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Ruth Herr Papers

 Collection
Identifier: MS-91

Scope and Contents

The papers of Ruth Herr contain a small selection of materials relating to women’s rights, covering approximately the years 1935-1949. Even though Ruth Herr was involved in the early history of aviation, this collection does not include materials on that topic. The materials in this collection include information on the National Woman’s Party, and the Equal Rights Amendment. Also in the collection is a speech given by Ruth Herr; the Constitution of the National Woman’s Party of the Third Congressional District and a set of proposed amendments to it; newspaper clippings; and newspapers from Equal Rights.

Dates

  • Creation: 1935-1949

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on accessing material in this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Biographical Note

Ruth (Boes) Herr was born October 13, 1897. Her husband, Jim (James H. Herr, 1893-1944), took her for her first airplane ride as a birthday present in 1924. She learned how to fly in 1947.

Mrs. Herr delivered an airplane part to Wilbur Wright Field (now Patterson Field, a part of Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) for the first airplane to fly non-stop from Oakland, California, to Wheeler Field, Honolulu, Hawaii; the two flyers were Lt. Albert G. Hegenberger and Lt. Lester Maitland. Her husband called her at 1:00 A.M. on June 1927 and told her to drive her Ford Roadster to McCook Field to get the part. When she arrived at Wright Field, she refused to get out of the car because of the rattlesnakes there.

Mrs. Herr retired in 1960 after thirty-nine years of teaching art in the Dayton and Oakwood public schools, as well as at the Dayton Art Institute. Ruth Herr died April 24, 1985, in Kettering, Ohio. She and her husband are buried in Woodland Cemetery in Dayton.

Scope and Content: The papers of Ruth Herr contain a small selection of materials relating to women’s rights, covering approximately the years 1935-1949. Even though Ruth Herr was involved in the early history of aviation, this collection does not include materials on that topic. The materials in this collection include information on the National Woman’s Party, and the Equal Rights Amendment. Also in the collection is a speech given by Ruth Herr; the Constitution of the National Woman’s Party of the Third Congressional District and a set of proposed amendments to it; newspaper clippings; and newspapers from Equal Rights.

Extent

0.25 linear feet

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Ruth Herr was an art teacher in the Dayton and Oakwood public schools. The materials in this collection reflect her interest in women's rights and include a constitution and by-laws for the National Woman's Party, a speech by Mrs. Herr, several copies of the National Woman's Party newspaper Equal Rights, and clippings and miscellaneous material pertaining to the National Woman's Party.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged chronologically across 5 folders.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The papers were donated to the Wright State University’s Special Collections and Archives in September 1979 by Mrs. Jeanette Fatton, a great-niece of Ruth Herr.

Existence and Location of Copies

A selection of materials from this collection is available in Wright State University’s Campus Online Repository, CORE Scholar, at: https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_ms91/.

Related Materials

Papers relating to Ruth Herr’s involvement in the early history of aviation, are housed at the Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.

Processing Information

The researcher should be aware of the following before using the collection:



1. The only information that is personal to Ruth Herr is the speech in the second folder.



2. The information on the National Woman’s Party is very sketchy, consisting mainly of broadsides.



3. The newspaper clippings are much deteriorated. Because of this, they are to be xeroxed, and the xeroxed copies will be placed in the collection.



4. The Equal Rights newspapers are not complete. Because of deterioration, they are to be xeroxed, and the xeroxed copies will be placed in the collection.

Title
Guide to the Ruth Herr Papers (MS-91)
Status
Completed
Author
Judith McCune
Date
1981 May
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
English

Revision Statements

  • 2017 January: Finding aid revised according to DACS by Toni Vanden Bos

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Repository

Contact:
Wright State University Libraries
Special Collections and Archives
3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy
Dayton OH 45435-0001 USA
937-775-2092