Joanne DeWitt Bach collection of Alpha Center for Women records
Scope and Contents
Joanne DeWitt Bach collected this material during her time as an abortion counselor and the Director of the Alpha Center for Women (Springfield, MA). The collection documents Bach’s experience opening and running an abortion clinic that opened in the wave of abortion provision services after Roe v. Wade. Materials include: counseling and office notebooks, Alpha Center office records (including correspondence and clinic floor plans); conference packets; political buttons, pamphlets, brochures, and zines.
Dates of Materials
- Creation: Bulk, 1974-1986
Creator
- Bach, Joanne (Person)
- Alpha Center for Women (Springfield, Mass) (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research use with the following restrictions on access: Counselors' and office notebooks are restricted until the year 2100.
Conditions Governing Use
To the extent that she owned copyright, Sharon Eisenhour has dedicated copyright in her materials to the public domain. This agreement is governed by a CC0 (Creative Commons 1.0 Universal) public domain dedication. Copyright in other items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. For instances which may regard materials in the collection not created by Joanne DeWitt Bach, 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 / Historical
Joanne DeWitt Bach founded and directed the Alpha Center for Women, an abortion clinic located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The clinic operated from 1983 to 1986 and offered comprehensive abortion services as well as confidential and individual counseling in Spanish and English. Before opening the Alpha Center, Joanne was a counselor at Hampden Gynecological Associates.
Originally born in Tank, Pennsylvania in 1928, Joanne lived in Lancaster (PA), Massachusetts, and Belen, New Mexico where she died in 2018. In addition to counseling, Joann was active in politics, a licensed realtor, and a Girl Scout leader. Her husband, George Bach, died in 2017 and she was previously married to the late Eugene Walker Jr.
Source: “Joanne DeWitt Bach obituary”. Accessed October 28, 2021. https://lancasteronline.com/obituaries/joanne-dewitt-bach/article_ca406a39-7c9a-5c21-ae35-0cc91da54f79.html
Extent
1.167 linear feet (3 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Spanish; Castilian
Abstract
Joanne DeWitt Bach founded and directed the Alpha Center for Women, an abortion clinic located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The clinic operated from 1983 to 1986 and offered comprehensive abortion services as well as confidential and individual counseling in Spanish and English. Bach collected this material during her time as an abortion counselor and the Director of the Alpha Center for Women (Springfield, MA). The collection documents Bach’s experience opening and running an abortion clinic that opened in the wave of abortion provision services after Roe v. Wade.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated by Sharon Eisenhour, daughter of Joanne DeWitt Bach, in 2021.
Processing Information
This collection was accessioned by Althea Topek in 2021.
Source
- Eisenhour, Sharon (Donor, Person)
Subject
- Alpha Center for Women (Springfield, Mass) (Organization)
- Title
- Finding aid to the Joanne DeWitt Bach collection of Alpha Center for Women records
- Author
- Althea Topek
- Date
- 2021-10-27
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Sophia Smith Collection of Women's History Repository
