Guide to the
Association for Women Veterinarians Records
Dates:
1945-2003 ( inclusive )
Quantity:
17 containers. (18 linear feet of shelf space.)
Collection Number:
Cage
648
Summary:
Includes correspondence, financial
records, meeting minutes, and research materials; research materials include
articles on and by women veterinarians, and the bulletin series, containing
developments in the field of veterinary medicine. The oldest information is in
the scrapbooks. VHS tapes and floppy diskettes contain interviews and images of
veterinary doctors.
Repository:
Washington State University Libraries
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special
Collections
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Historical Note
The Association for Women Veterinarians (known as Women's Veterinary
Medical Association prior to 1980) began in 1947 as the idea of veterinarian
Mary K. Dunlap of Kansas City, Missouri. It was her hope to form an
organization of women working in a male dominated profession. A preliminary
gathering was held in April with the first official meeting held in August. The
first officers elected were: President, Lucille Dimmerling; Vice Presidents,
Edith Williams, Elinor McGrath, and Patricia O’Connor; Secretary, Doreen
Hatfield; and Treasurer, Josephine Brown.
A major objective of the Association (as stated in the constitution)
is to "further the mutual advancement of women veterinarians in the science of
veterinary medicine by bringing them together to share knowledge, support, and
friendship." The group accomplishes this through their bulletins and
newsletters, which provide information about developments within the
profession, practice tips, and general information of interest. Annual national
meetings also help members keep in touch.
Today the Association is still very much interested in helping
veterinary students. Over the years they have collected data from various
surveys of women veterinarians and administrators at veterinary schools to
provide potential students with information concerning all aspects of the
profession, including the difficulties they may face academically and socially.
In addition, there are women’s student groups set up at colleges where interest
and numbers merit them. Each year since 1959 the Association has presented an
award to the woman senior with the highest grade point average. A Speakers
Bureau also has been set up which arranges for speaking engagements by women
veterinarians at high schools and colleges.
The membership of the Association consists of those holding Doctor of
Veterinary Medicine degrees, students at accredited professional veterinary
schools, or any person interested in the association who is active in an allied
field. These are known as active, student, and associate memberships
respectively. In recent years, men have also been included as members.
Content Description
The majority of the Association for Women Veterinarians (AWV) records
date from about 1970 to about 1990. The earliest materials are predominately
found in the Scrapbooks Series
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
This collection is open for research use.
Preferred Citation :
[Item Description]. Cage
648, Guide to the
Association for Women Veterinarians Records. Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
Records of the Association for Women Veterinarians (AWV) are divided
into nine series: Correspondence; Financial; Meeting Minutes and Officers’
Reports; General; Membership; Bulletins; Scrapbooks; Bulletin Card Files; and
VHS Tapes and Floppy Disks.
The Correspondence Series consists of letters from various officers of
the Association and women within or associated with the organization. Principal
correspondents include M. Lois Calhoun, Frankee P. Elliot, Marguerite B.
Gulick, and Jean R. Hagan. The correspondence of Bonnie V. Gustafson Beaver is
filed under both her married and maiden names. In addition, some of her
correspondence is located in the General File, folder 115, under the title
"Veterinary Schools and Bonnie Beaver Files, 1968-1975." The folders are
arranged alphabetically by subject. All of the material is in its original
order with the exception of the M. Lois Calhoun and Patricia O’Connor
correspondence that has been arranged in chronological order.
Contained within the Financial series are bank statements, deposit
slips, canceled checks, paid bills, dues payment journals and treasurer’s
reports, 1951-1961. Treasurer’s reports from 1963-1971 are located in the
Meeting Minutes and Officers’ Reports Series under the title "Minutes of
Meetings and Treasurer’s Reports." Correspondence from two past treasurers,
Roberta Hartman, 1962-1966 and Doreen Lewis, 1966-1969, is located in the
Correspondence Series. The folders are arranged alphabetically by subject.
Statements, checks, and deposit slips are separated by bank name.
The Meeting Minutes and Officers’ Reports series contains the records
of annual meetings minutes, notes and officers’ reports from 1963-1971 and from
1976-1988. The General File consists of records of annual meetings, articles on
and by women veterinarians, constitutions and by-laws, registers, replies to
various surveys, and student material. Folders are arranged alphabetically by
subject; material within the folders is in its original order. The Membership
Series consists of membership lists, address cards, membership applications of
the Association.
The Bulletin Series contains the news bulletins of the Association.
They include various types of information concerning the profession and the
statutes of the organization such as developments within veterinary medicine,
changes in the organization, information on positions within the field,
practice tips, and information of general interest. They are arranged
chronologically.
There are seven volumes included in the Scrapbook Series. They contain
magazine and newspaper clippings about women veterinarians and articles
published by women veterinarians. Although the material was first collected in
the late 1940s, some of the items gathered date back to the 1920s. The Bulletin
Card File series consists of approximately 1200 3" x 5" cards which list the
addresses of members receiving the AFWV Bulletin. The cards have been separated
from the remaining materials for ease of access. They are arranged
alphabetically and remain in their original order. Contained in the VHS Tapes
and Floppy Diskettes Series are video taped interviews and digital images of
veterinary doctors.
Acquisition Information :
These records were donated between 1979 and 1998 by officers of the
Association.
Future Additions :
Records of the Association for Women Veterinarians are transferred to
archival custody at the Washington State University Libraries under a standing
agreement of the Association and the Libraries.
Processing Note :
These records of the Association for Women Veterinarians were combined
into one collection in May 1999.
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series 1:
Correspondence
Container(s)
Description
Box
Folder
1
1
American Women's Veterinary
Medical Association, 1947-1954
1
2
Anderson, Lynn C., 1987-1988
1
3
Association for Women
Veterinarians (AWV), 1981-1982
1
4
Association for Women
Veterinarians, 1983-1988
1
5
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1977-1978
1
6
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1979
1
7
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1979
1
8
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1980
1
9
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1980
1
10
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1981
1
11
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1981
1
12
AWV, Career Guidance
Inquiries, 1982-1986
1
13
AWV, Career Guidance
Response, 1973
1
14
AWV, Miscellaneous, 1982-1983
1
15
AWV, Officers'
Announcements, 1976-1989
1
16
AWV, Sponsor
Correspondence, 1986
1
17
Baumgartener, Lois, AWV Treasurer
1982-1985
1
18
Beaver, Bonnie G., 1972-1975
1
19
Beaver, Bonnie G., 1978
1
20
Birr, Carolyn,
Secretary, 1981-1983
1
21
Bowls, Karen F., Treasurer,
President, 1976-1988
1
22
Bowls, Karen F. and Donna Den
Boer, 1976-1977
1
23
Bowls, Karen F. and Ann-si Li on
Bulletin, 1979-1981
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Corporate Names :
Association for Women Veterinarians.
--Archives
(
creator)
Women's Veterinary Association
Women's Veterinary Medical Association
Subject Terms :
Association for
Women Veterinarians--Records and correspondence
