Overview of Collection
Zonta Club of the Morristown Area
Zonta Club of the Morristown Area Records
HM1 Zonta Rec
1956-2006 [bulk 1990-2000]
2.5 linear feet in 5 MSS boxes
History of Zonta International and the Zonta Club of the Morristown (New Jersey) Area
In the early 1900s, while working in a prominent role at the
Buffalo Express newspaper (Buffalo, New York) at a time when women rarely held leadership positions, journalist Marian de Forest conceived the idea of a network of professional women. Her goal was to create an organization of business and professional women committed to service within their communities.
By March of 1919, five women organized to achieve this mission and chartered the first Zonta club in Buffalo, New York. Membership grew rapidly. A confederation of nine Zonta clubs formed with 600 members. These founding members were among the first generation of college-educated women, the first generation of North American women to vote, and a part of the growing legion of women entering the workforce.
On 8 November 1919, the Confederation drafted and adopted Bylaws and a Constitution, and selected the name Zhonta - a word meaning honest and trustworthy, derived from the Lakhota (Teton Dakota) language of the Native-American Sioux peoples. Later changed to Zonta, the word's meaning was incorporated into the Zonta Emblem derived from Sioux Indian symbols meaning "banded together for service". As stated in the Morristown Area's new members handbook, "Service to Mankind and the community, the reason for Zonta'a existence, is the goal toward which every phase of the organization is geared."
The Confederation that had been formed in western New York in 1919 soon took the name of Zonta International when the Zonta Club of Vienna, Austria, was organized in 1930. By June 11, 1956 the Zonta Club of the Morristown (New Jersey, USA) Area was chartered. Emma L. Conlon was the first Chapter President. This local group pledged to undertake service projects to benefit women and women’s issues in the greater Morristown area, in addition to supporting those projects selected by Zonta International. While it is one of more than 1100 local clubs worldwide, the Morristown Chapter hosts an active membership who assume leadership roles in their communities. Through their participation in service projects, committee work and fund-raising activities, Morristown Area Zontians support and benefit the greater Morris County, New Jersey area.
Sources:
Zonta Club of the Morristown Area Records. HM1 Zonta Rec. 1959-2006.
Morristown Area Handbook; p. 2-3.
Zonta International. Website; http://www.zonta.org/site/PageServer. Accessed 3/4/2008.
Scope and Content of the Records
The records of the Zonta Club of the Morristown Area include: by-laws, meeting minutes, treasurer reports and president's files, committee information, reports, District III information, newsletters, programs and events, also awards and grants. The collection contains numerous documents highlighting the service projects of the chapter. Also included in the collection are Membership records and yearbooks. These files have been restricted.
Arrangement of the Records
The collection has been arranged into three alphabetical and chronological series.
Series I: Executive and Administrative, 1956-2006 [bulk 1980-2006].
The files in this series reflect the hierarchical structure of the organization. The key positions of President, Secretary and Treasurer are indicated in the folder titles, along with reports and committee information. As the Morristown Area group of Zontians is included within Zonta's Area 2, District III of North America, information originating from these groups can be found in this series as well. The earliest file date is 1956, while the majority of the records are from the end of the 20th century.
Series II: Service Programs and Awards, 1987-2006 [bulk 1990-2000].
Service programs and fundraising events are an integral part of the Zonta organization. The monies those programs generate are then disbursed as monetary awards to local non-profit organizations and educational opportunities for young women. Fundraising Events, such as Art Shows, Auctions, Benefit Dinners and Culinary Classes as well as informal club events, held by and for members, promote the social, educational and civic ideals of the Morristown Area Zontians.
Series III: Membership, Newsletters and Visual Materials, 1980-2005.
Newsletters and magazines, both local and international, awards and certificates received by the chapter, photographs and limited member information comprise the third series. Photographs, in conjunction with the publications, provide some of the personal detail of the Morristown Area's Zonta group. Yearbooks, Resource Directories and Membership Lists are included in this series and are RESTRICTED to non-members until 2084.
Important Information for Users of the Collection
This material is open for research without restriction under
the conditions of the North Jersey History Center
archives access policy. Records may be copied for use in
individual scholarly or personal research, however, as with all
materials in the History Center,
researchers are responsible for obtaining copyright permission to
use material from the collection. Most of the material in
the Zonta Club of Morristown Area Records may be photocopied however, some of the material has been restricted until 2084. Only Zonta Club members may access these files. This material is a permanent part of the History Center's collections and researchers are advised to photocopy with care, using only the edge copier for bound material.
Acquisition Information
Donated to the North Jersey History Center by Barbara Woodhull, President of the Zonta Club of Morristown Area, December 2007.
Preferred Citation
Zonta Club of Morristown Area Records. North Jersey History Center, The Morristown and Morris Township Library.
Processing Information
Arranged, described and encoded by Mary McMahon Dawson, Archivist, 2008
Container List
Series I: Executive and Administrative, 1956-2006 [bulk 1980-2006].
1
1
Bylaws and Charter certificates (copies), 1956; 1981; 1987; 1993; 2002.
1
2
Morristown Area Club Manual, April, 1989.
1
3
New Members' Handbook, 1989.
1
4
President's correspondence, 1993-2006; not dated.
1
5
President's reports, 2002-2004.
1
6
Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission applications, 1999-2000.
1
7
Raffle License, 2000-2002.
1
8
Secretary files and correspondence, circa 1980-2000.
1
9
Board Meeting minutes, 1989-1990.
1
10
Board Meeting minutes, 1992-1993.
1
11
Board Meeting minutes, 1994-1995.
1
12
Board Meeting minutes, 1995-1996.
1
13
Board Meeting minutes, 1996-1997.
1
14
Board Meeting minutes, 1998-1999.
1
15
Board Meeting minutes, 2000-2001.
1
16
Board Meeting minutes, 2002-2003.
1
17
Board Meeting minutes, 2004-2006.
1
18
Business Meeting minutes, 1986-1990.
1
19
Business Meeting minutes, 1990-2003.
1
20
General Membership Meeting minutes, 1987; 1992.
1
21
General Membership Meeting minutes, 1993-1994.
1
22
General Membership Meeting minutes, 1995-1997.
1
23
General Membership Meeting minutes, 1998-2000.
1
24
General Membership Meeting minutes, 2001-2002.
1
25
General Membership Meeting minutes, 2003-2004.
1
26
General Membership Meeting minutes, 2005-2006.
2
1
Historian's Report, 1974-1980.
2
2
Annual History, 1980-1989.
2
3
Annual History, 1990-1992.
2
4
Treasurers' Reports, 1987-1988.
2
5
Treasurers' Reports, 1993-2000.
2
6
Treasurers' Reports, 2000-2002.
2
7
Treasurers' Reports, 2003-2004.
2
8
Committees: general information, 1998-2003; 2004-2005.
2
9
Amelia Earhart Committee, 1995-2006.
2
10
Archives and History Committee, 2006.
2
11
Art Show and Auction Committees, not dated.
2
12
Attendance and Fellowship Committee, 1998.
2
13
Bylaws Review Committee, 2002.
2
14
Finance Committee 1998; 2004.
2
15
Finance Committee: budgets, 1994-2002.
2
16
Finance Committee: fundraising, not dated.
2
17
History and Archives Committee, 1998.
2
18
International Relations Committee, 1998; 2006.
2
19
Long Range Planning and Goal Setting Committee, 2004.
2
20
Membership and Classification Committee, 1996; 1998.
2
21
Membership Committee, 1999-2004.
2
22
Organization, Membership and Classification Committee, 2006.
2
23
Membership and Classification Manuals, not dated.
2
24
Program Committee, 1994-1998.
2
25
Public Relations and Communications Committee, 1998; 2004; 2006.
3
1
Service Committee, 1994; 1998-2006.
3
2
Status of Women/Literacy Committee, 2006.
3
3
United Nations Committee, 2004; 2006.
3
4
Z and Golden Z Committee, 2006.
3
5
Area 2, 2005.
3
6
District III, 1990; 2000.
3
7
District III: Club President's Manual, 1998.
3
8
District III: Programs and Reports, 2004; 2005.
3
9
District III: Newsletters, 1992.
Series II: Service Programs and Awards, 1987-2006 [bulk 1990-2000].
3
10
Adopt-A-Highway Program, 1992.
3
11
Fundraising: Art Shows and Auctions, 1991-1997.
3
12
Fundraising: Culinary Classics and Culinary Carousel, 2003-2005.
3
13
Fundraising: Fashion Shows, 1988; 2000.
3
14
Fundraising: Longaberger Tricky Tray, 1998; 2002.
3
15
Fundraising: Spring Events and Benefit Dinners, 1997; 2001-2002 not dated.
3
16
Memorial Services, 1993; 2001; 2005; 2006.
3
17
Woman of the Year Programs, 1987; 1992-1996; 1999-2007.
3
18
Young Women in Public Affairs, 2005.
3
19
Informal Club Events, 2000; not dated.
3
20
Grants and Service Awards, 1992; 1994-1997.
3
21
Grants and Service Awards, 1998-1999.
3
22
Grants and Service Awards, 2000-2002; 2004-2005.
Series III: Membership, Newsletters and Visual Materials, 1980-2005.
4
1
Yearbooks, 1980-1985. RESTRICTED
4
2
Yearbooks, 1986-1990. RESTRICTED
4
3
Yearbooks, 1992-1993; 1994-1995. RESTRICTED
4
4
Yearbooks, 1998-1999. RESTRICTED
4
5
Yearbooks, 1998-2000; 2001-2003. RESTRICTED
4
6
Members, 1988-1994. RESTRICTED
4
7
Members, 1995-1999. RESTRICTED
4
8
Members, 2000-2002. RESTRICTED
4
9
Members, 2003-2004. RESTRICTED
4
10
Members, 2004-2005. RESTRICTED
4
11
District III Resource Directory of Members, 2000-2001. RESTRICTED
4
12
District III Resource Directory of Members 2002-2004. RESTRICTED
4
13
Applicants, 1985-2001. RESTRICTED
5
1
Governor's Newsletter, 1990-1991.
5
2
Mor News, 1987-1990.
5
3
Mor News,1992-1993.
5
4
Mor News,1994-1995.
5
5
Chapter newsletters: master copies, 1994-1995.
5
6
Zonta Gram (Essex County Chapter),1995.
5
7
'Z News,1996.
5
8
Zonta Newsbriefs, 1996-1997.
5
9
Zonta Newsbriefs,1998-1999.
5
10
Zonta Newsbriefs,2000-2001; 2003.
5
11
Morristown Newz, 2004-2006.
5
12
Newspaper clippings, 1980; 1988; 1990-1997; 2005.
5
13
Zontian, 1974; 1982.
5
14
Zontian, March; April; May, 1989.
5
15
Zontian, 1990-1991.
5
16
Zontian,1992-1994; 1996.
5
17
Zontian: Biennial Issues, 1996-2000.
5
18
Zonta International: Program Issue, 1990-1992.
5
19
Certificates, Awards, Workshops and Ephemera, 1968; 1992; 2003; 2005.
5
20
Photographs: Irene Sokol [1 color print], 1984.
5
21
Photographs: Membership [2 color prints], May 1993.
5
22
Photographs: Art Show [6 color prints], not dated.
5
23
Photographs: Morris View Fix Up Baskets [4 color prints], not dated.
5
24
Photographs: Hagerty Center; Frelinghuysen Arboretum [9 color prints], not dated.
5
25
Photographs: Valentine's Day Party [15 color prints], not dated.