mnsss308 Ruth Van Meter Papers, 1954-1973 Finding Aid Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College

Northampton, MA

Finding aid exported into EAD from InMagic DB/Textworks 7.01. Encoded by Margaret Jessup and Jennifer Smar. 2006-04-07 Finding aid written in English. Sophia Smith CollectionSmith College Ruth Van Meter Papers, 1954-1973 Finding Aid MS 265 2005 Encoding funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Collection Overview Van Meter, Ruth, 1911-1992 Ruth Van Meter Papers1954-1973 MS 265 1 box (.25 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection

Smith College Northampton, MA

YWCA overseas secretary and official. This very small collection consists of Van Meter's notes about her travels and experiences working to establish YWCA chapters around the world and includes material relating to YWCA centers in Turkey and in South America. Biographical Note

Ruth Van Meter was born in Moscow, Idaho on February 6, 1911 and moved to Portland, Oregon in 1922. She earned her B.A. from Asbury College in Wilmore, Kentuck, and did graduate work at USC and Columbia. Upon graduation she did clerical work in Portland. Ultimately she became an executive director of local Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) centers in California, Utah, and Hawaii. Later, she ran YWCA programs in fifteen other countries (Greece, Turkey, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Iran, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Ethiopia), establishing chapters in five. She returned to Portland in 1973 and performed volunteer work for the Portland YWCA, and later for the Tijuana, Mexico YWCA. She died April 20, 1992.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

This very small collection consists of Van Meter's notes about her travels and experiences working to establish YWCA chapters around the world. It also contain s a booklet commemorating the 50th anniversary of the YWCA's work in Turkey and two organizational manuals prepared for distribution to all the YWCAs in South America.

NOTE: There is no container list for this collection. Contact the Sophia Smith Collection for more information.

Information on Use Terms of Access and Use

The papers are open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection.

This collection has not been fully processed and therefore may be difficult to use.

Copyright to unpublished materials may be owned by the creator, or their heirs or assigns. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and satisfy the holders of all copyrights. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Preferred Citation

Please use the following format when citing materials from this collection:

Ruth Van Meter Papers, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Search Terms Van Meter, Ruth, 1911-1992 Young Women's Christian Associations--History--Sources