Women and Leadership Archives Loyola University Chicago Patricia (Patty) Caron Crowley Papers, 1913-2006 Creator: Patricia Caron Crowley (July 1913-November 2005) Extent: 40 linear ft. Processor: Shannon A. Shea, Carole Heath, Valerie Gerrard Browne Updated by: K. Young, 19 March 2002; Kat Latham, December, 2008. Updated by Elizabeth Myers and Maria Wagner, July 2011 Administration Information Access Restrictions: 0.25 lin. ft. of records restricted until 2028. Usage Restrictions: Copyright for materials created by Patricia Caron Crowley in this collection has been transferred to the Women and Leadership Archives. Preferred Citation: Loyola University of Chicago. Women and Leadership Archives. Patricia Caron Crowley Papers, 1913-2006. Box #. Folder #. Provenance: Patricia Caron Crowley donated all materials to the Women and Leadership Archives on 7 December 1994 as original accession WLA1994.16, and addendums WLA1995.01, WLA1996.30, WLA1998.02, WLA1999.12, WLA1999.32, WLA2000.17, WLA2001.04 and WLA2006.42. Separations: Finding aid for Christian Family Movement records was removed to case file. See also: The University of Notre Dame Archives for the Christian Family Movement records (finding aid available in case file). Biography Patricia (Patty) Caron was born 24 July 1913 in Chicago, Illinois, to Ovidas Joseph Caron, who owned and operated the Caron Spinning Co. of Rochelle, Illinois (now Caron International) and his wife, Marietta Higman Caron. She is the oldest of five children (Marietta, Richard, Joan, and John.) In 1921, Patty attended school at the Sacred Heart Convent in Lake Forest, Illinois, before moving to Sacred Heart School in Chicago. Patty then attended Immaculata High School in Chicago for her first two years of high school before returning to Sacred Heart for her final two years, graduating in 1931. During her school years Patty was active in the Girl Scouts, founded in 1912 by Juliette Gordon Low. After high school, Patty attended Trinity College in Washington, D.C., spending her junior year abroad at the Sorbonne in Paris, and graduating in 1936 with a Bachelor of Arts. In 1934, during a weekend at home, she met her future husband, Patrick Francis (Pat) Crowley. They became engaged on 24 April 1937 (the Caron’s wedding anniversary) and married on 16 October 1937 at Mt. Carmel Church in Chicago. Pat and Patty Crowley shared a love for children, having five of their own – Patricia Ann (13 May 1939), Joan (29 August 1941 – 1 September 1941), Mary Ann (5 June 1943), Patrick Joseph (15 December 1944), and Catherine Anne (24 March 1947) – in addition to taking in countless foster children and foreign students. Two children stand out as firsts - Algie Augustine, their first foster child and who would stay close to the Crowley family, and Theresa, their first adopted child. In 1941 the Crowleys’ moved to Wilmette, a move that changed their lives with Pat and Patty becoming involved in Catholic action groups meeting at their local church. The traditional practice Crowley, pg. 1 Women and Leadership Archives Loyola University Chicago of these groups was for men and women to meet separately, a practice that continued during the Crowleys’ attendance although other things changed. The biggest change was that the men in these groups began to discuss family issues while the women in these groups discussed social issues. Both men and women began taking action on issues that were important to them. During this period the Crowleys’ began their involvement with the Friendship House of Chicago, a Catholic social action group focusing on the improvement of race relations in the United States. This involvement influenced the direction that the Crowleys’ took with their social justice actions. In 1948, it was suggested that men and women meet together for the first time. This change brought about the formation of a number of organizations: Pre-CANA, CANA, Christian Family Action, and, ultimately, the Christian Family Movement (CFM). From the inception of Christian Family Movement, the Crowleys’ were deeply immersed in coordinating activities in the United States as well as helping people to start Christian Family Movement groups throughout the world. Among the many countries they visited were Germany, France, Belgium, New Zealand, Ceylon, Portugal, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Nigeria. Pat Crowley became the Christian Family Movement’s first President in 1949. The 1960s were years filled with travel for the Crowleys. In 1964 they embarked upon a world tour to visit Christian Family Movement groups around the globe. In 1964 the Crowleys’ were appointed by Pope Paul IV to the Birth Control Commission originally set up by Pope John XXIII, and went to Rome four times as part of the Vatican Council. They also traveled to Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Thailand, India, and Israel for Christian Family Movement and the International Union of Family. In 1967 the Crowleys’ moved from their home in Wilmette to 1300 Lake Shore Drive, later followed by a move in 1969 to the permanent Crowley residence at the John Hancock Building in downtown Chicago. By 1970 Ray and Dorothy Muldoon were organizing the domestic affairs of Christian Family Movement, thus allowing the Crowleys’ to focus exclusively on the international aspects of the organization. Between 1970 and 1971 they traveled to New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Manila, Taiwan, Korea, and Japan. Pat Crowley died at home on November 20, 1974. His death brought an end to the dynamic couple that made appearances and hosted parties as part of their Christian and civic efforts. After Pat Crowley’s death Patty Crowley continued her commitment to Christian efforts, although the scope of her work changed over the last 20 years. Patty began dedicating her spare time and energy to the issues of women who are poor and homeless. She put her talents to use at Deborah’s Place, a shelter for women, and at various affiliated organizations. Patty also visited women prisoners. Over the years the Crowleys’ have been awarded many honors for both their Church and civic activities. This collection contains some of the honors they received, including the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Medals bestowed by Pope Pius XII, and the Laetare Medal, the highest honor bestowed by the University of Notre Dame. In addition they have received citations from Christian Family Movement, the Afro-American Patrolmen’s League, the Chicago Commission on Human Relations, and Conference of Christians and Jews. Patty has been honored individually as a recipient of the Mundelein College Magnificat Medal, the Loyola University Camellia Award, and with honorary doctorates from both Loyola University Chicago and Trinity College, Washington D.C. Crowley, pg. 2 Women and Leadership Archives Loyola University Chicago Patty’s civic commitments included positions as the director, president or board member of such organizations as Caron International, the Little Brothers of the Poor, the Foundation for International Cooperation, International Visitors Center, the Friends of the Chicago Public Library, Visiting Committee of the University of Chicago Divinity School, the Family Institute of Chicago, the United Nations Association of Chicago, the Grand Council of the American Indian Center of Chicago, the Latino Institute, and Chicago Catholic Women. Patricia (Patty) Caron Crowley passed away at home on November 23, 2005 and was interned at Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, IL. Scope and Content Series 1: Biographical, 1928-2006, n.d. Boxes 1-4 Contains newspaper articles, family history documents, certificates, oral history transcripts, guest books, cashflow registers, a journal, and other papers related to Patty Caron Crowley’s life. The folders are arranged alphabetically within the series. Patty Crowley: Lay Pioneer by William Droel (This publication is available on the Gannon Center for Women and Leadership website: http://www.luc.edu/media/lucedu/gannon/pdfs/PattyCrowley.pdf) Series 2: Correspondence, 1911-2005, n.d. Boxes 4-9 Contains letters, cards, and telegraphs to and from various members of the Caron and Crowley family. Subjects covered range from personal topics such as: the daily life of O.J. Caron prior to his marriage to Marietta Higman, Pat’s letter to Patty prior to their marriage, wedding congratulations, birthday cards, and sympathy cards; to organizational topics such as: Christian Family Movement and Jewish Catholic Dialogue. The folders are arranged alphabetically within the series. Series 3: Activities, 1946-2005, n.d. Boxes 9-12 Contains newspaper articles, speeches, flyers, booklets, brochures, and travel journals relating to the various activities in which Patty engaged. Subjects covered include Christian Family Movement, Jewish Catholic Dialogue, Deborah’s Place, Chicago Housing Authority, a trip to Mexico, a trip through South America, and discord in the Catholic Church. The folders within the series are arranged alphabetically. Series 4: Restricted, Box 13 Series 5: Scrapbooks, 1913-2005, n.d. Boxes 14-63 Contains a number of scrapbooks documenting the life of Patty Caron Crowley from birth to death. Materials in the scrapbooks consist of everything from newspaper clippings, letters, cards, invitations, newsletters, flyers, and photographs to the signatures of and messages from guests to the Crowley household. Unlike the rest of the collection the scrapbooks are arranged chronologically. This exception was made due to the mixed content of many of the scrapbooks. Unless the scrapbook related only to family activities a brief description follows the listing of the scrapbook. Crowley, pg. 3 Women and Leadership Archives Loyola University Chicago Series 6: Photographs, 1922-1993, n.d. Boxes 64-68 Contains photographs of family members, visitors, and events. The folders in this series are arranged alphabetically. Series 7: Three Dimensional Objects and Oversized Cards, 1921-1989, n.d. Boxes 69-71 Contains framed certificates, plaques, medals, prayer books, a hat, a large birthday card, and large thank you card relating to Patty’s various activities. The materials within this series are arranged as close to alphabetically as possible given storage constraints.