Joseph Sanger Linz, was born in Dallas and 68 years old in 1978, us a member of two prominent Dallas families. His maternal grandfather was Philip Sanger, a founder of Sanger Brothers department store, and his paternal grandfather was Joseph Linz, the founder of Linz Brothers Jewelers.
Joseph Linz graduated from Dartmouth College and originally desired to be an architect. He worked briefly for O'Neil Ford but by 1933 he had become the art critic for the
Mr. Linz served in the Army Air Force as a captain in World War II. After the war he married Elizabeth born and began a nineteen year career in the family firm of Linz Bros. Jewelry.
In 1974, he was contacted by Julie Goldsmith Gilbert Weisman, the grandniece of Edna Ferber, who informed him that she was beginning to do research for a biography of her great aunt. They corresponded with each other over the next three years as the biography progressed. The final work was entitled
The friendship between Joseph Linz and Edna Ferber began iwth his interview of her for the
There are twenty letters from Edna Ferber to Joseph Linz in this collection, dating from 1942 to 1966. They make up Items 2-21 and are filed chronologically in the first three folders. In her letters, Miss Ferber discusses such general topics as family, health, writing and the theater. Some of her works are mentioned in the following items:
One trait of Edna Ferber's that should be clarified is that she always addressed Joseph Linz as "David" in her letters. Her reason was that she did not think he resembled a Joe and would not label him with a misnomer. Instead, she gave him the nickname of David.
Joseph Linz's last letter from Edna Ferber was in August 1966; she died on April 6, 1968 at the age of eighty three.
Joseph Linz's correspondence with Julie Goldsmith Gilbert Weisman begins in 1974 when she writes to ask for information on his relationship with her great aunt. In her first letter she explains she is planning a biography and will be using the pen name of Julie Goldsmith Gilbert. Item 24 is Joseph Linz's reply to her request. Between 1975 and 1977, she writes five times, Items 24-29, reporting on the progress of the biography. When the work was near completion, she sent an uncorrected version of the first proof to Mr. Linz. This copy of the proof
In April, 1978 Mr. Linz presented the letters from Edna Ferber, the correspondence from Julie Gilbert and the uncorrected proof, as a gift to the Dallas Public Library.
The Friends of the Dallas Public Library invited Julie Goldsmith Gilbert to speak at their annual luncheon on April 27, 1978. In advance of her talk, Ms. Gilbert prepared a brief autobiographical sketch which has also been included in the collection as Item 30.
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
MASC78-3 Joseph Linz Papers, Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, Dallas Public Library