University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Crawford, Berenice Maloney, 1896- .

Papers, 1909-1974.

Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 12

1.2 cubic ft. (3 archives boxes)

ABSTRACT: Papers documenting many aspects of the long and active life of a Wisconsin elementary school through university level educator. Mrs. Crawford was the first degree-trained elementary teacher-supervisor in Wisconsin. She also gave to the field the kindergarten-level planned activity program. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, newspaper clippings, memorabilia, and scrapbooks dating from Mrs. Crawford's childhood to her activities after retirement. Particular emphasis is given to her early teaching career and to her husband's (Frederick G. Crawford, 1907-1949) life and inventions. Other areas of Mrs. Crawford's life, such as her activities as one of the founders of the Wisconsin chapter of the educational sorority Delta Kappa Gamma and her extensive travels, are also documented in the collection. The collection is at the Milwaukee Area Research Center.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE: The collection documents the long and active life of Berenice Maloney Crawford. It consists of a variety of materials which include correspondence, newspaper clippings, memorabilia and scrapbooks dating from Mrs. Crawford's childhood through her activities after retirement. Particular emphasis is given to her early teaching activities (1930-1939) and to her husband's life and inventions. The seven scrapbooks, many of which are annotated with Mrs. Crawford's reminiscences and comments, are comprised of photographs, cards, and mementos documenting her teaching career, travels, and marriage. Identified in a separate column in the container list, the scrapbooks are located in the list according to their contents. Some material from the scrapbooks has been removed and placed in appropriate folders throughout the three series into which the collection is organized: Personal File, Teaching Career and Activities. Correspondence is scattered throughout the collection filed under appropriate subject headings.

The Personal File is subdivided into five sections. Biographical Materials contains a biography published for delta Kappa Gamma as well as a copy of Mrs. Crawford's entry in Who's Who in American Education. Correspondence ranges from letters from old beaux, family and friends to recent communications regarding travel arrangements. The section labeled Educational Records includes report cards and transcripts spanning from her grade school years to her doctoral work. A major portion of the Personal File is devoted to Frederick Crawford. The Crawfords' relationship with each other is well documented by their correspondence filed in folder #10 and by scrapbooks #2, #3, and #4. A sizable amount of material that deals with Crawford's various inventions is also contained in this section.

The Teaching Career series focuses on Mrs. Crawford's early teaching activities. General correspondence is composed primarily of letters of recommendation and letters demonstrating interest in her new jobs. Also included in this section is material pertaining to the elementary report card she developed, the Beaver Dam School Board controversy of which she was a major participant, and the two "Bob and Judy" elementary reading books she wrote. Scrapbook #5 documents the planned activity program for kindergarten developed by Mrs. Crawford as well as other early teaching activities. There is a lack of material concerning her activities as Director of Elementary Student Teaching at Marquette University. In general, documentation regarding daily, routine activities is not found in the collection.

The Activities series, organized by type, depicts Mrs. Crawford's many involvements. Her most active and sustained concern was with the Delta Kappa Gamma educational sorority. This subseries consists primarily of programs, memorabilia and clippings. The Civic Activities segment includes her charter membership to the Ozaukee Historical Society and the Seven Arts Society. This section to the Ozaukee Historical Society and the Seven Arts Society. This section consists primarily of clippings. Traveling extensively in the United States and the Orient, a number of Mrs. Crawford's trips are documented by the diaries she kept as well as the scrapbooks she created. These materials are file in the Travel subseries. A feature article as well as other clippings are found in the Miscellany folder. Many clippings attest to the fact that Mrs. Crawford often spoke publicly to various organizations though only one speech, which is also included with Miscellany, is contained in the collection.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: The educator, Berenice Maloney Crawford, was born on 24 August 1896 in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, to Edmund P. and Paulina (Coffey) Maloney. Upon graduating with honors from high school, Miss Maloney decided to become a teacher and continued her education for two years at Stevens Point Normal School. In 1917, she accepted her first teaching position in Merrill, Wisconsin. Subsequently, Miss Maloney held several teaching and teacher-supervisory positions until her return to school to receive her Bachelor of Science degree in teacher training from the University of Minnesota in 1930. Four years later she completed her Master of Arts degree with a major in supervision and administration from the same university. Miss Maloney became the first degree trained elementary teacher-supervisor in Wisconsin, initially serving as the first elementary supervisor of graded schools in Beaver Dam. She also gave to the field the planned activity program at the kindergarten level.

In 1936, while teaching at the State Teachers College in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Miss Maloney met Frederick G. Crawford (1907-1949), an inventor and sound engineer. They were married in 1940. Following his untimely death in 1949, Mrs. Crawford entered the Doctoral program at Loyola University, Chicago, but never completed her degree. In 1950 she returned to Wisconsin to become Director of Elementary Student Teaching at Marquette University, Milwaukee, remaining there until her retirement in 1965. Mrs. Crawford was selected to be included in Who's Who in American Education in 1952.

An active and religiously-devout woman, Mrs. Crawford was involved in educational, civic and religious organizations. She was one of the founders of the Wisconsin chapter of the educational sorority Delta Kappa Gamma. She spoke to numerous church, school and civic groups. Always an eager traveler, retirement afforded Mrs. Crawford more time to pursue this interest. Among numerous excursions, she made two trips to the Orient, being particularly interested in Sogang University, Seoul, Korea, founded by the American Jesuit Fathers of the Wisconsin Province. Mrs. Crawford resides at her home on Lake Michigan, Innesfree, near Grafton, Wisconsin.

COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Crawfor, Berenice Maloney, 1896- . Milwaukee Manuscript Collection 12. Wisconsin Historical Society. Milwaukee Area Research Center. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.

ACQUISITION: Gift of Berenice Maloney Crawford of Grafton, Wisconsin on June 16, 1975 (accession number M75-287).

PROCESSING: Processed by Lisa Pinkham and Joanne Hohler in December 1980.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

Delta Kappa Gamma of Wisconsin.
Elementary school teachers--Wisconsin.
Elementary school teaching--Wisconsin.
Kindergarten--Wisconsin--Activity programs.
Personnel records in education.

MILWAUKEE MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 12	BOX	FOLDER
Personal File
Biological and Genealogical Material	1	1-2
Biological and Genealogical Material, "Mother."	3
Biological and Genealogical Material, Duplicate Photos.	1	3
Personal, General Correspondence, 1917, 1933-1935, 1937, 1940, 1947-1954, 1958-1973, n.d.	1	4-5
Educational Records, General records, 1909-1911, 1917, 1929-1934, 1949-1950.	1	6
Educational Records, Physics notebook, 1912.	1	7
Educational Records, Masters of Arts Thesis, 1934, "A Survey of Practices and Opinions in Representative Courses in Supervision."	1	8
Frederick G. Crawford, Biographical Material.	1	9
Frederick G. Crawford, Personal Correspondence, 1936-1937.	1	10
Frederick G. Crawford, "Courting Days," 1936.	3
Frederick G. Crawford, "Bea and Fred," 1937-194?.	3
Frederick G. Crawford, "Wedding and Honeymoon Album," 1940.	3
Frederick G. Crawford, Inventions, General Correspondence, 1930, 1938-1956.	1	11
Frederick G. Crawford, Inventions, Descriptions of invention, 1940, 1944, 1947, 1949, n.d.	2	1
Frederick G. Crawford, Inventions, Notes, sketches, and diagrams of inventions, n.d.	2	2
Frederick and Berenice Crawford's Tax Returns, 1924-1948.	1	3
Teaching Career
General Correspondence, 1920, 1930-1938, 1944-1961, 1965, n.d.	2	4
Teaching Mementos, 1922-1965 (scattered), n.d.	2	5
Development of elementary report card, 1930-1932.	2	6
School Board Controversy, 1930-1936.	2	7
"Bob and Judy" books, 1939.	2	8
Removable contents from Scrapbook #5, 1934-1939, n.d.	2	9
"Teaching Career," 1934-1939.	3
Activities
Delta Kappa Gamma, 1947-1971 (scattered).	2	10
Civic Activities.	2	11
Travel, Diaries of trips, 1924, 1974, n.d.	2	12
Travel, Miscellany.	2	13
Travel, "Sea and Bea." Aug. 1938.	3
Travel, "San Francisco via Panama and Cuba," Aug. 1939.	3