| Date Span: | 1932-2006 |
| Creator: | Mackay, Dora E. (1915-) |
| Extent: | .25 linear inches. |
| Collection Number: | IWA0248 |
| Repository: | Iowa Women's Archives |
| Summary: | African American singer and beauty shop owner in Des Moines, Iowa. |
Alternate Extent Statement: One audiocassette [AC1109].
Arrangement: One folder, shelved in SCVF; one audiocassette [AC1109] shelved in audiocassette collection.
Access: The papers are open for research.
Use: Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.
Acquisition: The papers (donor no. 346) were donated by Dora E. Mackay in 1996 and subsequent years.
Preferred Citation: Dora E. Mackay papers, Iowa Women's Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.
| Repository: | Iowa Women's Archives |
| Address: | 100 Main Library University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242 |
| Phone: | 319-335-5068 |
| Curator: | Kären Mason |
| Email: | lib-women@uiowa.edu |
| Website: | http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa |
Dora E. Mackay, an African-American singer and beauty shop owner in Des Moines, was born on August 12, 1915 to Ernest and Izora Mackay. As a high-school student in 1931, Mackay became a founding member of the Mary Church Terrell Club, a social and civic club in Des Moines. She remained an active member.
Mackay attended the Crescent School of Beauty and Culture in Des Moines and was a member of its first graduating class in 1940. Later that year, Mackay assumed ownership of Berline's Beauty Shop, one of a small number of black beauty shops in Des Moines. She retired in 1978.
Although she built a career in cosmetology, Mackay pursued singing as a side interest. During the 1940s, she sang and played the piano for local radio stations. She performed as a singer at the club Johnny and Kay's for ten years during the 1970s.
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Series 1: GENERAL
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