A Guide to the San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce Records, 1983-1998

Historical Note

The San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce (SAWCC) is an affiliate of the Women's Chamber of Commerce of Texas (WCCT), the first state statewide women's chamber of commerce in the United States. Like the WCCT the SAWCC is a non-profit organization whose mission is to promote growth and economic development of women and to achieve the integration of women into leadership roles within the social, political, and economic structures of the public and private spheres of society.

In 1988 Ginger Purdy and the Network Power/Texas board, a core women's professional support group (1980), founded the SAWCC. Its first official meeting was held on June 15th at the Hyatt Regency on the Riverwalk.

The Chamber is made up of 11 councils: Membership, Income Generating, Business Retention & Economic Development, Programs, Education, Leadership, Neighborhood Affairs, Marketing & Communications, Governmental Relations, Affirmative Action, and Military Affairs. It is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors and any individual, business, association, governmental agency, or non-profit organization is eligible to apply for membership.

Over the years the SAWCC has provided many benefits to its members including: monthly activities (workshops, business card exchanges, candidate forums and speakers), newsletters (Women's Business and The Star), credit union membership, business promotion and retention aid, job referral and business lead network, entrepreneurial training, and advocacy programs that support women seeking high-level governmental and corporate positions.

Scope and Content Note

The collection consists of board records, projects, programs, and issues of concern to the San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce. There is also a small section devoted to peripheral information about the larger state organization. The largest portion of the records in this collection are devoted to the organization's various programs and issues of concern such as providing women access to leadership roles within the social and political communities of San Antonio. As a result, there is a great deal of information about the annual Leadership Loop from 1989 to 1994. Other issues addressed within this collection are illiteracy, poverty, and the North America Free Trade Agreement.

The collection is divided into the following four series: The Board Records (1988-1992) series contains the board records of the San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce. The Programs, Events, and Issues of Concern (1988-1994) series contains information about the organizations various projects and issues of concern. The Ephemera series is primarily directories, but also includes stationary examples and personal notes. The Women Chamber of Commerce of Texas (1987-1990) series contains records concerning the umbrella organization, the state board. There are also a small number of videocassettes in the Videocassettes series.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Researchers are required to wear gloves provided by the Archives when reviewing photographic materials. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on these materials.

Usage Restrictions

Please contact the UTSA Archives for information about permission to publish material from the collection.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce Records, 1983-1998, MS 72, Archives and Special Collections, University of Texas at San Antonio Library.

Acquisition Information

Received as a gift from the San Antonio Women's Chamber of Commerce in 1998-2004 (Acc. 1998-13, 2003-10, 2004-93).

Processing Information

Processed by: Lea Domingo, August 2003; Nikki Lynn Thomas, Manuscript Archivist, September 2007.

Encoded by: Nikki Lynn Thomas, Manuscripts Archivist, September 2007.

Detailed Description of the Collection