UNO Legendary Woman Collection

Each year, the University of Nebraska at Omaha selects a Legendary Woman who is announced and honored at the annual luncheon of the UNO Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women (CCSW). The requirements for UNO Legendary Woman honorees include that they must have ties to the University of Nebraska at Omaha or its predecessor the University of Omaha, have done something especially noteworthy for the university or the community, and be deceased. An exception to the last requirement was when Connie Claussen was honored in 2017).

The UNO Legendary Woman Collection includes historical source material gathered and consulted by the CCSW Legendary Woman Committee. The material generally includes awardees’ resumes, photographs, news clippings, letters from people who knew the honoree. A scrapbook that belonged to Olga Jorgensen is part of the collection and a reproduction of at least a portion of a scrapbook for awardee Margaret Fischer is also available. A portion of this material was gathered by university archivist Les Valentine with other material gathered by committee members from other repositories, families, friends, and database searches. Reproductions of material for which the originals are available in UNO Libraries’ Archives and Special Collections are also found in the collection.

At least one folder is available for each honoree containing the luncheon program and other publicity material such as bookmarks, brochures, and fliers distributed at the event. Most of these folders also contain correspondence and copies of historical material generated by the university archivist and the CCSW Legendary Woman Committee. In some cases, preliminary research material about nominees not bestowed the honor are also available in the committee’s folder. UNO's Legendary Woman awardees: 2018 Elizabeth Hill, 2017 Connie Claussen, 2016 Virginia Lee Frank, 2015 Marion Marsh Brown, 2014 Thresa E. Clark, 2013 Nell Marguerite Ward, 2012 Ellen Hartman Pearey Gast, 2011 Margaret R. Fischer, 2010 Olga J. Strimple.