The Older Women's League (OWL), Santa Clara County Chapter Records documents thirty years of the history of the OWL Santa Clara County Chapter. The records include OWL publications, the minute records of the Board of Directors, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, event documents, newsletters, news clippings, financial records, and ephemera.

Founded in 1980 after the White House Mini-Conference held in Des Moines, Iowa, the Older Women's League (OWL) was created by Tish Sommers and Laurie Shields as a grassroots advocacy group for older women. The mission of OWL was to support older women through ensuring that caregivers received appropriate legal support, ending discrimination in employment and job training, and preventing federal budget cuts to programs that would affect older women's access to healthcare. OWL would go on to contribute to national and local healthcare reforms, including legislation such as the COBRA Act and the Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987.

3 boxes (2.42 linear feet)

Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & 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 & Archives. Copyright restrictions may apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

This collection is open for research.