Letters To Troy Allen From Margo Jones

Biographical Note

The 123 letters in this collection are the result of an almost fifteen year correspondence between Troy Allen and Margo Jones. The two women had become best friends in college and maintained that relationship over the years. Both women attended Texas State College for Women (later called Texas Woman's College) where Ms. Allen received a bachelor's degree in costume design and Ms. Jones had begun her work with the theatre.

The two women shared a close and special friendship. Within the letters there are references concerning some kind of writing or piece of poetry that the two shared. Margo also writes about fashion she had recently purchased for events, and some of the letters include clippings of fashion ads she enjoyed. The letters are very personal and expressive and contain many stories and shared emotions. The letters show a very different side of Margo Jones that many might not have known.

Troy Allen was born Helen Allen on December 31, 1909 in San Diego, CA. The family moved around quite a bit and it was in Wichita Falls, TX where Troy completed high school. The family then moved to Miami, Florida but Troy returned to Texas to attend college at the Texas State College for Women. It is suspected that during this time is when she adopted the name "Troy." She would eventually take a job in 1936 at Texas Tech in Lubbock as an associate professor of applied arts and interior design, and she would teach there until her retirement in the 1970's. It was during this time in Lubbock where she met her husband Robert Lockard, a professor of architecture and engineering at Texas Tech. Troy Allen Lockard passed away at the age of eighty on July 10, 1990 of respiratory failure after suffering a stroke and heart attack. She is buried next to her husband at Lubbock Cemetery.

For more information on Margo Jones, please see the Margo Jones Collection, MA62-1.

Scope and Contents

The collection contains a set of 123 letters from Margo Jones to Troy Allen. The dates of the letters range from 1933-1949, with the bulk of the letters being from 1933-1937. The collection also contained 3 Playbills from the 1990's unrelated to the correspondence that have been removed. (1. Paul Taylor Dance Company, 1991 2. The Will Rogers Follies, 1992 3. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, 1999)

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

MA10-13, Letters to Troy Allen from Margo Jones, Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, Dallas Public Library

Detailed Description of the Collection