NTDMG402.xml Guide to the Norma Dobler Papers1967-1991 Dobler (Norma) Papers Finding aid prepared by Karen Hertel Funding for encoding this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives ©1999 Encoded by ArchProteus2003 Finding aid is in English Overview of the Collection University of Idaho Library, Special Collections and Archives MG402 Norma Dobler Norma Dobler Papers 1967-1991 4 cubic feet Correspondence, notes, transcripts of speeches, newspaper clippings, photocopies of legislation, and publications concerning her career as a politician, a member of the League of Women Voters, and a delegate to the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston. English

Norma Dobler was born Norma Woodhouse on May 2, 1917 to Lester and Bessie Woodhouse in Haines, Oregon. The family moved to a farm in southern Idaho's Canyon County during the fall of 1917. Norma graduated from Caldwell High School in 1934. She then attended Links Business College in Boise for a year, the University of Cincinnati for two years and graduated from the University of Idaho with a degree in Business in 1939. Upon graduation, she worked in the University of Idaho registrar's office for two years.

Norma married Clifford Dobler on June 14, 1941. That year Clifford joined the faculty of the University of Idaho as an associate professor of political science where he taught business law courses for the next 36 years. After her marriage, Norma devoted herself to raising their three children and became very active in volunteer work. She served for 12 years as Sunday school superintendent for the Methodist Church, 12 years as a 4-H youth leader, and worked with the Campfire group for two years. She also worked as a county fair judge and election judge. Dobler spent six years on the Moscow School Board and three years as president of the Idaho League of Women Voters before her legislative stint and served nine years on the Idaho Tax Board of Appeals afterwards. She took up her career again in 1971 and worked as secretary to the State Extension Forester until 1975. She was awarded life membership in the PTA, American Association of University Women, United Methodist Women, and Delta Kappa Gamma Education Honorary and received the "Citizen of the Year" award from the National Association of Social Workers. She is listed in several "Who's Who" books, and "Two Thousand Women of Achievement" and the "Dictionary of International Biographies".

A staunch democrat, Dobler was long active in politics through her work with the League of Women Voters. In 1973 she won a seat in the state House of Representatives. During her four years as a representative, she served on the Education, Health and Welfare and Resource and Conservation committees. In 1977 she was elected to the state senate, serving for five terms until her retirement in 1986. Her committees included Health, Education and Welfare, Resources and Environment, Judiciary and Rules, and State Affairs.

Dobler was a passionate crusader for the rights of women, senior citizens and children, education and the environment. Legislation that she sponsored, or was particularly involved with, concerned displaced homemakers, Idaho's ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, day care licensing, reapportionment of the legislative districts, abortion, divorce, drinking age, driving under the influence of alcohol, harassment (hate crimes), higher education, liquor revenue, and the state liquor dispensary system. She was also active on the Development Disabilities Council, the State Employment and Training Advisory Council, and the Idaho Cancer Coordinating Committee. On a national level, Dobler served on the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures, the advisory board for the National Education Data Library, the American Association of Retired Persons' legislative committee, and a national commission to prevent telemarketing fraud of senior citizens.

Norma Dobler passed away on June 1, 1998 from head injuries she suffered in a fall at her Moscow home. Her husband; her children, Sharon Vega, Terry Dobler and Carol Harris; a brother, Clyde Woodhouse; 11 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren survived her. Upon her death, Senator Marguerite McLaughlin commented, "She probably was the most fair legislator I ever knew. She listened to both sides and tried to make decisions based on that."

The records of Norma Dobler span the years 1962 to 1995, with the bulk of the material covering the years 1976 to 1987.

Included are correspondence, notes, transcripts of speeches, newspaper clippings, photocopies of legislation, and publications concerning her career as a politician, a member of the League of Women Voters, and a delegate to the 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston.

The bulk of the material in this group was in labeled folders, with the remainder loose or in three-ring binders. There was no discernible order. Folders were arranged in alphabetical order in a single series. Original folder headings were retained with additional description added for clarification. Material in three-ring binders was removed from the binders and placed in acid-neutral folders. The loose material was placed in folders and given appropriate headings.

Some of the folders span a wide date range. Although they contain material relating to Dobler's work as a legislator, apparently she added clippings, journal articles, pamphlets and correspondence to the files after her retirement from the legislature.

Upon receipt of the material approximately 1 c.f. of publications, primarily state documents, was transferred to other parts of the library. During processing publications that had no notes in them and are readily available elsewhere were also transferred. A list of publications withdrawn during processing has been placed with the accession record. Duplicate photocopies and newspaper clippings were also discarded. This reduced the quantity of materials by 1.5 cubic feet.

The records of Norma Dobler were donated to the University of Idaho Library by Norma Dobler in December 1990 and March 1997.

This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or places should search the catalog using these headings.

Idaho Government and Politics Women Dobler, Norma, 1917-1998--Archives. League of Women Voters (U.S.) Idaho National Women's Conference (1st : 1977 : Houston, Tex.) Women's rights Women legislators -- Idaho Equal rights amendments -- Idaho Detailed Description of the Collection 1/1-4 1% tax initiative 1977-1994 136 items 1/5-6 Abortion 1976-1990 78 items 1/7 Alcohol awareness 1983-1984 12 items 1/8 Cancer Coordinating Committee 1978-1984 11 items 1/9 Child abuse 1976-1984 22 items 1/10 Child health 1984-1986 9 items 1/11 Child support 1984-1985 12 items 1/12 Child welfare 1983-1986 7 items 1/13 Church, Frank 1976-1984 14 items 1/14 Day care 1984-1986 52 items 1/15 Displaced homemakers 1977-1983 59 items 1/16 Alliance for Displaced Homemakers 1977-1978 9 items 1/17 Center for New Directions 1982-1993 20 items 1/18 Correspondence 1977 63 items 1/19 Correspondence 1978 52 items 1/20 Correspondence with Gwilliam 1978-1979 5 items 1/21 Idaho Displaced Homemakers Network 1979-1990 12 items 1/22 Job Training Partnership Act(JTPA) 1987-1990 9 items 1/23 Needs assessment 1983 1 item 1/24 Reports 1979-1987 6 items 1/25 SB1345 public hearing 1978 15 items 1/26 Speeches 1977-1984 26 items 1/27 Twin Falls center 1979-1980 15 items 1/28 Divorce bills 1983-1986 24 items 1/29 Divorce, Case file 1983-1985 16 items 1/30 Divorce laws (1980) 1986 33 items 1/31 Dobler, Norma and Clifford 1962-1988 4 items 1/32 Drinking age 1983-1986 48 items 1/33 Driving Under the Influence(DUI) 1980-1983 34 items 2/34 1982 bills 1980-1982 40 items 2/35 1983 bills 1983 6 items 2/36 Driver's license Records 1977-1982 16 items 2/37-38 Econometric Energy Study 1977-1978 19 items 2/39 Audit 1978 22 items 2/40 Environmental protection 1972-1991 18 items 2/41-45 ERA 1972-1984 209 items 2/46 Anti 1972-1980 36 items 2/47 Economic equity 1975-1980 6 items 2/48 HCR10 1976-1977 97 items 2/49 Pro 1972-1977 34 items 2/50 Women and the law 1978-1982 43 items 2/51 Women's rights 1974-1977 46 items 2/52 Federal budget cuts and tax reduction 1981-1982 45 items 2/53 Foster care 8 items 2/54-55 Harassment bills 1980-1988 157 items 2/56 Health facilities, HJR12 1978-1980 16 items 2/57 Heyburn State Park 1971-1983 72 items 2/58 Higher education 1967-1992 23 items 3/59 Ad Hoc Committee on higher education, Minutes 1985 4 items 3/60-62 Chancellor system 1974-1992 58 items 3/63 Closure of North Idaho College of Education (Normal School) 1985 1 item 3/64 Tenure 1971-1982 12 items 3/65 Tuition 1974-1991 41 items 3/66 Idaho Office on Aging 1986 1 item 3/67 Idaho politicians, Clippings 1987 4 items 3/68 Idaho State School and Hospital, Gwilliam correspondence 1979-1985 9 items 3/69 Idaho Task Force on Higher Education 1982-1983 25 items 3/70 Correspondence 1983-1984 17 items 3/71 Idahonian board 1986-1988 16 items 3/72 Iran-Contra scandal 1987-1988 10 items 3/73 Land Resource Inventory Demonstration Project 1979 1 item 3/74 Land use planning 1970-1982 30 items 3/75 Clippings 1973-1981 49 items 3/76 League of Women Voters: Endowment lands 1969-1993 16 items 3/77 League of Women Voters: Public school funding 1969-1982 14 items 3/78 League of Women Voters: Public school finance, Court case 1972-1975 13 items 3/79 League of Women Voters: Revised constitution 1970 26 items 3/80 Legislative Budget Office, budget cuts FY1987 1985 1 item 3/81 Legislative Council Committee on Alcoholic Beverages 1981-1985 32 items 3/82 Legislative Council Committee on Indian Affairs 1984-1985 3 items 3/83 Legislative Council Committee on Local Government Revenues 1985-1987 46 items 3/84 Legislative proposals of governor and executive agencies 1986 1 item 3/85 Libya 1977-1986 43 items 3/86 Liquor dispensary 1985-1986 6 items 3/87 Liquor licenses 1977-1980 32 items 3/88-90 Liquor revenue 1981-1985 80 items 3/91 Medicaid, Medicare and Relative Responsibility 1983-1990 91 items 3/92 National Women's Conference 1977 38 items 3/93 National Women's Conference: Binder 1977 1 item 3/94 National Women's Conference: Buttons and passes 1977 6 items 3/95 National Women's Conference: Correspondence 1977-1978 15 items 3/96 National Women's Conference: Idaho state conference 1977 11 items 4/97 National Women's Conference: Official briefing book 1977 1 item 4/98 National Women's Conference: Publications 1977-1978 21 items 4/99 National Women's Conference: State conferences, clippings 1977 5 items 4/100 Newspaper clippings, miscellaneous ca. 1985 6 items 4/101 Older Women's League 1980-1988 23 items 4/102 Persian Gulf War 1991 6 items 4/103 Presidential campaign 1980-1984 12 items 4/104 Project Independence Task Force 1980 13 items 4/105 Public television 1981-1986 29 items 4/106-107 Reapportionment 1968-1991 78 items 4/108 League of Women Voters 1989-1991 3 items 4/109 Other states 1981-1984 25 items 4/110 Retirement, PERSI system 1984-1986 8 items 4/111 Sagebrush rebellion 1979-1980 14 items 4/112 Senate Judiciary and Rules Committee, Minutes 1986 1 item 4/113 Sheriff amendment 1985 16 items 4/114 Soil conservation districts 1985 7 items 4/115-116 State Affairs Committee, Minutes 1982-1983 2 items 4/117 Swan Falls 1979-1986 50 items 4/118 Taxes (state) 1982-1986 3 items 4/119 Teen pregnancy and sex education 1974-1986 14 items 4/120 U.S. presidents 1986-1990 9 items 4/121 Victim's rights 1984-1986 12 items 4/122 Water 1981-1995 12 items 4/123 Water quality 1985-1986 12 items 4/124 Water research 1976-1977 9 items 4/125 Weed control 1982-1986 9 items 4/126 Wilderness 1978-1987 44 items 4/127 Women's Commission 1977-1986 31 items 4/128 Women's rights 1982-1989 13 items