Barbara McIlvaine Smith served as a Democrat for two sessions, heavily involved with issues related to education. As a member of the Education Committee and Chair of the Subcommittee on Special Education, Mrs. McIlvaine Smith introduced and co-sponsored many pieces of legislation related to special education funding and programs. Also, she introduced several pieces of legislation related to transportation issues in her district in Chester County. A subsequent collection was received on March 3, 2014 under accession number 2015.031. The items that are a part of this collection are identified in the finding aid. News clippings, office material, district information, newsletters and CD's containing photographs are included in the collection. A series on Martha G. Thomas, speeches and correspondence were added to this collection through the accession of 2015.031.