Kate Warnick papers

A Guide to the Collection

Biographical Note

Marion Kate Cullom was born in Garland, Texas, the daughter of Dora Sewell Cullom and newspaperman John H. Cullom. As a young adult, Kate studied music at Southern Methodist University. She began working in the SMU library under the direction of Dorothy Amann in the fall of 1918. On May 20, 1920, she married John Warnick, an Army Air Corps veteran of World War I.

Kate Warnick served as Librarian of the SMU School of Theology from 1924 until 1949 and as Reference and Methodist Historical Librarian for Perkins School of Theology from 1950 to 1979. Her scholarship contributed to the production of Golden Prologue to the Future: A History of the Highland Park Methodist Church (1966) and Encyclopedia of World Methodism (1974). Kate Warnick was a member of the American Library Association, American Theological Library Association, and Southwestern Society of Biblical Research. She served one term as President of the Methodist Librarians Fellowship (1963-64) and several years as Librarian-Historian of the South Central Jurisdictional Association of Methodist Historical Societies.

On the personal side, Kate Cullom Warnick is remembered for her warm, welcoming personality, for taking a personal interest in the library patrons she served, for her thorough knowledge of the library’s collections, and for the delight she took in following the careers of people she knew as students. Kate Warnick was a talented singer, pianist, and organist. She was a long-term member of Highland Park United Methodist Church. Mrs. Warnick also enjoyed participating in the Dallas Historical Society, the Dallas Art Association, Sigma Kappa, the University Women’s Club, SMU Dames, and Colophon.

A document found in the collection quotes Decherd Turner, Director of Bridwell Library, as stating:

For six decades Kate has given devoted service to the world of Methodism through her work at Bridwell Library. Her warmth of spirit and command of the materials have touched the lives and work of a remarkable percentage of the clergy of the Southwest. But even the borders of the great Southwest are insufficient to contain her labors. Like Mr. Wesley, the world has been Kate’s parish, too. The writer Carlyle in describing Frederick the Great wrote: "So expert was he, and a living archive in that business." Bridwell Library does not have Frederick the Great, but it has that which is better – Kate the Great, our living archive! 1

Since 1979, the Texas United Methodist Historical Society has recognized outstanding United Methodist local church history publications by giving annual Kate Warnick Awards. These awards began in Kate Warnick’s honor and continue in her memory.

Note:

1 Statement quoted in the dedication printed in the choral anthem Lord Jesus, Think of Me by Philip E. Baker, 1977. Source: Kate Warnick Papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Box 573B, Folder 32.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Kate Warnick papers include materials from before, during, and after her long tenure at Southern Methodist University. This collection reflects the depth of Kate Warnick’s professional and personal involvement with SMU, its libraries, and the United Methodist Church. Items of special interest include an autobiographical retirement speech delivered in 1961, a choral anthem by Philip E. Baker dedicated in honor of Mrs. Warnick, a folder of family history data, and a photo album containing prints of destruction in Europe during World War I. The album belonged to John H. Warnick, who had served in the Army Air Corps. Oral history suggests that Mr. Warnick may have been the photographer who took these Grigg Studio (San Antonio, TX) copyrighted images.

Restrictions

Access to Collection:

The collection is open for research use. Patrons must sign the Acknowledgement of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.

Publication Rights:

Permission to publish materials must be obtained from the Director of the Bridwell Library.

Copyright Statement:

It is the responsibility of the user to obtain copyright authorization.

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Kate Warnick papers, Bridwell Library, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University.

Acquisition Information

The papers of librarian and curator Kate Warnick (1896-1993) were left to the Bridwell Library by Mrs. Warnick upon her second retirement in 1979. The A. V. Lane Museum accession ledger in box 573A, File 05, was repatriated from Bridwell Archives box 1700 in October, 2009. In November of 2009, three boxes of Kate Warnick’s files from the University Archives (Accession SMU 1995.0244) were added to Bridwell Library’s Warnick holdings.

Processing Information

These records were arranged and described in 2009 by Timothy S. G. Binkley. Parts of the collection had been arranged previously by Bridwell Library staff and by SMU Archives staff. Prior arrangement data can be located in the Bridwell Archives Subject Files.

In processing the collection, several folders of A. V. Lane Collection research data post-dating Kate Warnick were removed. These files are now part of the Bridwell Archives Subject Files. Additionally, three folders of SMU / Perkins Directories were removed from Series 3 and placed in the Perkins School of Theology Archive.

Encoded by

Lara Corazalla, 2010.

Detailed Description of the Collection