Guide to the Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell Papers and Photographs 1982-2010

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell Papers and Photographs
Creator
Fulton, Louise, 1916-1988
Collection Number
MSS 897
Extent
0.25 linear feet (1 box)
Date
1982-2010
Abstract
Sisters Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell were both professional bowlers with many honors and awards. Fulton was the first African-American woman to win a professional bowling championship. The collection consists of articles, programs, and photographs related to Fulton and Mitchell and their bowling careers.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Theresa E. Rea and Stephanie Johnson.
Sponsor
This collection has been made accessible as part of an NHPRC-funded Basic Processing grant.
Publisher
Heinz History Center
Address
1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org

History

Sisters Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell were both professional bowlers with many honors and awards. Fulton, a native of Kingstree, South Carolina, moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, at the age of seven. She attended Peabody High School and played basketball and softball. Fulton began bowling in her 20s and became the first African-American woman to win a professional bowling championship when she captured the 1964 PWBA Princeton Open in Princeton, NJ. She joined the Professional Women's Bowling Association in the 1960s. She was inducted into many Bowling and Sports Halls of Fame including the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1971, the Pittsburgh Women's Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1977 and the National Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1983. After her death in 1988, Fulton was awarded several honors posthumously including induction into the Pennsylvania State Women's Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1991, The International Women's Bowling Congress Joyce Deitch Trailblazer Award in 1999, and election to the International Women's Bowling Congress Hall of Fame in 2000.

Marjorie Mitchell (nee Fulton) is the younger sister of Louise Fulton. Born in Pittsburgh in 1933, Mitchell graduated from Peabody High School and attended Wilberforce University. She became interested in bowling as she followed her sister, Louise Fulton, from tournament to tournament. Mitchell would go on to have a successful bowling career including winning championships in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and National Bowling Association events. In 1985, she was inducted into the Greater Pittsburgh Bowling Hall of Fame. Mitchell is the co-owner of Meadow Lanes Bowling Center in Homewood.

Scope and Content Notes

The Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell Papers and Photographs consists of newspaper articles, programs, and photographs primarily related to Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell's bowling careers. Included are a variety of newspaper articles detailing the various honors awarded to the sisters, photographs of the sisters alone and with others, including Willie Stargell, and programs from several award ceremonies and conferences. Also included is historical information and photographs of Meadow Lanes Bowling Center in Homewood.

Conditions Governing Access

none

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Marjorie Mitchell in 2012.

Archives accession # 2012.0170

Preferred Citation

Louise Fulton and Marjorie Mitchell Papers and Photographs, 1982-2010, MSS 897 , Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives, Senator John Heinz History Center

Processing Information

Preliminary processing by Theresa E. Rea and Stephanie Johnson on 01/04/2013.

Conditions Governing Use

Property rights reside with the Senator John Heinz History Center. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the Thomas and Katherine Detre Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Separated Materials

One oversize photograph has been separated to the oversize collection. To the museum: five plaques; one award trophy 2012.109

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Meadow Lanes Bowling (Pittsburgh, Pa)

    Personal Names

    • Fulton, Louise, 1916-1988
    • Mitchell, Marjorie, 1933-
    • Stargell, Willie, 1940-2001

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)
    • Homewood (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Bowling--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.

Container List