Resource: Allie Corbin Hixson papers | U of L Archives Catalog

This collection documents the life and work of Allie Hixson, Kentucky feminist. The largest portion of the collection is contained in series titled "Organizational Work" (13.75 linear feet) and "Topical and Reference" (6.25 linear feet). Due to Hixson's vast organizational work and feminist interests, this material frequently overlaps. The collection also includes personal and biographical material as well as her own writing on a variety of subjects. Topics covered in this collection include suffrage, the ERA, displaced homemakers, Kentucky women, reproductive rights, and other issues relating to women's rights and women's lives more generally. Organizations covered include the American Association of University Women (AAUW), Business and Professional Women (BPW), International Women's Year, including local, national and international work, Kentucky ProERA Alliance, Kentucky Women Advocates, National Organization for Women (NOW), the International Women's Year Continuing Committee, which became the National Women's Conference Committee (NWCC), the Older Women's League (OWL) (local and national), and Rural American Women. In addition to correspondence, her own writings, records of and about various organizations and issues, and professional and family photographs, this collection contains memorabilia such as bumper stickers, buttons, plaques and certificates. The collection dates from 1924 to 2005, with the bulk of the collection dating between 1970 and 2000.

Dates

1924-2005
Majority of material found within 1970-2000

Extent

24.375 linear feet (18 records center boxes, 5 cassette boxes, 2 flats and 1 half-manuscript box)

Additional Description

Biographical sketch

Allie Corbin was born in 1924 in southern Kentucky. At the age of 18, she came to Louisville, where she met and married Bill Hixson. She received a PhD in English from the University of Louisville in 1969. At the age of 51, Allie Hixson's life took a new direction, as she became involved in the national women's movement. Dedicated to women's issues, she became one of the most prominent feminist leaders in Kentucky and an important leader in the national Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) movement. Hixson served as a co-organizer of the Kentucky Pro-ERA Alliance and the Kentucky Women's Agenda Coalition, was elected chair of the Kentucky International Woman's Year in 1977, spoke at the national ERA rally, and worked closely with Lt. Governor Thelma Stovall. Hixson's picture hangs in the rotunda of the Kentucky capitol as a "notable Kentucky woman." She passed away on October 30, 2007.