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PWA
DONATES RECORDS AND ARCHIVES TO THE GANNON CENTER
AT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY
PWA President Virginia
Sikora presented the PWA Archives to the Gannon Center at Loyola
University, including a photograph of the delegates to the first
National Convention of PWA. In the photo, from left, Head Archivist
at the Gannon Center Dr. Elizabeth Myers, Director of the Center
Dr. Susan Ross, Past President of Mundelein College Sister Ann
Ida Gannon, PWA President Sikora, PWA member and featured speaker
Mary Anselmo, PWA Treasurer Barbara Miller and Director of the
State of Illinos Archives Mr. Dave Joens.
Chicago, IL-A Candlelight Dinner was held
at the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership Archives at Loyola
University on Friday, November 17, 2006, to celebrate the donation
of PWA archives to the Gannon Center. At the time of PWA's move
to smaller offices in April of 2006, decisions needed to be made
about what to do with all the records that had been kept for decades
in storage. Two premier research facilities in the Chicago area,
the New-berry Library and the Gannon Center, expressed interest
in PWA records and the hard work of sorting and transferring the
archives began
The Gannon Center is dedicated to the study of women leaders in
American society, and the PWA records, including all the back
issues of the "Glos Polek," will be available to scholars
and students who come to the Center to do research.
The center is named after Sister Ann Ida Gannon, past president
of Mundeleien College, which was merged with Loyola in the 1990s.
The Gannon Center is housed in a historic mansion, directly on
Chicago's lakefront. Our records have found a beautiful new home!
Treasurer Barbara Miller was the chair of the event. Speakers
included PWA National Director Jennie Starzyk Benton from Massachusetts
who gave the toast, remarks by Dr. Elizabeth Myers, Director Susan
Ross, Sister Ann Ida Gannon, Mundelein College alum and PWA member
Mary Anselmo, and PWA President Virginia Sikora who made the official
presentation. Mr. Dave Joens, Director of the State of Illinois
Archives was honored with a Certificate of Recognition for his
assistance with the transfer of PWA archives to the Gannon Center
and to the Newberry Library.
PWA members and guests also included Vice
President Sharon Zago, National Secre-tary Grazyna Migala, and
National Directors Helen Simmons, Marcia Mackiewicz Duffy, Antoinette
Trela Vander Noot, and Felicia Perlick.
PWA
Presents Archives to The Newberry Library
and is Recognized by Polish Geneaological
Society with the "Wigilia" Medal
Speakers at the Luncheon
included, from left Director Rosalie Lindberg of the Polish Genealogical
Society of America, author and Newberry Associate Grace Du Mehl,
PWA President Virginia Sikora, Jack Simpson of the Newberry Library,
PWA Treasurer Barbara Miller, and "Glos Polek" Editor
Mary Piergies.
Chicago, IL-On Thursday, September 7, 2006,
a special celebration took place at the prestigious Newberry Library
of Chicago, one of the largest private libraries in the country.
The PWA had donated a significant portion of its archives to the
library's Local and Family History Department earlier in the year,
and the luncheon marked the official presentation of PWA archives
to the Newberry Library.
During the move from the large home office in Park Ridge to smaller
quarters in Chicago, the need for a suitable space for PWA records
became very clear. The records needed to be stored and preserved
correctly, as well as catalogued and made accessible to the public,
especially to scholars and historians. The Polish Genealogical
Society of America provided assistance in this project and PWA
gratefully acknowledges their support. In addition, PWA was advised
by Mr. David A. Joens, Director of the Illinois State Archives.
After months of effort and deliberation, the Newberry Library
in Chicago was selected as the repository for the Polish Women's
Alliance records. The Library provides excellent storage, together
with professional restoration and preservation services, and their
collections are available to researchers and scholars of local
and family history from all over the world.
The celebration began with words of welcome to the assembled guests
from PWA Treasurer Barbara Miller, who was the chairperson of
this event. Her remarks were followed by a short history of Polish
Women's Alliance and how the organization started, over 100 years
ago in Chicago, by Editor of "Glos Polek" Mary Piergies.
President Virginia Sikora then delivered her remarks and officially
presented the PWA archives to Mr. Jack Simpson, Curator of the
Family and Local History Department at the New-berry. She also
gave him a copy of a photograph taken at the very first National
Convention of the PWA.
Mr. Simpson thanked the PWA for the historic donation and said
that the work on the records would begin shortly. All the insurance
applications would be catalogued and filed in acid-free folders
and the other records would also be preserved and stored. He asked
for Polish-speaking volunteers in the coming year to help with
some of the translations. The PWA records should be available
to the public in about a year's time.
The next speaker was Rosalie Lindberg, Director of the Polish
Genealogical Society who commended the PWA on making this donation
which will make family research so much easier for the thousands
of Polish Americans who are interested in discovering their family
roots. The PGSA was holding its convention in the Chicago area
and its officers and many members were present at the luncheon.
The final speaker was Grace DuMelle, an author and associate at
the Newberry. She stressed how significant the PWA archives were
because women's histories are very hard to research. Women did
not vote or own property or graduate from schools in significant
numbers or even become US citizens in their own names, so up to
the 1930s there is very little primary source material available
about their lives. The PWA records will provide a wealth of information
about women, their families, and their lives for a period in our
nation's history when very little specific historic information
is on the record. The Newberry Library and all its staff were
clearly very excited at the PWA donation. A tour of the Library
concluded the event.
PWA
IS RECOGNIZED WITH THE WIGILIA AWARD
PWA Treasurer Barbara
Miller accepts the Wigilia Award from PGSA President Mr. Edmund
Iwanski.
In recognition of PWA's donation of its
archives to a public institution where they will be more accessible
to family historians, the Polish Geneaological Society of America
presented the "Wigilia Award" to the PWA during a special
luncheon held on Saturday, September 9, 2006, in Schaumburg, IL.
The medal and award letter are posted here, www.pwaa.org/Polish_Geneaological_Society_Of_America.htm.
The luncheon included a colorful performance by the PNA Folk Dancers.
The Polish Genealogical Society was founded in 1978 and its mission
is to collect, preserve, and disseminate information on Polish
and Polish American history.
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