material of Minutes of Midwestern Region Conference, 1973-1974
6. Printed Material of Minutes of Midwestern Region Conference, 1975-1976
7. Printed Material of Minutes of Midwestern Region Conference, 1977, 1979
8. Printed Material Related to Midwestern Region Conference, 1973
9. Printed Material Related to Midwestern Region Conference, 1974
10. Printed Material Related to Midwestern Region Conference, 1976
11. Printed Material Related to Midwestern Region Conference, 1978
12. Installation Program, 1976
13. Printed Material Related to District IV Meetings, 1972-1979
14. Venture Club Council Papers, 1974

Box 5

1. Newsletters, 1949, 1954-1956, n.d.
2. Newsletters, 1966-1968
3. Newsletters, 1969-1979 (scattered)
4. Awards, 1956-1980
5. Printed Material, Miscellaneous, 1970-1978, n.d.
6. Printed Material, Miscellaneous, n.d.
7. Programs of Soroptimist International Association Convention, 1950-1962 (scattered)
8. Programs of Local Soroptimist Chapters, 1951-1980, n.d.
9. Programs for Midwestern Region of Soroptimist and Venture Clubs, 1956-1958
10. Guides for Soroptimist Clubs, n.d.

Box 6

1. Soroptimist Guides, 1976-1979
2. Northwest Region Rosters, 1976
3. Midwest Region Rosters, 1972-1974
4. General Club Forms, n.d.
5. Bylaws and Procedures, 1978-1980
6. File Guides, June 1968-April 1971
7. Club Rules and Guidelines, 1970s
8. Club Rules and Guidelines, 1970s
9. Club Rules and Guidelines, 1970s
10. Soroptimist Manual, 1970
11. Program of the 16th Biennial Convention, 1960
12. Photographs, 1950-1960
13. Horse Show Ribbons, 1955

Oversize Volumes

1. Scrapbook, 1944-1952
2. Scrapbook, 1954-1960

Manuscripts by Subject | Women's Studies Collections | Miscellaneous Collections