Collections : [Virginia Commonwealth University, Cabell Library]

The Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia (GSCV) records are composed of documents, correspondence, photographs, audio-visual materials, textiles, and artifacts that chronicle the evolution of Girl Scouting in the greater Richmond, Virginia area and the creation of the Commonwealth Council. The collection ranges in date from approximately 1913 through 2012, with the bulk of the materials falling within 1924-2005. The collection has been arranged into nine series.

The collection includes minutes, correspondence, annual as well as other reports, newsletters, newspaper clippings, notes, various publications and other materials. The date range of the collection, from the early 1920's until the present, spans the history of the organization. There seems to be some minutes missing from the years 1939 through 1945.Much of the correspondence from the 1970s focuses on the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment and includes letters to and from Virginia's U.S. Congressional delegation. Numerous regional and state issues are also documented in the collection.

The collection is comprised of institutional materials ranging from the 1970s to 2009 for the MDA. There are financial records, board meeting minutes and agendas, and correspondence that are generated from the daily running of the association. There is also a great deal of presidents' notes, MDA published materials and their various stages before publishing, and miscellaneous administration documents. Most zoning cases are residential with a few restaurant business included, and are primarily comprised of board member emails and member emails pertaining to each zoning case.

The collection includes correspondence, notes, newspaper and journal clippings, organizational minutes, reports and files, speech drafts, manuscripts and published materials dating from 1944 through 1988. The bulk of the collection dates from the early 1960s through the mid-1980s, focusing on Townes' interest in and involvement with issues concerning race, politics, and the revitalization of downtown Richmond, Virginia. The collection also includes a significant amount of material on the role of African American members of the Virginia Republican Party during the 1960s and in the National Republican Party during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The papers of Dr. Lewis H. Bosher are primarily items relating to his professional work as a surgeon and a member of the faculty at the Medical College of Virginia (MCV).The majority of his papers are made up of correspondence and also includes some journal articles, newspaper clippings, and photographs. Bosher's papers also contains materials he collected to write a biographical sketch of fellow surgeon Dr. Isaac A. Bigger, and items from his great uncle, Dr. Lewis C. Bosher, including his lecture notes from 1905.

The Zelda K. Nordlinger Papers, 1970-2008, is a collection of files used by Richmond, Virginia feminist and women's rights activist Zelda Kingoff Nordlinger. The papers provide insight into the second-wave feminist movement in the Richmond area with examples of the experiences, methods of activism, and organizations Nordlinger and her colleagues used to further their goals.

This collection consists of materials acquired by Elizabeth Smith and includes a large quantity of materials created by or concerning the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council. Also included within this collection are items from a number of other organizations such as the National Organization for Women (NOW), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Homemakers for the ERA (HERA), the National Women's Party (NWP) and many other pro-ERA organizations of the time. The collection also holds materials documenting the anti-ERA voice of the same era. Materials found in the collection include reports, correspondence, minutes, agendas, printed materials, educational materials, lobbying materials, event ephemera, speeches, and a substantial quantity of clippings. The collection's contents illuminate the efforts of the Virginia Equal Rights Amendment Ratification Council and other organizations to advocate for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment during the latter decades of the twentieth century.

The collection consists largely of printed information and correspondence from special interests and Benedetti's constituents concerning issues on a wide range of subjects that Virginia legislators dealt with in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Also included are copies of bills in their various versions, newspaper clippings, newsletters, reports, information on Richmond and Virginia agencies and civic organizations, and copies of Benedetti's responses to constituents' letters.

The collection contains the office files of Senator John C. Watkins (1947- ) covering the years from 1979 through 2001 and includes correspondence, reports, memoranda, files on legislation and various topics and issues that the Virginia General Assembly addressed during this time period. The correspondence contains letters to and from Senator Watkins and includes constituent requests for favors or patronage and letters of inquiry about legislation. Correspondents include United States Senators Paul Trible and John Warner, Virginia Governors George Allen, Gerald Baliles, Thomas Bliley, James Gilmore III, Charles Robb, and L. Douglas Wilder III, and President of the United States George Bush. The legislation covers issues of importance to Senator Watkins. Of particular concern are those that represent his committee assignments, including Agriculture, Conservation and National Resources, Commerce and Labor, Local Government, and Transportation. The Powhite Parkway, the Virginia Lottery, health care, gun control, education, and Disney America are among some of the issues addressed in the collection. Watkins has been active in encouraging increased cooperation between the City of Richmond and the county governments of Henrico and Chesterfield and the collection includes materials covering those issues.

Correspondence with various company personnel, publicity for area companies, advertising, speeches, magazine and newspaper articles, and newsletters. Includes information on the American Economic Development Council, Executive Women International, American Industrial Development Council, Industrial Development Authority, and local companies.