The Women's Center Oral History Collection
Scope and Content
As part of the 40th Anniversary of The Women's Center in 2013, Jane Ryan began a series of oral history interviews of women who founded, volunteered, received services, or worked at the Center, located in Marquette, Michigan. Taken together the oral histories describe how and why women organized and established the Women's Center. Interviewees discuss the nature of early educational workshops and programs benefiting women and families in the Marquette area. Recipients of the Center's services summarize the life changing effects these services had on them. Interviews with current and former staff members provide firsthand accounts on operational procedures and the evolution of the Center over time. The following interviewees shared their experience with the Women's Center: Priscilla Burnham, Jacqueline Dalt, Rosa Diddams, June Easton, Norma Greenwood, Holly Greer, Gail Griffith, Sue Kensington, Sally May, Carolyn McDonald, Patricia Micklow, Martha Parks, Kathy Peters, Karlyn Rapport.
Dates
- Creation: 2013 - 2014
Creator
- Kensington, Sue (Interviewee, Person)
- Burnham, Priscilla (Interviewee, Person)
- Greenwood, Norma (Interviewee, Person)
- Dalt, Jacqueline (Interviewee, Person)
- Peters, Kathy (Interviewee, Person)
- Easton, June (Interviewee, Person)
- Diddams, Rosa (Interviewee, Person)
- Greer, Holly (Interviewee, Person)
- Rapport, Karlyn (Interviewee, Person)
- Micklow, Patricia L. (Interviewee, Person)
- Parks, Martha (Interviewee, Person)
- McDonald, Carolyn (Interviewee, Person)
- May, Sally (Interviewee, Person)
- Griffith, Gail (Interviewee, Person)
Conditions Governing Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
See the Copyright Transfer event for a list of which interviews have oral history release forms.
Permission to publish material from the records of The Women's Center Oral History Collection must be obtained from the University Archivist. The University Archivist may be reached by phone at 906-227-1225, or e-mail, archives@nmu.edu. The University Archivist may also be reached in Room 126 of the Learning Resource Center, Northern Michigan University, Marquette, Michigan.
Biographical/Historical
In 1972, Sally May, Gail Griffith, Holly Greer, Karlyn Rapport, and Patricia Micklow, known as the "Founding Mothers," held a conference at Northern Michigan University titled "The Changing Role of Women in the 70's.” It was organized in collaboration with Sarah McClellan, Marilyn Gorski, and Mary Soper. This conference led to the establishment of the Women's Center, which in 1973 became an official program of Northern Michigan University's Office of Continuing Education as a social and educational support group for women. The Center provided public educational workshops and programs such as assertiveness training, active listening, and a displaced homemaker program; it also offered sexual assault counseling and support services and fielded a sexual assault response team. Some of the Women’s Center staff and volunteers, notably Holly Greer, Karlyn Rapport, and Marilyn Marshall, were responsible for founding the Spouse Abuse Shelter Project, an independent non-profit organization offering a refuge for victims of domestic violence; this organization became part of the Women’s Center in 1986 and was renamed Harbor House in the early 1990s. Northern Michigan University ceased its funding of the Women's Center in 1980 owing to budget cuts. However, the Women's Center was reorganized as a non-profit community-based organization by the Women’s Center Community Advisory Council that same year and, after a period of transience, the Women’s Center found a permanent residence in the Marquette community in 1986.
Extent
23 recordings
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The Women's Center Oral History Collection is sorted into four series: The Founding Mothers, Volunteers, Training and Services, and Women's Center Staff.
Custodial History
Jane Ryan conducted and produced the oral history interviews. She donated these interviews to the Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives.
View This Collection Online
This collection is part of UPLINK, the Upper Peninsula Digital Network. You can see it on the UPLINK website here.
Subject
- Women's Center (Marquette, Mich.) (Organization)
- Northern Michigan University. Women's Center for Continuing Education (Organization)
Source
- Ryan, Jane (Interviewer, Person)
Cultural context
Genre / Form
Geographic
Temporal
Topical
- Sally May Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Gail Griffith Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Holly Greer Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Karlyn Rapport Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Patricia Micklow Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Carolyn McDonald Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- June Easton Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Kathy Peters Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Jacqueline Dalt Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Norma Greenwood Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Priscilla Burnham Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Diane Betts Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Mary Soper Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Peggy Schwemin Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Mary Pat Linck Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Peggy Frazier Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Rosa Diddams Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Martha Parks Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Sue Kensington Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Phyllis Loonsfoot Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Gail Nelson Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Gary Walker Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Matt Wiese Interview (Part of the Women's Center Oral History Collection)
- Title
- The Women's Center Oral History Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Anne M. Krohn
- Date
- 6/26/2014
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- English
Repository Details
Part of the Central Upper Peninsula and Northern Michigan University Archives Repository
Harden Learning Resources Center 126
1401 Presque Isle Ave
Marquette 49855 United States
906-227-1225
906-227-1333 (Fax)
archives@nmu.edu
