Catherine W. Kallal papers

The Catherine W. Kallal papers consist of 1.3 linear feet of material pertaining to the publication of Delaware Government by the League of Women Voters of Delaware, Kallal’s years as president of the LWV of Delaware and the LWV of Greater Wilmington, as well as information on environmental issues from 1968 to 2005. The collection came to the University of Delaware in 2006 as a gift of Catherine Kallal. It is divided into three series: environmental information, League of Women Voters papers, and source materials for the publication for the Delaware Government book.

Series I. Environmental Information and Conference Materials, contains materials gathered predominantly during the 1970s and the 1990s. The subjects range from air pollution to water pollution, energy consumption, and climate change. Papers include pamphlets, reports, newspaper articles, and autograph notes compiled either by Kallal or as part of conferences and workshops she attended in Delaware. Much of the information concerns regions of Delaware or the Mid-Atlantic. Conferences were sponsored by various groups, but often included representatives or support from the League of Women Voters and the University of Delaware. Within the series, the papers of the Delaware Climate Change Working Group and consortium cover multiple meetings from 1997 to 2001.

Series II. contains meeting minutes and newsletters that relate to Kallal’s time as president of the League of Women Voters of Greater Wilmington (1971-1973) and of the League of Women Voters of Delaware (1976-1978). During her presidency of the Greater Wilmington League, Kallal assisted with efforts to have Wilmington recognized as an All American City. The efforts of the League and the ultimate award earned by the city were not without controversy, and correspondence between Kallal and a journalist by the name of Norm Lockman reflect that. The series also includes multiple editions of a book produced by the LWV on the city of Wilmington between 1968 and 1987, and an edition of the Delaware Government book updated in 2002. One file relates to the 1998 League Day in Dover, and the interest of the LWV in the civic education of children.

Series III. is a collection of materials used for the production of the 1981, 1991 and 1999 editions of the Delaware Government book. The majority of the sources deal specifically with the 1999 fourth edition, which Kallal revised with Robert Kallal, her husband. Draft copies, proofs, final products, page layouts, computer disks, business correspondence, and photographs document the process of revision and publication.