Audrey Beck Papers

Collection

Identifier: 1992-0020

Staff Only

Scope and Content

The collection chronicles the eighteen year political career of Audrey Beck focusing on her terms as State representative (1969-1975) and State Senator (1975-1983). The collection includes materials on Beck's campaigns, her House and Senate terms, committees on which she sat, issues with which she was particularly involved (women's issues, education and tax reform) as well as material on her career prior to entering politics. Included are correspondence, legislative documents, clippings, memoranda, photographs, reports, publications, speeches and related materials.

Although she began her career as a district representative for Mansfield, CT, the significant portions of the collection are those that document her senatorial years in the Connecticut General Assembly. The Beck Papers also serve as a companion collection to the Papers of Chase Going Woodhouse (various positions in public service, 1925-1980) and Dorothy Goodwin (54th District, 1974-1984), colleagues of Beck. The three collections together present a fairly complete picture of a generation of women in the Connecticut legislature.

Dates

Creation: undated, 1930-1983

Access

The collection is open and available for research.

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish from these Papers must be obtained in writing from both the University of Connecticut Libraries and the owner(s) of the copyright.

Biography

Audrey Phillips Beck was born on 6 August 1931, in Brooklyn, New York. Her family moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, where Audrey grew up. In 1948, she entered the University of Connecticut, where she received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees. In 1950, while still an undergraduate she married Curt Frederick Beck, a UConn political science professor. A daughter, Meredith Wayne, was born during Audrey Beck's senior year at the University. A son, Ronald Person, was born in 1953.

In 1961, Audrey Beck became a University of Connecticut faculty member in the Economics Department, a position she held for seven years. While on the faculty, she served as a member of the Mansfield Board of Finance. She was a member of the League of Women Voters and served on the state Board of Directors of the LWV from 1962-1965. In 1967, she took a position as economist with the Windham Regional Planning Commission, and was elected to theConnecticut House of Representatives, where she served until 1975. During her years as State Representative, Beck was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, and from 1973-1975, served as Assistant Minority Leader in the House. During this period, she was the only female chairperson of a legislative finance committee in the country. She also served as chairperson for the Democratic State Platform Committee in 1974, 1976, and 1978. Following her three terms in the House, Beck spent one year as a visiting professor of practical politics at Rutgers University. That same year, she was elected to the Connecticut State Senate, where she sat on the State Senate Education Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and acted as Assistant Majority Leader from 1977-1983. Despite a painful divorce in 1979, Beck considered seeking the Democratic nomination for congress that year. She withdrew from the running, however, unable to raise sufficient campaign funds. Beck's primary involvement during her political career were equal rights for women, funding for education, and tax reform. In addition to her expertise on fiscal matters, Beck served on both the Council on Humanities and a State Ad Hoc Committee on the Arts. Audrey Beck died on 11 March 1983, at the age of fifty-one.

Extent

65 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Audrey Phillips Beck was born on 6 August 1931, in Brooklyn, New York. Her family moved to Norwalk, Connecticut, where Audrey grew up. In 1948, she entered the University of Connecticut, where she received both her B.A. and M.A. degrees. In 1961, Audrey Beck became a University of Connecticut faculty member in the Economics Department, a position she held for seven years. In 1967, she took a position as economist with the Windham Regional Planning Commission, and was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives, where she served until 1975. Following her three terms in the House, Beck spent one year as a visiting professor of practical politics at Rutgers University. That same year, she was elected to the Connecticut State Senate, where she sat on the State Senate Education Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and acted as Assistant Majority Leader from 1977-1983. Audrey Beck died on 11 March 1983, at the age of fifty-one.

Arrangement

Series I: Pre-House of Representatives (undated, 1942-1969) contains materials related to Beck's years as a professor in the Economics Department at the University of Connecticut, as a member of the Mansfield Board of Finance, and as an economist with the Windham Regional Planning Agency. This series also contains some planning materials for Beck's General Assembly campaign.

Series II: State House of Representatives (undated, 1948-1978) contains information relating to Beck's three terms in the Connecticut House of Representatives from 1969 to 1975. The series is further divided into the following subseries: Subseries A: Subject Files (1959-1978); Subseries B: Budget (1948-1975); Subseries C: Colleagues (1967-1977): Subseries D: Economy (1954-1978); Subseries E: Environment (1967-1975); Subseries F: Income Tax and Finance (1960-1978); Subseries G: Legislature (1964-1977); Subseries H: Meskill Policies (1969-1975).

Series III: State Senate (undated, 1930-1983) contains information relating to Beck's work as a member of the Connecticut State Senate from 1975 to 1983. The series is further divided into the following subseries: Subseries A: Subject Files (1930-1982); Subseries B: American Society of Planning Officials (1971-1977); Subseries C: Beck Organizations (1974-1979); Subseries D: Bills (1969-1983); Subseries E: Bottle Bill (1975-1978); Subseries F: Government Organizations (1955-1977); Subseries G: Historic Preservation (1968-1985); Subseries H: Issues (1966-1982).

Series IV: Finance Committee and Fiscal Policy (1965-1984) contains materials relating to Beck's position as a member and chair of the Senate Finance Committee from 1975 to 1983. The series is further divided into the following subseries: Subseries A: Subject Files (1965-1984); Subseries B: School Construction (1969-1980).

Series V: Education (1951-1983) documents primary emphasis to Beck's work as a member of the State Senate Education Committee from 1975 to 1983. Some earlier papers from Beck's years as a state representative are also included. This series highlights Beck's ongoing interest in the University of Connecticut and her direct involvement in the restructuring of the state's system of higher education. Related materials can be found in Series VII: District Matters.

Series VI: Women's Issues (1950-1983)

These files reflect Beck's interest in women's issues in both her personal and public life. The series contains files relating to organizations in which Beck was a member or gave support to, including the National Order of Women Legislators (OWL), National Organization of Women (NOW), and the Women's Political Caucus. Subject files touch on a variety of issues including abortion, Equal Right Amendment (ERA), women in Connecticut, women in politics, International Women's Year (IWY), women in education and women and labor. Ongoing correspondence between Beck and Chase Going Woodhouse (1967-1976) is also included. Reports on the status of women in various endeavors are included; it is unclear if Beck used these reports in her work or if these were unsolicited resource materials.

Series VII: District Matters (1955-1981) contains subject files from 1967 to 1977. Educational, financial and environmental issues are highlighted. The series is further divided into the following subseries:Subseries A: Eastern Connecticut (1972-1981); Subseries B: Mansfield (1955-1980): Subseries C: Organizations (1972-1979): Subseries D: Towns (1958-1981).

Series VIII: Campaigns, Elections and Democratic Party (undated, 1954-1982) contains materials related to the political aspects of Beck's work. A subject file on Beck's 1978 unsuccessful bid for secretary of state is also included. The series is further divided into the following subseries: Subseries A: Beck campaigns and Democratic Party (1954-1982): Subseries B: Democratic State Platform (1970-1982).

Series IX: Publicity and Media Coverage (undated, 1962-1983) includes files relating to press coverage include press releases from Beck's office and clippings. Speech material is arranged by topic and includes text and annotations.

Series X: Correspondence (1955-1983)

Series XI: Publications (1959-1983)

Series XII: Personal Materials (1954-1983) contains certificates, awards, planning books and calendars and personal correspondence.

Series XIII: Photographs (undated)

Series XIV: Memorabilia (undated) contains gifts, momentos and other items collected by Beck during her career as a state legislator. Many of these items are political in nature.

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated over a period of sixteen years. Mrs. Beck made donations in 1976 and 1979. After her death, the family donated additional materials in 1983. The final portion of the collection was donated in 1992 by her son, Ronald Beck.

Related Material

Archives & Special Collections has a substantial collection of materials pertaining to Connecticut politics. For detailed information on these collections please contact the curator or ask at the Reading Room desk.

Separated Material

The following materials have been separated from the collection and cataloged:

Federal:

Carcinogenesis Bioassay of Trichloroethylene, CAS No. 79-01-6. NCI-CG-TR-2. National Cancer Institute, Carcinogenesis Technical Report Series, No. 2, February 1976. U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health. Dodd Call No.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Compiled for the Executive Office of the President by the Office of Economic Opportunity, January 1969. Dodd Call No.

Catalog of Possible Alternatives to or Modifications of existing federal programs for revenue sharing and payments in lieu of taxes on the public land. Prepared for Public Land Law Review Commission. EBLS Management Consultants, Inc., July 1968. Dodd Call No.

Education and Training, Doorway to the seventies. 8th Annual Report of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to the Congress on Training Activities under the Manpower Development and Training Act. OE-87020-70 U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, April, 1970. Dodd Call No.

Evaluation Report of The Secretary of Transportation's Preliminary Classification and Designation of Rail Lines. A Report of the Rail Services Planning Office, Interstate Commerce Commission, Secretary of Transportation., 1976. Dodd Call No.

Expenditures of General Revenue Sharing and Antirecession Fiscal Assistance Funds, 1977-1978. State and Local Government Special Studies No. 96. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Dodd Call No.

General Tax Reform. Panel Discussions before the Committee on Ways and Means, House of Representatives, 93rd Congress, First Session on the subject of general tax reform. February 5-28, 1973. Part 10 of 11, Estate and Gift Tax revision. Dodd Call No.

Land Use and the Environment: An Anthology of Readings. Virginia Curtis, editor. Prepared by the American Society of Planning Officials, Chicago, Illinois, under the auspices of The Office of Research and Monitoring Environmental Studies Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C. Dodd Call No.

Local Area Personal Income, 1973-1978. New England Region, U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis, July 1980. Dodd Call No.

Policy Analysis of Citizen Rights Issues in Health Data Systems. NBS Special Publication 469. U.S. Department of Commerce/National Bureau of Standards, January 1977. Dodd Call No.

Property Accounting for Local and State School Systems. State Educational Records and Reports Series: Handbook III. Bulletin 1959, No. 22. OE-21019. U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Office of Education. Dodd Call No.

Returning the Mentally Disabled to the Community: Government Needs to do More. Report to the Congress by the Comptroller General of the United States. HRD-76-152. January 7, 1977. Dodd Call No.

Survey of Current Business. “ Sensitivity of State and Regional Income to National Business Cycles”. U.S. Department of Commerce, Social and Economic Statistics Administration, Bureau of Economic Analysis, April 1973. Dodd Call No.

Survey of Current Business. “Tracking the BEA State Economic Projections”. U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Economic Analysis. April 1974, April 1976. Dodd Call No.

Tax Capacity of the Fifty States: Methodology and Estimates. An Information Report. M-134. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, Washington, D.C. March 1982. Dodd Call No.

U.S. Working Women: A Chartbook. Bulletin 1880. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1975. Dodd Call No.

Women in 1972. Citizen's Advisory Council on the Status of Women. GPO. April 1973. Dodd Call No.

State of Connecticut:

Analysis of the Governor's State Budget for 1980. Presented to the Board of Trustees of the Connecticut Public Expenditures Council on February 22, 1979. Dodd Call No.

Annual Report. Permanent Commission on the Status of Women. State of Connecticut, 1981. Dodd Call No.

Biennial Report of the Connecticut Judicial Department, July 1, 1980-June 30, 1982. John A. Speziale, Chief Justice. Dodd Call No.

Bipartisan Commission on State Tax Revenue and Related Fiscal Policy, Final Report. January 1983. AndExecutive Summary. Dodd Call No.

Comparative Summary of the 1979-1980 General Fund Budget (Proposed). 1979. Dodd Call No.

Condition of Public Elementary and Secondary Education in Connecticut, Fiscal year 1978-1979. Volume 1—The Annual Report of Programs and Evaluations of Connecticut State Board of Education. February 1980. Dodd Call No.

Connecticut Credit Union League. 36th Annual Convention, 1970. Dodd Call No.

Connecticut Sea Grant: A Guide to Marine Science and Marine-Relate Education in Connecticut. Victor E. Scottron and Elanor J. Minikowski. Report CSG-82-01. Dodd Call No.

Connecticut's Own University: The First Proud Century, 1881-1981. Fact Book, 1980-1981. Dodd Call No.

Department of Children and Youth Services. State of Connecticut. undated Dodd Call No.

Economic Report of the Governor, 1979-1980. Dodd Call No.

Economic Report of the Governor, 1981-1982. Dodd Call No.

Economic Report of the Governor, 1982-1983. Dodd Call No.

Economic Report of the Governor, 1983-1984. Dodd Call No.

Environmental Policy for Connecticut. Report of the Governor's Committee on Environmental Policy. June, 1970. Dodd Call No.

Estimates of State Aid to Municipalities: Statutory Formula Grants, 1981-1982. Dodd Call No.

Estimates of State Aid to Municipalities: Statutory Formula Grants, 1982-1983. Dodd Call No.

Estimates of State Aid to Municipalities: Statutory Formula Grants, 1983-1984. Dodd Call No.

Federal Funds Reports 1982-1983, Office of Policy and Management. Dodd Call No.

Governor's Budget 1978-1979. Budgetary Impact of Reorganization. Prepared by Office of Policy and Management. Dodd Call No.

Governor's Budget 1981-1982. Dodd Call No.

Governor's Budget 1982-1983. Dodd Call No.

Governor's 1980-1981 Budget-In-Brief. Dodd Call No.

Governor's 1982-1983 Budget-In-Brief. Dodd Call No.

Mental Health in Connecticut: Services in Transition. Legislative program Review and Investigations Committee, Connecticut General Assembly, August 1979. Dodd Call No.

New Manufacturing Firms as of Record July-August-September 1971. Connecticut Labor Department, Research and Information, Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dodd Call No.

Report of the Auditors of Public Accounts to the 1982 Session of the General Assembly of Connecticut. February 1982. Dodd Call No.

Report of the Commission to Study Medical Health Insurance Policies regarding the Coverage for Costs of Mental Illness to the 1971 Session of the General Assembly. Dodd Call No.

Report of The Governor's Study Group on the Limitation of Government Expenditures. March 1979. Dodd Call No.

Report to the General Assembly and the Governor of Connecticut. Commission on State Government Organization. February 1950. Dodd Call No.

Report on State Grants-In-Aid to Municipalities, vol. 1. Joint Legislative Program Review Committee, Connecticut General Assembly, December, 1974. Dodd Call No.

Report on The University of Connecticut. Fiscal Years ended June 30, 1979 and 1980. Auditors of Public Accounts, State of Connecticut. Dodd Call No.

State Budget for the 1979-1980 Fiscal Year. Summary of Revenue Appropriations and Bonds Authorized by the 1979 General Assembly. September 1979. Office of Fiscal Analysis, Connecticut General Assembly. Dodd Call No.

State Budget for the 1980-1981 Fiscal Year. Summary of Revenue Appropriations and Bonds Authorized by the 1979 General Assembly. September, 1980. Office of Fiscal Analysis, Connecticut General Assembly. Dodd Call No.

State Budget for the 1981-1982 Fiscal Year. Summary of Revenue Appropriations and Bonds Authorized by the 1981 General Assembly. July 1981. Office of Fiscal Analysis, Connecticut General Assembly. Dodd Call No.

State Scene. Employee Communications Office of the Personnel Division, Department of Administrative Services. V. II, No. 5, November, 1979. Dodd Call No.

Statewide Facility and Capital Plan, 1979-1982. Office of Policy and Management, State of Connecticut. Dodd Call No.

Summary of 1980 Public Acts. Office of Legislative Research, Connecticut General Assembly. Dodd Call No.

University of Connecticut Board of Trustees. Budget and Planning Work Session, Preliminary Draft, 1983-1984. Dodd Call No.

University of Connecticut Fact Book, 1978-1979. Dodd Call No.

University of Connecticut Fact Book, 1979-1980. Dodd Call No.

University of Connecticut Laws and By-Laws. Tenth Edition, revised. Storrs, CT, 1974. Dodd Call No.

Others:

Charter and the By-Laws of the Democratic Party of the United States. Washington, D.C.: Democratic National Committee, undated Dodd Call No.

Connecticut Industry. Hartford, CT: Connecticut Business and Industry Associations, Inc. V. 49, No. 4. April 1971. Dodd Call No.

Democrats: 1980 Democratic National Convention. Program. Dodd Call No.

Intergovernmental Perspective. Washington, D.C.: Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations. Fall 1981, v. 7, No. 4. Dodd Call No.

An Introduction to Microcomputers: Volume 0, The Beginner's Book. Berkeley, CA: Adam Osborne and Associates, Inc., 1977. Dodd Call No.

Lawmaking in Connecticut: The General Assembly. Wayne R. Swanson. New London, CT: Connecticut College, 1978. Dodd Call No.

Legislative Education Leadership in the States. Alan Rosenthal and Susan Fuhrman. Washington, D.C.: Institute for Educational Leadership, 1981. Dodd Call No.

Managing Low-Level Radioactive Wastes: A Proposed Approach. A Program document prepared to assist the U.S. Government in formulating national policy and to solicit public comment and discussion. Prepared by the National Low-Level Waste Management Program, August, 1980. Dodd Call No.

Nutmeg. 1950. University of Connecticut. Dodd Call No.

Policy Statement on Limiting Federal Spending. National Taxpayers Conference. 198? Dodd Call No.

The Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew, a collection of Original Sayings. Compiled by Amram M. Ducovny with drawings by Peter Green. New York: Ballantine Books, 1969. Dodd Call No.