Navy Mother's Club Collection, MS 87-71, Special Collections, UNLV Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Donated by John Kennedy, 1987.
Joyce Marshall, March 1996.
This collection is open for research.
For permission to reproduce or publish from this collection, please contact the Director of Special Collections.
The Navy Mother's club held its first meeting at the Mesquite Club building in the fall of 1942. Local chapter #392 was named the Norman Ready Club for Mrs. Jane Ready's son of Henderson, Nevada who died a hero on the Battleship Lexington. Twenty-one women comprised the charter membership. The first group of officers were elected at the War Memorial Building in Las Vegas on January 20, 1943.
The membership in the first year represented the cities of Las Vegas, Henderson and Boulder City. After that first year, however, Boulder City formed it's own chapter that dissolved after the war.
The purpose of the club was "to promote a program of educational welfare of social interest between the parents of Navy man and women and the enlisted personnel; to encourage contentment and patriotism among the boys and men serving in the U.S. Navy, Marines and Coast Guard; to collect and disseminate information relating to the Navy and the manner of living and environment of it's personnel; to extend benevolent relief to its needy members."
Early projects included sponsoring War Bond Drives and collecting donations for the Community Chest and the American Red Cross. They held various bazaars, hosted dinners and engaged in sewing projects to provide quilts, robes, layettes and other items requested by Navy hospitals for the men and their families.
The Las Vegas Chapter was very active within the national organization and had local women elected to national offices. Membership was open to mothers and wives of naval personnel. The last record of any activity is 1977.
The scope of the collection centers on the years 1951-1955 and is arranged alphabetically by subject. Although by-laws from 1946 and a single newspaper article from 1977 are included, the majority of information on the Navy Mother's Club is found in the two scrapbooks containing memorabilia from the above mentioned period.
A number of photographs of various events and installations are included. Unfortunately, with only two exceptions, they are not labeled with names or dates. Two large photographs of the National Convention held at the Statler Hotel in Los Angeles, July 26-31, 1954 are part of the collection and local members that attended are circled.
There are two artifacts included: a Navy Mother's Club hat and a bronzed book. Some newspaper clippings, two Ready Reference Directories, song books from 1951-1954 and miscellaneous books, pamphlets and pins belonging to Ann Kennedy, a charter member, round out the collection.
One large envelope containing two photographs of the Navy Mother's Club National Convention in 1954 was removed and placed into UNLV Photograph Collection 0307.