Dorothy Rosevear Strawn Papers, 1938-1996

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Strawn, Dorothy Rosevear, 1916-2001
Title
Dorothy Rosevear Strawn Papers
Dates
1938-1996 (inclusive)
1960-1973 (bulk)
Quantity
2.21 cubic ft.
Collection Number
4550 (Accession No. 4550-001)
Summary
The last Dean of Women and first Director of Women's Studies at the University of Washington during the late 1960s-early 1970s.
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Open to all users.

Languages
English
Sponsor
Funding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Serving in the 1960s and early 1970s as the last Dean of Women and the first Director of Women's Studies, Dorothy Rosevear Strawn played a major part in transforming the role of female students at the University of Washington. When Strawn began her career at the University of Washington, her job consisted largely of enforcing social restrictions for women, but by the time she left she had initiated and directed programs that were grounded in the feminist ideas of the 1960s. Strawn was born in 1916 in Glenn's Ferry, Idaho. She graduated from the University of Idaho in 1937 where she was a member of a sorority and majored in journalism.

After marrying Loren Strawn in 1937, the couple moved to Kooskia, Idaho, where Dorothy taught high school for a year. During this time she also did freelance writing for various publications, and when she moved to Seattle in 1938 she wrote for the University District Herald for a year. After the start of World War II, when her husband worked for naval intelligence, Strawn served as the chief clerk for the Selective Service Board in Corvallis, Oregon, from 1940 until 1942. After the war Strawn moved back to Seattle. Once her daughter began attending school in 1950, she worked as a substitute teacher at Shoreline High School and began taking classes at the University of Washington. At Shoreline Strawn worked as a teacher and counselor, and from 1955 to 1960 she served as the Chairman of the Guidance Department.

In 1959 Strawn earned her master's degree in education at the University of Washington after writing a thesis on the management of Shoreline schools. In 1960 she began her professional career at the University when she accepted a position as Dean of Women and Associate Dean of Students. One of Strawn's responsibilities was to enforce an elaborate system of rules designed for women only, including early closure and visitation restrictions in women's dormitories. Under Strawn's leadership, however, the University of Washington became one of the first large universities to eliminate a separate set of regulations for women.

In addition to changes in the University's policies toward women, much of Strawn's other work during the 1960s received attention. Strawn provided leadership for various national and state women's education organizations, and in 1966 the Business and Professional Women's Club named her Business Woman of the Year. In addition to her duties as Dean, in 1968 Strawn founded the Women's Continuing Education program, which she directed until 1970. This was a tremendously popular, non-credit program designed for women who wanted to begin a new career after their children left home. Also in the late 1960s, Strawn handled complaints about sororities' discrimination against African-American students.

In 1970 Strawn became the first Director of Women's Studies, and the University eliminated the Dean of Women post. In 1972 Strawn left her directorship to work on the Discovery Internship Project, a program designed to place "mature" women in new careers. Strawn retired from the University in 1973.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection is divided into subgroups based on the positions Strawn held at the University, plus other files relating to Shoreline schools and a publication she edited in 1940. The exception to this arrangement is that the records from Women's Continuing Education have not been separated from the Women's Studies records.

The first three folders of the first box contain papers relating to allegations of sororities' discrimination. These files contain letters from 1965 to 1969 from sorority alumnae, and range from protest and testimony about discrimination to letters that defend the organizations. This accession contains the master copy of the history of the Decision Is Destiny conference of 1963. This conference was an early manifestation of the women's movement and featured classes, workshops, and speakers such as Betty Friedan. Strawn wrote in her notes that this conference led to grants for the Discovery Internship Project.

The accession also contains the newsletter Dames Diary from 1940 to 1941 when Strawn was its editor. The Diary was a publication of the Dames Club, an organization of married women who attended the University of Washington or whose husbands were students.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Strawn donated her papers to the library in 1996.

Processing Note

The papers were processed in 1996.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

University of Washington Dean of WomenReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
General Correspondence
Box/Folder
1/1-3
re: Allegations
1965-1969
1/4
re: Associated Women Students
1965-1969
1/5
re: Housemother's Manual
1962-1964
1/6-7
Other Colleges and Universities
1964-1969
1/8-9
Miscellaneous
1960-1970
Lists
Box/Folder
1/10
Sorority House
1930-1971
1/11
Sorority House Residence Directors
1953-1971
Box/Folder
1/12
Speeches and Writings
1966
Conferences and Workshops
Box/Folder
1/12
Decision Is Destiny, University of Washington
1963
Box/Folder
1/12
Historical Features
1963
1/14
General Correspondence
1965-1968
1/15
Writings
n.d.
1/16
Publicity
1962-1968
1/17
Speeches
1965-1968
1/18
Readings
1965
1/19
Curriculum and Announcements
1966-1977
1/20
Agendas
1965-1966
1/21
Reports
1965-1968
1/22
Newsletters
1965-1966
1/23
Ephemera
1963-1965
1/23
Many Faces of Eve, University of Washington
1970
Box/Folder
1/24
General Correspondence
1969-1970
1/25
Readings
n.d.
1/26
Speeches and Writings
1970
1/27
Enrollees and Feedback
1970
1/28
Ephemera
1970
1/29
Publicity
1969-1970
1/30-31
Workshop for Housemothers and Advisors, University of Washington
1965-1968
Box/Folder
1/32-33
Ideas
1964-1971
Subject Series
Box/Folder
1/34
Associated Women Students: Woman's Day
1966
1/35
Associated Women Students. Television Series
1965
1/36
College of Idaho: Women's Day Programs
1967-1969
1/37
Criticisms
1968-1969
1/38
Dean of Women, Historical, Prior to 1954
n.d.
1/39
Experimental College
1968-1970
1/40
Federal Women Employees
1972
1/41
Interviews with House Residents
1967
1/42
Notify
n.d.
1/43
Residence Hall Room Visitation
1967-1969
1/44-45
Rush
1960-1961
2/1-2
Rush
1962-1963
2/3
Sorority Discrimination
1958-1966
Box/Folder
2/4
Annual Report
1960-1968
2/5-8
Handbooks and Guides
1949-1969
2/9
Schedule of Early Activities
1960-1963
Clippings
Box/Folder
2/10
ASUW Gals
1971
2/11-12
Miscellaneous
1963-1969
Publicity
Box/Folder
2/13
re: Allegations
1963-1968
Box/Folder
2/14
Ephemera
1962-1963

University of Washington Women's Continuing Education/University of Washington Women StudiesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/15
Reports: "Health Care Team"
1971
2/16
Publicity: Women's Continuing Education
1967-1969
2/17
Clippings
1964-1965
2/18-19
Ephemera
1968-1972
2/20
Ephemera - Other Schools
1970-1971
Subject Series
Box/Folder
2/21
Academic "Re-Entry," Winter Quarter
1969
2/22-25
Discovery Internship Project
1972-1973
2/26
Discrimination, University of Washington
1972
2/27
Publications
1970
2/28
Resource Materials - General
1971
Box/Folder
2/29
List of Readings
n.d.

University of Washington Women's Continuing Education Advisory CommitteeReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/30-31
General Correspondence
1963-1969
2/32
Minutes
1963
2/33
Reports
1962
2/34
Speeches and Writings
2/35
Notes
1996

University of Washington Women's Continuing Education Advisory Committee, 1963-1965Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 2/36

Papers of Marian Gallager and Eugene Elliot.

University of Washington Advisory Committee on Student Residences, 1966Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 2/37

Shorecrest High School Accreditation Committee , 1964-1966Return to Top

Container(s): Box-folder 2/38

Personal PapersReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
2/39
Biographical Features
1967-1968
2/40
Incoming Letters re: Thank-you's
1970-1971
General Correspondence
Box/Folder
2/41
re: Counseling and Guidance Institutes
1960
2/42-44
re: Speaking Engagements
1961-1971
2/45
Miscellaneous
1969-1970
2/46
National Coalition For Research On Women's Education And Development
1972
2/47
Feig, Konnie
1972
2/48
Participation Activities
1962-1972
2/49
Speeches
1969
Box/Folder
2/50
Thesis
1959
3/1
Book and Clipping
1980
3/2
Audio Tape Interview with Carrie Thompson
ca. 1960

University of Washington DamesReturn to Top

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
3/3
Newsletter -Dames Diary
1940-1941
3/4
Directory
1940-1941
3/5
Notes
1996

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Adult education of women--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Deans of women--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington)
  • Women college administrators--Washington (State)--Seattle--Archives
  • Women--Education (Higher)--Washington (State)--Seattle
  • Women--Employment re-entry--Washington (State)--Seattle

Personal Names

  • Strawn, Dorothy Rosevear, 1916-2001--Archives
  • Thompson, Carrie Cowgill

Corporate Names

  • Decision Is Destiny (1963 : Seattle, Wash.)
  • University of Washington--Administration
  • University of Washington. Continuing Education. Women's Programs
  • University of Washington. Office of the Dean of Women
  • University of Washington. Women Studies Program

Geographical Names

  • Washington (State)--Seattle

Other Creators

  • Corporate Names
    • University of Washington. University Archives