History of Education Subject Guide: Women's Collections

American Association of University Women, Atlanta Branch records 1939-2013 (W142)
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) promotes education and equity for all women and girls, lifelong learning, and positive societal change. This collection consists of the history, office files, conference materials, meeting information, and outreach programs related to the Atlanta branch of the American Association of University Women, 1939-2013.

American Association of University Women, Southeastern Region Records 1950-2000 (W045)
Established in 1881, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) has been one of the nation's leading voices in promoting education and equity for all women and girls, lifelong education, and positive societal change. The collection consists of office files, conference and meeting information, state branch office files, and outreach information related to the Southeast Region of the American Association of University Women.

Gayle Austin Papers 1979-2010 (W093)
Gayle Austin was coordinator and literacy manager for the Women's Project in New York City before becoming a professor of Communication at Georgia State University. Her scholarly interests included gender and performance, dramaturgy, and interdisciplinary forms of performance. She also authored feminist theory plays. Gayle Austin's papers comprise research and course materials as well as records related to theatrical productions and performances. The materials reflect Austin's career both before and during her time at Georgia State University.

M. Charlene Ball Papers 1977-2004 [bulk 1988-1994] (W102)
M. Charlene Ball worked as the Administrative Coordinator of the Women's Studies Institute at Georgia State University. She writes about feminist revisionist archetypal theory, revisionist Jungian theory, lesbian writing, and the writing of borderland authors. Her papers reflect her work at Georgia State University and her involvement in the Atlanta Feminist Women's Chorus (AFWC) and comprise articles, event programs, correspondence, and other printed materials, photographs and artifacts, 1977-2004.

Linda A. Bell Papers 1962-2004 (W063)
Linda A. Bell, born in 1940, grew up in the Daytona, Florida area. Bell taught at Georgia State University from 1968 to 2004. The Linda A. Bell papers span Bell's 34-year career at Georgia State University as a professor of Philosophy and Women's Studies and document her teaching, administrative and research work.

Kathleen “Kay” Crouch Papers 1956-1992 [bulk 1982-1989] (W050)
Kathleen "Kay" Crouch earned an M.B.A. in Counseling Psychology (Washington University, 1959), and a Doctor of Education in Educational Psychology (University of Georgia, 1970). She worked in the Atlanta Public School System, 1959-1967, before her career at Georgia State University. At Georgia State, she served as a member of the Counseling faculty (1969-1973), Vice President of University Operations (1973-1977), Assistant Vice President for Student Services (1977-1978), and Vice President for Academic Services (1978-1985). She was an advocate for increased sexual harassment education and a compliance officer for Title IX (which banned discrimination on the basis of sex by educational institutions receiving federal funding). She retired from Georgia State University in 1985. The collection is comprised of the personal and professional papers of Dr. Kathleen "Kay" Crouch.

Marie W. Dodd Papers, 1974-1997 (W163)
Marie W. Dodd was a long time Vice President and Member of the Board of Directors at Ivan Allen Company. Her responsibilities while at Ivan Allen Company included advertising, sales promotion, public relations and the Atlanta Retail Division. She retired from the company in 1995.
Dodd was very involved with education in Georgia, working with Emory University, Georgia State University, and Coastal Georgia Community College. She was the first woman to serve on the Board of Regents (1976-1988) and later became the first woman to chair the board (1981-1982). During her tenure on the Board of Regents, she helped to found the Georgia State University Law School. The collection includes speeches, correspondence, photographs, and newspaper clippings related to Marie W. Dodd’s professional and volunteer activities from 1974-1997. Speeches address topics such as women in the workforce, the importance of education, and advertising practices. The collection includes files related to Dodd’s participation in founding the Georgia State University Law School. 

Marymal Dryden – Judith Allen Ingram Collection 1985-1995 (W023)
Establishing a reputation for planning and coordinating, Dryden has been: Assistant Director and Director for the Atlanta Council of International Programs (1972-1980); member of the University Exchange Program and member of the Board of Directors of Partners of America, Inc. (1986-1987); and from 1980-1990, Unit Head for Public Services in Georgia State University's Division of Continuing Education. Judith Allen Ingram has held various positions at GSU, including Administrative Coordinator (1988-1990), Program Specialist (1990), Unit Head for Public Service (1990-1992), and Program Planning/Analyst Specialist (1992-1997). The material in this collection relates to various conferences and events which focused on issues concerning gender, class and race.

Beth Farokhi Papers 1937; 1976-2007 (W095)
Beth Farokhi worked as an administrator in the College of Education at Georgia State University (GSU). She was a member of and held multiple elected positions within the American Association of University Women (AAUW). Farokhi was one of the co-principal investigators for Integrating Gender Equity and Reform (InGEAR) in higher education, a grant-funded initiative. Her papers, 1937, 1976-2007, document her GSU career, AAUW service, and the development and funding of InGEAR.

Valerie Fennell Papers 1973-1998; undated (W058)
Assistant (1974-80) then Associate (1980-date) Professor of Anthropology (Emerita: 2005-date). Faculty Ombudsperson (1998-date). Faculty member of School of Urban Life (1974-78), Gerontology Center and Women's Studies Institute (1979-2005); co-chair of Women's Studies Program (1983-87). See "Curriculum Vitae" and "Honors" for further information.

Diane L. Fowlkes Papers, circa 1959-1998 (bulk 1973-1994) (W018)
Fowlkes began her 25-year career as a professor at Georgia State in 1973, rising through the ranks from Assistant to Associate Professor in 1980, and to full Professor in 1992. The papers and manuscripts of the collection shed light on many facets of Dr. Fowlkes' career at Georgia State, including her promotions to Associate Professor in 1980 and Full Professor in 1992, her teaching activities, and her committee work (Series II).

Ramona S. Frasher Papers, 1968-1992 (W052)
Ramona S. Fraher received a B.S. in Education (Concordia College, Seward, NE, 1962); an MLS from Queens College (CUNY) in 1967; a Masters in Education and PhD from Georgia State University, 1972 and 1974. Frasher has been a kindergarten teacher (1962-1964), a school librarian (1965-1969), and served on the faculty of Georgia State University from 1969-1971, and from 1974 to 1998. She has been a member of the National Library Association, the American Educational Research Association, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the International Reading Association. The papers are comprised primarily of materials related to sex-role stereotyping, and include education packs/visual aids, and games, as well as the study, Research on Women, Sex-, and Gender-related Topics by Persons Affiliated with Georgia State University.

Georgia State University. Institute for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies 1984-2011 (W125)
Founded in 1994, the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) was realized after 20 years of dedicated struggle by a group of faculty committed to the project of establishing WGSS at Georgia State University. The founding director, Diane L. Fowlkes led the development of the Master of Arts program in 1995. The Institute's second director, Linda A. Bell, led the establishment of the Bachelor of Arts in 2003, enabling WGSS to offer an undergraduate major and minor. Today, the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies is recognized as a site for cutting-edge theoretical analyses and applications of feminist and womanist knowledges. The collection includes materials such as manuscript materials, invitations and programs, correspondence, flyers, audio recordings, and artifacts that document the history and activities of the Institute for Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Georgia State University.

Georgia State University, Office of the Advancement of Women Records, 1974-2005 [bulk 1990-2005] (W073)
The mission of the Office of the Advancement of Women (A of W) at Georgia State University (GSU) is to enhance collective efforts to improve the status of women at GSU. Based in the Provost's Office, the A of W collaborates with GSU colleges, administrative departments, and local and national women's programs to identify needs, offer support, and develop opportunities for professional development of women faculty and administrators at the university. Its records are comprised of administrative and reference materials, 1974 -2004, including leadership forums, task force reports, comprehensive activities reports, questionnaires, strategic plans, position papers, applications for the various programs implemented, mentorship forms, assertiveness training, as well as articles which support the A of W's structure and philosophy.

Anne L. Harper Papers 1979-1980; 1995-2004 (W054)
Anne L. Harper is a civic leader in Atlanta, using her expertise as an educator and a business consultant to further the cause of girls' participation in athletics. The Anne L. Harper papers consist of files relating to her effort to draft a state bill and launch activities to further enforce the federal Title IX law.

Stephanie Stuckey Benfield Equity in Sports Act Collection 1975-2007 (W082)
Stephanie Stuckey Benfield was the representative for the 85th District of the State of Georgia. The collection documents her involvement in drafting and cosponsoring the Equity in Sports Act of 2000 in Georgia. The collection contains background material consulted when drafting the legislation such as other states' laws and reporting mechanisms, information and court cases about Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, federal regulations regarding Title IX, and numerous news articles and editorials about gender equity in sports. Also included are meeting notes, promotional material, and letters of support from constituents.

Nell H. Trotter Papers, 1880-1987 (W036)
In 1931, having enrolled at the Georgia Tech Downtown Evening School of Commerce (later Georgia State College and eventually Georgia State University), Trotter made her first enquiries about the possibility of a faculty position at the school, only to be told that it was not the school's policy to hire women to its faculty. In 1933, after the birth of her first son, Richard, Nell made further enquiries about a faculty position, with the result that she was hired. In 1947, because she felt she needed more time with her family, Mrs. Trotter resigned her position, returning in 1953. Mrs. Trotter remained at Georgia State College and University until 1971, when she retired.

During her tenure at GSU, Nell Trotter taught classes in social ethics, home economics, history, political science, and business communication. She went on to become Assistant Dean of Students, Dean of Women, and Assistant Professor of Business Education. She was chairman of the Board of Founders of the George M. Sparks Scholarship Fund, and having been an active member of the Georgia Association of Deans, was elected to serve as president in 1961. In 1963 she became president of the Atlanta branch of the American Association of University Women, and served as co-chairman of the Educational Committee of the Georgia Commission on the Status of Women. In 1962 she was named the 1961 Atlanta Woman of the Year in Education and overall Atlanta Woman of the Year.

The collection is comprised of scrapbooks, postcards, photographs, slides, photocopies of newspaper clippings, speeches, personal papers, correspondence, certificates, bound volumes, audio cassettes, plaques and silverware (much of which was given as commemorative gifts). The materials reflect some of Trotter's personal and professional life between 1934 and 1971, as well as changing attitudes to and of women in higher education throughout the twentieth century.

Armenia Williams Papers, 1945, 1968-2006 (W158)
Armenia Williams was born in 1940. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Emory University (1963) and her Doctor of Public Administration degree at the University of Georgia (1991). After working for Dekalb County (Ga.) she was chief of nursing at the Atlanta Southside Office of Economic Opportunity Center, where she implemented Georgia's first Nurse Practitioner program. From 1973, she was on the faculty of Georgia State University's School of Nursing. The papers are comprised of course materials for the Atlanta South Side Comprehensive Health Center nurse practioner program and other courses, detailed case studies for proper nursing care for various ailments, ephemeral medical advertisements, and medical pamphlets. Documents pertain to medical procedures and disease management as well as community health planning.

Women’s Printed Collection – Pamphlets
The "Printed Collection: Pamphlets" is an artificial collection of published and unpublished materials by or about women. Although called a pamphlet collection, this is in fact what some might consider to be a subject file or a vertical file, as it also includes reports, articles, directories, etc. Materials are usually received by Special Collections along with donated manuscript collections.

Diane L. Fowlkes, interviewed by Dana Von Tilborg, September 27, 1995
Fowlkes began her 25-year career as a professor at Georgia State in 1973, rising through the ranks from Assistant to Associate Professor in 1980, and to full Professor in 1992. Contact archivist for access.

Georgia State University Women's Studies Institute
This group interview was conducted with multiple members of GSU's Women's Studies Institute. Contact archivist for access.

Eleanor Main, interviewed by Mary Jo Duncanson, November 13, 2007
Dr. Eleanor Main was an advocate for children, women's rights, equity in teacher salaries, effective and economic government and a range of other issues. After earning her Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina (1969), Main joined Emory's faculty as a political science professor, and rose to be director of the university's division of educational studies. One of the first women professors at Emory, she was a central figure in efforts to create the University’s Center for Women, which opened in 1992, and served female faculty and staff, as well as students. Three Georgia governors appointed her to 10 state boards and task forces, including the Governor's Committee on Women in Politics (1975), and the Juvenile Justice board (1992). Main died in 2008

Nell Trotter, "Reminiscing", June 28, 1971
The recording is not an interview, but rather a personal recounting of Trotter's life. Contact archivist for access.

Special Collections and Archives

Phone: (404) 413-2880

E-Mail: archives@gsu.edu

Mailing Address:
Special Collections & Archives
Georgia State University Library
100 Decatur Street, SE
Atlanta, Georgia 30303-3202

In Person:
Library South, 8th floor

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