Guide to the Records of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club 031
Jungeun Hong and Monique Sugimoto
Palos Verdes Library District, Peninsula Center Library. Local History Center.
2017 Dec 28
701 Silver Spur Road
Rolling Hills Estates, California 90274
localhistory@pvld.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Palos Verdes Library District, Peninsula Center Library. Local History Center.
Title: Records of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club
Identifier/Call Number: 031
Physical Description:
9.6 Linear Feet
3 letter document boxes and 10 flat storage boxes
Date (inclusive): 1934-2013
Physical Location: Local History Center
Abstract: The collection includes administrative records, scrapbooks and photographs of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club and documents
the philanthropic and social activities of the Club.
Conditions Governing Access
Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the Local History Center for access information.
Conditions Governing Use
The collection is open for research use. Early scrapbooks in this collection are fragile and deteriorating. Researchers must
use reference copies.
Preferred Citation
[Name of item], Records of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club (Collection 031). Local History Center, Peninsula Center Library,
Palos Verdes Library District, Rolling Hills Estates, CA.
Biographical / Historical
The Palos Verdes Woman's Club was the first local woman's club on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Established in 1926 when the
Peninsula was first being developed, the goal of the all volunteer organization was "to bring women together interested in
the community welfare of Palos Verdes Estates and to promote this welfare by such means as may from time to time seem expedient."
Mrs. Cora Belle Cheney was the Club's first president.
In its early establishment, the Palos Verdes Woman's Club sponsored community activities including concert recitals, holiday
festivals, library projects, Sunday school programs, Easter services, and other family affairs. Its activities ranged from
cultural and philanthropic events to church and civic affairs. During the Depression, the Club extended its charity to the
families of unemployed parents of children in Harbor City by providing the families with meat and bread. The Club continued
this work until 1933.
The Club continued to grow as the Palos Verdes Peninsula expanded. By the early 1940's, the Club's membership had grown to
120. The Club has evolved over time in response to the needs of the community. It has added new divisions, including the
Garden Section, the Education Section, the Tea Cup Section, the Red Cross Chapter, the Philanthropy Section, and the Bridge
Section.
During World War II, the organization was involved in efforts on behalf of soldiers stationed in Palos Verdes. It organized
a blood donation drive, raised funds for the soldiers, and hosted various events for their benefit. After the war, the Red
Cross Chapter continued assisting the soldiers with blood bank deliveries, veteran's outings, and home service work.
In 1956, the Club formally incorporated as the Palos Verdes Woman's Club, Inc.
In 1959, the Club sponsored the establishment of the Palos Verdes Jr. Woman's Club for young women who wished to participate
in philanthropic and educational activities.
Since 1960, the major fundraising activities of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club have included the Annual Garden Tour and the
Books and Authors Luncheon, the proceeds of which support various philanthropic causes.
Since its inception, the Palos Verdes Woman's Club has played a vital role as a community builder, accepting new responsibilities
as the needs of the community change and changing its plans and direction in response.
Arrangement
Arranged into two series: administrative records and scrapbooks. Administrative records arranged alphabetically by folder
title; thereunder chronologically, with undated materials filed after dated materials. Scrapbooks arranged chronologically.
Scope and Contents
Includes board meeting minutes, bulletins, by-laws and revisions, clippings, correspondence, event promotional materials,
member yearbooks, photographs, negatives, press releases, scrapbooks, and treasurer's reports.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Palos Verdes Library District by the Palos Verdes Woman's Club.
Processing Information
Initial rehousing and stabilization of materials by Jungeun Hong. Final arrangement and description by Jungeun Hong and Monique
Sugimoto, December 28, 2017, with assistance by Michaela Lee.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Women--California--Societies and clubs
Palos Verdes Estates (Calif.)
Women--Societies and clubs
Administrative Records
Scope and Contents
Includes publications, financial records, member yearbooks, meeting minutes, and correspondence.
Box 1
Bulletins
1945-2013
Physical Description: 3 Folders
Scope and Contents
Includes monthly publications providing members with the Club's major events, important dates, and membership information.
Box 1
Bylaws and revisions
[ca 1956]; 1958
Scope and Contents
Includes bylaws of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club, proposed additions and changes to the bylaws, and the revised bylaws in
1958.
Box 1
Clippings
October 26, 1950 - April 25, 2011
Scope and Contents
Includes articles from local publications such as the Daily Breeze, Palos Verdes Peninsula News, South Bay Weekly, and Los
Angeles Times.
Box 1
Correspondence
1947; 1951; 1995; 1996
Box 1
Coza H. Dorr
[n.d]
Scope and Contents
Includes poems written by member Coza H. Dorr to the future presidents of the Club.
Box 1
Dish Rentals and Silver Ledger
1934-1959; 1976
Scope and Contents
Includes dishes rental records documenting dates, names, and occasions. A rental policy and record instruction appear on the
first page of the record book, showing rental fees to private parties.
Box 1
Event promotional materials
1950-2000
Scope and Contents
Includes programs, brochures, and invitation cards.
Box 2
Meeting minutes
1944-1999
Physical Description: 2 Folders
Scope and Contents
Includes board meeting minutes, general meeting minutes, publicity chairman's reports, treasurer's reports, list of the club's
properties, and budget proposals.
Box 2
Member yearbooks
1956-1993
Physical Description: 2 Folders
Scope and Contents
Includes member rosters containing meeting schedules, list of executive officers, and member's contact information.
The combined Palos Verdes Woman's Club and Palos Verdes Junior Woman's Club yearbooks were published under the title of "Palos
Verdes Woman's Club and Juniors" between 1962 and 1969. The combined yearbooks were also published under the title of "Palos
Verdes Woman's Club" between 1971 and 1988 intermittently.
Box 2
Organizational history
1996-[n.d]
Scope and Contents
Includes brief summaries of the Palos Verdes Woman's Club history.
Box 2
Photographs and negatives
1951; 1996
Scope and Contents
Includes photographs of the Annual Fashion Show and Luncheon (1951), the Annual Garden Tour (1996) and negatives for the 1996
Garden Tour.
Box 3
Press releases
1994-2001
Scope and Contents
Includes press releases for the Club activities, in particular, the Annual Garden Tours and the Books and Authors Luncheons,
the Club's two major fundraising programs.
Box 3
Treasurer's reports
1963-1967
Scope and Contents
Includes monthly reports of balance, income, and expenses.
Scrapbooks
Scope and Contents
Includes sixteen volumes dating between 1934 and 1991. In its earlier volumes, the Club mainly focused on its organization's
publicity, featuring news article clippings collected from local publications such as the Daily Breeze, Palos Verdes Review,
and Los Angeles Times. The Club occasionally titled these scrapbooks between 1934 and 1955 as "publicity."
After the Club's incorporation, the format and the content of the scrapbook change significantly. For a short period between
1956 and 1960, the Club endeavored to keep an organization-focused record of members and their activities, including board
members' photographs, a copy of bulletins, president's messages, member rosters, and treasurer's financial reports in addition
to the news article clippings. In the title section of the scrapbooks, the Club also specified the scrapbook as "historian's
book." The scrapbooks between 1971 and 1991 contain mainly photographs of members at various events sponsored by the Club.
Box 4
Scrapbook
1934-1942
Processing Information
The Palos Verdes News (page 1 through 4) inserted in the scrapbook between 1934 and 1942 is discarded.
Box 8
Scrapbook
1958-1959
Scope and Contents
The scrapbook was created with a theme of "portrait of a lady" in celebration of its 25th anniversary.
Box 13
Scrapbook
1959-1960
General
Loose Daily Breeze article, "P.V. Women's Club Observes 34th Year," published on January 10, 1960 inserted in scrapbook moved
to Box 9 due to size.
Box 3
Scrapbook reference copies
Physical Description: 8 Folders
Scope and Contents
Includes reference copies for eight scrapbooks, dated 1934-1942, 1942-1946, 1946-1947, 1949-1951, 1952-1953, 1953-1954, 1954-1955,
and 1956-1957.
