Z 2107.000 Mississippi Press Women Records

Z 2107.000
MISSISSIPPI PRESS WOMEN RECORDS

The Mississippi Press Women (MPW) was organized by Mary Dawson Cain, editor and publisher of the Summit Sun, in 1947. She was also a member of the Mississippi Press Association and the National Federation of Press Women. The new organization affiliated with the National Federation of Press Women (later National Press Women) that same year. The first officers of the new organization of nineteen members were president Mary Dawson Cain of Summit; vice-president Hazel Brannon (Smith) of Lexington; and secretary-treasurer Lois Anderson of Ripley. These three women were also newspaper owners; the other members were primarily the wives of Mississippi Press Association members. There were thirty-six members by 1948.

Membership was soon open to all female newspaper journalists. For those members new to the profession or those who lacked formal training in journalism, the Mississippi Press Women offered seminars and workshops. The organization hosted the National Press Womens annual convention in Jackson in 1958. The Mississippi Press Women officers for that year were president Hazel Brannon Smith and convention co-chairs Juanita Hight and Maurine Twiss. After attending a reception at the governors mansion, many conventioneers toured twenty towns and communities between Jackson and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

As newspaper journalism expanded to include other media, new members joined the Mississippi Press Women from the fields of advertising, public relations, and television. Membership had also been extended to several men by the 1980s. The organization was renamed Mississippi Media Professionals to reflect these changes.

This collection contains correspondence, membership lists, newsletters, newspapers, a photograph, biographies of members, a brief organizational history from 1947 to 1974, and memorabilia of the Mississippi Press Women. The records of the organization reflect the activities of a diverse group of mid-twentieth-century Mississippi women who worked to improve themselves professionally and to encourage female, as well as male students to enter the fields of journalism and public relations.

1. Correspondence. 1975-1983; n.d. 3 folders.

This series contains incoming and outgoing correspondence and accompanying materials of Mississippi Press Women officers and members concerning business matters, convention programs, and awards.

Box 1

2. Historical File. 1974; 1980-1984; n.d. 1 folder.

This series contains a lists and biographies of former presidents of the Mississippi Press Women and recipients of the "Women of Achievement" award, many of whom were also former presidents of the MPW; and a brief history of the organization from 1947 to 1974.

Box 1

3. Membership Lists. 1972-1980. 1 folder.

This series contains lists of Mississippi Press Women members and their occupations. The lists are arranged chronologically, and the names on each list are arranged alphabetically.

Box 1

4. Newsletters. 1980-1982; n.d. 1 folder.

This series contains issues of newsletters entitled Mississippi Press Women or MPW/Mississippi Press Women, Inc., for the years indicated.

Box 1

5. Photograph. n.d. 1 item.

This series consists of one photograph of four unidentified women that was taken at the Buena Vista Hotel, Biloxi, Mississippi.

Box 1

6. The Leader Letter. 1980-1982; n.d. 1 folder.

This series contains issues of the Leader Letter, the newsletter of the National Federation of Press Women, Inc., for the years indicated.

Box 1

7. Newspapers. 1977-1978; 1980. 1 folder.

This series contains the following newspaper issues: The Mississippi Press Woman (Jackson) for October 1978, March 1980, and May 1980 (two copies); the Mississippi Press (Jackson) for June 1980; a special publication of the Magee Courier (Magee, Mississippi) entitled "An Innovative Approach: The Working Prisoner Program" that was compiled from excerpts of the Magee Courier during the spring of 1977; and the "Whats Cooking" section of the Magee Courier for September 23, 1980.

Box 2

8. Memorabilia. n.d. 1 item.

This series contains a magnolia-shaped felt badge from a National Federation of Press Women convention held on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Box 2