Kathryn Jung Schmidt papers
Scope and Contents
This collection includes papers received from Elizabeth S. Schmidt regarding her mother, Kathryn Jung Schmidt, class of 1950 and her father, Albert John Schmidt, class of 1949. It includes letters and travel journals of both Kathryn and Albert Schmidt from 1935-1999.
Dates
- Creation: 1935 - 1999
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, literary rights, including copyright reside with the creators of the documents or their legal heirs and assigns. All requests to publish or quote must be submitted to the DePauw University Archives and Special Collections. The publisher must also obtain permission from the copyright holder.
Biographical
Kathryn Jung Schmidt was born in Cincinnati, Ohio on October 22, 1928. She came of age during the Great Depression and was the first in her family to go to college. Kathryn graduated from DePauw University in 1950 and the following year married Albert J. Schmidt, her college sweetheart. She and Al spent 1952–53 in London, where Al conducted research for his doctorate and the two of them toured Western Europe before moving to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where Al had secured his first teaching job. Between 1953 and 1957, Kathy and Al had three daughters. In 1965, Al accepted a new position at the University of Bridgeport, and the family moved to Fairfield, Connecticut, where they lived until 1990. While raising three daughters, Kathy obtained a master’s degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State College and a sixth year certificate in education from the University of Bridgeport. In 1968 Kathy accepted a position at the Staples High School library in Westport, Connecticut, where she worked until she retired in 1989. Kathy was deeply engaged with her community, working on social and political issues at both the local and national levels. She was elected to the Fairfield, Connecticut Democratic Town Committee, where she served for several years, and was a member of the Citizens' Committee of the Board of Education. In 1970 she volunteered for Joe Duffey’s anti-Vietnam War campaign for Connecticut’s US Senate seat and organized a highly successful fundraiser at the home of neighbors, Leonard and Felicia Bernstein. That summer, she also helped to organize a program that brought inner-city children from Bridgeport to family swimming pools in Fairfield, where they escaped the summer heat and learned basic swimming skills. Kathryn and her husband retired to the Mount Pleasant neighborhood in Washington, D.C. in 1990. Kathy expanded her community engagement to include volunteering at the executive offices of the White House during the Clinton Administration. She also volunteered at the libraries of Woodrow Wilson High School and the Textile Museum and organized the archives of the Woman's National Democratic Club. An active member of the League of Women Voters, Kathryn served as secretary for the local League. Kathryn and her husband were plaintiffs in the lawsuit Alexander v. Daley, inspired by American University law professor (and later, Congressional Representative) Jamie Raskin, which argued for a District of Columbia Representative with full voting rights in the U.S. Congress. They were founding members of DC Vote—which lobbied Congress and generated publicity by successfully changing the motto on Washington, DC license plates to “(No) Taxation Without Representation.” She visited every Advisory Neighborhood Commission and won their support for DC voting rights. As a long time member of the League of Women Voters, she secured the support of the national body to include DC voting rights on the national agenda. DC Vote recognized Kathy’s enormous contribution by giving her its most valuable volunteer award.
Extent
.43 Cubic Feet (1 legal size document case)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Custodial History
This Kathryn Jung Schmidt collection was received by the DePauw University Archives and Special Collections as a donation from her daughter, Elizabeth S. Schmidt, on 2025/06/12.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Subject
- Schmidt, Albert John (class of 1949) (Person)
Genre / Form
- Title
- Kathryn Jung Schmidt papers
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Jenney Taylor
- Date
- 06/12/2025
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Archives of DePauw University and Indiana United Methodism Repository
Roy O. West Library
405 S. Indiana St.
Greencastle Indiana 46135 United States
archives@depauw.edu