Charlotte Odman papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS 63

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Charlotte Odman papers, 1908-1990 and undated, includes personal postcards, Odman's writings for the Augustana Book Concern, and her collected newspaper articles on World War II and other subjects. The collection has been arranged into four series: Correspondence, Lutheran Church, Newspapers, and Miscellaneous.

Correspondence, 1908-1990 and undated, contains postcards addressed to members of the Odman family from Sweden, Canada, and California, including a collection of holiday cards in both English and Swedish. Lutheran Church, 1947-1988, contains editions of the weekly Lutheran Companion, The Home Altar, and other published materials Odman either authored or co-authored from 1947 to 1965. Newspapers, 1938-1976, contains clippings from Augustana College publications, articles about Rev. Dr. Ernest E. Ryden (co-editor of the Lutheran Companion), and articles about Augustana College faculty, as well as clipped selections from the Rock Island Argus from 1940 to 1945 discussing the Rock Island Arsenal during World War II. Miscellaneous, 1958-1959 and undated, contains a newsletter and an "order of dedication" from the Augustana Book Concern, undated notes in Swedish, and a black and white photograph.

Dates

Creation: 1908-1990 and undated

Creator

Odman, Charlotte J., 1914-2004 (Person)

Language of Materials

English and Swedish.

Conditions Governing Access

There are no restrictions on the use of this collection.

Conditions Governing Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright.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

Historical Note

Charlotte J. Odman, daughter of Gustaf A. and Ida T. Tornberg Odman, was born 9 February 1914 in Davenport, Iowa. She died at the age of 90 in Rock Island, Illinois, on 14 September 2004. She attended Augustana College from 1934 to 1938 and graduated with a degree in Economics and Commerce. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Sigma, an honorary sorority for students of the secretarial sciences.

Odman worked for the Augustana Book Concern in Rock Island and later at the Board of Publication of the Lutheran Church of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (she retired in 1982). She was the co-editor of the weekly Lutheran Companion and a co-author of The Home Altar, among other Lutheran publications.

While living in the Quad Cities area, Odman was actively involved in the Black Hawk Hiking Club, Eva B. Clarkson Circle of Kings' Daughters, Friends of the Rock Island Library, Augustana Historical Society, American Scandinavian Association, Rock Island Women's Club, First Lutheran Church, and the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In Philadelphia, she volunteered at the American Swedish Historical Museum and the Medical College of Pennsylvania.

Extent

1.2 Cubic Feet (/ 3 boxes)

Additional Description

Abstract

Charlotte J. Odman attended Augustana College from 1934 to 1938. After graduating, Odman worked for the Augustana Book Concern in Rock Island, Illinois, and later at the Board of Publication of the Lutheran Church of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the co-editor of the weekly Lutheran Companion and a co-author of The Home Altar, among other Lutheran publications. The Charlotte Odman papers, 1908-1990 and undated, includes personal postcards, Odman's writings for the Augustana Book Concern, and her collected newspaper articles on World War II and other subjects.