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Guide to the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records c1939-1994

Repository
Heinz History Center
Title
Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records
Creator
Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)
Collection Number
MSS 0662
Extent
8.5 linear feet (9 boxes)
Date
c1939-1994
Abstract
Altrusa International, the oldest women's service organization in the United States, focuses on promoting community service, international relations, and vocational services for women both internationally and at the local level. The Pittsburgh chapter of Altrusa International was organized in 1931 and has initiated a number of different service projects in the Pittsburgh area throughout the twentieth century. The Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records is comprised of four series that include the club's administrative records, Altrusa International publications, club scrapbooks and assorted photographs. The bulk of the collection relates to the administrative and financial activities of the Pittsburgh chapter of the club.
Language
The material in this collection is in English.
Author
The guide to this collection was written by Sarah Ecklund and Sierra Green.
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

Established in 1917, Altrusa International was formed to serve as a civic organization for women entering the workforce during World War I. Altrusa International, the oldest women's service organization in the United States, has pursued a central mission focused on promoting community service, international relations, and vocational services for women both internationally and at the local level.

The Pittsburgh chapter of Altrusa International was first organized in 1931 and received its charter in 1941 with Dorothea Wagner serving as the chapter's first president. Meeting monthly at the College Club of Pittsburgh, the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh was comprised of area businesswomen who collaborated to fulfill Altrusa's international initiatives and local goals.

The Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh has initiated a number of different service projects in the Pittsburgh area throughout the twentieth century. The club provides aid to struggling women and their children through service to the city's Women's Center and Shelter, sustains a Fund for Emergency and Unmet Needs that answers the urgent needs of the community, and provides basic living supplies to help individuals establish themselves as independent adults through the Transitional Service Program.

Beyond their their service to the city of Pittsburgh, the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh has taken part in two educational scholarship projects sanctioned by Altrusa International. The first, referred to as the Grants-in-Aid project, offered scholarships to women from across the globe so that they could to come to America and finish their formal professional studies in various fields. The second, known as the Founders Fund Vocational Aid, provided scholarships to women in order to assist them in completing or enhancing their vocational and business endeavors. The women of the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh also participated in many of Altrusa's district and international conferences. As of 2011, the the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh is still in existence

Scope and Content Notes

The Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records have been arranged into four series. Series I consists of administrative records that chronicle the primary activities of the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh. Series II contains Altrusa International publications, including magazines, yearbooks, guidebooks, classification guides, and conference materials. Series III is comprised of four bound scrapbooks, newspaper clippings, photographs, and event advertisements. Series IV consists of photographs relating to Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh events. Other individual photographs are interspersed in the preceding series.

Series I: Administrative Records (1942-c1986)

Series I is housed in five boxes. Box 1 contains Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh meeting minutes dating from 1941 to 1977. Box 2 consists of Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh internal publications and newsletters published between 1971 and 1978. Box 3 contains the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh financial records from the early 1950s to 1985 which include invoices, membership and due reports, treasurer reports, tax forms, bank statements, financial correspondence and budget information. Box 4 contains bound administrative records from 1977 to 1981 and 1983 to 1985. These binders contain meeting agendas and minutes, club correspondence, financial reports, committee records, and club newsletters. Box 5 consists of incoming and outgoing correspondence from 1977 through 1986, relating to club and district conferences, service committees, community service projects, and scholarship programs.

Series II: Altrusa International Publications and Yearbooks (c1942-1994)

Series II is housed in boxes 6 and 7. Box 6 includes publications such as classification guides, club handbooks, bylaws and policies, informational pamphlets on the Grants-in-Aid project, pamphlets on the Founders Fund Vocational Aid (FFVA) awards program, and Altrusa International magazines (1971-1992). The classification guides help determine prospective members' eligibility, and the handbooks discuss how to run a local chapter with information on conferences, budgets, the FFVA, and Grants-in-Aid projects. Box 7 contains yearbooks, directories, conference materials (1942–1980), commemorative pamphlets, and reference volumes. The yearbooks and directories are from various District II locations, including Pittsburgh, and date from 1959 to 1994.

Series III: Scrapbooks (c1939-c1965)

Series III is contained in box 8 and consists of four bound scrapbooks and two folders containing papers, photographs, and newspaper clippings concerning the Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh and the women associated with the club.

Series IV: Photographs (c1950-c1970)

Series IV is housed in box 9 and contains assorted photographs. Most of these images depict unidentified women of the Altrusa Club at banquets, meetings at homes, and outdoor functions.

Arrangement

The Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records are arranged into four series:

  1. Series I: Administrative Records, 1942-c1986 (Boxes 1-5)
  2. Series II: Altrusa International Publications and Yearbooks, c1942-1994 (Boxes 6-7)
  3. Series III: Scrapbooks, c1939-c1965 (Box 8)
  4. Series IV: Photographs, c1950-c1970 (Box 9)

Conditions Governing Access

None.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift from Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh.

Preferred Citation

Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh Records, c1939-1994, MSS 0662 , Library and Archives Division, Senator John Heinz History Center.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Sarah Ecklund and Sierra Green on 12/6/2011.

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 Library and Archives of the Senator John Heinz History Center.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • Altrusa International.
    • Altrusa Club of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, Pa.)

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.)

    Other Subjects

    • Women--societies and clubs.
    • Women in the professions--Pennsylvania--Pittsburgh.
    • Women--Service organizations.

Container List