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Marilyn Crotty papers, 1972-2018, bulk 1976-1978

 

Summary

Creator:
Crotty, Marilyn, 1942-
Abstract:
The Marilyn Crotty papers, 1972-2018 (bulk 1976-1978), chiefly consist of news clippings, correspondence, reports, organizational records, and publications collected by Marilyn Crotty during her involvement with the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW). This collection documents the commission's organizational history and its efforts toward the betterment of women in the Central Florida area. The collection offers a glimpse into second-wave feminist activism in Florida and strategies in the 1970s to promote the feminist movement and gain support. Marilyn Ettinger Crotty is a Florida educator, activist, and civic leader whose career included work in public service, local government, and higher education. She served on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Florida Environmental Efficiency Study Commission, and the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW). In 1982, she established Valencia Community College's Center for Community Leadership, a state-funded institute that provided training programs for local government employees and elected officials. In 1990, the University of Central Florida hired her to direct the John Scott Dailey Institute of Government, a position she held until her retirement in 2018.
Extent:
1.3 Linear Feet 3 boxes, 1 flat file
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Marilyn Crotty papers, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Background

Scope and content:

The Marilyn Crotty papers, 1972-2018 (bulk 1976-1978), chiefly consist of news clippings, correspondence, reports, organizational records, and publications collected by Marilyn Crotty during her involvement with the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW). This collection documents the commission's organizational history and its efforts toward the betterment of women in the Central Florida area. The collection offers a glimpse into second-wave feminist activism in Florida and strategies in the 1970s to promote the feminist movement and gain support.

Series I: Personal Files, 1976-2018, contains Marilyn Crotty's personal papers, including personal correspondence, publications, and materials related to Crotty's role in public service positions outside of the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women. It also includes news clippings relating to Crotty and her achievements. This series is arranged alphabetically by topic.

Series II: Commission on the Status of Women, 1972-1996, consists of material relating to the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW). Subseries I, Organizational Records, features internal records of the Commission, including interlocal agreements, ordinances, and testimonies about the creation of the Commission, as well as meeting minutes, reports, and news articles. It also holds publications produced by both the Central Florida COSOW and other national feminist organizations. This subseries is arranged by topic in alphabetical order. Subseries II, Initiatives, contains material related to various causes and actions that COSOW supported or engaged in, including women's education, employment, and spousal abuse support. There is a sizable number of materials on the Equal Rights Amendment. This subseries is arranged by topic in alphabetical order.

Biographical / historical:

Marilyn Ettinger Crotty is a Florida educator, activist, and civic leader whose career included work in public service, local government, and higher education. Born in 1942 to Beatrice Bornstein Ettinger and Leon Ettinger, Crotty earned a B.S. in Nursing from the University of Florida in 1963. Following graduation, she lived in San Francisco, California with her husband, Garrett Crotty, devoting her time to volunteer work, community service, and raising their three sons.

In 1968, she joined the League of Women Voters of San Francisco. When her family returned to Florida in 1971, she remained active in the League, participating in local and national initiatives, such as efforts to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). She served as President of the Seminole County League of Women Voters from 1973 to 1975, then as a board member of the Florida League for six years. She worked at various times alongside her mother, Beatrice Ettinger, who helped to establish the Central Florida Educational Consortium for Women and served as Vice President of the Florida League of Women Voters. Crotty received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the League of Women Voters in 2021.

Crotty later served as Executive Director of the Tri County League of Cities, representing municipalities in Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties, and as a faculty member on the Florida League of Cities Institute for Elected Municipal Officials. She also served on the East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, the Florida Environmental Efficiency Study Commission, and the Florida Governor's Commission on the Status of Women (COSOW). Charged with improving public awareness of the needs and concerns of Florida women, COSOW advocated for women's education, employment, equal pay, and domestic violence support. They also worked to establish local commissions throughout the state and were involved in International Women's Year (1975).

Crotty had a long relationship with Central Florida's higher education institutions. In 1982, she established Valencia Community College's Center for Community Leadership, a state-funded institute that provided training programs for local government employees and elected officials. In 1990, the University of Central Florida hired her to direct the John Scott Dailey Institute of Government, a position she held until her retirement in 2018.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Marilyn Crotty in 2026 (Accession no. CFM2026_04).
Processing information:

Processed by and finding aid prepared by Ava Botwin in 2026.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged into two series as follows:

  • Series I. Personal Files, 1976-2018
  • Series II. Commission on the Status of Women, 1972-1996

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The entire collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], Marilyn Crotty papers, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.

Location of this collection:
John C. Hitt Library
12701 Pegasus Drive, Building 2
Orlando
FL
32816-8030
USA