College Club photograph collection

The College Club, Inc. is the Baltimore Branch of the American Association of University Women (AAUW), a social and community action group founded in 1894 and chartered in 1908 for the purpose of gathering together women with college backgrounds to socialize and exchange ideas. Among the original founders and members were Dr. Lilian Welsh, Dr. Mary Sherwood, Dr. Florence Sabin, Mrs. Fabian Ladd-Franklin, Miss Julia Rogers, and Mrs. A. Morris Carey.

In addition to cultivating its many cultural interests, the College Club developed into a community action organization involving themselves internationally as well as nationally and locally. In both world wars, the club was involved in giving aid to Britain, and in national defense at home. In more recent years, the club sponsored exchange programs enabling foreign women to study and work in Baltimore. Nationally, the group supported women’s suffrage, and sponsored guest speakers and study groups to educate themselves on issues.

Locally, members of this group raised money for undergraduate scholarships to Goucher College, and eventually, through the AAUW, helped provide funds for women to do graduate work in a variety of fields, both abroad and in the United States. They also provided clothing and funds to local charitable organizations. Depending upon the interests of the current membership, the College Club has had a constant history of service to the community and nation.