Papers of NOW officer Betty Blaisdell Berry, 1940-2006 (inclusive), 1967-1977 (bulk)

The collection contains correspondence, notes, printed material, and photographs, as well as speeches, testimonies and writings by Berry. Folder headings were created by Berry; the archivist's notes are in square brackets. Berry's basic arrangement has been retained. Material received in 2010 was added to the collection in March 2014. This material is housed in #14.1-16.4, F+D.1, and PD.4. All other files remain in the same order. Folders are listed in intellectual, not numerical, order.

Photographs have been transferred to a separate series. Most of the photographs in this collection are or will be cataloged in VIA, Harvard University's Visual Information Access database. Others, referred to as "uncataloged" photographs, are not of sufficient research interest to warrant cataloging and are simply treated as parts of the documents they accompany; they are marked on the back by an asterisk in square brackets [*].

References to the "New York chapter of NOW," or "New York NOW," are to the New York City chapter of NOW; the state chapter is New York State NOW.

Series I, Personal (#1.1-1.5, 14.1-15.3, F+D.1, Mem.1), includes resumes, correspondence, writings and speeches by Berry, letters of appointment and resignation from the National Organization for Women, clippings about Berry and her work, correspondence, etc., concerning Veteran Feminists of America, and a bride's book detailing her wedding. The series is arranged chronologically except for the addenda.

Series II, National Organization for Women (#1.6-8.2, 15.4, 16.1-16.4), is divided into eight subseries, with significant overlap between the subseries; for example, information relating to the activities of the New York chapter of NOW is present in most of the other subseries. In addition, some material related to Berry's work for NOW can be found in Series I, Personal, and Series V, Subject Files.

Subseries A, General (#1.6-1.20), contains correspondence with NOW officers, NOW publications with drafts of articles by Berry, and Berry's "archives" (1967-1972), which consist of mailings, board meeting agendas, press releases, reports, correspondence, and Berry's notes. The papers are arranged chronologically, followed by an alphabetical sequence of correspondence.

Subseries B, Board Meetings and Conferences (#1.21-2.12), contains correspondence, printed material, agendas and minutes, budgets, bylaws, reports, and notes from NOW board meetings and conferences. Also included are speech notes from workshops on marriage and divorce given by Berry. The papers are arranged chronologically; a folder pertaining to more than one meeting is listed at the end of the subseries. Material pertaining to NOW conferences relating to the topic of marriage and divorce are included in Subseries C.

Subseries C, Marriage, Divorce, and Family Relations Task Force and New York NOW Marriage and Family Committee (#2.13-3.11, 15.4, 16.1-16.4), contains correspondence, printed material, and newsletters relating to both the national and New York chapter task forces, which Berry chaired simultaneously. Also included is the NOW Marriage Insurance Proposal, fact sheets written by Berry, as well as planning material, lecture notes, and workshop reports from two NOW-sponsored conferences on marriage and divorce. The papers are arranged chronologically, except for the addenda. For various task force projects and actions, see also Subseries E and Subseries H. In addition, some task force-related correspondence is in Subseries A.

Subseries D, Legislation (#3.12-5.6), consists of material related to NOW's legislative efforts on both national and state levels regarding marriage and divorce, such as child care tax deductions and Social Security. The subseries contains correspondence with federal and state legislators and others (including Ruth Bader Ginsburg); testimonies by Berry; NOW legislative goals; drafts of bills; printed material; press releases; a transcript of a Berry radio interview; and material relating to the New York NOW Equal Rights Divorce Reform Bill. The papers are arranged alphabetically. Some material relating to Berry's legislative efforts on behalf of NOW is included in Series V, Subject Files.

Subseries E, Actions (#5.7-5.17), contains correspondence, printed material, press releases, clippings, and reports relating to protests, boycotts, and the August 26, 1970 strike. Included are Berry's speech notes and action plans relating to a series of action nights sponsored by the Marriage and Family Committee of the New York chapter of NOW. The papers are arranged alphabetically; folders pertaining to more than one action are listed at the end of the subseries.

Subseries F, New York Chapter of NOW (#5.18-6.8), consists of ballots for two 1968 elections, membership lists, Berry's notes from Executive Committee and Board meetings (for minutes), NOW proposals for amendments to the New York state constitution, correspondence, and printed material. The papers are arranged alphabetically. Some information pertaining to the New York chapter of NOW is also included in Subseries H.

Subseries G, Chapter Marriage and Divorce Committees (#6.9-6.20), consists of correspondence, printed material, drafts of bills, and testimonies from states other than New York. The papers are arranged alphabetically by chapter location. A folder pertaining to more than one chapter is listed at the end of the subseries.

Subseries H, NOW Subject Files (#6.21-8.2), contains printed material, correspondence, notes, and reports. Also included are position papers by Berry on topics such as the uniform divorce act and no fault divorce, as well as material related to her work on "A Woman's Guide to Florida Laws," a pamphlet written under a NOW LDEF grant. The papers are arranged alphabetically by topic.

Series III, Marriage and Divorce Press, Inc. (#8.3-8.14, 15.5-15.7), contains correspondence, drafts of articles, clippings, mostly related to the Marriage, Divorce, and the Family Newsletter edited by Berry. Also included are consumer education booklets published by the press. The papers are arranged chronologically except for the addenda.

Series IV, National Commission on the Observance of International Women's Year (#8.15-9.3), contains correspondence, printed material, memos, fact sheets, and Berry's meeting notes from her work on the Homemaker Committee. The papers are arranged chronologically.

Series V, General Subject Files (#9.4-13.10), contains printed material, correspondence, notes, buttons, and reports pertaining to topics and organizations of interest to Berry, primarily related to marriage and divorce. This subseries includes material from conferences and workshops in which Berry participated, as well as notes from her speeches and lectures. It also contains writings by Berry and papers relating to a series of booklets on marriage, divorce, and the law that she edited for the Presbyterian Church. The papers are arranged alphabetically by topic. A folder pertaining to more than one conference is listed at the end of the conferences and workshops.

Series VI, Photographs (#PD.1-PD.4), contains three folders of photographs of Berry and others from NOW events, primarily meetings and demonstrations.