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Hilda Enoch papers

 Collection
Call Number: RH MS 1142

Overview

The Hilda Enoch papers are those of long-time Lawrence, Kansas resident who was a member and officer of the Kaw Valley Chapter of the Older Women's League (or O.W.L.) and an active community participant.

Dates

  • Creation: 1952 - 2013

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

No access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Spencer Library staff may determine use restrictions dependent on the physical condition of manuscript materials.

Biography of Hilda Enoch

Hilda Louise Cohen was born in 1934 in Minnesota, the daughter of Meyer Milton (1904-1980) and Elizabeth or Edith Ruth (Pearlman) Cohen (1908-1991). The family moved to Wisconsin by the 1940 census, and Hilda graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1956.

Hilda taught at Central Junior High in Lawrence, Kansas for more than a decade and was married to Jacob Enoch, professor of physics at the University of Kansas, in 1955. They had three children: Aviva, Tamar and David.

In 1964, Enoch, along with a small group of Lawrence, Kansas parents, founded The Children's Hour, Inc., providing preschool services to the city's at-risk children. The Children's Hour later served as a model for Kansas' Head Start program and then became the Lawrence branch of that program.

Enoch has continued to be active in the Lawrence and broader Kansas community, participating in a number of organizations, including Mother to Mother and the Older Women's League (O.W.L.). The Kaw Valley Chapter of O.W.L. was chartered in 1989. The national organization began in 1980 as a "voice for older women wherever public policy is made." O.W.L.'s key issues include health care, caregiver support, housing, and budget/financial issues (jobs, social security, etc.). Enoch served as the Kaw Valley president from 1989-1992. Through her O.W.L. work, she also became involved in such groups as the Citizens for Public Transportation.

[Information retrieved from census records, Minnesota vital records, and findagrave.com.]

Extent

19.75 Linear Feet (22 boxes + 4 oversize boxes, 9 oversize folders)

Language of Materials

English

Scope and Contents

The Hilda Enoch papers date from 1952 to 2014 and consist of an original donation and later additions. The materials located at call number RH MS 1142 are arranged in two series: Older Women's League (O.W.L.) and Personal Papers. The O.W.L. series consists of four subseries: General, Home Health, Housing, and Transportation. These subseries consist of such items as clippings, correspondence, meeting information, program information, and brochures. Unless otherwise noted, the O.W.L. papers relate to the local Kaw Valley Chapter. Personal Papers consists of correspondence and items relating to the Children's Hour, Inc. and to Mother to Mother, which include correspondence, clippings, and brochures. Folder arrangement within each series and subseries under these call numbers is alphabetical by topic.

The materials located at call number RH MS 1280 are arranged in three series: Political Issues, Social Issues, and Personal Papers. The Political Issues series consists of three subseries: Political Campaigns, Transportation, and Energy/Environment. The Social Issues series consists of nine subseries: Social/Human Services, Women/Sexuality, Senior Services, Native American Issues, Race Relations, Children/Family, Religion, Peace/War, and Health. The Personal Papers at this location consist of three subseries: Arts and History, University of Kansas and Lawrence, and Personal. Folder arrangement within each series and subseries under these call numbers is in date order of each topic.

A third addition, located at RH MS 1341, is arranged in six series: Lawrence Jewish Community, Local History, League of Women Voters, Healthcare, Homeless Concerns, and Various Local Issues.

The addition located at RH MS 1458 includes materials related to the series Personal papers, Social Issues, Local history, and Healthcare. This location also includes Enoch's personal journals, handwritten in spiral-bound notebooks, for two decades of her life.

Photographs from the collection are located at RH MS-P 1142. Oversize items have been physically separated and are located at RH MS Q292, RH MS R247, RH MS R331, and RH MS R365. VHS tapes from the collection are located at RH Video 41.

Physical Location

RH MS 1142

Physical Location

RH MS 1280

Physical Location

RH MS 1341

Physical Location

RH MS 1458

Physical Location

RH MS-P 1142

Physical Location

RH MS Q292

Physical Location

RH MS R247, RH MS R331, RH MS R365

Physical Location

RH Video 41

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gifts, Hilda Enoch, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014; Tamar Enoch, 2021.

Related Materials

Kaw Valley Older Women's League (O.W.L.) records, RH MS 1423, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Children's Hour, Inc. records, RH MS 714, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Title
Guide to the Hilda Enoch Collection
Subtitle
Hilda Enoch papers
Author
Finding aid prepared by mbw, 2008. Finding aid encoded by mbw, 2008. Finding aid revised by sda, 2013; hc, 2014; adc, 2018, eje, 2022; mwh, 2023.
Date
2008
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
Finding aid written in English.
Sponsor
Support for the processing of portions of this collection was provided by the Dana and Sue Anderson African American Collecting Program Endowment Fund.
Finding aid permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/10407/3310580232
Preferred citation
Hilda Enoch papers, RH MS 1142, Kenneth Spencer Research Library, University of Kansas

Repository Details

Part of the University of Kansas. Kenneth Spencer Research Library Repository

Contact:
1450 Poplar Lane
Lawrence KS 66045-7616 United States
785-864-4334