{"id":256,"date":"2015-03-13T19:31:19","date_gmt":"2015-03-13T19:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.lib.luc.edu\/wla\/?p=256"},"modified":"2026-01-12T21:33:58","modified_gmt":"2026-01-12T21:33:58","slug":"exploring-a-treasure-trove-of-womens-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/2015\/03\/13\/exploring-a-treasure-trove-of-womens-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring a Treasure Trove of Women’s History"},"content":{"rendered":"

March 8th<\/sup>, 2015, the day before we returned from our mini vacations was International Women\u2019s day. Actually, the beginning of our spring break (the start of March), Women\u2019s History month, began the celebration of women in their progress toward the fight for equality and commemoration in their achievements throughout leadership positions. As I reflect I think of my internship at the Women\u2019s and Leadership Archives (WLA).<\/p>\n

\"20150313_135922\"<\/a>

“history’s organized treasure trove”<\/p><\/div>\n

Archives, also known as, history’s organized treasure trove. Archives have gotten a pretty bad reputation as being a collection of dusty recorded paperwork. My first day at the WLA I was unsure about archives, specifically, I was worried about damaging these important items I was so delicately handling. I walked into this internship with an interest in the field of archiving and a passion for history. The WLA called out to me in my search for the perfect internship. An organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, and recording the contributions of women and their leadership activities was something I felt was fascinating. I wanted to take my last semester at Loyola to contribute and learn from this organization.<\/p>\n

During my time at the WLA, I have encountered an array of historical materials. I had the privilege of holding Mercedes McCambridge\u2019s Oscar from 1935 when she acted in the film All the Kings Men <\/em>(she was also considered for the role of Roz in Monsters Inc.<\/em>). <\/em>I was able to listen personal accounts about the 1960\u2019s Civil Rights Era from Loyola\u2019s most well known celebrity, Sister Jean, along with other important faculty and staff who ran Mundelein College before it\u2019s affiliation with Loyola University Chicago in 1991.<\/p>\n

\"Deborah's<\/a>Currently, I am working with a very special collection called Deborah\u2019s Place. Deborah\u2019s Place, established in 1985 by Patricia A. Crowley, OSB, and her Mother, Patricia C. Crowley, who fought to end the cycle of female homelessness in Chicago through a continuum of housing options, comprehensive support services, and opportunities for change provided by dedicated volunteers and staff. Deborah\u2019s Place has now been serving the Chicago land community for the past 27 years.<\/p>\n

As I sat in the WLA on my Monday afternoons, sifting through these important documents, I found myself looking into the stories and files of each participant. Deborah\u2019s Place is truly a treasure trove because of the various documents that the WLA has in possession. While my work is compiling and organizing each of these documents from the finding aid, I stopped myself and delved deep in reading reports about the health of each individual that utilized Deborah\u2019s Place. From the various expansions of Deborah\u2019s Place to the struggle to find funding, this archive tells a story of how passionate these women were in fighting for female rehabilitation and survival.<\/p>\n

My experiences with Deborah\u2019s Place have been nothing but engaging and enriching as I build my knowledge in attaining skills that transcend outside the classroom. I have been blessed to get a glimpse into the hardships of running a women\u2019s shelter and the heart wrenching experiences of the participants. As I continue my internship at the WLA I know I hold a much stronger appreciation for women everywhere.<\/p>\n

Adam is currently a Spring Semester intern at the WLA. He is a Senior who will be graduating with a BA in History. When Adam isn\u2019t doing homework, he is usually found in the Jewish space on campus, Hillel, engaging in the community.<\/em><\/p>\n

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Loyola University Chicago’s Women and Leadership Archives Blog is designed to provide a positive environment for the Loyola community to discuss important issues and ideas. Differences of opinion are encouraged. We invite comments in response to posts and ask that you write in a civil and respectful manner. All comments will be screened for tone and content and must include the first and last name of the author and a valid email address. The appearance of comments on the blog does not imply the University’s endorsement or acceptance of views expressed.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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March 8th, 2015, the day before we returned from our mini vacations was International Women\u2019s day. Actually, the beginning of our spring break (the start of March), Women\u2019s History month, began the celebration of women in their progress toward the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9923],"tags":[3,9941],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/111"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=256"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2667,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/256\/revisions\/2667"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=256"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=256"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/libblogs.luc.edu\/wla\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=256"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}