Contributing Institution: California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections

Title: Jane Templin Collection

Creator: Templin, Jane

Identifier/Call Number: SPC.2008.001

Physical Description: 19 boxes

Physical Description: 26.36 Linear Feet (14 document boxes; 3 record storage; 3 oversized boxes; 2 media boxes; one oversized folder)

Date (inclusive): 1920-2022; undated

Date (bulk): 1990-2010

Abstract: Consisting of credentials, professional certificates, correspondence, awards, certificates of thanks, photographs, video, ephemera, memorandums, notes, documents, publications, and artifacts, the collection documents Jane Templin's career as an electrician and electrician trainer in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, her activities as a member and officer of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 11, and her outreach efforts to recruit women, students, and minorities to consider careers in the construction trades. For digitized material related to all tradeswomen archives collections please consult the Tradeswomen Archives Project 

Language of Material: English .

There are no access restrictions on this collection.

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The Jane Templin Collection (1920-2019; undated) consists of credentials, professional certificates, correspondence, awards, certificates of thanks, photographs, videos, ephemera, memorandums, notes, documents, publications, and artifacts relating to Jane Templin and her career as an electrician in Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, as well as her activities as a member and officer of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 11. The collection also documents Templin's involvement in training and outreach through the Electrical Training Institute (ETI) and as a community volunteer; and includes material related to advocacy for women in the trades. Among the items related most directly to Templin are credentials showing accreditation she received for various levels of training, including the notification showing she had completed her electrician apprenticeship in 1980. Credential cards include training and safety certifications and badges from work sites such at the Metro Green Line light rail project. All correspondence consists of letters received by Templin, some related to IBEW or work-related business, but the bulk being letters of thanks to Templin for her outreach efforts. Ceremonies honoring Templin--by the Rosie the Riveter Foundation in 2011, the Harry Bridges Institute in 2012, and the 32nd California State Senate District in 2015--are documented with correspondence, programs, and certificates. Templin's work, training, outreach, and union activities are also documented through ephemera, including nametags and buttons, certificates of thanks, and a small collection of photographs. Notable figures pictured with Templin include Hillary Clinton and Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Material related to Templin's membership in the IBEW includes apprenticeship materials, memorandums received from Local 11, meeting guidelines and agendas, convention programs and agendas, and union publications. Items of note regarding tradeswomen include a DVD created in 2006 for the 37th IBEW Convention Women's Caucus, which contains a video and booklet focusing on fourteen notable leaders of the women's rights, labor, and civil rights movements in the United States, and a program, agendas, notes, and report from the 2010 IBEW Women's Conference. Templin's later career as a trainer is documented by a meeting agenda, class schedule, curriculum, and publication from the Electrical Training Trust and ETI. Templin's interest and involvement in various organizations for women working in non-traditional jobs, including the IBEW Tradeswomen Committee, Electric Women, the National Association of Women in Construction, Women Building California and the Nation, and the Coalition of Labor Union Women, is documented by meeting agendas, conference and symposium programs and agendas, and publications. The collection also contains items on career development and educational opportunities for women in trades, including booklets, brochures, memorandums, and training exercises. Artifacts and ephemera preserved from Templin's career include IBEW and ETI badges and patches, a level, two electrician's tool bags, a collection of IBEW and tradeswomen-related t-shirts, union stickers and buttons, and plaques related to IBEW conferences.

Jane Ellen Templin was born on December 26, 1946, in St. Louis, Missouri, and moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1967. She began her career as an electrician in 1976 as an apprentice Electrical Inside Wireman in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) union. Her first experience involved installing electrical systems in residential townhouses. She advanced to Journey level in 1980, later becoming a steward, foreman, general foreman, and the business agent and dispatcher for IBEW Local 11. After graduating her apprenticeship, Templin also acquired her California teaching certificate and began work as a part-time instructor at the Electrical Training Institute (ETI), an apprenticeship program of the IBEW and the National Electrical Contractors Association. In 1996, she became a full-time senior instructor at ETI, and in 2006 became the program's Outreach Director. Templin was elected vice president of IBEW Local 11 in 2009. As an advocate for women in construction, Templin co-founded the tradeswomen support groups Electric Women (1984) and Blue Collar Women (2006). Other community organizations for which Templin served as a member or board member include the Long Beach Private Industry Council, School to Career Organization, the Youth Opportunities Organization, the Foothill Work Investment Board, the South Bay Work Investment Board, and the United Jobs Community Coalition. Templin also served on the Electrician Examining Board in the City of Long Beach, and in 2014 was appointed as a Planning Commissioner by Mayor Robert Garcia.

Donated by Jane Templin, 2008-2018

For related collections please consult: Lynn Shaw Collection; Oregon Tradeswoman Collection; Pat Williams Collection; Vivian Price Collection; Madeline Mixer Collection; Ronnie Sandler Collection; and Molly Martin Collection.

This collection is arranged in six series: