Chicago Area Women's Sports Association records, 1979-1996

Processed with funding provided by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

This collection is open for research use.

All rights owned by the donor, including copyright, were deeded to Chicago Historical Society. Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Gift of Linda Buczyna (accession #: 2000.0123).

Chicago Area Women's Sports Association records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

Meeting minutes, reports, financial records, membership files, correspondence, brochures, newspaper clippings, newsletters, press releases, photographs, and other records of the Chicago Area Women's Sports Association (CAWSA). The majority of the collection relates to sporting events and activities offered by the organization, such as sports clubs, tournaments, races, conferences, and fundraising events. Also included are materials pertaining to fundraising and membership, as well as information about other Chicago area sports and women's organizations, including the Chicago Hustle women's professional basketball team.

The Chicago Area Women's Sports Association (CAWSA) was founded in 1981 as a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting and promoting women's sports. CAWSA hosted sporting events, helped women find existing sports facilities, provided resources on women's health and sports, held monthly meetings with guest speakers, and published a monthly newsletter titled Women on the Move.

• Names
  • Chicago Area Women's Sports Association--Archives
  • Chicago Hustle (Basketball team)
• Subject
  • Women's Professional Basketball League
  • Basketball for women--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Sports--Illinois--Chicago Metropolitan Area--20th century
  • Sports for women--Illinois--Chicago Metropolitan Area--20th century
  • Women athletes--Illinois--Chicago Metropolitan Area--20th century
  • Women basketball players--Illinois--Chicago--20th century
  • Women--Illinois--Chicago Metropolitan Area--Societies and clubs--20th century
• Geographic CoverageChicago Metropolitan Area (Ill.)--Social life and customs--20th century

The collection is arranged in five series.

Series 1. Administrative files, 1981-1996 (boxes 1-5)

Consists of meeting minutes, correspondence, annual reports, committee reports, end of year reports, policies, by-laws, financial records, grant materials, and other administrative records of the CAWSA. Also included is information related to the board of directors, volunteers, and interns.

Series 2. Member and contact files, 1983-1996 (boxes 6-7)

Consists of membership lists, member contact sheets, member surveys, and correspondence. Also included is a small amount of material pertaining to the creation of a directory of area sports resources.

Series 3. Event and program materials, 1981-1995 (boxes 8-9)

Contains brochures, fliers, correspondence, program committee minutes and notes, newspaper clippings, photographs, negatives, and other records pertaining to events and programs hosted by the CAWSA, such as a conference on women's health issues, and fundraising and sporting events. Also present are newspaper clippings, photographs, programs, scorecards, and other materials related to the Chicago Hustle, a professional women's basketball team that existed from 1978 to 1981.

Series 4. Club and organizational materials, 1981-1995 (boxes 9-10)

Contains proposals, sign-up sheets, applications, membership lists, press releases, and other papers related to clubs offered by the CAWSA. Club activities include swimming, sailing, cycling, cross country skiing, and basketball. Also includes a small quantity of brochures and other papers for area sports clubs.

Series 5. Marketing files and publications, 1979-1996 (boxes 10-12)

Consists of press releases, newsletters, publicity handbooks, media contact sheets, correspondence, newspaper clippings of articles by CAWSA members, and other papers related to marketing and publicity. Some correspondence pertains to the CAWSA's advocacy activities. Also included are newspaper clippings about the Chicago Hustle; and magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and brochures for area women's groups and sports clubs.