Dorothy Woods Morrow papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Dorothy Woods Morrow papers
- Date
- 1929-1993, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Morrow, Dorothy Woods, 1924-1993
- Extent
- 1.1 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- African American college graduates -- Kentucky
- African American women -- Kentucky
- African Americans -- Kentucky
- Diplomas
- Lynch (Ky.)
- Politicians -- Kentucky.
- Rural African Americans.
- Improved, Benevolent, Protective Order of Elks of the World
- Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, Alabama)
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format in two series: Papers and Photographs.
- Preferred Citation
- 2021ms102: [identification of item], Dorothy Woods Morrow papers, 1929-1993, undated, University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Dorothy Luretha Woods Morrow was born October 5, 1924, in Benham, Kentucky, to Emma Wood and John Wesley Woods, a coal miner. She graduated from Harlan County Schools and then John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital and Training School for Nurses of Tuskegee Institute as a Registered Nurse. For thirty-five years, she worked for Lynch Medical Services. Dorothy married William H. Morrow, a World War II veteran and former employee of US Steel Works in Lynch, Kentucky. The couple raised two children: Billye Morrow Peeples and Dwain W. Morrow. Dorothy was a member of Rising Star Baptist Church, Star of Benham Chapter No. 77 Order of Eastern Star, Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks Rising Sun Temple, and served on the Commission of Human Rights of the State of Kentucky. In 1974, Morrow was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Lynch City Coucil, and was won a full term to the the council in the November 1975 election. She was the first Black woman to hold a city council post. Dorothy Morrow died at age sixty-nine in 1993.
- Sources: "Beta Sigma Phi Honored Mrs. Morrow for Nursing", Tri-City News, Cumberland, Kentucky, 1975 October 9.
- "Morrow, Dorothy L.," Notable Kentucky African Americans Database, accessed 2023 January 23, https://nkaa.uky.edu/nkaa/items/show/1140.
- Scope and Content
- The Dorothy Woods Morrow papers (dated 1929-1993, undated; 1.1 cubic feet; 3 boxes) comprise certifcates, newspaper clippings, publications, and photographs related to the life of Dorothy Woods Morrow, an African-American nurse and community leader from Lynch, Kentucky during the mid twentieth century. Certificates in the collection include diplomas and statewide recognition of service. The newspaper and magazine clippings include articles about Dorothy Woods Morrow, her father, John Woods, a coal miner, and a letter to the editor about respect for Lynch High School sports teams. The collection includes publications about Kentucky Black leaders, Eastern Kentucky history, as well as Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World (IBPOEW) by-laws, constitution, and ritual books. The Dorothy Woods Morrow papers photographs include portraits and special event images of Black life in Eastern Kentucky. Of note, the collection includes a postcard from Morrow, written while a student at Tuskegee Institute, to her husband, William Morrow during his training in the army for World War II.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center.
Contents of the Collection
Papers, 1929-1993, undated
Scope and Contents
The Papers series (dated 1929-1993, undated) comprises certificates, newspaper clippings, programs, and publications related to the life and family of Dorothy Woods Morrow. Certificates include Morrow's diplomas from Harlan County Schools in Eastern Kentucky and the Tuskegee College of Nursing in Alabama during the 1940's. The series includes book publications about the history of Black leaders in Kentucky and Black miners and their families in Lynch, Kentucky. The series also contains constitution and ritual books for the Improved Benevolent Protective Order of Elks of the World, an African-American fraternal order, and a Bible given to Morrow's father, John Woods, from his Masonic Lodge.
"21 Local Citizens Received Certificate In Emergency Medical Technician Program", Tri-City News clipping, undated
1976 Kentucky Directory of Black Elected Officials, Fourth Report, Commission on Human Rights, Commonwealth of Kentucky (Dorothy Morrow, page 18), 1976
"A History of Lynch, Kentucky, 1917-1930", by Thomas A. Keleman, Filson Club History Quarterly, Louisville, 1974 April
Benham High School Diploma of Graduation, 1942 May 28
"Beta Sigma Phi Honored Mrs. Morrow for Nursing", Tri-City News, Cumberland, Kentucky, 1975 October 9
The Book of Lynch, First Edition, Wanda Stewart, editor (Dorothy Morrow on page 35, 52), undated
Dorothy L. Woods Morrow funeral program, Rising Star Baptist Church, Benham, Kentucky, 1993 November 9
Dr. George Washington Carver, Tuskegee Institute postcard sent to Private Morrow from Dorothy, 1948
Governor's Outstanding Kentuckian Award certificate, 1986 December 18
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Constitution and By-Laws, 1947
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Ritual book, 1950
Improved Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks Ritual books, 1929
John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital and Training School for Nurses of Tuskegee Institute Diploma, 1948 May 10
John Woods clipping, "Benham Coal Mines Magazine", 1945 March
"Kentucky's Black Heritage", Kentucky Commission on Human Rights, Commonwealth of Kentucky, Frankfort, Kentucky, 1971
Letter to the editor by Dorothy Morrow regarding Lynch High School sports team, Tri-City News, undated
Lynch, Kentucky news clipping, undated
Receipt for insured mail sent to Mrs. Dorothy Morrow, Nurses Home, Tuskegee Institute, Alabama, 1947 October 27
Registered Nurse License, Board of Nurses' Examiners and Registration, State of Alabama, 1948 July 12
Second Annual Tuskegee Institute Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet an Annual Reunion Banquet program, 1975 November 8
Tuskegee Institute Annual Commencement Program, 1948 May 10
New Standard Alphabetical Indexed Standard Holy Bible presented to John Wesley Woods by Morgan Lodge, Prince Hall Affiliated, 1951
Dorothy Woods, Certificate of Promotion to High School, Harlan County Schools, Kentucky, 1938 May 24
Susie Antoinette Woods, Diploma, Lynch Colored High School, Kentucky, 1934 May 31
Photographs, 1942-1962, undated
Scope and Contents
The Photographs series (dated 1942-1962, undated) contains images from Dorothy Morrow's wedding, Eastern Kentucky social events, and portraits. Of note is a photo of women in uniform, possibly at a commemorative event for the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-black battalion of the Women's Army Corps stationed in England and France during the Second World War.
Wedding: Flora Mae Callaway, Dorothy Luretha Woods Morrow, William Henry Morrow, Susie Williams Evans (Godmother), Anna "Moss" Mullen, Benham Colored School, Benham, Harlan County, Kentucky, circa 1945, copy undated, undated
Dorothy L. Woods, Benham, Kentucky baseball game, circa 1943 (copy), undated
Dorothy Morrow portrait, circa 1945
"Jam Session", 1942-1943, football field, circa 1942
Parade float, 1962 June
6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, unidentified women, circa 1945
Woman's portrait, circa 1945
Woman wearing nurse uniform, portrait, circa 1945
John, Emma, Annette Susie, and Dorothy Woods, Benham, Kentucky, circa 1940, copy, undated
Wedding: Flora Mae Callaway, Dorothy Luretha Woods Morrow, William Henry Morrow, Susie Williams Evans (Godmother), Anna "Moss" Mullen, Benham Colored School, Benham, Harlan County, Kentucky, circa 1945
Wedding: Flora MacCallaway, Fredia McDonald with Smott, Dorothy Woods Morrow and William Henry Morrow, Anna Moss, and unidentified persons, Benham Colored School, Benham, Kentucky, circa 1945
Dorothy L. Woods Morrow, Elite Social Club, Lynch Colored School, Lynch, Harlan County, Kentucky, circa 1950
Elite Social Club Event, Lynch Colored School, standing: Lula Sunday, Susie Evans, Dorothy Morrow, and three unidentified woman, circa 1950
Elite Social Club Event, Lynch Colored School, sitting: Lula Sunday, Susie Evans, Dorothy Morrow, and three unidentified woman, circa 1950
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Table of Contents
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UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
