Scope and Content Note
The records of the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation (VWMF) span the years 1966-2020, with the bulk of the material dating from 1985 to 1999. The collection chiefly comprises materials related to the organizations efforts to establish a national memorial to the women, both military and civilian, who served in the Vietnam War, heralded by founder and Vietnam veteran Diane Carlson Evans. Records include correspondence, clippings, video news clips, board meeting minutes and reports, design and construction drawings, photographs, press releases, reference materials, and testimonies, statements, hearings, and official proclamations and certificates from the various government and nonprofit agencies that were involved in the establishment of the memorial. The collection is organized into five series: Office File, Subject File, Chronological File, Diane Carlson Evans File, and Oversize.
While the collection primarily contains the administrative files documenting the Vietnam Women's Memorial Foundation's efforts to secure financial, legislative, and community support for the memorial itself, a significant volume of material includes press coverage, both print and video, of the campaign, development, and dedication of the memorial; reference materials related to the Vietnam War, in particular to women Vietnam War veterans, as well as Evans's personal files. Newspaper clippings and video news clips are primarily from Washington, D.C., and Minnesota outlets, but also include programs broadcast and circulated nationally. The vast majority of VWMF publicity includes interviews with Evans, who traveled extensively, speaking to a wide range of veterans organizations and news networks to raise awareness of the proposed memorial. Though the majority of her speeches, writings, interviews, and correspondence with partner organizations are arranged in the Diane Carlson Evans File, her personal files can be found throughout the collection. While these records are addressed to Evans directly, and not the VWMF, the content almost exclusively relates to the memorial. Very few documents pertain to Evans's personal life, nursing career, or military service, aside from select photographs.
The collections series are listed and briefly described below. A full description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Office File contains the organization's administrative records, primarily from its inception in 1984 to the memorials dedication in 1993.
The Subject File comprises records created by, or in conjunction with, partner agencies and organizations involved in the memorial's development, as well as reference materials on topics and individuals related to the Vietnam War.
The Chronological File comprises clippings, correspondence, event programs, press releases, and other related materials previously arranged chronologically by the VWMF in three-ring binders.
The Diane Carlson Evans File contains correspondence, speeches, interviews, awards, curricula vitae, photographs, and publications in her role as VWMF founder, president, and CEO of its board.
The remaining series contains Oversize material.