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[identification of item], [box #, folder #], Patricia Chalfant Women's Rights Collection, 1968-1978, SC 0240, Special Collections, Carrier Library, James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA.
Received on December 12, 2015 from Reba Leiding, former librarian at JMU.
This collection was orphaned in Reba Leiding's office in Carrier Library and she transferred the materials to Special Collections upon her retirement. The name Patricia Chalfant can be found on much of the materials, but no further information is known about the creator's connection to JMU or the collection's provenance. A collection inventory created by JMU student Emily Noonan was found in the box of Chalfant's materials. This document confirms that the material has been in the custody of JMU since at least 2006.
All publications are individually foldered with the exception of multi-issue serials which are foldered together by title. Materials related to conferences and events were removed from their original folders or binders and foldered by event.
Patricia Jeanne Chalfant was born December 1, 1941 to Charles E. "Chap" Chalfant and Betty Hunter Chalfant of Christiana, Pennsylvania. She was a 1959 graduate of Octorara High School in Atglen, Pennsylvania and a 1962 graduate of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania. Chalfant continued her education by earning master's degrees from Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She also attained her Juris Doctor from the Delaware Law School in 1985. Chalfant served as an attorney for the United States Navy and as Associate Council for the Defence National Stockpile. She was regarded by colleagues as being politically active and an advocate for women's rights. She was an active member of the National Organization for Women and served as the president of the Wilmington, Delaware chapter of NOW. Chalfant died December 7, 2006 and is interred at Glen Run Cemetery in Atglen, Pennsylvania.
The Patricia Chalfant Women's Rights Collection, 1968-1978, is comprised of publications, ephemera, and conference material documenting second-wave feminism and the women's liberation movement. Key subjects include the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), the National Organization for Women (NOW), and various organized marches including the July 9, 1978 March for the Equal Rights Amendment in Washington, D.C. Posters and other oversize items noted in the inventory are housed separately within one flat file.
Series 1: Publications, 1968-1978, comprises the bulk of the collection and includes newsletters, pamphlets, booklets and short published works on the topics of women's liberation, Title IX, the Equal Rights Amendment, and related feminist subjects.
Series 2: Conferences and Events, 1975-1978, documents national conferences, marches, and related women's rights events presumably attended by Patricia Chalfant. Materials from the 1975 (Philadelphia), 1977 (Detroit), and 1978 (Washington, D.C.) National Organization for Women national conferences are included. These materials include information on conference registration, program and lecture schedules, committees, election ballots, members, and getting around in the host city. Three folders of materials document the historic 1977 National Women's Conference in Houston, Texas. Newspaper clippings, information on conference programming and schedules, and member and delegate information provide additional context for this significant moment in the struggle for equal rights. Of particular interest are posters for a November 5, 1977 ERA rally and reception in Alexandria, Virginia. The event featured NOW President Eleanor Smeal and actresses Esther Rolle and Lily Tomlin. The oversize poster is signed by Lily Tomlin. Photographs are also included that document the 1978 ERA March on Washington.
Series 3: Ephemera, 1974-1978, includes blank postcards and note cards with feminist imagery, applied embroidery patterns for logos and feminist symbols, a broadside printed by Helaine Victoria Press, posters, ERA related stickers and sashes, and other miscellaneous items. Two oversize posters designed by feminist artist Judy Chicago are included.
The collection is arranged in three series. All series are arranged chronologically.