Songs and Performances (2 folders), ca. 1944-1946

The collection documents the professional and, to a lesser degree, the private life of Catherine Allen. The material on professional positions documents her educational appointments. Material on organizations and societies documents her interaction with the numerous professional organizations in the field of physical education and recreation, both national and international. The collection contains many awards and honors, along with the accompanying correspondence, that she received from those organizations and others. Allen's papers also include her speeches and writings, which document both professional ideas and her wit. Of particular interest is the material documenting her Red Cross activity during World War II, which includes background information about the war in the Pacific as well as voluminous correspondence. Personal information is largely to be found in correspondence. Such correspondence reveals that Allen fostered warm relationships with many of her colleagues, and they became personal friends as well.

Of additional interest are the visual materials in the collection, among which are a pastel portrait of Allen done during her Red Cross service and several watercolors of Guam that may have been painted by her. Photographs document Allen's travels and friendships, and a video tape recording of the 1999 American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance convention in Boston shows her keynote speech, presented as the inaugural Marjorie Bouvé memorial lecture.

Six microfilm reels from the 1970s preserve a wide range of documents some of which are duplicated in the collection. Included are Allen's drafts of speeches, research and reference files, and organizational documents. There is no apparent order to the filming.