Mary Smith papers

This is a collection of Mary T. Smith's personal records, as they relate to her work within several different Catholic and volunteer organizations, and spans the years between 1933 and 1970. The provenance of the collection has not yet been determined. Mrs. Smith's papers primarily document the management of two organizations of which she was intrinsically involved. An overview of the materials produced three series within the collection: Mount Carmel Guild, National Council of Catholic Women, and Other Materials.

For both the Mount Carmel Guild and the National Council of Catholic Women, there is significant illustration of the mission and goals of the organizations, and what they were able to accomplish. Included are such documents as by-laws, constitutions, financial records, meeting minutes, correspondence, lists of officers, and speeches. Among the files pertaining to the National Council of Catholic Women is a transcript from a speech presented in 1947 which addresses the "Status of Women."

Present in this collection are other materials such as the management records of the United Services Organization Council of Newark of which Mary Smith served in the 1940's, as well as files from her time as President of the Holy Angels Day Nursery in Newark. These files include the names of students in their First Communion classes and teacher salaries.

Lastly, this collection also contains information regarding two awards Mary Smith received for her volunteer work. The Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice file contains primarily the names of other award recipients, while the information regarding the St. Louise de Marillac Medal which Smith received in 1963, includes the program from the ceremony and a newspaper article providing biographical information on Mrs. Smith.

This collection has a two-fold value in information. First, it provides the organizational records of several prominent welfare-minded groups in Newark during the 1940's through 1970's. The sense of their goals and the actions taken to accomplish these goals are apparent from the documents. Also illustrated within this collection is the life work of Mary T. Smith, as she spear-headed the success of these organizations. Researchers can gain a sense of Mrs. Smith's leadership, as well as the role these organizations played in facing the struggles and issues of our society during that time.