From a quiet place of research to a film set, the Special Collections Reading Room was transformed earlier this summer. To honor the 50th Anniversary of the La Leche League’s foundation in New Zealand, Lisa Manning, LLLNZ Board Member and Administer of Publications, made a special trip to Chicago to interview two founding mothers of La Leche League International (LLLI). The filmed interviews will be featured in a documentary that Manning is producing for the anniversary celebration.
Unlike today, breastfeeding was not always encouraged by the medical establishment and not practiced widely enough for women who wanted to breastfeed to have practical support. La Leche League was formed in 1956, in Franklin Park, Illinois when two mothers, Mary White and Marian Tompson, were breastfeeding their children at a church picnic. When other women present expressed interest, or told them how they had wanted to breastfeed but failed, Mary and Marian realized that there was a need for information and advice. They enlisted the help of five of their friends and acquaintances and the seven began to hold meetings. The founding mothers of La Leche were Mary Ann Cahill, Edwina Froehlich, Mary Ann Kerwin, Viola Lennon, Marian Tompson, Betty Wagner, and Mary White. La Leche quickly developed to become first a national and then an international organization.
Manning’s primary interest in hosting the interview session in the Special Collections Reading Room was to use the LLLI archives, donated to DePaul in 2006, to spark reminisces about the early days of the organization. Manning was particularly curious to hear about Princess Grace of Monaco’s support and selected photographs and documents from the 1971 LLLI Convention. Snapshots show special guest speaker, Princess Grace, in a receiving line greeting the crowd of admirers.
Mary Ann Kerwin giggled when she saw those photos, remembering that at one point during the evening she looked down and realized that in her excitement to meet Princess Grace, she left the house wearing a pair of mismatched shoes! Marian Tompson recalled a quiet moment with Princess Grace when she reached for the ice cubes with her hands and placed them in Marian’s drink instead of using the tongs on the tray. “I was surprised by her informality.” Both Marian and Mary Ann credited Princess Grace with raising the profile of their organization.
If you want to read Princess Grace’s remarks given at the 1971 Convention or learn more about the history of La Leche League International, read the Finding Aid or visit the Special Collections and Archives Department in the John T. Richard Library, Room 314.