Tish Sommers Papers, 1970-1985 | Special Collections & University Archives

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Collection Overview

Title: Tish Sommers Papers, 1970-1985

Primary Creator: Sommers, Tish

Extent: 62.5 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

I. Pre-1973 Issues

II. Pre-1972 Projects

1. Central Area Motivation Program (CAMP)

2. School for Community Action (SCA)

3. Join Hands

4. Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA)

III. NOW and NOW Task Force on Older Women, 1971-78

IV. Women's Action Training Center (WATC) and Jobs for Older Women (JOW), 1974-76

1. WATC Correspondence

2. WATC Topical Folders

3. JOW

V. Alliance for Displaced Homemakers, 1975-78

1. Displaced Homemakers (DH) Center, Oakland

2. Alliance for DH / NOW Task Force

3. DH Network, Washington D.C.

4. ADH Hearing Transcripts, Congressional Records

5. Donahue and Family Weekly Responses, 1976-77

6. Women's Day Article Responses, 1978

7. Over Easy Responses, 1978

VI. Older Women's League Education Fund (OWLEF), 1978-

1. Correspondence

2. Topical Files

VII. Older Women's League (OWL), 1980-

1. Correspondence

2. Board of Directors

3. Executive Committee

4. Financial

5. Public Relations

6. Topical Files

7. Social Security

VIII. Newspaper Clippings, 1973-88

IX. Coalition Organizations

1. California Commission on Aging

2. Gray Panthers

3. Western Gerontology Society

X. Conference Packages

1. California State House Conference on Aging

2. Gray Panthers

3. National Council on Aging

4. OWL National Convention, Louisville, 1982

5. OWL National Convention, Washington D.C., 1984

6. OWL

7. Western Gerontological Society

XI. Research

1. Track Record

2. Speeches, Testimonies, Course Material, Radio Commentaries

3. Articles, Papers, Outlines for Book Proposals

4. The Not-so-Helpless Female Publication Files

5. Growing Older Female Project & Interview Files

6. China Study Tour, 1978

7. Generations-Older Women's Issue, Spring 1980

XII. Personal

1. Birthday Celebrations

2. River Trips

3. Cancer Support Group

4. Sommers' Death

5. Financial, Will, Properties

XIII. Audio-Visual

1. Photographs

2. Slides

3. Cassette Tapes

4. Film and Videotapes

XIV. Publications

1. Books

2. Periodicals

Date Acquired: 05/30/1986. More info below under Accruals.

Subjects: Feminists--United States, Older women--United States, Older Women’s League (U.S.), Social reformers--United States, Sommers, Tish--Archives, Women's rights--United States

Forms of Material: Audio Recordings, Personal Papers, Photographs, Slides, Video Recordings

Languages: English

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Tish Sommers Papers include speeches and working papers, extensive correspondence with legislators and women's movement activists from 1970 to 1985. It also includes: photographs, drafts of published and unpublished manuscripts and research papers, newspaper clippings and publicity materials, organizational papers (correspondence, reports, fund raising and financial records), audio-visual material, awards, personal items, books and periodicals, and other miscellaneous items.

Biographical Note

Tish Sommers was most known as an advocate of women's rights, especially older women's rights. She chaired NOW's Task Force on Older women in the 1970s, and in 1980 founded the Older Women's League (OWL). OWL is an advocacy organization with chapters across the country which has had political influence on many issues of importance to older women such as Social Security, pensions, health care and health insurance.

Sommers spent the majority of her life as a homemaker, though she was always active in volunteer work which involved a cause, such as poverty, or civil rights. After her divorce at the age of 57 she worked primarily for the rights of older women. She was influential in the founding of the Alliance for Displaced Homemakers which was responsible for taking many older women's issues to the White House, and for establishing a federal program for "displaced homemakers," a term she coined which describes the status of women who have lost their financial support through divorce or illness, and whose skills are not easily marketable.

Subject/Index Terms

Feminists--United States
Older women--United States
Older Women’s League (U.S.)
Social reformers--United States
Sommers, Tish--Archives
Women's rights--United States

Administrative Information

Repository: Special Collections & University Archives

Accruals: 1988, 1990, 1991

Access Restrictions: This collection is open for research.

Use Restrictions: The copyright interests in these materials have not been transferred to San Diego State University. Copyright resides with the creators of materials contained in the collection or their heirs. The nature of historical archival and manuscript collections is such that copyright status may be difficult or even impossible to determine. Requests for permission to publish must be submitted to the Head of Special Collections, San Diego State University, Library and Information Access. When granted, permission is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical item and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder(s), which must also be obtained in order to publish. Materials from our collections are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. The user must assume full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to, infringement of copyright and publication rights of reproduced materials.

Acquisition Source: Laurie Shields

Related Materials: Older Women's League Collection

Preferred Citation: Identification of item, folder title, box number, Tish Sommers Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Library and Information Access, San Diego State University.

Other Note: The Shirley Sandage Papers (1927-2007) located at the IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES, UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES, IOWA CITY, IOWA http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/findingaids/html/SandageShirley.htm

Other URL: http://sdrc.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa/findingaids/html/SandageShirley.htm

Box and Folder Listing

Browse by Series:

[Series 1: Pre-1973 Issues],
[Series 2: Pre-1972 Projects],
[Series 3: National Organization for Women (NOW) and NOW Task Force on Older Women, 1971-78],
[Series 4: Women's Action Training Center (WATC) and Jobs for Older Women (JOW), 1974-76],
[Series 5: Alliance for Displaced Homemakers (ADH), 1975-78],
[Series 6: Older Women's League Education Fund (OWLEF), 1978-],
[Series 7: Older Women's League (OWL), 1980-],
[Series 8: Newspaper Clippings, 1973-88],
[Series 9: Coalition Organizations],
[Series 10: Conference Packages],
[Series 11: Research],
[Series 12: Personal],
[Series 13: Audio-Visual],
[Series 14: Publications],
[All]

Series 10: Conference Packages

Box 21

Folder 1: American Association of Community and Junior Colleges: Older Americans Conference, 1979
Folder 2: American Cancer Society: "First National Women's Conference on Cancer", 1979
Folder 3: American Humanist Association Annual Conference, 1983
Folder 4: Bellevue Community College; Displaced Homemakers COnference
Folder 5: Breakaway Programs: Summer, Fall, 1979, 1972
Folder 6: California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO: "Women in the Workfoce", 1983

Sub-Series 1: California State House Conference on Aging

Box 21

Folder 7: 1980
Folder 8: 1981
Folder 9: 1981
Folder 10: April 1981: California Delegation
Folder 11: April 1981: Delegates Meeting
Folder 12: Commission on the Status of Women: "Women's Assembly", Kansas, 1980
Folder 13: Council on Foundations, 1981
Folder 14: Displaced Homemakers National Conference, 1978
Folder 15: Dispalced Homemakers Network Convention, 1982
Folder 16: Displaced Homemakers Network, Network Trainig Conference, 1980
Folder 17: Family Survivial Project, 1983
Folder 18: Finishing School for Action, 1971
Folder 19: Fort Mason Foundation: Women in Mid-Life Conference, 1980
Folder 20: Gerontological Society 27th Annual Meeting, 1974
Folder 21: Gerontological Society Annual Scientific Meeting, 1978

Sub-Series 2: Gray Panthers

Box 21

Folder 22: Califonia Convention, 1980
Folder 23: San Frnacisco: "Medicare Hearing", 1983
Folder 24: Seattle: "Socail Security: Whose Future?", 1983
Folder 25: San Jose Convention, 1984
Folder 26: Independent Sector, 1982
Folder 27: Legal Services Corporation: "Legal Cervices for the Elderly", 1982
Folder 28: Legal Services Corporation, 1983
Folder 29: Massachusetts Department of Elder Affaris: "New Developments in Aging", 1984
Folder 30: Mid-America Congress on Aging, 1981
Folder 31: Mid-America Conference on Aging, 1982
Folder 32: Mills College: "Women's Health: Effecting Personal and Social Change", April 1984
Folder 33: NOW: Annual Conference, Washington D.C.,, 1973
Folder 34: NOW National Conference, 1978
Folder 35: Naitonal Assembly on the Future of the Family, 1979
Folder 36: National Council of Women of the United States: "How Aging is Changing", 1982

Sub-Series 3: National Council on Aging

Box 21

Folder 37: Conference, 1980
Folder 40: Conference, April 1984
Folder 41: Conference, April 1985
Folder 42: Program, April 1985
Folder 43: "Private Enterprise and theOlder Worker: The Issues", 1978
Folder 44: National Senior Citizens Law Center: Law and Aging Training Seminar, 1978

Box 22

Folder 1: New Jersey Department of Community Affairs-Princeton, May 1983
Folder 2: New York Regional Association of Grantmakers, October 12, 1983
Folder 3: New York State Coalition of the Concerned for Older Americans; Awards, 1983
Folder 4: Older Alaskans Commission: "Aging Together in Alaska", 1985

Sub-Series 4: OWL National Convention, Louisville, 1982

Box 22

Folder 5: Planning
Folder 6: Corporate Participants
Folder 7: Scholarships
Folder 8: Issue Papers
Folder 9: Guests

Sub-Series 5: OWL National Convention, Washington D.C., 1984

Box 22

Folder 10: Planning
Folder 11: Scholarships
Folder 12: Decision Papers
Folder 13: Press Kit
Folder 14: Registration Packet

Sub-Series 6: OWL

Box 1: 22-23

Box 22

Folder 15: National Convention, Oakland, 1986
Folder 16: National Convention, Oakland, 1986
Folder 17: Baton Rouge: Conference, 1981
Folder 18: Philadelphia Chapter Conference, 1985
Folder 19: California Coordianting Council, Legislative Training Conference, 1984
Folder 20: Project Have Skills, 1979
Folder 21: Research Institute on Legal Assistance: Jobs Seminar, 1979
Folder 22: San Diego State University: "Future Technology and Women", March 1981
Folder 23: Sangamon State University Conference: "The Gerontology Institute", 1982
Folder 24: Sanata Clara Council on Aging Conference: Health Care in America, 1985
Folder 25: Social Security Regional Symposium, 1979
Folder 26: Swedish Embassy: Seminars on Facing the Aging Society, 1978

Box 23

Folder 1: "Taking Charge of the End of YOur Life", 1985
Folder 2: UN Decade for Women: Denver, 1980
Folder 3: UN Decade for Women: San Francisco Regional Conference for Women, 1980
Folder 4: Unitarian Universalist Women's Federation, 1979
Folder 5: United Methodist Church: "A Woman's Health is more than a Medical Issue", 1983
Folder 6: University of Arizona: "Creating Support Systems for the Elderly", 1983

Sub-Series 7: Western Gerontological Society

Box 23

Folder 7: Annual Meeting, 1977
Folder 8: 24th Annual Meeting, 1978
Folder 9: Program Planning Committee Papers, 1978-1980
Folder 10: Annual Meeting, 1979
Folder 11: Annual Meeting, 1982
Folder 12: Annual Meeting, 1983
Folder 13: Fall Training Conference, 1983
Folder 14: Annual Meeting, 1984
Folder 15: White House Conference on Aging, Washington D.C., 1981
Folder 16: White House Conference on Aging, Washington D.C., : Delegate Attendees by State, December 1981
Folder 17: White House Conference on Aging, Washington D.C.: Women's Caucus Meeting Sign-in Sheets, 1981
Folder 18: White House Conference of Aging, Forum on Women, : Finding and Recomendations, Milwaukee Center for Adult Development, January 1981
Folder 19: White House Conference on Aging: Mini Conference on National Health Security, January 1981
Folder 20: White House Mini-Conference on the Urban Elderly, Proceedings, February 1981
Folder 21: White House Mini-Conference on Older Women, Des moines, Iowa, October 1980
Folder 22: White House Mini-Conference on Older Women, Des Moines, Iowa (Growing Numbers: Growing Forces), October 1980
Folder 23: White House Mini-Conference on Older Women, Des Moines, Iowa, October 1980
Folder 24: State White House Conferences on Aging-Major Themes: National Association of State Units on Aging, November 1981
Folder 25: White House Conference on Aging: Report of the Mini-Conference (11 topical issues), 1981
Folder 26: White House Conference on Aging: Executive Summary of Technical Committee (13 topical issues), 1981
Folder 27: White House Conference on Aging , Report by NCOA, May 1982
Folder 28: Woman and Foundations, 1983
Folder 29: Women and the Law, 8th Regional Conference, 1978
Folder 30: Women's Bureau 60th Anniversary Conference, 1980
Folder 31: Women's Week at Santa Ana College, March 1983
Folder 32: World Conference of the UN Decade for Women, Copenhagen, 1980