A Guide to the Pan American Round Table of San Antonio Records, 1909-1994

Historical Note

The Pan American Round Table (PART) was established October 16, 1916, in San Antonio, Texas. It is an independent, nonsectarian, nonpolitical, noncommercial and nonfederated women's organization. Charter members of PART, present at the first meeting at the Menger Hotel, included: Florence Terry Griswold (Mrs. John Case), Olivia Nolte (Mrs. Walter), Mrs. A.C. Pancoast, Mrs. Joseph Burton Dibrell, and others. PART borrowed extensively from the Pan American Union in its structure and symbolism; the round table concept was taken from the use of such a table at the Pan American Union headquarters in New York City, and members of PART represent each of the American republics.

The founder and Director General of PART from 1916 to 1941 was Florence Terry Griswold. Griswold founded PART out of concern for women and children who were refugees from the Mexican revolution of 1913, with the intention of facilitating better relations between the United States and Mexico. The premise of PART was that a women's organization would have the unique ability to build relationships that men involved in business and politics were not fostering, and if the women of Mexico and the U.S. could become friends, then such ties would influence men of commerce and government towards greater understanding and cooperation. This premise drew directly from the ideals of Pan Americanism and its principle that through education, rather than legislation, understanding and friendship will grow.

Under the direction of Griswold, the founding round table in San Antonio became the center of a well-organized movement and helped to establish round tables throughout Texas, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Southwestern United States. The second round table was founded in Laredo in 1921, and the first round table outside the United States was established in Mexico City in 1928. In 1921, the state organization, Pan American Round Tables of Texas was founded, and by 1944, international growth demanded that an international body, the Alliance of Pan American Round Tables, be formed.

Between the World Wars, a period when isolationism was prominent in U.S. politics, the women of PART were particularly active in their efforts to encourage mutual knowledge, understanding and friendship among the people of the Western Hemisphere. In 1921, members of San Antonio PART were the first American women ever to be invited by the first lady of Mexico, Mrs. Alvaro Obregon, to attend and to speak to a conference sponsored by the Federal Chamber of Commerce in Mexico about problems facing women. In 1931, in cooperation with the Pan American Union, PART of Texas aided in persuading President Herbert Hoover to proclaim April 14 as Pan American Day. In 1935, PART of Texas organized and implemented the placement of a tablet dedicated to Pan American friendship on the International Bridge in Laredo, TX. In 1939, San Antonio PART hosted a visit by Mabel Vernon and the Peoples Mandate to End War Goodwill Tour during the PART of Texas convention. In 1941, Florence Terry Griswold died, and the centrality of the San Antonio PART to the larger PART movement decreased as each round table became more autonomous.

San Antonio PART has continued the work of Griswold by providing scholarships to foreign nationals wishing to study in the U.S.; donating books related to countries in the Americas to libraries, universities, and primary schools; entertaining students, military personnel, diplomats, and other visitors from Latin America; supporting adult education and cultural programs about the Americas; sponsoring lectures by university professors and experts on Latin America; and contributing to disaster relief funds for Latin American countries. San Antonio PART has frequently been host to both PART of Texas conventions and Alliance conventions. Members of San Antonio PART have spoken out against the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere and discrimination against Mexicans; and they also voiced support of the Good Neighbor policy and repeal of legislation that taxes travel to and from Latin American countries. In 1975-76, the San Antonio PART initiated restoration the gravesite of Florence Terry Griswold and the inscription of the stone with a commemoration of Griswold's founding of PART. The San Antonio PART was host to the celebration of PART's Diamond Jubilee in 1991. As of 2002, the San Antonio PART is still active and meets regularly. Accessions will continue to be added to these records.

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Scope and Content Note

The records of The Pan American Round Table of San Antonio cover the years, 1909-1994, and include a significant amount of material from the Pan American Round Table of Texas, 1921-(1959) 1989. Of note within these records is an extensive and rich collection of printed material, primarily bulletins, booklets, and Pan American Union publications, related to Panamericanism, Mexico, and Latin America prior to 1950. The organizational records consist primarily of correspondence, minutes, reports, yearbooks, scrapbooks, programs and photographic materials which document the activities, interests, and events of the group. Most strongly documented are the initial years of the movement, when Florence Terry Griswold was Director, 1916-1941. The majority of the materials are in English, with some in Spanish, and a few in Portuguese.

Collected History and Legal Documents provide a broad overview of the establishment of the Pan American Round Table movement and its early history. But the Officers provide the most information about the Pan American Round Table movement. The largest concentration of material is correspondence, spanning over seventy years. The records of PART San Antonio includes materials from every director from 1916-1989, except for two terms during 1951-1955. The most extensive correspondence is that of Griswold who exchanged letters not only with women throughout Texas, but also leaders of Latin American countries; Leo S. Rowe; Mabel Vernon; and other persons prominent in peace movements and Panamericanism in the 1930s. The organizational purpose of PART San Antonio is revealed in the Executive Board of Directors ; Membership Meetings ; Committees ; Newspaper Clippings series; and the yearbooks, found in Printed Material , which document the business of the organization, its officers and members, and what type of work and events they undertook as a group. The ideas and perspectives that the members of the PART San Antonio were exposed to is documented in the Printed Materials and Speeches which they collected as part of their library. Among these documents are speeches by government officials, publications from the Pan American Union, and materials in Spanish from Latin American countries. Photographs and scrapbooks, a sub-series of Collected History provide visual documentation of PART San Antonio.

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Restrictions

Access Restrictions

There are no restrictions on these materials.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish from the Pan American Round Table of San Antonio must be obtained from the Archives and Special Collections, University of Texas at San Antonio Library.

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification fo item], Pan American Round Table of San Antonio Records, 1909-1994, MS 3, Archives and Special Collections, University of Texas at San Antonio Library.

Acquisition Information

Records were donated in 1993 (Acc. # 1993-002).

Processing Information

Processed by Jill Jackson, Archivist, December 1996.

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 Notes to Researchers 

The arrangement of Griswold's correspondence is based on its original order. Griswold's correspondence was housed and arranged in wooden letter box files upon receipt. Explanation of the filing system was written on the interior of the lid of many of these boxes. Where appropriate the schema was extended to unorganized correspondence. Within the Griswold correspondence there were three main divisions: correspondent, country, and round table. Those letters that fall outside of this schema are letters that were in files with subject names, and correspondence prior to 1930 which has been arranged as a unit under General Correspondence.

Among the received materials from the Pan American Round Table were two linear feet of files already housed in archival folders and inventoried, it appears that these items were part of their library. These materials have been kept together physically to maintain provenance (boxes 13-16), but intellectually some of the materials have been placed in series and sub-series with like materials or subjects, such as Speeches, State Conventions, Pan American Day. The bulk of these "library" materials are in the sub-series Vertical Files.

1921-1989, 2.1 linear feet transferred in July 2007 to be part of PART of Texas

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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