FINDING AID UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA SCHOOL OF LAW BOUNDS LAW LIBRARY ARCHIVES NINA MIGLIONICO COLLECTION MSS.0040 Date Span: 1872-2009 Collection Size: 18 cubic feet Description: Nina Miglionico (1913-2009) was a prominent Birmingham, Alabama, attorney, councilwoman, and activist. Miglionico was born in Birmingham in 1913 and earned her law degree from the University of Alabama in 1936. She practiced law in Birmingham while being active in numerous women’s organizations and was appointed by President John F. Kennedy in 1961 to serve on the President’s Commission on the Status of Women. In 1963, she became the first woman to serve on the Birmingham City Council. The Nina Miglionico Collection contains books, scrapbooks, manuscripts, awards, and other materials from her professional life. The collection contains 18 cubic feet of materials and spans from 1872-2009. *The Nina Miglionico Collection was processed by Samuel A. Rumore, Jr., the longtime law partner and friend of Nina Miglionico. Nina Miglionico Collection Finding Aid Nina Miglionico Collection Box 1A: − 1A-1 Alabama Business and Professional Women’s Clubs convention programs and other conference programs for miscellaneous years, 1954-1994. The 75th Anniversary program (1994) gives the history of 25 local Alabama BPW Clubs and under the Birmingham Club history it refers to Nina Miglionico as State President 1948-1950. The 45th Anniversary program (1964) lists Nina Miglionico as Legal Adviser. The 41st Anniversary program (1960) contains handwritten notes by Nina Miglionico for her remarks at the convention. − 1A-2 Miscellaneous loose news clippings concerning BPW, 1947-1971. Of note are clippings from October 5, 1958 where Ivy Baker Priest, Treasurer of the United States, spoke at the annual Birmingham BPW banquet. Nina Miglionico is described as the current President of the National Association of Women Lawyers. − 1A-3 News clippings, BPW, 1957. Special projects of interest that year proposed abolishing the poll tax, advocating equal rights for women, and seeking women jurors in Alabama. − 1A-4 News clippings, BPW, 1947-1969. − 1A-5 1949 Fashion Forum, University of Alabama: program, news clippings, and correspondence. This was a signature event during Nina Miglionico’s term as President of the Alabama Business and Professional Women’s Clubs. − 1A-6 Text of radio speech by Nina Miglionico, 1944, titled “Are We Part Time Citizens” and May 19, 1945, letter advocating changes in the Alabama Homestead Exemption law. − 1A-7 May 5, 1945, Nina Miglionico report as Birmingham BPW President and 1950 Nina Miglionico report as Alabama BPW President. − 1A-8 Miscellaneous BPW memorabilia, 1949-1987. − 1A-9 Articles from “The Alabama Business Woman”, 1949-1954. − 1A-10 “The Alabama Business Woman”, complete issue, April 1943; front page only of April 1975 issue. − 1A-11 News clippings, 1950-1953, Jury service for women in Alabama. A noteworthy article relates Nina Miglionico’s speech to Birmingham’s Young Men’s Business Club where she states that women cannot serve on juries in Alabama because they are not recognized as people. − 1A-12 Jury Service for Women in Alabama, File No. 1, 1942-1953. This file contains information sheets and extensive correspondence on the topic of jury service for women in Alabama. It also illustrates the grass roots efforts by women in Business and Professional Women’s Clubs, Women’s Civic Clubs, the Women Lawyers Association, and the American Association of University Women to work together for passage of the jury service bill. Ida D. Rosenthal of Birmingham is Chairman of the Committee for Jury Service for Women. Nina Miglionico is Co- Chairman. − 1A-13 Jury Service for Women in Alabama, File No. 2, 1953. This file also contains extensive correspondence including sample letters to the editors of newspapers in Alabama that can be used by supporters. There are many letters 2 Nina Miglionico Collection Finding Aid to and from Alabama Pilot Club officers. This organization endorsed jury service for women at the state level. − 1A-14 Jury Service for Women in Alabama, File No. 3, 1954-1955. Noteworthy in the correspondence is the letter from Associate Judge Annie Lola Price, a member of the Alabama Court of Appeals, to Nina Miglionico dated June 29, 1955. Judge Price could hear appeals from jury trials but could not serve on a jury herself. Also of note is the correspondence of May 1955 to and from women in Decatur, Alabama, concerning the vote of Representative Albert Brewer, who went on to become Speaker of the House, Lieutenant Governor, and Governor of Alabama. − 1A-15 Scrapbook labeled “Personal”; News clippings of women in Birmingham during World War II. The file contains articles by Nina’s friends Alyce Billings Walker and Virginia Van Der Veer. (1944) − 1A-16 Miscellaneous news clippings concerning Elizabeth May, close personal friend of Nina Miglionico and active Birmingham civic leader. − 1A-17 Full-size newspaper pages with photos and articles about Elizabeth May: Birmingham News, Aug. 31, 1947; Alabama Journal, May 1, 1948; Montgomery Advertiser, May 2, 1948. − 1A-18 Group photo with Elizabeth May and other women identified on the backside of photo. Bechtel-McCone Corporation, Birmingham, Alabama, Aircraft Division. (World War II) − 1A-19 Miscellaneous loose news clippings concerning Alabama Department of Youth Services, (Nov. 1976-March 1977) − 1A-20 National Council on State Legislation. This file contains correspondence and reports from nine state councils in Southeastern Region 6 from1952 to 1957. Nina Miglionico apparently took possession of the file due to her service on the Alabama Joint Legislative Council. The organization encouraged women to take an active role in their state government. Many letters are written by Bessie A. Brooks and Nannie R. Nash of Birmingham, Alabama. − 1A-21 Alabama Joint Legislative Council, 1953-1961. This file contains correspondence, reports, minutes, programs, and newsletters of this Alabama women’s organization. Of particular interest are the minutes from the Spring Meeting held in Montgomery on April 2, 1955. Ida D. Rosenthal and Nina Miglionico presented a plan of action by the Committee For Jury Service For Women. Eight state-wide women’s groups in Alabama supported this project of the Joint Legislative Council. − 1A-22 National Council on State Legislation, 1949-1957. There is extensive correspondence and program material in the file. The file contains 4-page national bulletins for October 1954, January 1955, May 1955, December 1955, and December 1956. There is a letter dated May 3, 1957 containing a list of proposed nominees including Nina Miglionico for 2nd Vice-President of the national organization. − 1A-23 National Council on State Legislation, Conventions 1951, 1953, and 1955, and miscellaneous newsletters of this time period. 3 Nina Miglionico Collection Finding Aid − 1A-24 National Council on State Legislation Yearbook -1942-43; Convention Program – 1949; Joint Legislative Council of Alabama – Constitution, Officer Lists and Participating Organizations – 1945, 1948, 1949, and 1952-53. − 1A-25 Alabama Women Lawyers 1942 Membership Book. This mini-book belonged to Ida D. Rosenthal who was a close personal friend, colleague, and mentor of Nina Miglionico. − 1A-26 Nina Miglionico for Congress Reports. This file contains Reports of Receipts and Expenditures of Nina Miglionico’s 1974 Congressional race. − 1A-27 Nina Miglionico for Congress Disbursements File. The receipts for expenses of the campaign are in this file. There is an interesting itemized expenditure to Hamilton Jordan of Atlanta, Georgia who played an important role in the campaign of Jimmy Carter for President in 1976. There is also a memo from Robert S. Vance, Chairman, the Alabama Democratic Executive Committee, who later became a Federal Judge and who died from a mail bomb explosion at his home. − 1A-28 Nina Miglionico for Congress Payroll Information − 1A-29 Miglionico for Congress, Solicitation Letters and Lists for Thank You Letters − 1A-30 Nina Miglionico for Congress Receipts File. This file contains the business card of Hamilton Jordan, Director of the 1974 Campaign Committee of the Democratic National Committee. − 1A-31 Department of Youth Services, Roebuck Campus – News clippings and miscellaneous information about the Alabama Boys Industrial School Box 1B: − 1B-1 Alabama Youth Services, Chalkville Campus, Advisory Board and Staff Meeting Minutes, 1975-76. − 1B-2 Copy of Typed Manuscript on the History of the Alabama Boys Industrial School (to page 182) − 1B-3 Alabama Boys Industrial School History, pages 183-364. − 1B-4 Correspondence, 1962-64. Nina Miglionico was President of the Alabama Joint Legislative Council during those years and this file contains that official correspondence. − 1B-5 Joint Legislative Council of Alabama Convention Programs, 1945-1961. The file also contains the Constitution of this organization. − 1B-6 Joint Legislative Council of Alabama Bulletins, Miscellaneous issues, 1944-1964. − 1B-7 Joint Legislative Council of Jefferson County Bulletins, Miscellaneous issues, 1949-1960. Of particular interest is the invitation to a meeting in the 1950’s that closes with the following quote: “Since we, nor our legislators are prepared, we will not discuss Segregation.” − 1B-8 Village Creek, 1985 Publication of the Birmingham Historical Society, 151 pages − 1B-9 Alabama Women Lawyers Association Correspondence File, 1955-1963; Various membership rosters; Information on issues of interest to women lawyers ---jury service for women, improving the parole system, a child labor 4 Nina Miglionico Collection Finding Aid amendment, prison reform, revision of laws of descent and distribution, and elimination of the poll tax. Of interest is a letter to the women of Jones Law School dated July 12, 1958 inviting them to a luncheon in Montgomery to hear Nina Miglionico, President-elect of the National Association of Women Lawyers, speaking about her recent trip to England for an international meeting of the American Bar Association. − 1B-10 File on Poll Tax Amendment Campaign and Election of December 15, 1953.