Correspondence, 1937-1939

The Auxiliary to the National Medical Association (ANMA) was established in 1936 by Alma Wells Givens. The records of the Auxiliary encompass 8.52 linear feet and date from 1937 to 1997. They document the foundation and early years of the organization, its development from an organization for female spouses of African American doctors to one that included spouses of both sexes, and the various projects undertaken by the Auxiliary. The records contain constitutions and by-laws, correspondence, agendas, meeting minutes, reports, rosters, convention materials, handbooks, financial records, project records, newspaper clippings, photographs, scrapbooks, one videotape, and other miscellaneous materials. Also included are various materials related to affiliated and other health-related organizations, including the National Medical Association.

Correspondence for this organization dates from 1937 to 1997. Early correspondence consists of letters pertaining to ANMA business, as well as letters of condolences and concerns, thanks, and well wishes among the members. Correspondence from the national president to zone directors, state presidents, and individual members concerns plans to expand individual programs, such as the Five Point Program, the National African American Youth Initiative, Project Sun and other health initiatives. Another major topic of correspondence pertains to the ANMA's national conventions, which started in 1939. Convention ideas and details are often discussed in terms of theme, location, and objectives. There is a very high volume of correspondence in the late 1940s during the presidency of Mrs. A. A. Dalton. Gaps in the correspondence include the early 1940s, 1965-1979, and 1989-1997.

Agendas and minutes document local and state auxiliary meetings, as well as the national organization. Meetings of the Executive Board and the National Convention are present with gaps for certain years, including 1959-1964, 1964-1977, and 1979-1994. Reports from individual auxiliary positions, such as the president, vice-president, executive board of directors, and other major auxiliary officials are present, as are committee reports that contain information from the Loans, Scholarship, and Five Point Program committees. There are also regional and national mid-year and final reports.

Rosters, membership and convention registration, as well as handbooks and directives document the membership of the organization, as well as duties and expectations of its members. Convention programs include information on locations, agendas, and themes not only for the ANMA conventions, but, on a limited basis, for the conventions of the National Medical Association, which sometimes met in conjunction with the ANMA. Also present are financial records; publications and newsletters; project records, such as those for the Five Point Program, the National African American Youth Initiative, Project Sun, and various projects undertaken by ANMA and its members. Archives folders, newspaper clippings, scrapbooks, and photographs present further documentation of the organization. However, the collection contains very few photographs and most are unidentified. The collection also includes one folder of histories and chronologies of the organization.