Woman’s Press Club of Indiana launched a new award by honoring its namesake during the club’s spring meeting March 10 at the Indiana Historical Society in Indianapolis.
Longtime member and historian Joan Bey received the inaugural Joan Bey History Award, which will honor excellence in writing and producing historical work in the future.
In addition to other offices, including president, Bey curated the club’s archives for many years, and she was instrumental in providing materials and using her own excellent memory when the club prepared for its centennial celebration in 2013.
After the presentation of the award, members toured the museum with Suzanne Hahn, vice president, archives and library. They saw the room where technicians prepare new donations for archiving and toured the temperature-controlled area where archives are kept in acid-free paper and boxes.
The HIS is home to the club’s own archives, and the tour ended in the reading room, where Courtney Rookard the archivist who oversees WPCI’s collection, brought out some of the club’s materials.
Members pored over original ledgers from the founding in 1913, which listed attending members and dues collected. They also saw photos, scrapbooks and mementoes, such as campaign buttons from National Federation of Press Women national elections, convention programs, mugs and award certificates.
Bey examined her own bio folder, one of many assembled by members long ago and which now are part of the archived collection. Others examined a box of cassette tapes that recorded oral histories of members, a project that was part of the 1988 75th anniversary activities.
After the tour, members visited some of the IHS’ exhibits.
The next WPCI event is the annual communications contest awards banquet June 2, location to be determined.
