Presentation Roots. Opening the Presentation Archives

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1 Presentation Roots Opening the Presentation Archives By Rachel Foote, Archivist MARCH/APRIL 2017 Celebrating Women s History Month: Revealing Presentation Sisters Contributions to World War II Home-Front Efforts Beginning in the 1970s historical societies and organizations started a movement to raise awareness of women s contributions to national and global historical events and the overall history of female-centric events. As the movement grew in popularity and strength, Congress responded in 1987 by declaring March National Women s History Month. In this issue I am celebrating that movement by opening the archives to reveal the contributions the Sisters of the Presentation, San Francisco made to the Civilian Defense and other home-front war efforts during World War II. VOLUME 16, ISSUE 1 Inside This Issue: Celebrating Women s History Month: Presentation Sisters Contributions to WWII, pp.1-5 Greetings from Ireland: Update from Dr. Deirdre Raftery, Ph.D., p.6 Archives Update, p. 6 On January 8, 1942 Reverend Mother M. Carthagh-Quirke sent a letter to all the sisters asking if they were willing to help in defense & emergency activities. The letter on the left from Sister Laurentine Wilson on behalf of the Our Lady of Loretto sisters (pictured above) and the card below from Sr. M. Joseph Nessi are two examples of the many replies she received. Left: Mother M. Carthagh-Quirke, Superior ; Right: Sister M. Jospeh Nessi

2 PRESENTATION ROOTS Page 2 One way that sisters were asked to give assistance was through participation in the Civilian Defense by learning about and preparing for possible bombing raids by Japan. View More Leaflets, Pamphlets, Clippings and Other Materials Collected by Sisters during WWII at the Archives Above: Directions for what to do in the case of an ordered black-out at the Motherhouse, Below: One of the many leaflets distributed in San Francisco informing sisters and citizens alike what to do in case of bombings and other war-time emergencies. Sister Gregory Allen (pictured lower right) was in charge of sand control for the Motherhouse.

3 Page 3 VOLUME 16, ISSUE 1 Other ways the sisters contributed to home-front war efforts were through organizing several different scrap and war bond drives through their schools, encouraging students to write letters to soldiers and chaplains deployed in Europe and Asia, and hosting the local neighborhood defense club in the Academy of Presentation (AOP) gymnasium. Right: Clipping from the San Francisco Chronicle about First Aid classes for AOP Mothers, c Far Right: Students also took first aid classes. Here the instructor, Mrs. Allen Miller, hands out certificates to Nan Sears and Clara Haag, AOP Seniors, Feb Below: Clipping from the Dec. 11, 1942 issue of The Reflector showing the thermometer tracking the number of war bonds sold and a membership drive for AOP s Victory Activities unit, Commandos for Christ, Do You Have Materials Related to AOP or other Schools Activities during WWII? Contact the Archives to Donate your items Today!

4 PRESENTATION ROOTS Page 4 Below: Clipping from the June 1945 issue of The Reflector student newspaper showing alumna Patricia Mulpeters (Sister Patricia Marie) selling a War Bond to Secretary of State Stettinius. To View More Letters, Clippings and the Complete Junior Victory Army (JVA) Air Spotter Course Contact The Archives Below: The AOP war bond drives were so successful that they were able to purchase the Spirit of AOP, a P-38 Pursuit Plane used for training and detailed in the clipping from the SF Chronicle (pictured right) which describes the plane as part of a JVA Air Spotter Course, 1943.

5 Page 5 VOLUME 16, ISSUE 1 Below: An excerpt from a letter written by Army Chaplain William L. Howley thanking Sister Annetta McFeeley and her students at the Academy of the Presentation for the rosaries they had sent, June To Read More Letters from the Front Lines and Learn More about the Many Ways Presentation Sisters Supported the War Effort Contact the Archives Left: AOP students Catherine Murphy, Anna Calvello, Marie Alimonda, Catherine Meagher, Elaine O Connor, Shirley Patterson, Virginia Power and Doreen Healy collect items for Spiritual Bouquets for the soldiers, Right: AOP Students help tie the last knots securing the huge load of scrap paper and metal they collected before sending it off to the war effort, Dec presarchives@ pbvmsf.org

6 PRESENTATION ROOTS Page 6 Click Here to View Dr. Raftery s Exhibit on the Loreto Sisters in Ireland Nano Nagle & Education Exhibit Coming Soon! Greetings from Ireland: Update on Dr. Deirdre Raftery s Online Exhibit, Nano Nagle and Education Many of you may remember Dr. Deirdre Raftery, Ph.D., and her assistant Dr. Catherine Kilbride from University College Dublin, Ireland from their visit to the archives and motherhouse in July They were here to research materials in our Rare Books & Ledgers collection for an online exhibit they are cultivating about the life of Nano Nagle and her impact on education. Recently Dr. Raftery once again contacted the archives for additional information and wished me to pass along her greetings to all the sisters. She also wanted to reiterate her gratitude for the wonderful hospitality they received and wished to send a special thank you to the sisters who introduced her and Catherine to Rummikube (pictured upper right). They enjoyed the game so much that upon returning home Deirdre purchased it on Amazon and it has been a huge hit with her family ever since. Her work on the exhibit continues and it should be ready to view soon. Until then you can view her similar exhibit Loreto, the Green and 1916 at nqlsz7oxnfm3ka. Presentation Archives Awarded a Preservation Assessment Grant by the California Preservation Program In January, Presentation Archives was awarded a grant to have a professional preservation assessment of all the archives collections and holdings. This assessment will take place later this spring when the assessor, Barclay Ogden, Director of Library Preservation at UC Berkeley, visits the archives and meets with the archivist, motherhouse administrator and members of the council. The assessment will help ensure the archives is doing everything it can to protect and preserve your records, photographs, and other materials so that they will be around for many more Women s History Months to come.