Helen DeGolyer papers

A Guide to the Collection

Biographical Note

Helen Warren DeGolyer, born to Colonel Joseph H. and Mildred Elgin Warren, spent most of her childhood travelling the world. She was born in the Philippines, studied bookbinding in Switzerland, and eventually settled down in Dallas, Texas, after graduating from Vassar College in 1947. In Dallas, she met and married Everett Lee DeGolyer, Jr. (Ev), son of Everette Lee DeGolyer, Sr., a foremost book collector and oilman. She and Ev had three children: Edith, Clare, and Everett Lee DeGolyer, III. Upon his father’s death in 1956, Ev became the director of the DeGolyer Foundation, which included his father’s immense book collection, some of which is now housed at DeGolyer Library at Southern Methodist University. But Helen DeGolyer became important in her own right, amassing her own treasured collections of historical documents and books, as well as perfecting and honing her talent as a bookbinder. Her support lent her name to such organizations as the Aspen Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, Bridwell Library at SMU, the Dallas Museum of Art, the Dallas Opera, and the Dallas Symphony. She endowed a scholarship at the Dallas Museum of Art called the Clare Hart DeGolyer Scholarship for aspiring young artists, as a memorial to her daughter, who died in 1975. She was an avid Republican and an enthusiastic supporter of Planned Parenthood.

At the age of 68, Mrs. DeGolyer died of pneumonia at Baylor Medical Center in Dallas on February 9, 1995.

Source:

"Death & Funeral Announcements,"Dallas Morning News, February 11, 1995.

Scope and Contents of the Collection

This collection focuses entirely on Mrs. Helen DeGolyer’s adult life, specifically after her marriage to Ev. Box 1 contains personal items such as family papers, calendars, information on the various DeGolyer estates, and photographs but mostly correspondence. The correspondence ranges from family postcards, letters, and Christmas cards to business letters to programs from funerals, weddings, graduations, christenings. Access to some family documents remains restricted. Materials in Box 2 include newsletters, pamphlets, news clippings, invitations, meeting minutes, and literature on organizations relating to Mrs. DeGolyer’s passions: the performing arts, bookbinding, the fine arts, gardening, and books. With materials dating primarily from the late 1980s through the early 1990s, Box 3 focuses on Mrs. DeGolyer’s politics and beliefs—especially her views on abortion and women’s rights; it also has information on her travels across the globe as well as her collegiate endowments and gifts.

Restrictions

Access to Collection:

Collection is open for research use, except for Box 1, folders 6, 7, and 8, which are restricted.

Publication Rights:

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

Copyright Statement:

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

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Helen DeGolyer papers, DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University

Acquisition Information

Gift, Everett Lee DeGolyer, III, 1995.

Processing Information

The collection was processed in 1995. Materials were refoldered, duplicates were removed, and the papers were left in the original order with folder titles retained except when unclear.

Finding aid written by

Margaret Elder, 2010.

Encoded by

Ada Negraru, 2011.

Detailed Description of the Collection