mnsss503 Southern Women, the Student YWCA, and Race (1920-1944) Collection Finding Aid Finding aid prepared by Maida Goodwin. Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
2011 Finding aid encoded in NoteTab Pro. Encoded by Joanna Johnson. 2011-06-20 Finding aid written in English Collection Overview Southern Women, the Student YWCA, and Race (1920-1944) Collection 1920-1944 MS # 679 5 boxes (2 linear ft.) English Sophia Smith Collection
Smith College Northampton, MA
YWCA workers. Fourteen audiotaped interviews with women who were involved with the Student Young Women's Christian Association in the southeastern United States between 1920 and 1944 conducted by Frances Sanders Taylor [Anton], 1981-82 as part her doctoral dissertation. Scope and Contents of the Collection

This is a collection of fourteen audiotaped interviews (transferred to CD) with women who were involved with the Student Young Women's Christian Association in the southeastern United States between 1920 and 1944. The interviews were conducted by Frances Sanders Taylor [Anton] in 1981 and 1982 as part of the research for her Stanford University doctoral dissertation, "'On the Edge of Tomorrow': Southern Women, the Student YWCA, and Race, 1920-1944."

Group at YWCA Student Conference, Waveland, Mississippi, 1931

Also included is a copy of the thesis, interview permission forms, and Taylor Anton's notes on the interviews. In addition, there are notes Taylor Anton made on a 1967 taped interview with YWCA student staff member, Mary Jane Willett. It is unclear who conducted the 1967 interview.

Taylor Anton's questions deal primarily with the women's memories of their YWCA involvement, and the YWCA's work on issues related to race, but she also inquires about their family background, and their lives and careers after their work for the Student YWCA. Many of the women interviewed first became associated with the YWCA as members, joining either as teenagers or during their college years. Later, they served as volunteer leaders and/or joined the staff at the local, regional, or national level. The YWCA made a point of hiring staff members to work in its Southern Region (southeast) who were themselves raised there believing that they would understand the territory best and be more effective advocates for YWCA program within that milieu.

Five of the women interviewed were African-American (Catchings, Hamilton, Logan, Thurman, and Williams) the remaining nine were white. Their names are as follows:

Sarah Gibson Blanding Katharine "Kasha" Butler Rose May Withers [Catchings] Mary "Polly" Moss Cuthbertson Lois Gratz Grace Towns Hamilton Elizabeth "Betty" Smith [Harrington] Wenonah Bond Logan Katharine DuPre Lumpkin Frances Helen Mains Rosalie Oakes Augusta Winn Roberts Sue Bailey [Thurman] Frances Harriet Williams

The collection is open to research according to the regulations of the Sophia Smith Collection. The SSC owns copyright to the writings by Frances Sanders Taylor Anton. Copyright to original interviews is also held by each interviewee or her estate. It is the responsibility of the researcher to identify and also satisfy all copyright holders. Permission to publish reproductions or quotations beyond "fair use" must also be obtained from the Sophia Smith Collection as owners of the physical property.

Original audiovisual materials may not be used. Research copies are available.

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

Southern Women, the Student YWCA, and Race (1920-1944) Collection, Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College, Northampton, Mass.

Materials in this collection were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection by Frances Sanders Taylor Anton in 2009.

Processed by Maida Goodwin, 2011

 Blanding, Sarah Gibson Butler, Katharine Catchings, Rose May Withers Cuthbertson, Mary Moss Gratz, Lois E. Hamilton, Grace Towns, 1907- Harrington, Elizabeth Smith Logan, Wenonah Bond Lumpkin, Katharine Du Pre, 1897- Mains, Frances Helen Rosalie Oakes Roberts, Augusta Winn Thurman, Sue Bailey Williams, Frances Harriet Taylor, Frances Sanders National Intercollegiate Christian Council Young Men's Christian Association Women in Christianity -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources African American women -- Social conditions -- History -- 20th century African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Civil rights movements -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Race awareness -- United States Race discrimination -- Southern States Race relations -- United States Women and religion -- History -- Sources Women -- Societies and clubs -- United States -- History -- 20th century -- Sources Young women -- United States -- Social life and customs Young Women's Christian Associations -- History -- Sources Young Women's Christian Association of the U.S.A. -- History -- Sources

Related materials can be found in the Sophia Smith Collection in the YWCA of the U.S.A. Records and in the papers of various YWCA staff members, especially Winnifred Wygal. Additional interviews with Sue Bailey Thurman and Frances Harriet Williams are in the Black Women Oral History Project. Additional material about Katharine DuPre Lumpkin can be found in the Smith College Archives.

Additional and related materials available in other repositories include the Katharine DuPre Lumpkin Papers in the Southern Historical Collection, University of North Carolina; the Sarah Gibson Blanding Papers in the Schlesinger Library at Harvard University; the Grace Towns Hamilton Papers at the Atlanta History Center; and the Sue Bailey Thurman Papers at Boston University.

1 1-3 Thesis "'On the Edge of Tomorrow': Southern Women, the Student YWCA, and Race, 1920-1944" by Frances Sanders Taylor [Anton], Stanford University, 1984 1 4-7 Notes on taped interviews (handwritten) 1981-82 1 8 Interview with Mary Jane Willet 5 Oct 1967: notes 1 9 Interview permission forms 1981-82 Interviews -- CD USE COPIES 1 10 Sarah Gibson Blanding 10 May 1982 (1 cd) 1 11 Katharine Butler 11 May 1982 (4 cds) 1 12 Rose May Withers Catchings 16 Dec 1982 (3 cds) 1 13 Mary Moss Cuthbertson 12 May 1982 (3 cds) 1 14 Lois Gratz 12 Feb 1983 (1 cd) 1 15 Grace Towns Hamilton 3 Nov 1981 (1 cd) 1 16 Elizabeth Smith Harrington 13 May 1982 (3 cds) 1 17 Wenonah Bond Logan 20 Dec 1981 1 18 Katharine DuPre Lumpkin 9 Oct 1981 & 14 May 1982 (2 cds) 2 1 Frances Helen Mains 20 Dec 1981 (3 cds) 2 2 Augusta Winn Roberts 24 Jul & 28 Aug 1982 (4 cds) 2 3 Rosalie Oakes 6 May 1982 (2 cds) 2 4 Sue Bailey Thurman 7 Jun 1982 (3 cds) [sound quality poor] 2 5 Frances Harriet Williams 14 Nov 1982 (2 cds) Interviews -- Audiocassette originals 1981-82 (32 total)

[Restricted--Do Not Use]

 3 Sarah Gibson Blanding 10 May 1982 (1 tape) 3 Katharine Butler 11 May 1982 (4 tapes) 3 Rose May Withers Catchings 16 Dec 1982 (3 tapes) 3 Mary Moss Cuthbertson 12 May 1982 (3 tapes) 3 Lois Gratz 12 Feb 1983 (1 tape) 3 Grace Towns Hamilton 3 Nov 1981 (1 tape) 3 Elizabeth Smith Harrington 13 May 1982 (3 tapes) 4 Wenonah Bond Logan 20 Dec 1981 (1.5 tapes) [second tape shared with Frances Helen Mains] 4 Katharine DuPre Lumpkin 9 Oct 1981 & 14 May 1982 (2 tapes) 4 Frances Helen Mains 20 Dec 1981 (1.5 tapes) [second tape shared with Wenonah Logan] 4 Augusta Winn Roberts 24 Jul & 28 Aug 1982 (4 tapes) 4 Rosalie Oakes 6 May 1982 (2 tapes) 4 Sue Bailey Thurman 7 Jun 1982 (3 tapes) 4 Frances Harriet Williams 14 Nov 1982 (2 tapes) 5 Interviews -- CD Preservation masters 2010 (32 cds)

[Restricted--Do Not Use]