![[logo]](http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/logos/odu.jpg)
ODU Community Collections
3000 Perry LibraryJames Detterman, February 2014; Kathleen Smith, July 2014
Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.
Open to researchers without restrictions.
[Identification of item], Box [insert number], Folder [insert number and title], Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Edith R. White
Gift. Accession #A2010-20
The finding aid was created by James Detterman in February 2014.
An addition to the collection was received in January 2016.
Edith R. White was born in New Jersey in November 4, 1923. Upon graduating from Vassar College, she became a member of the U.S. Navy's WAVES, Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service. For her first operation with WAVES, she trained in cryptography, specifically breaking Japanese codes, and worked in Washington DC. Her second appointment was at Sampson Hospital, a tuberculosis hospital in New York, where she met her husband, Forrest. Shortly after their marriage, they moved first to California for some time, bringing their first child into the world, then to Richmond where Edith gave birth to another child, thenceforth moving to, and settling in Norfolk until this day.
Norfolk had a vastly different political setting than Edith's previous residences. There were on-going issues not only involving racial segregation, but also women's rights. Edith previously had black officers in the Navy and black friends in college, and she believed that this was no way for anyone to live, let alone her children. Being the natural born fighter for civil rights that she was, Edith decided to get involved with as many activist groups that she could. Such groups were the League of Women Voters, Women's Interracial Council, American Association of University Women, and the Norfolk Committee for Public Schools, the latter of which Forrest White would become president.
Note written by James Detterman
The Edith R. White collection contains of a variety of documents relating to women's activism and educational activity in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. Some of the organizational materials contained in the collection include the Fortnightly Study Club, Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation, and the Norfolk Story League.
An oral history interview with Edith R. White can be fournd in the Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections .
The collection is organized into four series: Series I: The Fortnightly Study Club; Series II: Women of Norfolk; Series III: Norfolk Story League; and Series IV: Other Organizations.
Forrest P. White Papers (MG 5); Forrest R. "Hap" White Papers (MG 96); Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation Papers (MG 54).
Oral Histories in the Perry Library: Edith White
This series contains directories, programs, and scrapbooks related to the Fortnightly Study Group White was a member of.
This sub-series consists of directories and programs related to meetings held by the Fortnightly Study Group.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 1, Fortnightly Study Club Member pamphlets belonging to Betsy Nugent, 1983-2008, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 2, Fortnightly Study Club Member pamphlets belonging to Connie Ferebee, 1988-2005, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This sub-series includes scrapbooks related to the Fortnightly Study Group.
Scrapbook of Histories, 1923-1962, Box 2, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Scrapbook of Histories, 1960-1988, Box 2, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Scrapbook of Histories, 1988-1995, Box 3, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Scrapbook of Histories, 1995-2010, Box 3, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains reports, flyers, directories, and other material related to the Church Women United and Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation organizations.
This sub-series includes yearbooks and directories of the Norfolk Church Women United organization, as well as material relating to Community Understanding Day..
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 3, Yearbooks, 1974, 1977-1981, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 4, Directories, 2000-2005, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 5, Community Understanding Day, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This sub-series contains documents relating to the Norfolk Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation including newsletters and president's reports, flyers, pamphlets, booklets and brochures, correspondence, and newspaper clippings.
[Identification of item and date], Box 1, Folder 6, Newsletters, President's Reports, 1952-1955, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 1, Flyers, Pamphlets, Brochures, Booklets, 1947-1959, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 2, Letters, Notes, circa 1950-1959, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 3, Newspaper Clippings, circa 1950-1959, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains documents pertaining to the Norfolk Story League including yearbooks, miscellaneous booklets, a member list, thank you and congratulatory letters, payment records, remembrances, newspaper clippings, photographs, and a scrapbook.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 4, Norfolk Story League Yearbooks, 1965-2008, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 5, Miscellaneous Booklets & Programs, Member List, 1998-1999, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 4, Folder 6, Thank You/Congratulatory Letters, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 1, Payment Records & Receipts, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 2, Obituaries & Remembrances, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 3, Newspaper Clippings, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 4, Photographs, undated, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
Scrapbook of Histories, 2000, Box 6, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
This series contains publications, correspondence, reports and other material related to the Norfolk Area Human Relations Council as well as the American Association of University Women (AAUW), American Association for the United Nations (AAUN), and the Citizens Association for Justice in Virginia.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 5, Norfolk Area Human Relations Council, circa 1967-1969, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 6, Norfolk Area Human Relations Council, circa 1967-1969, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.
[Identification of item and date], Box 5, Folder 7, Miscellaneous organizations, 1960-1973, Edith R. White Papers, Special Collections and University Archives, Old Dominion University Libraries.