Call Number:

2010.017

Repository:

Drexel University: College of Medicine Legacy Center

Extent:

14.5 linear feet (21 doc boxes; 2 half doc boxes; 2 oversized boxes; 1 record carton; 1 poster)

Language:

English

Date:

1992-1994 (bulk) and 1975-2008 (inclusive)

Creator:

Yeakel, Lynn Hardy, 1941-

Abstract:

Lynn Hardy Yeakel was born in 1941 in Portsmouth, Virginia to Representative Porter Hardy, Jr and his wife, Lynn. She graduated in 1963 from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She married Paul Yeakel in 1965. Lynn Yeakel has also earned a Master's of Science in Management from American College. She has launched three political campaigns: for U.S. Senate in 1992; as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the governor of Pennsylvania in 1994; and as a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate in 2002. Yeakel is also a long-time advocate for girls' and women's rights. She co-founded Womens Way in 1976, served as Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services from 1994 to 2000, and has been the Director of Drexel University College of Medicine's Institute for Women's Health and Leadership since 2002. Lynn Yeakel has made four donations to the Legacy Center since 2010, one being the institutional records of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership. Her personal papers consist of evidence of her work in several organizations, including Womens Way and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, the Legacy Center has received newsclippings, correspondence, and publications concerning Yeakel's three political campaigns. Finally, the collections house notes, proposals, and manuscripts relating to her 2010 book, "A Will and a Way." The 3 donations which make up her personal papers are described in one source.

Lynn Hardy Yeakel was born in 1941 in Portsmouth, Virginia to Representative Porter Hardy, Jr and his wife, Lynn. She graduated in 1963 from Randolph-Macon Woman's College and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She married Paul Yeakel in 1965. Lynn Yeakel has also earned a Master's of Science in Management from American College.

Yeakel has launched three political campaigns: for U.S. Senate in 1992; as a candidate for the Democratic nomination for the governor of Pennsylvania in 1994; and as a Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania State Senate in 2002. In the 1992 U.S. Senate race, Yeakel won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania to run against Republican incumbent Arlen Specter. Yeakel lost the race; however, it was close, with Specter receiving 48.9% of vote and Yeakel 46.6% of the vote.

Yeakel subsequently ran for nomination for the Democratic candidacy in the 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. She ran against Mark Singel, whom she defeated in the 1992 Senate primary, and several others. Yeakel did not win the primary.

In 2002, Yeakel ran for Pennsylvania State Senate as the Democratic candidate int 17th District (Delaware and Montgomery counties), but lost in a close election to the incumbent, Republican, Dick Tilghman.

Yeakel is a long-time advocate for girls' and women's rights. She co-founded Womens Way in 1976, originally known as the Philadelphia Women's Coalition, and which served to establish financial support for various women's organizations in the Philadelphia area. Yeakel served as president and chief executive of Womens Way until May of 1992, and as committee and board members in various other Philadelphia organizations. In 1994 Yeakel was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the position of Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Yeakel has been the Director of Drexel University College of Medicine's Institute for Women's Health and Leadership since 2002 and is the Founder, Director, and Co-Chair of Vision 20/20, a national ten-year initiative of the Institute, the goal of which is to accelerate the pace of women's progress towards full equality by the year 2020.

Lynn Yeakel has made four donations to the Legacy Center since 2010, one being the institutional records of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership. Her papers consist of evidence of her work in several organizations, including Womens Way and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, the Legacy Center has received newsclippings, correspondence, and publications concerning Yeakel's three political campaigns. Finally, the collections house notes, proposals, and manuscripts relating to her 2010 book, "A Will and a Way."

The Series represented in this finding aid span 3 separate accessions.

Series I: Womens Way records (Accession 2010.017) Lynn Yeakel co-founded Womens Way in 1976 and served as chief executive and president until 1992. Series I contains minutes and reports from Womens Way for the years 1975 to 1978 and 1983 to 1984. While there are no minutes and reports for the years 1979 to 1983, the series hold pamphlets and newsletters for the years 1980 to 1982, 1985 to 1986, and several undated publications. Womens Way applied for a grant from the William Penn Foundation in 1986 in order to reduce overhead costs. The grant proposal is included in Series I. In 1988, Womens Way applied for a grant from Pew Charitable Trust, and the proposal and budget summary from the application process are contained in Series I. Additionally, Series I contains fundraising information, newsclippings, and contact information concerning the organization's 25th anniversary in 2002. [Related materials: Collection 3434 at Historical Society of Pennsylvania, 1975 to 1995]

Series II: Institute for Women's Health and Leadership records (Accession 2013.0070 Yeakel has been the director for the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership since 2002. The Institute was founded in 1993 and is committed to Drexel University's College of Medicine's pioneering programs for women in medicine and science. Series II contains notes and correspondence concerning the 2001-2002 lecture series, "Conversations about Women's Health," and notes on Phase 1 of the 2005 Leadership Action Project. [Related materials: Accession 2010.016, Institute for Women's Health and Leadership records]

Series III: Department of Health and Human Services (Accession 2010.017) Appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994, Yeakel served as the Mid-Atlantic Regional Director of the Department of Health and Human Services until 2000. Included in Series III is Yeakel's employee file from the Department and which is restricted for use, correspondence and notes concerning the 1995 Medicare Mammography Campaign, and the Region III (Mid-Atlantic Region) reports for the years 1995 and 1997 up to and including January 2000. The series also contains correspondence and newsletters related to Yeakel's work at the Department, as well as memorabilia.

Series IV: Other Organizations (Accession 2010.017) Lynn Yeakel was active as a board and committee member in many Philadelphia area organizations. The records from the Citizen's Coalition for Energy Efficiency include minutes and correspondence for the years 1982 to 1983. Correspondence and notes concerning speeches, as well as pamphlets, are found here for both the Center for Gender Equality and the Center for American Women and Politics for the years 2000 to 2001. Additionally, speeches made by Yeakel for several other organizations, as well as pamphlets and invitations to these speeches, are contained in this series.

Series V: Notes and Writings (Accessions 2012.002; 2010.017) This series holds Lynn Yeakel's handwritten notes, proposals, and manuscripts concerning speeches and her book. "A Will and a Way" was published in 2010 and presents insights into the key issues of women’s independence based on her own experiences during her public service and political careers. This series contains handwritten notes and manuscripts for book chapters, as well as books proposal manuscripts and correspondence during the earlier stages of book development. There are several undated speeches in Series V as well.

Series VI: Alphabetical Files (Accession 2013.007) Lynn Yeakel ran for United States Senate in 1992 as the Democratic candidate for Pennsylvania, and campaigned for the Democratic nomination in the 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race. This series is divided into 2 subseries based on original order: subseries 1, "Senate Race," and subseries 2, "Gubernatorial Race." Both subseries include files concerning issues debated during the political campaigns, campaign mailings and other publications, speeches, endorsements, and some correspondence. Additionally, Subseries 2 contains Yeakel's scheduling information for the year 1994, fundraising information, and several surveys concerning political issues.

Series VII: Correspondence (Accessions 2012.002; 2013.007) Much of the correspondence contained in Series VII relates to Yeakel's 1992 Senate campaign. The bulk of the correspondence consists of letters and notes written to Yeakel by supporters in 1992, although there are a small number of notes and letters dating from 1993-1994, regarding her campaign for governor. There are several files of letters written by Yeakel, and copies of newsclippings, which were mailed to her parents, Representative and Mrs. Porter Hardy, Jr, dating from 1992 to 1994.

Series VIII: Clippings (Accessions 2010.017; 2012.002; 2013.007) The newsclippings held in Series VIII date from 1991 to 2008, although the majority are from the years 1992 to 1994. The clippings are both original newspaper and photocopies. The subjects covered are the 1992 Senate race, in which Yeakel campaigned as the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania; the 1994 Pennsylvania gubernatorial race; and a small number concern news about Yeakel's father, Representative Porter Hardy, Jr. The newsclippings for 1992 are arranged in chronological order, with the majority dating from April through May and August through October.

Series IX: Media (Accessions 2010.017; 2012.002; 2013.007) Included in Series IX are photographs pertaining to Yeakel's public service and political careers, the majority of them dating to the 1990s. Series IX holds 43 videotapes, all of which concern the 1992 Senate race and include campaign videos, television news interviews, and campaign debates. There are 16 cassette tapes, which feature radio programs in which Yeakel is featured as well as advertisements regarding the 1992 Senate race. Additionally, the series holds T-shirts, posters, and buttons relating to Yeakel's 1992 Senate campaign.

Lynn Yeakel has made four donations to the Legacy Center since 2010, one being the institutional records of the Institute for Women's Health and Leadership. Her papers consist of evidence of her work in several organizations, including Womens Way and the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Additionally, the Legacy Center has received newsclippings, correspondence, and publications concerning Yeakel's three political campaigns. Finally, the collections house notes, proposals, and manuscripts relating to her 2010 book, "A Will and a Way."

Accession 2010.016, the first collection Yeakel donated, consists of organizational records for the Institute of Women's Health and Leadership and can be accessed in a separate finding aid. However, the remaining 3 collections, 2010.017, 2012.002, and 2013.007, are collections of her personal papers and have been arranged and described as one source. Accession 2012.002 was the smallest in volume and contained some correspondence, newsclippings, and photographs, concerning mainly the 1992 Senate Race, in which Yeakel ran as the Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania. Accession 2010.017 consists mainly of institutional records of organizations for which Yeakel was involved with, and notes created during the time period in which she wrote her book. Accession 2013.007 consists mainly of correspondence and newsclippings from both the 1992 Senate race and 1994 gubernatorial race, including audio-visual materials.

The institutional records found in Accession 2010.017 retain their original order. Additionally, any writings and/or notes that were kept in a labelled file also retain their original order. However, many of the papers were in disarray and have been arranged based on content, or, in the case of handwritten and undated notes, simply filed together. The materials found in Accession 2012.002, originally extending .25 linear feet and consisting of unordered correspondence, clippings, and photographs, have been filed within the two larger accessions, 2010.017 and 2013.007, with the exception of the clippings. Finally, much of the original order for Accession 2013.007 has been kept; the alphabetical files and newsclippings are arranged as they were found. Correspondence that had been organized is kept also in its original order.