Collection Summary
Dickinson, Joan Younger, 1916-
Joan Younger Dickinson papers
1939-1999
11248
8
cubic ft. (15 document boxes, 1 F17 box, 1 record box)
University of Wyoming. American Heritage Center.
English
The collection contains correspondence, photographs, notes, research and subject files, and drafts related to the writings of Joan Younger Dickinson. Many of her writings concerned women including women in war, women in the workplace, fashion, health, motherhood, feminism, jewelry, and immigrant women. Other topics include her articles about prominent politicians and noted personalities.
Biography of Joan Younger DickinsonJoan Younger was born in Columbus, Ohio, in 1917. She spent her childhood and teenager years growing up in Columbus and then graduated from Ohio State University in 1937. She began her career in journalism in Paris as a reporter for Trans-Radio Press. After the outbreak of Word War II, Younger became a reporter in New York City for United Press, now United Press International. Joan Younger Merrick’s interviews focused primarily on famous women abroad and in the United States, headliners in politics, film and mass media, and fashion. Joan Younger married William Merrick in 1940. They had one daughter before the marriage ended.
In 1947, Joan Younger married William B. Dickinson, a foreign editor for United Press. She moved with him to Philadelphia in 1949 when he became an editor at the
Philadelphia Evening Bulletin. He eventually became the Bulletin’s executive editor.
In Philadelphia, she joined the staff of the
Ladies’ Home Journal and remained at the magazine until the 1960s, writing articles on ordinary women as well as women of fame. Politicians, movie stars, murders, industrial tycoons, and war heroes were among her others subjects for interviews and articles. She answered questions about women’s health problems for the column, “Tell Me Doctor.” Joan Younger Dickinson wrote many articles about women balancing motherhood with a career. Her books include The Stork and You, Mental Illness Begins at Home, The Book of Pearls, and The Book of Diamonds.
Joan Younger Dickinson earned a M.A. (1966) and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania (1975). Her book,
The Immigrant Woman Worker, was based on her doctoral dissertation.
Upon retirement by 1980, Joan Younger Dickinson moved to Florida where she wrote her memoirs,
Girl Reporter, Wartime New York. The Dickinson family consisted of a son and daughter from Mr. Dickinson’s first marriage, a daughter from Joan Younger’s first marriage, and two daughters from the Dickinson marriage. William B. Dickinson died in 1978. Joan Younger Dickinson died June 4, 2002, at her home in Fort Myers, Florida.
Scope and ContentThe Joan Younger Dickinson papers include her newspaper and magazine articles, books, MA thesis, and Ph.D. dissertation. Personal papers and publications cover the years 1939-1980. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, notes, research, and drafts related to the articles and books. The collection does not contain personal papers prior to Joan Younger’s career in 1939 as an overseas journalist. She covered topics of particular interest to women during World War II such as Madame Chiang Kai-Shek and Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor.
Post-war magazine and newspaper articles, primarily for
Ladies Home Journal and United Press International, reflect a diversity of topics: women in the work place, fashion, the art of manners, plus reporting on famous people in politics and the media such as Ike and Mamie Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and family, and Grace Kelly. Psychology and mental health are topics in many articles. Joan Younger Dickinson also wrote a book on motherhood, The Stork and You, and two prominent books in the 1970s on the history of jewelry, The Book of Diamonds and The Book of Pearls. The collection also contains her academic writing for her masters thesis on Protestant-American history and her doctoral dissertation, Immigrant Women in the U.S. Labor Force.
Joan Younger Dickinson’s personal and biographical information, photographs, and memorabilia are included, which are not specifically connected to her writing. The collection also contains complete texts of books that Joan Younger Dickinson either edited or wrote, plus an assortment of complete magazine issues that include her articles.
Access Restrictions
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes,
and the collection is open to the public.
Copyright Information
The researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright,
property, and libel laws as they apply.
Related Materials
There are no other known archival collections created by Joan Younger Dickinson at the date of
processing.
Acquisition Information
The Joan Younger Dickinson papers were donated to the American Heritage Center by Joan Younger Dickinson in 1983 and 2001. The papers were kept in the donor’s private possession in good condition.
Processing Information
The collection was processed by Melanie Francis in November 2002. Folder titles and arrangement have been added for clarity in the collection inventory.
Preferred Citation
Item Description, Box Number, Folder Number, Joan Younger Dickinson papers, 1939-1999, Collection
Number 11248, American Heritage Center, University of Wyoming.
Access Terms
United Press International.
World War, 1939-1945--Women.
Women’s periodicals, American.
Women
Media and Communication
Authors.
Ladies Home Journal.
Container List
Series I.Ladies Home Journal
1945-1962
(2 document boxes)
Arranged alphabetically by article name. Drafts, manuscripts, research, printed articles, and related articles from personal files. Correspondence related to articles and photographs (used to illustrate articles for publication) are also included.
1
1
Articles, Correspondence for Application
1945-1947
1
2
Bunch, Ralph and Family
1961
1
3
Duke, Angier Biddle
1960-1961
1
4
Editorial Objectives
1949-1950
1
5
“How America Lives”--Petrello Family
1955
1
6
Kelly, Grace
1960
1
7-10
Kennedy Family
1952-1962, undated
2
1-2
Mental health research
1945-1948
2
3
Mental health articles
1949
2
4
Mental illness articles
1949
2
5
Manners (Forum)
1957
2
6
Miscellaneous Correspondence
1960
2
7
Photographs
1950-1955
2
8
Related Articles
1947-1954
2
9
“Should Mothers of Young Children Work?” (Forum)
1958
2
10
“When Should Mothers Work Outside the Home?,”
1958
Series II. Assorted Magazine Articles
1945-1980
(5 document boxes)
Arranged alphabetically by article name. Individual notebooks, drafts, manuscripts, research, printed articles, and related articles from personal files. Correspondence related to articles, primarily with regard to publication.
3
1
“American Ethics,”
1967
3
2-13
Assorted
1945-1974, undated
3
14
Batten, Harry
1961
4
1
Bergdorf
1961-1962
4
2
Bergdorf (Research)
1961
4
3
“Best Climate,”
1969
4
4-7
“Best Climate”—Longevity
1966, 1967, 1968-1969
4
8
“Best Climate”—Longevity notes and drafts
1969-1970
5
1
Brown, George
1961
5
2-3
Bunting, Mary
1960-1965
5
4-5
Bunting, Mary (Research #1 and #2)
1961-1965
5
6
Camden, South Carolina
1961
5
7
“Coffee Break” (Assorted Articles)
1961
5
8
Crawford, Dorothy
1961
5
9
Criticism
1954
6
1-2
Eisenhower’s Religious Beliefs
1953
6
3-4
Forum: Manners
1957, 1959
6
5
Fuoss, Robert
1961
6
6
“Girl in the Back Room,”
1952
6
7
Grand Canyon
1974
6
8
Greenfield, Albert M.
1961
6
9
Holiday Magazine
1967
6
10
Hong Kong
1967
6
11
Hong Kong (Research)
1967
7
1-3
“How America Lives”—Nissen Family #1, #2, and #3
1959-1962
7
4
“How to Have a Happy Marriage,”
undated
7
5
Innocenti, Cesar
1961
7
6
“Japanese Love for Sale,”
1967
7
7
Kahn, Louis
undated
7
8
Lee, Dorothy McCullough “Lady Mayor of Portland,”
1951
7
9
Michener, James
1961
7
10
Nixon, Agnes
1967
7
11
Oakes, Harry
undated
7
12
“On Being Depressed,”
1959
7
13
“Peoria Pilgrim,”
1951
7
14
Piasecki, Frank N.
1961
7
15
“Pilgrim’s Progress,”
undated
7
16
“Politics of Protocol,”
1962
8
1
“Political Pilgrim’s Progress,”
1952
8
2
“Prescriptions of Alcohol,”
1959
8
3
Radcliffe Institute
1961-1962
8
4
Ravdin, Dr. Isadore
1961
8
5
Reading (Lady)
1950
8
6
Realities Travel
1979-1980
8
7
Surtsey Reviews
1964-1974
8
8
Travel (assorted)
1979-1980
8
9
Weddings
1950
8
10
“What’s a Mother to Do?,”
1956
8
11
“Why Don’t They Like Us?,”
1953
Series III. United Press International
1939-1979
(1 document box)
Arranged alphabetically by article name. Drafts, research, printed articles, and related articles. Correspondence related to the publication and original photographs used for articles. Also includes newspaper articles not written for UPI.
9
1-7
Assorted Articles
1940-1944, 1945-1979
9
8
Book Reviews
1971-1973
9
9-11
Madame Chiang Kai-Shek
1943
9
12-13
Memoranda
1940
9
14-15
Other newspaper articles (not UPI)
1939-1979
9
16
Photographs
1942
9
17
United Press Radio
1941
9
18
United Press Radio Columns
1940-1941
9
19
United Press Radio Scripts
1940-1941
9
20
Windsor, Duke and Duchess in Bahamas
1940
Series IV. Book Editing, Writing, and Ghost Writing
1948-1999
(4 document boxes)
Arranged alphabetically by book name. Drafts, manuscripts, galley proofs, and correspondence for non-fiction and fiction written, book editing, and ghost writing. Photographs used for publication with editors’ notations.
10
1
Belle of Ashby Street (novel editing)
1980
10
2
Book editing and ghost writing
1955
10
3
Book of Diamonds, Chapter 1 manuscript
1965
10
4
Book of Diamonds, Chapter 3-6 manuscripts (no Chapter 2)
1965
10
5
Book of Diamonds, Chapter 7, Glossary of Diamond Terms
1965
10
6
Book of Diamonds, correspondence and publicity
1966
10
7-10
Book of Diamonds Photographs
1965
11
1
Book of Pearls, photographs/negatives
1970
11
2-9
Book of Pearls—Chapters 1-7 photographs
1970
11
10
Book of Pearls—Potential use photographs
1970
11
11
Book of Pearls—reviews and correspondence
1976
11
12
Book of Pearls—Transparencies
1970
12
1
Girl Reporter, Wartime New York 1940-1946, autobiography
1999
12
2
Greatest of These (novel writing)
1968
12
3
Heart of Mandy Swift (novel writing)
1961
12
4
Hostile Mind (book editing)
1955
12
5
No Mean City by Joseph S. Clark (acting book agent)
1963-1965
13
1
Rebirth (novel writing)
1948
13
2
Rebirth, “September” chapter manuscript
undated
13
3
Rebirth, “October”—“May” chapters
undated
13
4
Stassen, Harold (ghost writing)
1955
13
5
The Stork and You—galley-proofs, reviews, correspondence
1951
13
6
Women’s Occupations in U.S. 1608-1970
1970
Series V. Academic Writing--Masters and Doctorate
1966-1980
(2 document boxes)
Arranged chronologically. Drafts, manuscripts, and correspondence. Published doctoral dissertation,
Immigrant Women in the US Labor Force.
14
1
Academic journal writing—“Italians in America” (outline)
undated
14
2
Academic journal writing—“Italians in America,”
1966
14
3
MA Thesis, Protestant-American History, drafts
1966
14
4
Doctoral thesis—Immigrant Women (2 printed copies)
1975
14
5-8
Doctoral thesis—Chapters 1 - 5 drafts
1975
14
9-10
Doctoral thesis—Published by Arno Press) Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, Index (no Chapters 4 and 5)
1980
14
11
Doctoral thesis—Printed book, Immigrant Women in the US Labor Force 1890-1910
1980
Series VI. Research
1949-1974
(5 folders)
Arranged alphabetically. Research articles and notes unrelated to specific articles.
15
1
Chinese
1962
15
2
Chouscroun, Dr. Nine
1954
15
3
Gary, Indiana
1949
15
4
Grand Caymans
1974
15
5
Rieff
undated
Series VII. Personal/Biographical
1945-1980
(1 document box + 1 F17 box)
Arranged alphabetically. Correspondence, photographs, and personal notes unrelated to specific publications.
15
6
Assorted articles and clippings
1961
15
7
Correspondence
1950-1975
15
8
Correspondence and clippings
1961
15
9
Correspondence
1968
15
10
Documents and certificates
1960-1975
15
11
“For Want of a Self” (TV Script)
1965
15
12
Newspaper clippings
1945-1980
15
13
Photographs
1945-1960
16
1
Photographs (oversized)—Book of Pearls
1970
16
2
Photographs (oversized)—Ladies Home Journal
1950-1960
16
3
Photographs (oversized) --Personal
1960-1970
Series VIII. Printed Materials
1941-1982
(1 F17 box +1 record box)
Subseries 1. Periodicals
1967-1981
Arranged alphabetically by name. Full text articles by Joan Younger Dickinson.
16
Dynamic Maturity
May 1975
16
Holiday
March 1971
16
Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone
June 1967, May 1968, June 1969
17
Publishers Weekly
March 1974
17
Realities
September 1980
17
Travel and Leisure
March 1975, October 1980, January 1981
Subseries 2. Books
1941-1982
Arranged alphabetically by author. Books or articles included texts edited or written by Joan Younger Dickinson.
17
Daly, Maureen, ed., Profile of Youth
1949
17
Dickinson, Joan Younger, The Book of Pearls
1968
17
Edgerton, Eleanor, A Year in Benares
1980
17
Furnas, J.C. et al, How America Lives
1941
17
Goldman, Emma, Living My Life
1970
17
Gould, Bruce and Beatrice Blackmar, American Story
1950
17
Holme, Brian, ed., The Journal of the Century
1976
17
Kozlenko, William, American Scenes
1941
17
Morris, Joe Alex, Deadline Every Minute—the story of the United Press
1957
17
Ratcliff, J.D., ed., Science Year Book of 1946
1946
17
Saul, Leon J., The Hostile Mind—The Sources and Consequences of Rage and Hate
1956
17
Somers, Herman M. and Anne R., Doctors, Patients, and Health Insurance
1961
17
Spritzer, Lorraine Nelson, The Belle of Ashby Street
1982
17
Sunstein, Emily, A Different Face—The Life of Mary Wollstonecraft
1975
17
Younger, Joan, The Stork and You
1952