The papers of Madeline Dane Ross, which document both her professional career and personal life, have been divided into seven files: Personal Correspondence, Personal Records, Records of Public Relations Work, Editorial Journalism Records, Freelance Journalism Records, Overseas Press Club Records, and Visual Materials. Within each file, the arrangement is generally chronological. The collection also includes one disc recording of a 1958 radio interview with Ross on the George Hamilton Combs show.
PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE covers the years 1926-1971, but the bulk was written after 1944. Most of the letters are from personal friends. Major correspondents are Madeline Ross' sister, Inez Ross, and Frank S. Adams, a close friend.
The PERSONAL RECORDS file, 1914-1972, includes several issues of The Monitor, a school magazine featuring Ross' childhood writings; a scrapbook of personal memorabilia, mostly from her years at Cornell; credentials, which include passports and press cards; résumés and recommendations; clippings of articles by and about Madeline Ross; posthumous tributes; and miscellaneous items such as guest lists for parties, drawings, and various souvenirs.
RECORDS OF PUBLIC RELATIONS WORK consist of correspondence, fund-raising appeals, and publicity materials from various organizations with which Ross was associated, including the Hudson Guild, 1937-1944; the Jewish Family Welfare Society, 1945; the Guidance Center, 1948; the Brussels World's Fair, 1957-1958; and the Human Betterment Association of America, 1961. Filed under EDITORIAL JOURNALISM, 1933-1947, are a scrapbook of Ross' work at Delineator Magazine, two issues of the Journal of the American Institute of Homeopathy, and issues of UNRRA Team News, as well as correspondence pertaining to that periodical.
The FREELANCE JOURNALISM file is composed of incoming and outgoing correspondence, 1943-1971, the bulk of which was written after 1965; freelance articles, including a series on European flea markets written for TWA; research materials and travel notes; and a file entitled “What Makes Toots Tick” which contains a story of that title and the correspondence which provided the material for the story. The OVERSEAS PRESS CLUB RECORDS file consists of correspondence pertaining to the club from 1955 to 1970; reports and itineraries from club tours; newspaper clippings concerning a 1966 tour to South America; a photocopy of a scrapbook of club activities; clippings from the Overseas Press Bulletin (1955-1971); and records of events, membership and guests.
The VISUAL MATERIALS include photographs and transparencies, the bulk of which are from Ross' freelance work and her time with the Overseas Press Club. Images from her freelance career include images of European flea markets - research and potential illustrations for her TWA articles. The Overseas Press Club photographs are mainly from annual tours taken by the club to various European countries. Additional photographs include images of Ross alone and with others and a small number of publicity photographs related to the various jobs she held. The Scrapbook photographs consist of images removed from a scrapbook of the Overseas Press Club when the scrapbook was photocopied and discarded due to deterioration. There is very little imagery related to Ross' personal life.
