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Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council oral history collection

 Collection
Identifier: Collection 167

Scope and Contents

The Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council oral history collection is open-ended, and interviews will be added periodically. Those interviewed include: a woman who helped Latvian citizens immigrate to Grand Rapids in the 1950s, a founder of Planned Parenthood and board member of Blodgett Memorial Medical Center, a school teacher, prominent members of social organizations and a descendant of early settlement families. Interview synopses are available for some of the interviews.

Dates

  • 1988-present

Creator

Biographical / Historical

The Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council was formed in 1988 by both local historians and business persons, for the purpose of preserving the historical contributions that women and women's organizations have made to the Grand Rapids area. Prominent among the founding members is Mary Elizabeth Frey McKay, local business woman and daughter of Edward Frey, founder of the Frey Foundation. The Council sponsors annual meetings and lectures on local women's history, including the 1991 Legacy Meeting, and promotes nominees for the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame located in Lansing.

Two committees are important within the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council. The research committee is responsible for the creation of a bibliography on prominent Grand Rapids area women. The oral history committee, originally headed by Jane Idema in 1989, is responsible for conducting oral histories in the form of audio taped interviews and providing written transcripts of these interviews. In 1992, Carol Grin took over as head of the oral history committee followed by Barbara Amberg in 1993. In an effort to further promote the collecting of women's oral histories, the council has held two separate workshops on the methods and procedures of conducting and preserving interviews.

Extent

4.7 Linear Feet (13 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council was formed in 1988 by both local historians and business persons, for the purpose of preserving the historical contributions that women and women's organizations have made to the Grand Rapids, Michigan area. The GGRWHC Oral History Collection is one of the organization's projects in fulfillment of their mission. Included here are interviews conducted by the organization's members, which preserve a spoken record of their personal histories, families, activities, values and times, from as early as the 1840s to the present. Reflected are broad topics such as medicine, society and race. Also included are details about the lives of descendants of early settlement families, racism, volunteerism, discrimination based on gender, education and other topics. The audio tapes are supplemented with the written transcriptions of those tapes, and some ancillary reference information on various of the interviewees is also found.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council, various accession numbers

Title
Finding Aid for the Greater Grand Rapids Women's History Council oral history collection
Status
Completed
Author
Michael J. Krapp
Date
January 1994
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Grand Rapids History Center Repository

Contact:
Grand Rapids Public Library
111 Library Street NE
Grand Rapids Michigan 49503 USA
616-988-5497