Guide to the Vivian Hall Papers
Processed by Elizabeth Wertin; machine-readable finding aid created
by Brooke Dykman Dockter
Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Phone: (949) 824-3947
Fax: (949) 824-2472
Email: spcoll@uci.edu
URL: http://www.lib.uci.edu/rrsc/speccoll.html
© 1997
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Note
History --History, California --History,
Los Angeles Area
Social
Sciences --Area and Interdisciplinary Studies --Women's Studies
Social Sciences --Political Science
Geographical (by Place) --California
--Los Angeles Area
Guide to the Vivian Hall Papers
Collection number: MS-R008
Special Collections and Archives
The UCI Libraries
University of California
Irvine, California
Contact Information
- Special Collections and Archives
- The UCI Libraries
- P.O. Box 19557
- University of California
- Irvine, California 92623-9557
- Phone: (949) 824-3947
- Fax: (949) 824-2472
- Email: spcoll@uci.edu
- URL: http://www.lib.uci.edu/rrsc/speccoll.html
- Processed by:
- Elizabeth Wertin
- Date Completed:
- July 1996
- Encoded by:
- Brooke Dykman Dockter
© 1997 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved
Descriptive Summary
Title: Vivian Hall Papers
Collection number: MS-R008
Creator:
Hall, Vivian
Extent: Number of containers: 18 document boxes, 1 record
carton
Linear feet: 8.5
Repository:
University of California, Irvine. Library. Special Collections and Archives.
Irvine, California 92623-9557
Abstract:
Vivian Hall, a resident of Irvine, California from 1968 until her death in 2008, was an educator,
feminist, political and community activist, and grass roots organizer.
The collection principally documents Hall's political and feminist activities during the
1970s, notably her years as First Vice Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus,
appointment as a delegate to the National Conference for International Women's Year, and
1976 Congressional campaign. Hall also developed two of the first women's studies
courses in the country for high school students, helped found two Orange County feminist
groups, Women For: Orange County, and Women's Network Alert, and was a leading member in
a coalition of Orange County women that brought about investigations into Senator William
Campbell's sponsorship of an annual Conference on Women.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary righrts are retained
by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to
publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and University Archives.
Preferred Citation
Vivian Hall Papers. MS-R008. Special Collections and Archives, The UCI Libraires, Irvine,
California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Vivian Hall, 1995.
Processing History
Processing completed by Elizabeth Wertin in 1996.
Biography
Vivian Hall (1922-2008) was an educator, feminist, political and community activist, and grass roots organizer.
Vivian Halpern grew up in Westchester County, a suburb of New York City. She attended Vassar College, graduating in 1944
with a major in English and a minor in Child Studies. In October of that same year, she eloped with Thomas Hall six weeks
after meeting him. For several years after college, Vivian Hall worked in the field of early childhood education as a nursery
school teacher and director, both in Colorado and California, and as education director for the Anti-Defamation League in
Denver, Colorado. During this period, she earned a Master of Arts degree at the University of Colorado (1947), majoring in
English (American Literature) and minoring in Philosophy. She also studied at the University of California, Los Angeles,
the University of California, Irvine, and Denver University.
Holder of both an elementary and secondary credential from the State of California, Hall taught a range of grades from first
through college. She participated in the state program for the gifted and was a master teacher for students from California
State University at Long Beach. From 1968 through 1983, Hall taught a variety of subjects at Westminster High School in the
Huntington Beach High School District. In addition to English and history she also taught mass media and was the first to
teach Latin American history in the Huntington Beach district, where she wrote the course of study. She also initiated courses
in Women in Literature and Women in History, which were among the first in the nation to be taught at the high school level.
Over the years Hall was involved in numerous professional and educational organizations, various library friends' groups,
the Democratic Party, and numerous women's groups. The 1970s proved to be a very active decade for Hall in the arena of national
politics and women's issues. After helping found the Orange County chapter of the National Women's Political Caucus in 1974,
she was elected the First Vice Chair for the national caucus in 1976. Also in 1976, Hall ran (unsuccessfully) for Congress,
and in November 1977, was an elected delegate to the national conference in Houston celebrating International Women's Year.
In the 1980s Hall helped found two more Orange County women's groups: Women For: Orange County, and Women's Network Alert.
Vivian Hall and her husband Tom were married for over fifty years. They had two children, Lorna Beth and Douglas. Hall lived
in Irvine, California from 1968 until her death in 2008.
CHRONOLOGY
1922 |
Born December 19th |
1944 |
Graduated Vassar, degree in English, minor in child studies. Married Thomas C. Hall, October 28 |
1948 |
Completed Masters in English, University of Colorado, Boulder |
1951 |
Birth of daughter, Lorna Beth, March 7 |
1958 |
Birth of son, Douglas, September 8 |
1964 -1968 |
Teacher, Malaga Cove Intermediate School, Palos Verdes Peninsula, Calif. |
1968 -1983 |
Teacher, Westminster High School, Orange County, Calif. |
1974 |
Founding member & first Chair, Orange County, Calif. Chapter of the National Women s Political Caucus (NWPC) |
1975 -1977 |
National First Vice-Chair, NWPC |
1976 -1980 |
Member, Democratic State Central Committee |
1976 |
Democratic Nominee for Congress, 40th Congressional District, Calif. |
1977 -1980 |
Member, National Advisory Board, NWPC |
1977 |
Executive Board Member, California Coordinating Committee for International Women s Year (IWY) Delegate and Chair of Orange
County Delegation, National Women s Conference, IWY (November)
|
1978 |
Elected Member, National Advisory Platform Committee, Democratic Party |
1979 -1980 |
Coordinator of Women s Activities, Calif. Democratic Party |
1979 |
Panel Member, National Convention, National Women s Studies Association, University of Kansas |
1980 |
Elected Delegate, Democratic National Convention Member, California Platform Committee, Democratic Party Delegate, White House
Conference on Families (July)
|
1981 |
Founding member, Women s Network Alert Founded CARE, Westminster High School |
1983 |
Founding member and first president, Women For: Orange County |
1983 -1988 |
Consultant/Lecturer, Huntington Beach Unified High School District |
1990 |
Founded Jane Austen Reading Group, Orange County |
1992 |
Founding member, W.A.G.E. (We Advocate Gender Equity) |
2008 |
Died October 1. |
Scope and Content
The collection principally documents Hall's political and feminist activities during the
1970s, notably her years as First Vice Chair of the National Women's Political Caucus
(Series I), appointment as a delegate to the National Conference for International
Women's Year (Series II), and 1976 Congressional campaign (Series III). More recent
activities in the 1980s can be found in the Subject File (Series V), Hall's
participation in Women For: Orange County, and Women's Network Alert, and the coalition
of Orange County women that caused investigations into Senator William Campbell's
sponsorship of an annual Conference on Women (Series IV). Coverage of Hall's teaching
career is almost exclusively from Westminster High School (Series VI) and includes the
women's studies courses she developed. Some biographical materials and family documents
can be found in the Personal Series (Series VII), but the collection is generally weak in
this area, especially for the years prior to 1970.
1. National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC)
Scope and Content Note
Primary concerns of the NWPC include encouraging women to run for political office,
getting women appointed to public positions, and supporting passage of equal rights
legislation. In 1974 Hall helped found the Orange County chapter of the NWPC and served
as its first president. In 1975 Hall was elected First Vice Chair of the National Caucus,
the first West coast woman to obtain such a position at the national level. Her
correspondence highlights the financial and logistical difficulties of working with the
heavily East coast-based NWPC. Hall's involvement at the local level is also well
represented and illuminates many of the political and feminist issues and activities in
Orange County during the 1970s and early 1980s.
The series is subdivided by national, state, and local (Orange County) organizations and
is arranged alphabetically by subject thereunder. The bulk of material was produced
between 1974-1979 documenting Hall's involvement at the national level. Documents include
correspondence, committee papers, NWPC publications, convention materials, and clippings.
Materials related to Hall's 1976 campaign for Congress and references to International
Women's Year are also found throughout this series.
2. International Women's Year (IWY)
Scope and Content Note
Activities in the United States observing the International Women's Year culminated with
the National Women's Conference in Houston, November 18-21, 1977. The National Commission
on the Observance of IWY was created in 1975 and $5,000,000 was allocated by Congress for
the national conference and preliminary state meetings. In addition to workshops devoted
to women's issues, a focus of the state meetings was the election of delegates and the
drafting of resolutions to be taken to the national conference.
Hall served on the Executive Board of the Coordinating Committee for the California state
meeting held at USC, June 16-19, 1977. She was elected a delegate to the national
conference and served as chair for the Orange County delegation. Her records offer an
excellent behind-the-scenes look at the development of the California conference, as well
as extensive clippings by which to gauge public reaction to the meetings, both nationally
and locally.
The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Materials include national and state
conference materials, IWY publications, materials from the California Coordinating
Committee, correspondence, and artifacts including pins, pendants, a T-shirt, and the hat
worn by Hall to the national conference, as she was pictured in Time magazine.
Materials referring to International Women's Year are also found in Series 1.
3. Congressional Campaign, 1976
Scope and Content Note
In 1976, Hall ran for Congress in California s 40th Congressional District (included
large portions of Orange County), the first woman in that district to run for federal
office. She won the Democratic primary, garnering twice as many votes as her nearest
opponent, but failed to take the heavily Republican district in the final election. Hall
received 42% of the vote in a district where only 39% of voters are registered Democrats.
Through a grass roots effort, her entire campaign cost less than $27,000.
The series, which is arranged alphabetically by subject, documents the political issues
of the day in Orange County and the development of a grass roots Congressional campaign.
Materials include correspondence, papers relating to campaign finances and fundraising,
campaign ephemera, position papers, research notes, press releases, clippings, and
photos.
Materials relating to Hall's Congressional campaign are also found in Series 1. The
Department of Special Collections also houses the Congressional papers of Robert Badham,
Hall's Republican opponent in 1976.
4. Orange County Women vs. Senator Campbell
Scope and Content Note
California State Senator Bill Campbell (R-El Toro) sponsored an annual non-profit women's
conference in southern California from 1983 to 1988. The conferences were very successful
and attracted many corporate sponsors; however, the single largest financial contributor
and co-sponsor of the conference was the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), a
taxpayer-funded Federal agency. The SBA contributed staff time and over $240,000 in
printing/postage subsidies from 1985-1988. A coalition of women's groups calling
themselves "We Are Women," of which Hall was a leading member, began picketing the
conferences in 1986 because they were concerned that Campbell's voting record did not
support the interests of women and that he was using the conference for political and
financial gain. The group's complaints reached the SBA and led to an inquiry by a U.S.
Senate Committee. As a result, the SBA dropped its sponsorship of the conference, revised
its policies for sponsoring and subsidizing conferences put on by politicians, and
demanded nearly $50,000 in repayment for the 1988 conference. Additionally,
investigations by the Fair Political Practices Commission, the State Attorney General's
Office, and the U.S. General Accounting Office were begun. Campbell ended his sponsorship
of the conference after the 1988 conference, but despite the controversy was able to
defeat his 1988 Democratic opponent for the State Senate, Jan Graham.
The series is arranged alphabetically by subject and documents the controversy
thoroughly. Materials include clippings, conference mailings and registration packets, a
copy of the 1987 conference financial report, articles and flyers that were distributed
through mailings and picket lines, reports of the U.S. Senate Committee on Small
Business, and an extensive file of largely incoming correspondence from the Orange County
Register, the State Attorney General's Office, the U.S. Small Business Administration,
corporate sponsors, State Senate candidate Jan Graham, celebrity conference speakers, and
local feminist leaders.
5. Subject File
Scope and Content Note
Hall's interests and involvement in politics, women's issues, and education can be seen
throughout this series, with extensive coverage of issues at the local level (Orange
County). Hall helped organize several of the conferences found in this series; she also
helped found two of the local women's groups, Women For: Orange County (chapter) and
Women's Network Alert. And in 1978, Hall ran for a seat on the Irvine City Council.
The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. File categories are not mutually
exclusive, especially where politics and women's issues are concerned. Types of material
include correspondence, articles, clippings, conference materials, newsletters, and other
ephemera.
6. Teaching Career
Scope and Content Note
This series reflects Hall's career as a professional educator, her affiliations with
professional educational associations and unions, and her interest in women's studies.
Hall began teaching in 1964, and taught English and history at Westminster High School
from 1968-1983. While there, she initiated courses titled Women in Literature and Women
in History; these classes were among the first in women's studies taught at the high
school level in the United States. In 1981, Hall founded CARE (Committee Against Racism
in Education) and won the 1982 California Youth Authority state award for the most
innovative program to combat juvenile delinquency.
The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Materials include correspondence,
clippings, student work, course outlines and syllabi, convention materials,
bibliographies, and various publications.
7. Personal
Scope and Content Note
This series contains items pertaining to Hall s personal life, including biographical
materials, family documents, items documenting her education at and ongoing involvement
with Vassar College, personal correspondence, resumi, awards, and photographs.
The series is arranged alphabetically by subject. Materials include correspondence,
clippings, photos, manuscripts, and an audiotaped interview. Overall coverage is patchy,
and documentation prior to the 1970s is weak.
1. NATIONAL WOMEN'S POLITICAL CAUCUS (NWPC)
Box 1, Folder 6
Hall for Congress campaign correspondence
Box 1, Folder 7
Female delegate representation at national party conventions
Box 1, Folder 12
Administrative Committee (1975-77)
Box 1, Folder 17
Steering Committee (1975-77)
Box 1, Folder 18
Meeting folder (Jan. 31, 1976)
Box 2, Folder 3
Other standing committees
Box 2, Folder 4
New York City, Democratic National Convention (1980)
Box 2, Folder 7
1977 San Jose, California
Box 2, Folder 11
Convention folder & materials
Box 2, Folder 14
Speeches, Hall's introductory notes
Box 2, Folder 16
1981 Albuquerque, New Mexico
Box 3, Folder 3
Correspondence (1975-1976)
Box 3, Folder 5
Democratic Conference (Nov. 8-9, 1975)
Box 3, Folder 6
Caucus Comments, Iowa Women's Political Caucus
Box 3, Folder 7
NWPC Newsletter
(1973-1975)
Box 3, Folder 9
Republican Women's Task Force
Box 4, Folder 8
Conferences/Workshops/Luncheons
Box 4, Folder 9
Correspondence (1973-1976)
Box 4, Folder 15
Minutes/Agendas (1973-1974)
2. INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S YEAR (IWY)
Box 19, Folder 17
Artifacts: T-shirt, pins, pendants, hat, scarf
Box 4, Folder 21
Delegate selection & voting results
Box 5, Folder 6
State Meeting, USC (June 16-19, 1977)
Box 5, Folder 7
Meeting folder and materials
Box 5, Folder 8
International Women's Year: California State Meeting. Final Report to the National Commission on the Observance of International
Women's Year June 1977
Box 5, Folder 9
UCI Mini-Conference (Apr. 27, 1977)
Box 6, Folder 6
Continuing Committee of IWY
Box 6, Folder 9
Iowa Coordinating Committee
Box 6, Folder 11
National Commission on the Observance of IWY
Box 6, Folder 11
National Conference, Houston (Nov. 18, 1977)
Box 6, Folder 12
Conference folder and materials
Box 6, Folder 13
The Spirit of Houston: An Official Report to the President, the Congress and the People of the United States.
Box 6, Folder 14
Las Mujeres. 1977 National Women's Conference
Box 7, Folder 4
To Form a More Perfect Union: Justice for American Women. Report of the National Commission on the Observance of International
Women's Year 1976
3. CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGN, 1976
Box 19, Folder 9
Artifacts: Stamp, "Pills"
Box 8, Folder 5-6
Personally addressed to Hall (Feb.-Dec. 1976)
Box 8, Folder 7
Generally addressed (i.e. "Dear Candidate")
Box 8, Folder 8
Outgoing (Mar.-Nov. 1976)
Box 9, Folder 3
Correspondence with amount notations
Box 9, Folder 4
Correspondence with unspecified amount notations
Box 9, Folder 5
Lists of contributors and envelopes with amount notations
Box 9, Folder 9
Democratic clubs & parties
Box 9, Folder 10
National Organization of Women
Box 10, Folder 1
National Women's Political Caucus
Box 10, Folder 9
Research (campaign notes, background information)
4. ORANGE COUNTY WOMEN VS. SENATOR BILL CAMPBELL
Box 10, Folder 12
Campbell, William, California State Senator
Box 10, Folder 13
Campbell's Conference on Women
Box 10, Folder 15
Other conferences on women
Box 11, Folder 1
U.S. Senate Committee on Small Business
Box 11, Folder 3
Articles and flyers for distribution
Box 11, Folder 4
Correspondence (1987-1989)
Box 11, Folder 7
Carter inauguration and White House
Box 11, Folder 8
Chicago, Judy - The Dinner Party
Box 11, Folder 8
Conferences/Conventions/Seminars
Box 11, Folder 9
1974 Mar. 30. Look Wider Still, Girl Scout Council of Orange County
Box 11, Folder 10
1974 May 11. Salute to Women Leaders of Orange County, Newport Beach
Box 11, Folder 11
1974 Sept. 21. Ballot Power, Southern California Democratic Women's Caucus
Box 11, Folder 12
1975 Aug. Texas Women's Political Caucus annual convention
Box 11, Folder 13
1975 Oct. 24. International Women's Day, Orange Coast College
Box 11, Folder 14
1975 Nov. 9-11. Women In Public Life, Texas
Box 11, Folder 15
1976 Feb. 14. California Conference on the Status of Women in Medicine, UCI
Box 11, Folder 16
1976 May 18. Democratic National Convention, Appendix 1: Recommendations to the Platform Committee
Box 11, Folder 17
1977 May 7. Watering the Grass Roots, UCI
Box 12, Folder 1
1980 Democratic National Convention
Box 12, Folder 2
1980 Mar 15. Southern California Democratic Women's Caucus
Box 12, Folder 3
1980 June-July. White House Conference on Families
Box 12, Folder 4
1982 Apr. 4. Jerry M. Patterson Sponsored Women's Forum
Box 12, Folder 5
1982 Aug. 11. CB&S/Image Works Business Women's Conference
Box 12, Folder 6
1988 Jan. 29. Orange County Democratic Convention, Women's Plank
Box 12, Folder 7
1988 Mar. 8. International Women's Day Celebration, Rancho Santiago College
Box 12, Folder 8
1991 May 6-7. Orange County Women's Conference
Box 12, Folder 9
Other conferences (including undated)
Box 12, Folder 10
Dunbar, Paul Laurence (UCI Extension class)
Box 12, Folder 11
Elect a woman Vice President
Box 12, Folder 15
Eu, March Fong, California Secretary of State (1974)
Box 12, Folder 16
Friends of California Libraries
Box 12, Folder 17
Irvine City Council campaign (1978)
Box 12, Folder 18
Irvine public library (Friends of...)
Box 12, Folder 20
Jane Austen Society of North America
Box 12, Folder 24
Literature (books and authors)
Box 12, Folder 27
National Organization of Women
Box 12, Folder 28
Newport Harbor Actor's Theatre
Box 12, Folder 29
O'Neill, Cathy (political cartoons signed by Paul Conrad)
Box 19, Folder 29
Film (featuring O'Neill's campaign)
Box 13, Folder 19
Video:
Jim Cooper's Orange County, "The Political Gender Gap" (Hall is a panelist)
Box 13, Folder 4
Equal Rights for Women in Education: An Overview of Federal Court Decisions Affecting Equal Rights for Women in Education
Box 13, Folder 6
Tustin public library (Friends of...)
Box 13, Folder 7
W.A.G.E. (We Advocate Gender Equity)
Box 13, Folder 8
Watts Towers (Los Angeles)
Box 13, Folder 13
Newsletters and pamphlets
Box 13, Folder 14
Getting Clear: Body Work for Women (book)
Box 14, Folder 1
Brochures/Meeting announcements
Box 14, Folder 3
Correspondence (1984-1993)
Box 14, Folder 4
Great American Write-In (includes photos) (1986-1996)
Box 14, Folder 9
Women of Achievement Awards
Box 14, Folder 12
Women of Achievement Awards, Rancho Santiago College
Box 14, Folder 13
Women's Coalition of Orange County
Box 14, Folder 14
Women's History Library (Friends of...)
Box 14, Folder 16
Correspondence (1982-1993)
Box 14, Folder 17
McCarthy, Leo T., Lieutenant Governor of California (1982-1984)
Box 14, Folder 18
Patterson, Jerry M., House Rep. for the 38th Congressional District of California (1982)
Box 14, Folder 19
Freeman, Anna (materials donated by...)
Box 15, Folder 1
1994 (honoring Amy Biehl)
Box 15, Folder 3
Correspondence (1985-1993)
Box 15, Folder 7
California Federation of Teachers
Box 15, Folder 8
Huntington Beach Union High School District
Box 15, Folder 9
GATE Student Conference (Mar. 22, 1982)
Box 15, Folder 11
CARE (Committee Against Racism in Education)
Box 15, Folder 13
Women in Literature class
Box 15, Folder 14
Malaga Cove Intermediate School (student work)
Box 16, Folder 4
Berkshire Conference on the History of Women, Vassar
Box 16, Folder 6
College courses (includes syllabi)
Box 16, Folder 7-8
Papers in Women's Studies. Vol. 1, Nos. 1-4. University of Michigan
Box 16, Folder 9
National Women's Studies Association, convention (May 30, 1979)
Box 17, Folder 5
Abzug, Bella (1978, n.d.)
Box 17, Folder 10
Benjamin Halpern (father) - includes "A Brief Resumi" (1943)
Box 17, Folder 11
Benedicta Kirschstein Halpern (mother)
Box 17, Folder 13
Interview (1995), conducted by Kasra Rowshan, a freshman at the University of California, Irvine (audio tape, 50 min.)
Box 17, Folder 14
"A History of the Halpern Family in America" (1943)
Box 17, Folder 15
Jack London: Superman and Socialist (master's thesis)
Box 18, Folder 1
The Towers of Watts (unpublished book for young adults)
Box 18, Folder 6-7
Vassar Quarterly (Hall was the 1944 class correspondent from 1973-1975)