Lorraine H. Morton (1918-2018) Papers
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No requestable containers
Scope and Contents
The collection spans from 1942 to 2018 and consists of records from both Morton’s mayoral work and her personal life. The bulk of the collection, dating 1993 to 2009, focuses on her work as mayor of Evanston. The collection is organized into: biographical materials, correspondence, political files, speeches, oversized biographical materials, and awards.
In the Biographical Materials series (1942-2018 and undated), the newspaper clippings and periodicals detail Morton’s work as mayor; the clippings also cover her campaigns for public office. The event programs are for civic events, Northwestern University events, and local school events. This series includes one born-digital video: a documentary about Morton's life.
The Correspondence series (1958-2013 and undated) features personal correspondence, and letters written to Morton by various officials and community members during her time as mayor and as school principal.
The Political Files series (1992-2008 and undated) contains campaign material, including donation information and documents from her terms as Evanston’s mayor.
The Speeches series (1993-2010 and undated) contains professional speeches by Morton.
The Oversized Biogrpahical Materials series (1989-1995 and undated) is an extension of the first series of materials covering Morton's life, but they have been separated due to size.
The Awards series (1966-2013) includes traditional plaques and three-dimensional glass or plastic awards given to Morton by local and national organizations. Both were given to Morton for service as mayor of Evanston. Additionally, there are plaques for her service as principal of Evanston Schools.
Dates
- 1942-2014
Creator
- Morton, Lorraine H., 1918-2018 (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is stored at a remote campus location and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.
Conditions Governing Use
Access to the DVD "Lorraine Morton: A Life Worthwhile" is for research purposes only; no public screenings or viewings without permission from Shorefront Legacy Center. There are no other restrictions on use of the materials for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations.
Extent
22.00 Boxes
291 Megabytes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
After completing graduate studies at Northwestern University, Lorraine Hairston Morton was a teacher and principal in Evanston’s District #65. She served as the mayor of Evanston, Illinois from 1993 to 2009. Her Papers, spanning 1942-2018, include six boxes of documents and 291 megabytes of born-digital files, including speeches, correspondence, event programs, photographs, newspaper clippings, periodicals, and campaign information detailing her leadership. 15 boxes contain awards given to Morton for her service.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged first by format, and then by subject, with the first several series including paper and born-digital records and the second set consisting of three-dimensional awards. The paper materials are held in five full-sized boxes and one oversized box. The awards are held in 11 full-sized boxes and three oversized boxes. Seven of the full-sized boxes and two of the oversized boxes contain 42 award plaques. Four of the full-sized boxes and two oversized boxes contain 23 variously shaped awards made of glass and plastic.
The materials on paper are organized into: biographical materials (personal materials; clippings; programs), correspondence (arranged by category and date), political files, speeches (by topic and date), and oversized biographical materials. The awards are organized into placques (arranged by size and date), and other awards (arranged by shape and date).
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Available born-digital materials in this collection are delivered to researchers in born-digital formats. Requests for different access methods, such as those not using computers or with the aid of assistive technologies, must be made in advance of a research appointment to Library staff.
Custodial History
The born-digital content from the DVD "Lorraine Morton: A Life Worthwhile" was transferred using read-only technologies creating preservation copies to extract the content without altering any of its data. Preservation copies have been moved to secure digital storge with recurring digital preservation actions applied according to the Libraries’ digital preservation policy.
Method of Acquisition
Speeches, clippings, buttons, and a Morton for Mayor car topper were donated to the Northwestern University Archives by Elizabeth M. Brasher, Lorraine Morton’s daughter, on May 25, 2012 as Accession #12-96. The first addition was donated by Lorraine Morton on March 12, 2013 as Accession #13-84 and included clippings, cards, buttons, letters, and photographs. A second addition was donated by Ms. Morton on March 18, 2012 as Accession #12-97 and included 1993 mayoral campaign materials. The third addition to the collection, donated by Ms. Morton on May 9, 2014 as Accession #14-60 included awards and letters.
- Title
- Guide to the Lorraine H. Morton (1918-2018 ) Papers
- Author
- Owen Hemming, Emily Davidson and Hannah Springer
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- eng
Library Details
Part of the Northwestern University Archives Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Dr.
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu