About Us
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Established in 1994, the Women and Leadership Archives (WLA) collects, preserves, organizes, describes, and makes available materials of enduring value to researchers studying women's contributions to society.
The WLA collection strengths include Second Wave Feminism, Catholic Women, Social Justice Activism and, more broadly, women in leadership in business, academics, community, and politics. Not limited to individual women, the WLA possesses the records of many women's organizations, mainly from Chicago or the Midwest. Further, we also care and preserve the records of Mundelein College, the last four year Catholic women's college in Illinois. Mundelein was renowned for its rigorous liberal arts curriculum and emphasis on nurturing women's individual skills and talents.
The WLA is a special collection of Loyola University Chicago's library system as well as an integral part of the University's Gannon Center which also includes Loyola's Women's Studies Program and other projects and programs that support women's scholarship, education, and networking.
Donating Records to the WLA
Preserving the material of women's history prevents individuals and groups from becoming invisable to future generations. Without the documents, words, and images of women's lives, there is little left for the creation and study of women's history.
For our particular archives, women in positions of leadership in underrepresented areas such as politics, the arts, sciences, and business are especially encouraged to think about donating their own or their organization's records to the WLA. In addition, we strongly welcome the donation records related to second and third wave feminism, feminist and social justice activism as well as collections related to Catholic women, both lay and religious, Catholic theology, and feminist theology.
Mundelein College Alumnae are strongly encouraged to think of adding their own papers to the Mundelein College Archives.
For more information including a basic facts, an informational brochure, and/or a meeting with WLA staff please contact the Director, Women & Leadership Archives.
New Collections at the WLA
Phyllis Zagano Papers
Now Senior Research Associate-in-Residence at Hofstra University, Dr. Zagano earned a Bachelor's degree, three Master's degrees, and a PhD in her long career as a theologian. While Boston University holds a number of her publications, the Women & Leaderships Archives is receiving these plus original manuscripts and unpublished writings and research files. A former visiting professor of Catholic Studies at Yale Divinity School and Aquinas Chiar of Catholic Studies at St. Thomas Aquinas College, Dr. Zagano is the author or editor of twelve books and several dozen articles. For five years she hosted a monthly talk show on the National Public Radio affiliate WBUR-FM and was a co-chair of teh Roman Catholic Studies Group of the American Academy of Religion. She has been awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to lecture at the Mary Immaculate College of the University of Limerick in Spring 2009. Dr. Zagano's papers date primarily from the 1970s-1990s.
Ada Maria Isasi-Diaz Papers
Although the marjority of her professional papers are held at the Union Theological Seminary Archives, Dr. Isasi-Diaz has also seen fit to donate some of her second-wave women's liberation theology materials to the WLA. Dr. Isasi-Diaz was born in Cuba in 1943. She received her Masters of Divinity, Masters of Philosophy, and Doctorate in Theology (Social Ethics) from Union Theologial Seminary in New York. She is the author or co-author of nine books, dozens of articles, and a world class lecturer, much of which thematically focuses on Mujerista Theology. Dr. Isasi-Diaz's Papers date from the 1960s-1980s.
New Collections Open for Research
Suellen Hoy Papers, 1810-2006, n.d.
The Suellen Hoy, PhD., Papers are now open for research use at the WLA. Dr. Hoy is a guest professor and independent scholar at the University of Notre Dame and has published several articles and books on the history of women religious, with particular focus on their work in Chicago in the 19th and 20th centures. Her publications include From Dublin to New Orleans: The Journey of Nora and Alice and Good Hearts: Catholic Sisters in Chicago's Past.
The Hoy Papers consist of forty-nine boxes of research files which includes information on individual religious orders, Catholic schools and churches in Chicago, charitable organizations, immigration of Irish nuns, and social activism. Most of the materials consist of newspaper articles, biographical and organizational records, scholarly articles, and theses, and correspondence. The collection also includes a selection of photographs, audio tapes, compact discs, and videocassettes.
For the Suellen Hoy finding aid, click here.
Margaret "Peggy" Roach Papers, 1927-2006, n.d.
Born in Chicago and a graduate of Mundelein College, Peggy Roach's
contributions to the civil and political rights movements were truly inspiring. A tireless organizer, liaison, editor, writer, spokeswoman, administrator, and leader Roach was very active in Civil Rights, poverty, interreligious cooperation, equal pay, and fair housing issues.
She participated in organizations such as the National Council of Catholic Women, Wednesdays in Mississippi, Catholic Committee on Urban Ministry, the Catholic Interracial Council of Chicago, National Women's Committee on Civil Rights, Citizen's Crusade Against Poverty, Women's Pay Equity Committee, National Catholic Social Action Conference, Church Women United, Women in Community Service, and the Contract Buyers League.
From the latter 1960s and for over thirty years, Peggy worked closely with Msgr. John Egan. Her impact was noted during Msgr. Egan's funeral as "...the supportive presence in the shadow of his great work...has been something everyone counted on even when her name did not roll in the credits."
The third and largest addendum to the Roach papers is now processed and available for research. Nearly thirty boxes of material, the collection is comprised of personal and professional correspondence, reports, photographs, awards, artifacts, and articles relating to her large body of work.
For the Margaret Roach finding aid, click here.