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Mary Conway Kohler papers

 Collection
Identifier: SSC-MS-00282

Scope and Contents

Materials in this collection include reports and surveys complied by Kohler as a consultant on youth and employment education. The bulk of material covers activities from 1970 to 1986, especially her work for National Commission on Resources for Youth (NCRY). Also included are personal correspondence; writings; speeches; published articles and books; material for an unpublished book on juvenile delinquency; printed material from NCRY and other programs; line-a-day diaries. Of special interest are 10 years of correspondence with Anna Freud, as well as child psychology writings by Anna Freud.

Dates of Materials

  • Creation: 1910 - 1999

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for use without restriction beyond the standard terms and conditions of Smith College Special Collections.

Conditions Governing Use

To the extent that she owns copyright, Catherine Kohler Riessman has assigned the copyright in Kohler's works to Smith College; however, copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For reproductions of materials that are governed by fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. For instances which may regard materials in the collection not created by Kohler, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold materials' copyrights and obtaining approval from them. Researchers do not need anything further from Smith College Special Collections to move forward with their use.

Biographical Note

Mary Conway Kohler was a juvenile court judge and recognized expert and author in the field of juvenile justice. Born in Oakland, California in 1903, she received her A.B. in 1926 and her J.D. in 1928, both from Stanford University. Conway married John Kohler in 1926 and they had 3 children. Conway Kohler went on to become a probation officer of Juvenile Court, San Francisco, 1929-1931 and Chief probation officer, 1931-1932. She served as Juvenile Court Judge, San Francisco, 1932-1948. Conway Kohler was a consultant on Family and Children's Courts for New York Temporary Commission, 1953- 1959. In 1959,as consultant to Ford Foundation, she studied methods used to combat juvenile delinquency in Europe. She also consulted on youth problems for various government agencies and foundations, circa 1960s; was president of the Kennedy Committee on Youth Employment; chair, Committee on Juvenile Laws and Procedures, American Bar Association; director, Neighborhood Youth Corps, New York City, circa 1960s-1970s; founder, chair, and ex-director, National Commission on Resources for Youth, circa 1970s-1980s. In addition, Conway Kohler co-author Children Teach Children: Learning by Teaching(1971); was author of Young People Learning to Care(1983); and co-author, New Roles for Youth in the School and Community. Conway Kohler retired in 1981.

Extent

19.5 linear feet (18 containers)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Mary Conway Kohler was a juvenile court judge and recognized expert and author in the field of juvenile justice. Materials in this collection include material complied by Kohler as a consultant on youth and employment education. The bulk of material covers activities from 1970 to 1986, especially her work for National Commission on Resources for Youth (NCRY). Also included are personal correspondence; writings; speeches; published articles and books; material for an unpublished book on juvenile delinquency; printed material from NCRY and other programs; line-a-day diaries. Of special interest are 10 years of correspondence with Anna Freud, as well as child psychology writings by Anna Freud.

Arrangement

This collection has been added to over time in multiple "accessions." An accession is a group of materials received from the same source at approximately the same time.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

These papers were donated to the Sophia Smith Collection in two batches, in 1986 and in 2011, by Catherine Kohler Riessman.

Accruals

This collection includes accession 11S-58. received on 2011-11-22.

Processing Information

Between September 2022 and February 2023, Smith College Special Collections renumbered many boxes to eliminate duplicate numbers within collections in order to improve researcher experience. The following changes were made in this collection: Accession 2011-S-0058, Box 1 renumbered as Box 18

Title
Finding aid to Mary Conway Kohler papers
Status
Legacy Finding Aid (Updated)
Author
Ellice Amanna
Date
2019-06-18
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Revision Statements

  • 2017-07-26T17:48:24-04:00: This record was migrated from InMagic DB Textworks to ArchivesSpace.
  • 2019-06-18: Finding aid updated to current standards and published.

Repository Details

Part of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Repository

Contact:
Neilson Library
7 Neilson Drive
Northampton MA 01063