Castle Rock Unit, U.N.A. (W.M.P) Records

These records cover material of the Mile High Chapter of United Nations Association of the United States, Inc., and UNESCO. The first organized meeting of the unit was held on November 29, 1950 in the home of Mrs. Howard (Lillian) Pine and the organization was named Castle Rock (Colorado) Unit of the World Mothers for Peace (WMP). At that meeting, Mrs. Pine and a group of women from Douglas County, Colorado, met with Reverend Victoria Booth Demarest, founder of WMP, who urged them to unite ''regardless of race, nation, class or creed, to pray and strive for the abolition of war and to teach our children the ways and conditions of world peace and goodwill.'' Meetings were held each month until March 1971, and the unit was discontinued in October 1971. The influence of Lillian Pine and Victoria Demarest on the organization is reflected in the abundance of correspondence between them found within the collection.

In October 1964, the WMP (Castle Rock Unit) voted to merge with the United Nations Association of the United States (UNA). After this date it was referred to as WMP-UNA or UNA(WMP), while the official name became ''Mile High Chapter of United Nations Association of the United States, Inc. and UNESCO''.

The interests of the Castle Rock Unit appear to have been social, humanitarian, religious, and political--in that order of importance. The meeting minute books and scrapbooks reflect the strong social orientation--photographs of friends and families both home and abroad, plans for social functions, etc.

The humanitarian element is also reflected in the meeting minutes, scrapbooks, and correspondence. The Castle Rock Unit was affiliated with other organizations, such as the Children's Friendship Fund and Meals for Millions, to promote humanitarian causes.

The religious focus of the Castle Rock Unit was Reverend Victoria Demarest. The collection contains letters from her, written sermons, religious tracts, and taped songs and sermons. The songs were performed by Demarest and her daughter, Evangeline.

Political interest was passive. A letter to President John F. Kennedy supporting the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty represents the most aggressive action. There are letters from Margaret Sanger, George McGovern (a typed form letter) and a few pamphlets condemning the Vietnam War. For the most part, the rhetoric is very general.

This collection provides insight into the role of womens' organizations in a small town during the 1950s and 1960s. While the collection offers little political insight, it does present a picture of WMP's social position; it may also be representative of one of the many peace organizations at a local level which developed under the aegis of UNESCO. It is not clear as to whether the WMP was directly sponsored by UNESCO.