By Rebecca Quillen
Title: League of Women Voters of Richmond (Ky.), 1963-1991
Primary Creator: League of Women Voters (Richmond, Ky.) (1962-1995)
Extent: 4.84 Cubic Feet
Date Acquired: 05/30/2002
Subjects: Air--Pollution., Air quality., Education--Kentucky., Environmentalism--Kentucky., Kentucky--Politics and government--1951-, Pollution., Strip mining., Urban renewal--1960-1970., Water quality.
Languages: English
The collection is separated into eight series: Environmental Quality, Human Resources, Local Business, Local Programs, Local Publications, Memorabilia, State Programs, and Voter's Service. This arrangement reflects the way the material has been organized by various board of director's members who carry different areas of responsibility within the organization. For example, normally one board member will be chairperson for the local programs, another for voter's service, and so forth. Types of material include minutes of meetings, local publications, reports to the national organization, correspondence, news clippings, background material from other organizations, one award, and two scrapbooks.
The records contained in this collection show the LWV of Richmond to be very involved in local and state affairs, with continuing interest in national issues, but with less activity on that level. The papers in the Local Program Series are perhaps the most noteworthy as they show the league studying an issue, arriving at conclusions, and acting on those conclusions. Some of these actions were successful such as the establishment of a local health department tax; some of them were unsuccessful such as the failure to establish a local library taxing district. Other issues that LOWV worked on over the years include air and water quality, education, pollution, strip mining, urban renewal and voter irregularities. All these programs tell much about how the League of Women Voters of Richmond works.
In late Spring 1962 Jay Ogden who had been active in the League of Women Voters in other locations was asked by the state league to form a unit in Richmond. Mrs. Ogden and three other Richmond residents joined the existing Berea LWV. In the summer of that year a provisional league had been formed in Richmond with 15 members. This number increased to 29 charter members by November 1962. Mrs. Ogden served as both the Organizing Chairman and the Provisional League President, 1962-1964. The Richmond League was granted independent status in April 1964.
The Richmond League merged with the Berea League in 1995 to create the League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County.
Much of the material used in this history is drawn from a resume prepared in 1978 by Jay Ogden.
Air--Pollution.
Air quality.
Education--Kentucky.
Environmentalism--Kentucky.
Kentucky--Politics and government--1951-
Pollution.
Strip mining.
Urban renewal--1960-1970.
Water quality.
Repository: Eastern Kentucky University - Special Collections and Archives
Acquisition Source: Smathers, Sally
Related Materials: League of Women Voters of Berea and Madison County For more information please see http://berea.libraryhost.com/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=186.
