Guide to the SCOPE Collection (Unprocessed) – History

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The Santa Cruz Organization for Progress and Euthenics, or SCOPE, was organized about 1961. Its membership was composed of community leaders, architects, business people, home owners, and students who believed that the progress of the county should be as euthenically positive as possible. (Euthenics was a movement devoted to improving the human species through control of environmental factors.) SCOPE recognized outstanding new construction, renovation, restoration, and landscaping in the civic, commercial, and private sectors of the county by annually presenting awards to owners, developers, architects, designers or civic representatives of deserving projects. A twelve-member board, which met monthly, governed the organization. There were no general membership meetings. A yearly awards ceremony was held in the spring. Guest speakers or panels were on programs held at annual fall meetings. The collection contains nomination forms and newspaper clippings in addition to slides of local architecture and businesses.