Betty Underwood papers - Archives West

Overview of the Collection

Title: Betty Underwood papers
Dates: 1954-1991 (inclusive)
19541991
Quantity: 4.5 linear feet, (3 containers)
Collection Number: Coll 644, /repositories/2/resources/9153 (aspace_uri)
Summary: Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Underwood, 1921-2009, was an award-winning author and activist in the Oregon women's movement. This collection contains notes, reports, publications, correspondence, collected resources, and more documenting Underwood's varied careers in writing, activism, and public relations.
Repository: University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives
UO Libraries--SCUA
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR
97403-1299
Telephone: 5413463068
spcarref@uoregon.edu
Access Restrictions: Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Additional Reference Guides: See the Current Collection Guide for detailed description and requesting options.
Languages: English

Historical Note

Mary Elizabeth "Betty" Underwood, 1921-2009, was an award-winning author and activist in the Oregon women's movement. Born in Illinois, she graduated with honors from Pennsylvania State University, and worked as an information analyst for the federal government during and after World War II. Her career in public relations and editing saw her with jobs at Houghton Mifflin, Oregon Public Broadcasting (script writer; moderator of a series on women's issues), the Oregon American Civil Liberties Union (newsletter editor) and George Washington University medical school (co-founder of public relations office).

Her writing career saw the publication of two novels for young adults, The Tamarack Tree (1972) and The Forge and the Forest (1975), as well as a memoir, Hostage to Heaven (1979), co-authored by her daughter detailing the Underwoods' experience with the Unification Church, widely considered to be a cult. The Tamarack Tree received the Jane Addams' Children's Book Award in 1972.

Underwood also served on the Portland Cable TV Regulatory Commission (1981-84) and the Oregon Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (1972-1979), and was extremely active in the Oregon Association of University Women (AAUW).

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Content Description

The material in this collection documents Underwood's varied career. The majority of the papers are related to her time working with the American Association of University Women in multiple capacities, as well as her work with the Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. Included are such records as notes, publications, newspaper clippings, reports, and compiled research on a variety of women's issues. There is a small amount of material documenting Underwood's work in the public relations and editorial fields, including her time as script writer for OPB, and her work with various councils, groups, and campaigns. Also included in this collection is material related to Underwood's writing career. Papers related to The Tamarack Tree, The Forge and the Forest, and Hostage to Heaven, include some correspondence, notes, and papers related to the publication and distribution of these works.

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