The Princess Anne Chapter of the Business and Professional Women’s club was founded in 1956. These records from Princess Anne, Maryland, 1956-1996, reflect the chapters organizational practices and extensively showcases the club’s activeness and successfulness within its community and its members. The club aimed at empowering its women members to the betterment of their professionalism in hopes of creating a better functioning business community. This was promoted by the individual development workshops, community service, participation in committees, and various programs hosted by the club. With the numerous meeting minutes, finance records, history books and newspaper clipping, the fulfillment of the club’s objectives can be seen through its many accomplishments and accolades. Additional records include the Delta Kappa Gamma records, highlight a few of the societies sacred rites, as well as documents the chapter's activities from 1971-1975 through meeting minutes, budgets, and programs.

The first Business and Professional Women Club (BPW) started in 1917, as a result of a call for women’s assistance during World War I efforts. The club’s popularity began to grow and soon this national organization of women had over 3,670 club chapters across the nation, and over 160,800 members. This professional women’s club aimed at elevating standards for women in business, promoting their interests, bring spirit of cooperation, and extending opportunities to members through education and industrial, scientific, and vocational activities. Benefits of membership included; personal development, legislative awareness, contacts, recognition, scholarships, insurance, and publications. The club was open to all working women regardless of their profession. Over the years the various clubs participated in career development workshops, community service, and activities that all are for the betterment of professionalism within its members. In 2009, the BPW merged with the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation. Since women’s roles in society have changed over the years, and more than 50% of the workforce is comprised of women, the foundations has geared its goals toward achieving economic equality for women, thus its main focus has moved from preparing women for business to advocating for them in legislation.

The Princess Anne Business and Professional Women’s Club was chartered in 1958, and was one of 32 chapters in the state of Maryland. Every third Monday this club would host a dinner meeting that included a dinner, program or guest speaker and a business meeting to discuss upcoming events and announcements. Each member was given the option to join various committees such as finance, public relations, legislative, or individual development, these committees aimed at betterment of women in order for a better functioning business community. Some of the club’s annual activities included a candy drive, a young careerist competition, attending various conference, participating in national business week, and hosting many workshops on a variety of topics for its members. They also worked with the Maryland Federation and even the National Federation of Business and Professional Women, sending delegates to conferences, and nominating members for awards such as the distinguished “women of the year”. The Princess Anne Chapter had made significant contributions to its community since its start, installing confidence and skills into businesswomen across the county. The Princess Anne Chapter is currently inactive, yet the other county Business and Professional Women’s clubs exist.

Also within these records is the records of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an honor society that promotes the professional and personal growth of women educators and excellence in education. Records from the years 1971-1975 include scared honor society rituals, rites, and songs, as well as minutes, budgets, and programs of activities during those years. The Societies vision is to lead women educators to impact education around the world. 

Series I: Administrative Records, contain extensive records over the years of the Club’s active membership from the years 1958-1986. These records include organizational practices such as various bylaws, budgets, membership applications and cards, treasury reports, meeting minutes, program pamphlets, newspaper clippings, and convention records. Throughout the administrative records and History Books, there are various newspaper clippings of the club and its members highlighted in this series that reflect the successfulness of the club’s goals and activities.

Series II: History Books, are a comprehensive scrapbook collection of the Princess Anne Business and Professional Women’s Club compiled and created by club members using club meeting minutes, photos, newspaper clippings, and program pamphlets. These books visually document activities of the club through the years 1958-1985.

Series III: Delta Kappa Gamma Records, include various records that tell of the administrative side of the Honor Society. The collection includes its rites, sacred songs and passages essential to the membership of the society, meeting minutes, budget reports, and a model of the Society’s Greek emblem.

The Princess Anne Business and Professional Women’s Club Records have been arranged into three series: ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS, HISTORY BOOKS, and DELTA KAPPA GAMMA RECORDS. The Administration Records document the organizational practices of the Princess Anne Business and Professional Women’s Club, followed by the clubs’ interactions with the Maryland Federation of the Business and Professional Women’s Club. Any loose materials were organized by subject and then within folders by date.  The History Books showcase the organization of the Club by the members whom put together the books, they included items such as minutes, programs, photographs, and newspaper articles about the club. Although History Book covers were removed all the History Books were kept in the original order. The series on the Delta Kappa Gamma Records highlight different components of the Honor Society, its inner workings as well as its scared rituals such as their songs and passages. The series was arranged by similar intellect arrangement as the Princess Anne Business and Professional Women’s Club records.

Folders are listed by their location in each box; any given subject may be dispersed throughout the entirety of the collection.