Papers of Jane Barton, 1935-1993 (inclusive), 1940-1968 (bulk)

Jane Barton's papers document her years as a WAVES officer during World War II, her role in organizing later reunions of the WAVES, and her service in the USNR from 1948 to 1968. Press releases, photographs, clippings, correspondence and scrapbooks show women's active involvement in the U.S. Navy and the kinds of press and publicity sought by Navy public relations officers. Material relating to her civilian life provides a glimpse into the field of public relations, especially as it related to radio broadcasting in the 1940s. Documents from her New York State career highlight the work of a state public information agency. Personal correspondence and clippings show Barton as an advocate for consumer rights, and reflect her opinions on women in the military, politics, and local government.

Series I, BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL, 1938-1993 (#1.1-1.12), includes Barton's personal correspondence, clippings, and commencement programs. The clippings written by or about Barton are primarily from later in her life.Within each subseries, folders are arranged chronologically.

Subseries A, Biographical, 1938-1993 (scattered) (#1.1-1.3), contains clippings about Barton, most from later in her life, primarily from Albany, New York-area newspapers, and commencement programs from Hunter College and New York University. Other biographical information can be found in clippings throughout Series III, subseries B.

Subseries B, Correspondence, 1948-1993 (#1.4-1.12), contains personal correspondence, especially on the topic of consumer rights. Beginning in 1955, Barton had an extended interaction with General Motors regarding problems with her 1955 Buick. Believing that she was not treated properly by the dealer or by the corporation, she embarked on a publicity campaign to share her experience of frustration. This included production of an anti-General Motors brochure, and an attempt at lobbying Congress for consumer protection legislation. Documents related to this interaction, and to subsequent cars Barton purchased from GM, can be found in this series. Other correspondence includes a letter from Margaret Chase Smith, letters exchanged with radio celebrities, and photocopies of a letter and enclosures from Admiral Chester Nimitz.

Series II, PROFESSIONAL, 1935-1991 (#1.13-2.10, FD.1, 7F+B.1), includes clippings, correspondence, and printed material documenting Barton's career as a public relations agent for radio, theater, and television personalities, and as program director for the New York State Department of Commerce's Radio-Television-Motion Picture Bureau. Within each subseries, folders are arranged chronologically.

Subseries A, Jane Barton Publicity, 1935-1962 (#1.13-2.2, 7F+B.1), contains clippings and correspondence relating to Barton's publicity business, which operated from 1939 to 1942 and from 1946 to 1948. Three scrapbooks include clippings about Barton and her clients, as well as correspondence with clients and press contacts, including Irene Beasley, Ruth Carhart, the Carr & Stark production firm, Bette Garde, Gene Hamilton, Leota Lane, Frank Lovejoy, George A. Putnam, George F. Putnam, and Dwight Weist. The scrapbooks also contain promotional material about Barton as an agent, some relating to her decision to stop her business to join the WAVES. These scrapbooks were disbound and photocopied; clippings were discarded after copying. Items found loose within the pages are foldered together. Also included (#1.19) is a "resume" Barton created when looking for work after World War II; clippings, brochures, and examples of her published writing were pasted onto 11 x 17" pages of colored paper. The resume has been photocopied, with loose items kept and clippings discarded; see #7F+B.1 for a sample page.

Subseries B, New York State employment, 1948-1973 (#2.3-2.8, FD.1), contains radio scripts, proposals for new programs, promotional material, and correspondence relating to Barton's position as Program Director for the Radio-Television-Motion Picture Bureau in the New York State Department of Commerce. Programs created or promoted by Barton, and represented here, focus on the workings of the New York State government, women and small business ownership, civilian responsibility, and civil rights and discrimination. Documents re: Barton's work for the USNR are interfiled in some folders (#2.3, #2.5-2.6).

Subseries C, Other, 1953-1991 (#2.9-2.10), includes correspondence and awards relating to Jane Barton's involvement with American Women in Radio and Television, and newspaper articles and radio scripts written by Barton in the 1970s. One script is related to the nomination of the first woman from New York State to the U.S. Naval Academy.

Series III, NAVAL SERVICE AND RELATED, 1942-1992 (inclusive), 1943-1968 (bulk) (#2.11-6.8, PD.1-PD.9, FD.1, 7F+B.2-7F+B.12, 8F+B.1-8F+B.19, T-250, Mem.1), contains official documents, correspondence, scrapbooks, clippings, and other material relating to Barton's service in the WAVES during World War II, her participation in WAVES reunions, and her 20 years as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve. The series is arranged in two subseries. Within each subseries, folders are arranged chronologically.

Subseries A, WAVES, 1942-1992 (#2.11-5.4, PD.1, PD.3-PD.9, FD.1, 7F+B.2-7F+B.12, 8F+B.1-8F+B.19, T-250, Mem-1), contains material relating to Barton's service with the WAVES from 1942 to 1946, and subsequent involvement in WAVES reunions. Barton kept three large scrapbooks during her WAVES service, documenting her training at Mount Holyoke College, her service in Washington, D.C., trips she and fellow WAVES took to New York and to tourist sites in Washington, D.C., and Virginia, and general WAVES-related press. The scrapbooks contain photographs of Barton's family and friends; clippings; correspondence from her former clients, other WAVES, and enlisted men; Christmas,Valentine, and birthday cards specifically for WAVES or a woman in the military; official Navy papers; playbills; ephemera; printed material; and memorabilia. Because the three scrapbooks were found in a state of disrepair - the rubber cement used to glue the items onto the pages had dried up in many cases - they were disbound and photocopied for reference purposes. The original scrapbook pages are available for research, as photocopies show only outsides of documents on the page; insides of cards or multiple-page letters were not copied. Loose items were removed and foldered separately; these can be viewed in conjunction with photocopies of the original pages, where original placement and Barton's notes on the material are reproduced.

A nearly complete run of the newsletters, The Havelock and Scuttlebutt, which were edited by Jane Barton, can also be found in this subseries (#3.2-3.3). The periodicals include personnel news, official Navy bulletins, and general reports on WAVES activities at the PRNC and (in later issues) nationwide. Original art and photographs from the publications are also included (#3.5). Barton's tenure with the Public Information Office at the PRNC and the United States Naval Barracks is documented in a press book of clippings (#3.7). Stories about WAVES, placed (and often primarily authored) by Barton and her colleagues, appeared in a variety of national newspapers, and offer insights into how the Navy chose to publicize the work and importance of the WAVES. The press book has been photocopied in its entirety, and most clippings discarded.

Post-war material is related to reunions of the WAVES, as well as Barton's later correspondence with ex-WAVES and WAVES officers. The majority of the reunion material pertains to the 1947 and 1948 reunions in New York City, and includes correspondence, clippings, and printed material.

Subseries B, United States Naval Reserve, 1943-1970 (inclusive), 1948-1968 (bulk) (#5.5-6.8, PD.1, PD.2, PD.5, FD.1), contains documents from Barton's 20-year career as a United States Naval Reserve officer. Most material relates to Barton's work at the Albany Training Center, including recruiting and training WAVES, and organizing the public relations arm of the Center. Correspondence and documents also pertain to Barton's active duty, spent at WAVES training days, or boot camps, and as a public relations officer at a variety of local and national offices.

Series IV, PHOTOGRAPHS, OVERSIZED, AUDIO-VISUAL, AND MEMORABILIA, 1942-1967 (PD.1-PD.9, FD.1, 7F+B.1-7F+B.12, 8F+B.1-8F+B.19, T-250, Mem.1), includes snapshots and formal portraits, oversized scrapbooks, a Navy pin, and an audiotape.

Subseries A, Photographs, 1942-1967 (PD.1-PD.9), contains official Navy photographs, formal portraits and snapshots of Barton, mostly in uniform, and of her friends and family. Included are images of WAVES anniversaries as well as WAVES visiting tourist sites in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. Most of the photographs in this series are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database.

Subseries B, Oversized, 1942-1956 (FD.1, 7F+B.1-7F+B.12, 8F+B.1-8F+B.19), contains the original pages of the three WAVES scrapbooks and items removed from folders as specified.

Subseries C, Audiovisual, 1944, 1965 (T-250) contains a recording of the United States Navy Band playing a number of WAVES songs in 1944. Barton transferred this recording to the reel-to-reel format in 1965 and recorded an introduction to the music at that time.

Subseries D, Memorabilia, circa 1943-1946 (Mem.1), contains a pin Barton wore on one of her uniforms.

Most folder titles are those of Jane Barton. Additional titles and information added by the processor are in square brackets. Explanatory sticky notes written by Barton in 1992 and 1993 while she was preparing her papers for donation have been photocopied and removed from documents.