Collection Guide
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Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County Records
MSS-2004-02
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Table of contents
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Title: Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County Records
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2004-02
Physical Description:
11 boxes
(6.5 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 1962-1999
Abstract: The Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County Records (1962-1999) documents the activities of a civic club whose
mission is to "preserve Chinese culture and traditions and serve [the] community where needed." The collection materials include
correspondence, meeting minutes, personal notes, awards and plaques, newsletters, news clippings, photographs, scrapbooks,
printed matter, event planning materials and donation records.
Language of Material: Languages represented in the collection: English
- Processed by:
- Amytha Willard, revised by Danelle Moon and Deb Sica
- Date Completed:
- 2005
- Encoded by:
- Bernard Yeh
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has been assigned to the San Jose State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections and Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County Records, MSS-2004-02, San Jose State University Library Special Collections
and Archives.
Preliminary processing and guide prepared by Amytha Willard, 2004. Final processing completed by Deb Sica and Danelle Moon,
2005. EAD encoding by Bernard Yeh, 2006. Reprocessed, reorganized, and edited by Victor Rodriguez II, 2016.
The Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County (CAWC) was founded in 1962 by a group of women who were brought together
by the common thread of preserving Chinese culture through educating their children. While their children attended a weekly
Chinese school and learned Chinese languages, the mothers would meet and discuss different topics. The weekly meetings soon
became a discussion about starting a cultural club; a club that would support, educate and befriend the entire community.
CAWC's mission is to "preserve Chinese culture and traditions and serve [the] community where needed." The founders combined
cultural activities with fundraising to create opportunities to educate the community and generate revenue for future organizing
efforts. They formed and strengthened existing alliances by combining efforts with other Bay Area Chinese organizations.
In March 1978, CAWC learned of a new project to rebuild the Ng Shing Gung Temple, but the project was in need of financial
support. The Ng Shing Gung Temple, also known as the Joss House and the Temple of the Five Gods, was built in 1888. In 1941,
it was under threat of demolition by the city of San Jose and in 1949 the city finally demolished the dilapidated building.
Community organizations planned to raise enough money to build a replica in History Park at Kelley Park in San Jose. CAWC,
and other local organizations, raised the money to fund the project, and the temple is now open to the public.
The CAWC sponsored a number of cultural events, including the Autumn Moon Festival at the San Jose Historical Museum Site.
The first festival was held on Sunday, September 24, 1978. The event included arts, crafts, a food fair, a temple run (marathon),
an artifact exhibit and a performance by the Chung Ngai Dance Troupe. In 1979, the Autumn Moon Festival was held on Sunday,
October 7th and included a martial arts demonstration, a fine arts exhibit, fashion show, musical performance and dance recital.
In 1987, celebrating its 25th anniversary, the organization planned and hosted a large-scale fashion show luncheon called
"Lasting Legacy." This well-planned and executed event combined the efforts of many local organizations. The San Jose Historical
Museum prepared a slide show and contributed a historical exhibit of artifacts. The event was attended by Chief Assistant
Secretary of State, Jenece Long, Santa Clara County Supervisor, Tom Legan, San José Vice Mayor, Iola Williams, Councilwoman,
Blanca Alvarado, Los Altos Mayor, Roger Eng and various presidents and diplomats from leading Bay Area Asian organizations.
The organization continues to promote Chinese cultural heritage, and many of the members are now third and fourth generation
Chinese-Americans.
The Chinese American Women's Club of Santa Clara County Records documents the organization from 1962 to 1999. The collection
materials include correspondence, meeting minutes, personal notes, awards and plaques, newsletters, news clippings, photographs,
scrapbooks, printed matter, event planning materials and donation records. The collection documents the organization's promotion
and preservation of Chinese culture and service to the larger Bay Area Chinese community. The collection is arranged in three
series: Series I, Administrative Records; Series II, Community Activities and Programs; Series III, Outreach and Publicity.
This collection is arranged in three series: Series I. Administrative Records; Series II. Community Activities and Programs;
and Series III. Outreach and Publicity.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Chinese Americans -- California -- Santa Clara County -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
Chinese Americans -- California -- Santa Clara County -- Social life and customs
Chinese American women -- California -- Santa Clara County -- History -- 20th century -- Sources
San José State University. Library. Special Collections & Archives