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TABLE OF CONTENTS |
![]() A Guide to the Pan American Round Table of Houston Records, 1940-2015
Historical NoteThe first Pan American Round Table (PART) was established October 16, 1916, in San Antonio, Texas by Florence Terry Griswold. It is an independent, nonsectarian, nonpolitical, noncommercial and nonfederated women's organization. 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. The Pan American Round Table of Houston was established in 1940 by Hallie Barlow Olcott. Early members included Maude Cashin, Ima Hogg, Mary Fuller, and 16 others. Over the years, PART Houston has included a wide spectrum of professional and accomplished women who are interested in furthering knowledge of the cultures, customs, and history of the Americas. Programs include speakers from the academic, business, and government fields, as well as the arts and sciences. Education continues to be a mission for PART Houston, which sponsors and provides support through college scholarships to state and local students. For more information, please visit the PART Houston website. Sources: PART Houston Yearbook, 2010-2011; and the Pan American Round Table of San Antonio Records, MS 3, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections. Return to the Table of Contents Scope and Content NoteThe records span from 1940-2015, and contain yearbooks, agendas, minutes, reports, correspondence, program and scholarship information, scrapbooks, and photographs. The bulk of the materials are in English; occasional documents contain Spanish. The paper files (1.5 linear feet, 2 boxes) range from ca. 1960-2015, though the bulk of the materials are from 1994-2011. The 1960's-early 1990's are very sparsely represented. The 1960's are represented by a thank-you letter to Houston Mayor Louie Welch and a Spanish-English Hospital booklet. The 1970's are represented by two handbooks from 1970-1972 and two folders of board minutes, reports, and correspondence from 1978-1979. The 1980's are represented by scholarship information from 1980-1981 and minutes from 1988-1991. The yearbooks range from 1989-2011 and are an excellent source of information, containing the organization's history, lists of officers and members, annual calendar of events, descriptions of committees, and information on scholarship winners. The yearbooks also contain the organization's constitution, bylaws, and standing rules. The scrapbooks and photographs (2.5 linear feet, 3 boxes) document the early years of the table, ranging from 1940-1978. There are also some later-date photographs in the collection, which are located in two photo albums from 2000-2004 and a scrapbook from 2006-2008. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents RestrictionsAccess RestrictionsThis collection is housed at UTSA's Main Campus and must be accessed via the John Peace Library Special Collections reading room. To request access, please use the Collections Request Form. The folder containing information on scholarship applicants (Box 2, Folder 15) requires archivist review prior to researcher use. Use RestrictionsThe researcher assumes full responsibility for observing all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply. Return to the Table of Contents
Return to the Table of Contents Related Material
Return to the Table of Contents Administrative InformationPreferred Citation[Identification of item], Pan American Round Table of Houston Records, MS 460, University of Texas at San Antonio Libraries Special Collections. Acquisition InformationThe collection was donated by PART of Houston in 2016 (Acc. 2016-005, 2016-066). Processing InformationProcessed by Katie Rojas, Manuscripts Archivist, in 2016. Materials from the original acquisition (Acc. 2016-005) related to PART of Texas and the international PART Alliance were separated and incorporated into UTSA's PART of Texas Collection (MS 3). Return to the Table of Contents Detailed Description of the Collection
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