Aurora League of Women Voters Records
Scope and Contents
Meeting minutes, annual reports, correspondence, budgets, bulletins, and scrapbooks comprise a major portion of this collection documenting the Aurora League of Women Voters (1947-1982). Although the minutes date only through May 1971, there are annual meeting proceedings for 1972 and 1973. Committee records and subject files document some of the studies and research conducted by the League (local government, downtown redevelopment, housing, and... public health). The publications Know Your Town and Know Your County document government, education, planning and zoning, health, recreation, and the judicial systems of Aurora and Kane County. Photographs, a tape on “Practical Politics”, the proceedings from the Illinois League’s 31st convention in 1963, and newspaper clippings complete the collection.
See moreDates
- created: 1947-1982
- Other: Date acquired: 06/02/1982
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on access to the collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights in the collection belong to the Regional History Center; literary rights are dedicated to the public.
Biographical or Historical Information
The Aurora League of Women Voters held their organizational meeting on May 9, 1947. Seventy-five women attended, but only twenty-four paid the $3.00 membership fee. The group elected Mrs. Chester Carson, president, Mrs. Orville Westlund, 1st vice president, Mrs. Phillip Wright, 2nd vice president, Mrs. H.E. Bonham, treasurer, and Mrs. May R. Simpson, secretary. They also decided to do a “Know Your City” study for their first project. In November... 1949 the Aurora League received official recognition from the National League office and by 1958 they had 94 members.
The Aurora League organized “to promote political responsibility through informed and active participation of citizens in government.” To fulfill this purpose the group researched, studied, evaluated, and held community meetings on topics of public concern. During the 1958-1959 year they evaluated Kane County and Aurora area public health. Their conclusions resulted in the creation of a Health Board by the city of Aurora, the reactivization of a Council of Community Services Health Committee, the unearthing and codification of Aurora’s old health ordinances, the evaluation of Kane County health facilities, legislation by the Kane County Medical Association, and a community health program by the National Council of Jewish Women. Their 1960’s work included pushing for an Illinois Constitutional Convention, studying local planning and land use, doing interviews for a poverty survey administered by a civic committee under the Office of Equal Opportunity, surveying public health facilities available in Kane County, and studying a proposed fair housing ordinance.
Other projects for the League involved studying the Council/Manager form of government (1970) and the problem of growth in the Aurora area and its effect on government, land use, transportation, and related problems (1973). The League also worked for the passage of the ERA amendment and provided voting information for all local, state, and national elections.
Note written by
Extent
2.25 Linear Feet
Language of Materials
English
Source of Acquisition
Kathleen Meinert
Method of Acquisition
Kathleen Meinert, President, donated the Aurora League of Women Voters records to the Northern Illinois Regional History Center on June 2, 1982.
Subject
- League of Women Voters (Aurora, Ill.) (Organization)
Geographic
Topical
Uniform Title
- Title
- Archon Finding Aid Title
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- eng
Repository Details
Part of the Northern Illinois University Repository
Founders Memorial Library
Northern Illinois University
DeKalb IL 60115 US
815-753-9392
rhcua@niu.edu