Florence Richardson Wyckoff papers, 1938-2000

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Summary

Creators:
Wyckoff, Florence Richardson, 1905-2000 and Wyckoff, Florence Richardson, 1905-2000
Abstract:
This collection documents the advocacy work of Florence Richardson Wyckoff during the 20th century, whose work advocated for the rights for migrant farmworkers in California and throughout the United States. Her advocacy ranged from issues of health, housing, social work, and education, all focusing on the welfare of migrant farmworkers and their families. The collection includes records from her involvement in organizations and committees in non-profit and governmental sectors, including Migrant and Adaptation in the Americas (MAIA), Farm Labor Housing Advisory Committee, Corralitos Valley Community Council, Coastal Resource Management Project, California Advisory Board on Children and Youth, Governor's Advisory Committee on Children and Youth, California Board of Public Health, and California Citizens Committee on Adoptions. Types of materials include reports, government publications, periodicals, files, correspondence, and research materials.
Extent:
27.2 Linear Feet 58 boxes
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

Florence Richardson Wyckoff papers, MS 96, Special Collections, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection documents the advocacy work of Florence Richardson Wyckoff during the 20th century, whose work advocated for the rights for migrant farmworkers in California and throughout the United States. Her advocacy ranged from issues of health, housing, social work, and education, all focusing on the welfare of migrant farmworkers and their families. The collection includes records from her involvement in organizations and committees in non-profit and governmental sectors, including Migrant and Adaptation in the Americas (MAIA), Farm Labor Housing Advisory Committee, Corralitos Valley Community Council, Coastal Resource Management Project, California Advisory Board on Children and Youth, Governor's Advisory Committee on Children and Youth, California Board of Public Health, and California Citizens Committee on Adoptions. Types of materials include reports, government publications, periodicals, files, correspondence, and research materials. A small amount of Wyckoff's personal files and biographical information are included in the collection.

Biographical / historical:

Florence Richardson Wyckoff (1905-2000) was a social activist based in Watsonville, California who dedicated her life to advocating for the health and upward mobility of migrant farmworkers and their families at local, state, and national levels. Throughout her career, she was involved in grassroots, legislative, non-profit, and community-building organizations such as the California Advisory Board on Children and Youth, the Governor's Advisory Committee on Children and Youth, the California Board of Public Health, the Corralitos Valley Community Council, the Coastal Resource Management Project, the Farm Labor Housing Advisory Committee, and the California Citizens Committee on Adoptions. A career milestone was Wyckoff's involvement in the passage of the California Migrant Health Act and subsequent Federal Migrant Health Act in 1962, which established health clinics for families of migrant farmworkers throughout the country. Florence Wyckoff passed away in 2000 at the age of 94.

Born in 1905, Florence Richardson was one of four children and the daughter of a professor and a stay at home mother who was deaf. As a child, she frequented the University of California, Berkeley with her father and eventually became involved with the Berkeley Music Association. This led to her attending UC Berkeley, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Art in 1926. With intentions of becoming an artist, her career trajectory shifted as she began to experience the world, as the Great Depression took hold of the country, and as she became involved in labor organizing. She married attorney Hubert Coke Wyckoff, Jr. in 1931.

Wyckoff was appointed to the Governor's Advisory Committee on Children and Youth in 1948 by California Governor Earl Warren, and she continued on the advisory committee under four governors. As part of this committee, Wyckoff co-organized five Conferences on Families Who Follow the Crops during the late 1950s and early 1960s. She had an interdisciplinary focus in helping to organize these conferences, bringing together migrant farmworkers, social workers, migrant ministers, teachers, public health workers, labor officials, and members of rural county governments to cultivate the well-being of migrant families.

Wyckoff's advocacy helped pass the California Migrant Health Act and the subsequent Federal Migrant Health Act in 1962. Both acts supported the health of migrant families who followed the crops, with the 1962 act establishing critical clinics for families across the United States. Once the legislation was passed, Wyckoff's advocacy turned to ensuring that budget appropriations for the migrant health programs continued.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Florence Richardson Wyckoff, 1984.
Processing information:

This collection guide contains harmful language which was used by either the original creators or the prior stewards of the materials in this collection. Library staff made the decision to retain and repurpose this description because it may provide important context about its creators, custodial history, and/or source. We are committed to describing materials in a manner that respects those who create, are represented in, and interact with the collections we steward, as well as preserving the original context of collection materials. Ethically managing archival description is an ongoing and iterative practice, and we welcome your feedback and questions at speccoll@library.ucsc.edu.

The first accrual of this collection, which comprises the first three series, was received in 1984 and processed in 1999 by Paul Machlis and the OAC Processing Unit. The second accrual of the collection (Series 4) was processed by Brittney Jimenez with assistance from Alix Norton in the Center for Archival Research and Training (CART), 2022-2023. Most titles in this collection were derived from the original folder titles as received from the donor.

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged in four series:

  • Series 1: Health papers
  • Series 2: Rural and housing papers
  • Series 3: General papers
  • Series 4: Committee and non-profit papers
Materials within each series are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright for the items in this collection is owned by the creators and their heirs. Reproduction or distribution of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires permission from the copyright owner. It is the responsibility of the user to determine whether a use is fair use, and to obtain any necessary permissions. For more information see UCSC Special Collections and Archives policy on Reproduction and Use.

Preferred citation:

Florence Richardson Wyckoff papers, MS 96, Special Collections, University Library, University of California, Santa Cruz.

Location of this collection:
Special Collections and Archives, University Library
1156 High Street
Santa Cruz, CA 95064, US
Contact:
(831) 459-2547
speccoll@library.ucsc.edu
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