Summary Information
American Red Cross of Dane County Records
1922-1990
- American Red Cross of Dane County (Wis.)
Micro 2037; Disc 203A; PH Micro 2037; Film AC 986-AC 991
3 reels of microfilm (35mm), 2 disc recordings, 77 photographs, 6 negatives, 5 posters, and 6 film reels (16mm)
Wisconsin Historical Society (Map)
Records, mainly 1938-1958, of a local chapter of the American Red Cross established in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1905. The records primarily relate to public relations and include nationally-produced radio and television spots that were aired in Madison, photographs and posters, clipping scrapbooks (only available on microfilm) and newsletters (only available on microfilm). The documentation relates not only to general chapter activities but also to the Junior Red Cross program and the Badger Blood Center, the regional blood center established in 1950. The scrapbooks document local activities during World War II and the immediate postwar years.
English
http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/wiarchives.uw-whs-micr2037 ↑ Bookmark this ↑
Biography/History
The Dane County chapter of the American Red Cross, founded in 1905, is a pioneer in first aid work and one of the oldest chartered Red Cross chapters in the United States.
The international Red Cross was founded in Geneva in 1864. In 1881 the American National Association was incorporated with Clara Barton, a former Civil War nurse, as president. In 1900 the organization was reincorporated by act of Congress as the American Red Cross. Then in 1905 it was approved by President Theodore Roosevelt as the official national disaster agency. Almost immediately thereafter a chapter was formed in Dane County, Wisconsin by James C. Elsom of the University of Wisconsin Department of Physical Education. The Dane County chapter was incorporated in 1909.
There was no chapter office during the organization's early history, and most of the original records have since disappeared. Consequently little is known about the activities of the period. It is known, however, that Dr. Elsom began teaching his students first aid in 1905 and that first aid remained the chief local program for many years.
The history and growth of the chapter closely parallels the story of the national Red Cross. With the establishment of Red Cross service to the military a local home service to the families of servicemen began. Like the national program, the local chapter ran a safety program and taught nursing skills to wives and mothers. Volunteer nurses aides were organized in 1918 as health aides. The Blood Donor Service began in 1941 when the Surgeon General of the Army and Navy requested the American Red Cross and the National Research Council to cooperate in collecting human blood for processing into dried plasma to be used in military medical departments against traumatic shock. In 1950 the Badger Regional Blood Center of Dane County opened, and Mary Rennebohm, the wife of the Wisconsin governor, gave the first pint of blood.
The Junior Red Cross was born in 1917 during a teachers' meeting in Agriculture Hall on the University of Wisconsin campus. After World War I the Junior organization lapsed, although it was revived in 1940 and thousands of blood program bottles were prepared by the Dane County chapter during World War II.
Additional information may be found in Our First Fifty Years: A Mid-Century Review, 1909-1959.
Scope and Content Note
This small collection primarily relates to the public relations and outreach activities carried out by a local Red Cross chapter. Included are radio and television spots, posters produced by the national organization but used by the chapter, photographs, newsletters and clipping scrapbooks. Few records except for the incomplete run of annual reports and the historical scrapbooks relate to the internal administration of the chapter.
The collection consists of ANNUAL REPORTS, NEWSLETTERS, SCRAPBOOKS, and PUBLIC RELATIONS MATERIAL. The scrapbooks, annual reports, and newsletters were returned to the Red Cross after microfilming.
ANNUAL REPORTS relate to both the administrative and financial activities of the chapter. They are not complete, covering only the period 1940-1941, 1947, and 1977-1979. (Our First Fifty Years indicates that annual reports were not begun until 1937.) Also useful, although dating only from the period 1959-1979, are NEWSLETTERS. Capital Communique and Repapswen contain general news about the chapter while the Hemoglobe provides monthly news about the Badger Regional Blood Center from 1959 to 1979. Many of the early issues of this title contain statistical reports on donations. At the end of the publications are some miscellaneous near-print items.
Although information about the Dane County Chapter is far from complete, the SCRAPBOOKS, which are primarily comprised of newspaper clippings and photographs, cover some of the main themes in the organization's history. They represent the years 1940-1990, with the period 1940-1958 being best covered. The scrapbooks are divided into a chronological run about general chapter activities and a similar run that documents the activities of the Junior Red Cross. In addition, three volumes relate to the early activities of the Badger Regional Blood Service, and one volume apparently prepared by Ruth A. Nelson documents the activities of the Dane County Civil Service Employees Red Cross Volunteer Service. This scrapbook not only contains press clippings but also a large number of informational memoranda sent to individual volunteers.
The strength of the collection lies with the PUBLIC RELATIONS MATERIAL which provides information on the national and local marketing of the American Red Cross and its programs. Non-paper media include films, audio recordings, posters, and photographs. The films consist of 39 16mm black and white television spots created by the American Red Cross. They cover the period from 1957 to 1965, they vary from 20 to 60 seconds in length, and they are arranged alphabetically by topic. The films represent the entire scope of Red Cross work including swimming and boating safety, disaster relief, volunteers, child care, service to the armed forces, home nursing, first aid, and youth services.
Two press kits consist of sound recordings for radio broadcast, together with their supporting paper documentation. The 1982 kit consists of a 45 rpm disc of spots by people helped by the Red Cross service to the elderly, CPR training, blood pressure testing, and disaster relief. Two of these cuts are duplicated in Spanish. The other press kit dates from 1976 and is focused around the theme “Brother, Can You Spare Some More Time?” It highlights Glen Campbell as a doughnut singing “The Good Neighbor Is You!” Other spots emphasize disasters, safety, and volunteerism. The text for both spots, as well as information on how they should be incorporated into local copy, is available on microfilm.
The photographs date from World War II to 1990. They primarily document disaster relief and blood-services. Of particular interest in the latter category are shots of the CC Riders motorcycle club at the blood center. Of additional interest are the photographs documenting overseas Red Cross work during World War II and photographs of the winning retail store window displays created as part of the 1934 Roll Call fundraising campaign in Dane County.
Administrative/Restriction Information
Portions presented and portions loaned for copying by the Public Relations Department via Connie Beam, 1933. Accession Number: M94-213 and M94-214
Processed by Leith A. Rohr (Intern) and Carolyn J. Mattern, 1995.
Contents List
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Micro 2037
Reel
1
Frame
1
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Series: Annual Reports, 1940-1952, 1977-1979
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Series: Newsletters and Publications
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Reel
1
Frame
138
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Capital Communique, 1976-1979
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Reel
1
Frame
180
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Hemoglobe of the Badger Regional Blood Center, 1959-1979
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Reel
1
Frame
830
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Repapswen, 1976-1979
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Reel
1
Frame
908
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Miscellaneous near-print material, 1934-1944, undated
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Series: Scrapbooks
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General
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Reel
2
Frame
1
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1938
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Reel
2
Frame
13
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1939
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Reel
2
Frame
45
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1939-1940
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Reel
2
Frame
108
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1940
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Reel
2
Frame
182
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1942
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Reel
2
Frame
204
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1943
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|
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Reel
2
Frame
292
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1944
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Reel
2
Frame
366
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1947
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|
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Reel
2
Frame
421
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1948
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|
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Reel
2
Frame
506
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1949
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Reel
2
Frame
613
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1949-1951
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Reel
2
Frame
660
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1989-1990
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Badger Blood Center
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Reel
2
Frame
700
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, 1950 I
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Reel
2
Frame
781
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, 1950 II
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Reel
2
Frame
849
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1951
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Junior Red Cross
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Reel
3
Frame
1
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1948
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Reel
3
Frame
26
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1949-1951
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Reel
3
Frame
130
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1950-1951
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Reel
3
Frame
195
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1950-1952
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Reel
3
Frame
276
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1952-1953
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Reel
3
Frame
453
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1955
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Reel
3
Frame
503
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Ruth Nelson scrapbook re Dane County Civil
Service Employees, 1942-1945
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Series: Public Relations Material
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PH Micro 2037
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Photographs
: National photographs re World War II Dane County chapter activities and programs
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PH Micro 2037
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Posters
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1922, First aid instruction (classroom)
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1944, Canadian Red Cross
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1949, Fund campaign
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75th anniversary
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American Red Cross Disaster Relief sign
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Disc 203A
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Radio press kits
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1976, “Brother Can Your Spare Some More Time?”
33 1/3; 34 cuts
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1982, “Together, We Can Change Things”
33 1/3; 10 cuts
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Micro 2037
Reel
3
Frame
772
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Printed material for press kits
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Filmed Television spots, 1957-1965
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AC 986
Segment
1-5
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Disaster relief, 1960, 1964-1965
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Segment
6-7
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First aid, 1959
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AC 987
Segment
1-4
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Home nursing, 1960-1964
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Segment
5-6
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International, 1964-1965
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AC 988
Segment
1-6
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Services to military families and veterans, 1959, 1964-1965
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Segment
7-8
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Mothers and infant care, 1964
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AC 989
Segment
1-4
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Red Cross campaigns, 1958, 1964
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Segment
5-8
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Small craft safety, 1960, 1962, 1964-1965
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AC 990
Segment
1-4
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Swimming, 1959, 1964-1965
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Segment
5-8
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Volunteers (including a salute to TV industry volunteers), 1957-1958, 1964-1965
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AC 991
Segment
1-2
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Youth service, 1965
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