TABLE OF CONTENTS
Descriptive Summary and Abstract
Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Restrictions
Online Index Terms
Related Material
Separated Material
Administrative Information
Description of Series
Series 1. Personal correspondence, 1932-1948 and undated.
Series 2. Personal correspondence, 1949-1959.
Series 3. Personal correspondence, 1960-1970.
Series 4. Personal correspondence, 1971-1975 and undated.
Series 5. Correspondence with Maurice Crain , Owens' literary agent, 1950 - 1969
Series 6. Texas Folk Songs, Research Materials,
Manuscripts and Drafts.
Series 7. Slave Mutiny, Research Materials,
Manuscripts and Drafts.
Series 8. Slave Mutiny, Plagerism case.
Series 9. Walking on Borrowed Land, Research Materials, Typescripts, and Manuscripts.
Series 10. Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers project and the
biography of Walter Benona Sharp.
Series 11. Fever in the Earth,
Research Materials and Drafts.
Series 12. Pocantico Hills: 1609-1959,
Research Materials, Manuscripts and Drafts.
Series 13. Look to the River, Research Materials, Drafts,
Manuscripts and Screenplay.
Series 14.
This Stubborn Soil , Manuscripts, Typescripts, Drafts.
Series 15.
Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb. Research Materials,
Typescripts, Manuscripts, Galleys, Proofs.
Series 16. Tales From the Derrick Floor.
Research Materials.
Series 17. A Season of Weathering.
Research Materials, Drafts.
Series 18.
Impressions of the Big Thicket.
Research Materials, Typescripts, Manuscripts.
Series 19. A Fair and Happy Land.
Research Materials, Manuscripts and Drafts.
Series 20. Other Writings by Owens.
Series 21. Miscellaneous Materials.
Series 22. Photographs.
Series 23. Clippings.
Series 24. Miscellaneous Writings by Other Authors.
Series 25. Recordings, 1939 and undated.
|
Inventory of the William A. Owens Papers (Part One):
1922-1979
| | |
|
|
| Creator | Owens, William A., 1905- |
| Title |
Inventory of the William A. Owens Papers (Part One)
|
| Dates |
1922-1979 |
| Abstract |
William A. Owens, noted folklorist, author, and educator, was born in Pin Hook,
Texas on November 2, 1905, the son of Charles and Jessie Ann (Chenault) Owens.
He spent his childhood on the small cotton farms around tiny rural communities of Pin
Hook, Novice, Faught, and Blossom. In an effort to finance his education, Owens undertook numerous odd jobs as a
farmer's hired hand, stock clerk, and for a short time, combination waiter and
dishwasher at Dallas University. In 1924 he entered East Texas State Teachers
College in Commerce. Owens earned a high school diploma and elementary teaching certificate. After graduation,
however, there were few jobs available in country schools and Owens lacked the
qualifications to teach in the larger school systems. After two years teaching in country schools, Owens returned to college.
He attended Southern Methodist University where he received the BA degree in 1932 and
the MA degree in 1933. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. from the State University of Iowa. With the completion of the Master's degree, Owens began his profession in earnest,
compiling an enviable record as an academician with legions of grateful former students.
While his career as teacher, lecturer, and administrator has been full,
he is more widely known as a gifted author. In addition to numerous articles,
reviews and short stories, his books serve as monuments to his craft.
His works include Swing and Turn: Texas Play-Party Games
(1936); Texas Folk Songs (1950, revised in 1976);
Slave Mutiny: The Revolt on the Schooner Amistad (1953);
Walking on Borrowed Land (1954);
Fever in the Earth (1958);
Look to the River (1963);
This Stubborn Soil (1966);
Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb
(1969); Tales From the Derrick Floor
(with Mody C. Boatright, 1970);
A Season of Weathering
(1973); and
A Fair and Happy Land (1975). The William A. Owens Papers consist of sixty-nine boxes and eight volumes occupying
approximately twenty-nine feet of shelf space. The papers are in excellent condition.
They have been divided into eight general categories which include: Correspondence (Series, 1-5);
Research materials, manuscripts and drafts for books by Owens (Series. 6-19); Other writings by Owens including articles, short stories,
book reviews, and speeches (Series. 20); Personal data including newspaper articles and photographs (Series. 21-23);
Miscellaneous material written by other authors (Series. 24); Aluminum discs of recordings made by Owens (Series. 25); Owens' books (see list with Inventory of the William A. Owens Papers (Part Two) 1940-1980 - LIT/Owens MSS 00089); and
Oversize materials kept in map cases as items separated. The papers document Owens' teaching and writing career from 1928
to 1979. Items of special interest in the collection include lyrics to many folksongs
and recordings made by Owens in the 1930's and 1940's of folksingers as well as recorded
readings of Robert Frost, interviews of early oil pioneers of Texas, legal papers for
Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc. and David Holland
concerning True magazine's plagerism of
Slave Mutiny, and letters of Roy Bedichek,
J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Mody C. Boatright |
| Identification |
LIT/Owens MSS 00088 |
| Extent |
29 linear feet |
| Language | English. |
| Repository | Cushing Memorial Library, College Station, TX 77843-5000 |
William A. Owens, noted folklorist, author, and educator, was born in Pin Hook,
Texas on November 2, 1905, the son of Charles Owens and Jessie Ann (Chenault) Owens.
He spent his childhood on the small cotton farms around tiny rural communities of Pin
Hook, Novice, Faught, and Blossom. Owens was indeed a child of the poverty and hard
times that had gripped the agricultural regions of the South since the Civil War
and Reconstruction. These early years, were, however, tempered by the love and
closeness of his family, a family that sometimes had as many as four generations
living under one roof. His father had died only a few days after Owens' birth,
and it was from his mother that he learned the values of hard work and self reliance.
In addition, he acquired a love of reading and a desire to obtain an education beyond
the one room schoolhouses of Lamar County.
In an effort to finance his education, Owens undertook numerous odd jobs as a
farmer's hired hand, stock clerk, and for a short time, combination waiter and
dishwasher at Dallas University. In 1924 he entered East Texas State Teachers
College in Commerce. Studying long hours on his own to make up for the deficiencies
in his country school education and waiting tables and picking cotton to pay his way,
Owens earned a high school diploma and elementary teaching certificate. After graduation,
however, there were few jobs available in country schools and Owens lacked the
qualifications to teach in the larger school systems.
Owens moved to Paris, Texas and for the next few years struggled against nearly
overwhelming economic hardships to continue school at the newly opened junior college.
Although these were very difficult times, he never lost sight of continuing his
education and becoming a teacher.
With two years of college completed and a new teaching certificate, he returned to
Pin Hook to teach in the one room school he had left only five years before.
After two years teaching in country schools, Owens returned to college.
He attended Southern Methodist University where he received the BA degree in 1932 and
the MA degree in 1933. In 1941, he received his Ph.D. from the State University of Iowa.
The title of his dissertation was "Texas Folk Songs."
With the completion of the Master's degree, Owens began his profession in earnest,
compiling an enviable record as an academician with legions of grateful former students.
During his career Owens taught at Greenville High School in Greenville, Texas (1934-35);
Wesley College in Greenville, Texas (1935-36); Mississippi State College (1936); Robert
E. Lee High School in Goose Creek, Texas (1936-37); Texas A & M University
(1937-40, 1941-1947); University of Texas (1946); Columbia University (1947-1974).
Additionally he served as Director of Research in Folk Materials (1941) and
Director of the Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers (1952-58) at the University of
Texas in Austin, Texas. He also served as Director of the Summer Session (1959-1969)
and Dean of the Summer Session (1969-72) at Columbia University. During World War II,
Dr. Owens took leave from Texas A & M University and served with distinction as
Officer in the United States Army, receiving the Legion of Merit for
"meritorious
conduct in the performance of outstanding service in Luzon,
Philippines Islands" while serving with the 306th Counter Intelligence Corps
Detachment.
While his career as teacher, lecturer, and administrator has been full,
he is more widely known as a gifted author. In addition to numerous articles,
reviews and short stories, his books serve as monuments to his craft.
His works include Swing and Turn: Texas Play-Party Games
(1936); Texas Folk Songs (1950, revised in 1976);
Slave Mutiny: The Revolt on the Schooner Amistad (1953);
Walking on Borrowed Land (1954);
Fever in the Earth (1958);
Look to the River (1963);
This Stubborn Soil (1966);
Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb
(1969); Tales From the Derrick Floor
(with Mody C. Boatright, 1970);
A Season of Weathering
(1973); and
A Fair and Happy Land (1975).
Dr. Owens married Ann S. Wood on December 23, 1946.
Their two children are Jessie Ann and David Edward.
Return to the Table of Contents
The William A. Owens Papers consist of sixty-nine boxes and eight volumes occupying
approximately twenty-nine feet of shelf space.The William A. Owens Papers consist of sixty-nine boxes and eight volumes occupying
approximately twenty-nine feet of shelf space. The papers are in excellent condition.
They have been divided into eight general categories which include: Correspondence (Series, 1-5);
Research materials, manuscripts and drafts for books by Owens (Series. 6-19); Other writings by Owens including articles, short stories,book reviews, and speeches (Series. 20); Personal data including newspaper articles and photographs (Series. 21-23);
Miscellaneous material written by other authors (Series. 24); Aluminum discs of recordings made by Owens (Series. 25); Owens' books (see list with Inventory of the William A. Owens Papers (Part Two) 1940-1980 - LIT/Owens MSS 00089); and
Oversize materials kept in map cases as items separated. The papers document Owens' teaching and writing career from 1928
to 1979. Items of special interest in the collection include lyrics to many folksongs
and recordings made by Owens in the 1930's and 1940's of folksingers as well as recorded
readings of Robert Frost, interviews of early oil pioneers of Texas, legal papers for
Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc. and David Holland
concerning True magazine's plagerism of
Slave Mutiny, and letters of Roy Bedichek,
J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Mody C. Boatright.
The correspondence is further separated into three areas: personal correspondence;
correspondence with Owens' literary agent, Maurice Crain; and correspondence regarding
Owens' books. Some overlapping exists between these areas. In the personal
correspondence section, letters discussing Owens' books are largely from friends and
fans and are nontechnical in nature. The correspondence with Maurice Crain concerns
the publication procedures and business aspect of his writings while the boxes of
letters specifically concerning the books deal primarily with the writing and
development of the books.
The personal correspondence is arranged chronologically from 1932 to 1975. The
letters are concerned with associations and societies to which Owens belonged;
speaking engagements by Owens; programs in which he was involved; awards presented
to Owens; and Owens' teaching career which includes letters to Owens as Director
of Folk Festivals at the University of Texas, as an instructor at Texas A & M
University, and as Professor and Dean of
Summer Sessions at Columbia University. Other letters concern Owens' service as an
Intelligence Officer in World War II and his early work with folksongs. In addition
to correspondence from Owens' family and friends, there are letters congratulating
Owens on his publications and requesting his literary advice. Of special interest
are letters from famous persons such as Grant Wood, Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry Truman,
and Nelson Rockefeller.
Correspondence with Maurice Crain contains letters from 1950 to 1959. The letters
discuss publication and promotional plans for Owens' books and short stories. Other
subject areas include foreign and domestic contracts for publication, royalty
statements, and motion picture plans for several books.
The correspondence concerning books is arranged in chronological order based on
the year of the book's publication. Included are letters regarding contracts with
publishers, royalty statements, motion picture rights, and lectures on the books.
Numerous letters discuss Owens' research and recordings of folksongs for
Texas Folk Songs. Additional correspondence with
Mrs. Walter B. Sharp, Dudley Sharp, and other oil pioneers refers to the Oral
History of Texas Oil Pioneers.
Material concerning Owens' books includes background material, book reviews,
typescripts, drafts, and in most cases galley proofs and page proofs. The boxes
are arranged chronologically according to the publication date from the earliest
to the last. However, the revised edition of Texas Folk Songs
which was published in 1976 is included with the papers of the 1950 edition.
Labels which Owens used on the papers, such as the numbers of a draft, have been
retained, and where there was no designation of a draft number, the typescript is
merely labeled typescript, early draft, or manuscript. The papers include both
photocopies and ribbon copies and duplicates of typescripts. Typescript and
manuscript are used interchangeably as labels.
The evolution of each of Owens' books can be seen through the background
material and copies of drafts. In the first folders are Owens' research material
and notes, book reviews, advertisements, and other information pertaining to the
book in subject matter. Copies of typescripts, from the earliest to the final
edited manuscript are next with the last folders containing galley proofs and
page proofs. Through the revisions and changes made by Owens in each subsequent
draft, the progressive development
of notes and a rough outline into a complete and polished publication is revealed.
Papers of major interest include a copy of Owens' doctoral dissertation on folksongs
for the State University of Iowa (June 1941) with Texas Folk
Songs material, the legal papers from the Owens vs.
Fawcett Publications, Inc. and David Holland concerning
Slave Mutiny, interviews of oil pioneers of Texas with material for Oral
History of Texas Oil Pioneers and Walter B. Sharp biography, and the correspondence
of Dobie, Bedichek, and Webb revealing their ideas about many varied subjects
included with Three Friends material.
Other writings by Owens comprise the next section of the collection. Articles
and short stories are filed alphabetically. Book reviews are grouped together in one
folder. Speeches are filed last and are labeled with the title or meeting at which
they were given and the date if known. Typescripts exist of most of the articles and
short stories, and duplicate copies are retained. Some of these writings occur in
their published version and are labeled with the title and date of the magazine in
which they were printed. The dates of the other stories and articles are unknown.
The subjects of Owens' stories and articles cover a wide range of subjects and
span the entirety of his writing career. Published excerpts from his books such
as This Stubborn Soil and
Tales From the Derrick Floor are included in this group as well.
The personal data concerning Owens contains biographical information such as
vitae, resumes, publications concerning programs and lectures in which he participated,
and material relating to his teaching career. Additional material documents his years
at Columbia University and awards presented to him. Newspaper articles and photographs
from 1940 to 1974 concern Owens' many interests and involvement in programs as well as
his books and teaching career.
The next boxes in the collection contain miscellaneous material kept by Owens.
Many oil history photographs and newspapers articles relating to subjects in which
Owens was interested are included. Articles by other authors, some signed by the
author and some written by friends of Owens, along with magazines and publications
collected by Owens are filed in this section. The miscellaneous publications are
divided into three categories: literary publications, college publications, and
remaining miscellaneous publications. These deal with a wide variety of subjects
in which Owens was apparently interested.
The remaining three boxes contain aluminum discs of recordings made by Owens
of various folksingers and country people of the South. Note cards listing titles
numbered to correspond with the records are filed with the discs. Owens also made
recordings of readings by Robert Frost in 1939, and these provide a valuable
addition to the collection.
Copies of Owens' books are shelved with the boxed papers. Oversize items
including an advertisement for Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie,
Webb, color prints of the Apollo 11 Lunar Mission, and maps and genealogies
for A Fair and Happy Land are housed separately in a
map case.
Return to the Table of Contents
Access
No restrictions.
Usage Restrictions
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants,
as
stipulated by United States copyright law.
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
|
| This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog of Cushing Memorial Library. Researchers wishing to find related materials
should search the catalog under these index terms.
|
| Names |
| |
Owens, William A., 1905- --Correspondence. |
| |
Boatright, Mody Coggin, 1896-1970--Correspondence. |
| | Bedichek, Roy, 1878-1959--Corresponence. |
| | Dobie, J. Frank (James Frank), 1888-1964--Correspondence. |
| | Crain, Maurice--Correspondence. |
| | Williams, Annie Laurie--Correspondence. |
| | Holland, David--Trials, litigation, etc. |
| Organizations |
| |
State University of Iowa--Alumni and alumnae. |
| | United States. Army. Counter Intelligence Corps. |
| | Fawcett Publications, Inc.--Trials, litigation, etc. |
| Subjects |
| |
Educators--Texas--Correspondence. |
| |
Folklorists--Texas--Correspondence. |
| |
Oral history--History--20th century. |
| |
Petroleum engineering--Texas--Archives. |
| |
Oil fields--Texas--Archives. |
| |
Slave trade in literature. |
| |
Mutiny--United States--History--Sources. |
| |
Biographers--Texas--Correspondence. |
| |
Historians--Texas--Correspondence. |
| |
Folklore and education--History--20th century. |
| |
Folklore and history. |
| | Literary agents--Correspondence. |
| | Plagiarism--United States--History--Sources. |
| | Folk songs--Texas--History--Sources. |
| Places |
| |
Pin Hook (Tex.). |
| |
College Station (Tex.). |
| Titles |
| |
Texas folk songs. |
| | Swing and turn: Texas play-party games. |
| | Slave mutiny: the revolt on the schooner Amistad. |
| | Walking on borrowed land. |
| | Fever in the earth. |
| | Look to the river. |
| | This stubborn soil: a frontier boyhood. |
| | Three friends: Roy Bedichek, J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott
Webb. |
| | Tales from the derrick floor: a people's history of the oil
industry |
| | A season of weathering. |
| | A fair and happy land. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
LIT/Owens MSS 00089. William A. Owens Papers (Part Two): 1940-1980
|
Return to the Table of Contents
| | |
|
Oversized material includes twelve 11 inch x 4 inch color prints of the Apollo 11
Lunar mission, maps and genealogies for A Fair and Happy Land
, and a freestanding advertisement poster for
Three Friends: Bedichek, Dobie, Webb, housed in a map case.
|
Return to the Table of Contents
Purchased from William A. Owens.
Processed by Barbara A. Middlebrook.
Return to the Table of Contents
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
Series 1. Personal correspondence, 1932-1948 and undated.
|
| Correspondence concerning folksongs, Owens' novel Swing and Turn, lectures, and records,
folksongs, Owens' work as Director of Folk Festivals for
the University of Texas. Also correspondence concerning short stories by Owens and his work on his books. |
| box-folder |
| 1-1 | | | Personal correspondence, A-G. Contains letters and poetry from Willis Guthrie. Correspondence referring to artist Grant Wood. circa 1936 - 1942/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-2 | | | Personal correspondence, H-L. Correspondence discussing Owens' work with folksongs and employment at the University of Texas. Letters referring to Grant Wood. circa 1936 - 1942/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-3 | | | Personal correspondence, M-Z. Includes family correspondence, letters referring to Grant Wood. Also contains a short story enclosed in a letter from Schahit. circa 1936 - 1942/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence referring to Grant Wood - his illness as well as a book Owens was to write with illustrations by Wood. Letter from sculptor Lawrence Tenney Stevens included. circa 1940 - 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 1-5 | | | Personal correspondence, A-G. Correspondence discussing short stories and publications by Owens in magazines and Owens' folksong book. Letters referring to Owens' employment at Texas A & M University. circa 1942 - 1947/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-6 | | | Personal correspondence, H-O. Includes family correspondence. circa 1942 - 1947/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-7 | | | Personal correspondence, P-Z. Contains biographical sketch and brochure on sculptor Lawrence Tenney Stevens. circa 1942 - 1947/ |
| box-folder |
| 1-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence from J. Frank Dobie and others concerning Owens' book, Swing and Turn; also includes publishing contract with Tardy Publishing Company. Contains teaching certificate entitling Owens to teach in public schools, certification of employment from schools where Owens taught, and recommendations for employment as English Instructor at Texas A & M University. Postcard from Thornton Wilder. 1932 - 1938. |
| box-folder |
| 1-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence from recording studios, J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, Tardy Publishing Company, and others concerning Swing and Turn and folksong records. January - July 1939. |
| box-folder |
| 1-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters of introduction from Grant Wood and U.S. Representative Lindley Beckworth, correspondence and contract with Lee Keedick concerning lecture tours, correspondence with Dean of Arts and Sciences at Texas A & M referring to plans for Owens' lecture tours and reappointment as English Instructor, correspondence concerning Owens work with folksongs including letters from broadcasting companies and Alan Lomax, assistant archivist of the Library of Congress. August - September 1939. |
| box-folder |
| 1-11 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence setting up lecture tours and a New Orleans
speaking engagement for a meeting of the Modern Language Association, letters referring to Grant Wood, letters from J. Frank Dobie and others concerning Owens' folksong records, note from author Carl Van Doran included. October - December 1939. |
| box-folder |
| 1-12 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence referring to Owens' plans for lecture tours, his work on folksongs,
and plans for his Ph.D. work. Includes letters from Mr. and Mrs.
J. Frank Dobie,
Grant Wood, Lee Keedick, and
recording studios. January - March 1940. |
| box-folder |
| 1-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing Owens' work on folksongs and recordings. Includes correspondence with Dobie and Musicraft Records, Inc. April - June 1940. |
| box-folder |
| 1-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains letters and a contract from Musicraft Records, Inc. concerning a folksong record to be made by Owens, correspondence about a prospective lecture tour for Fall 1940, and letters concerning Owens' appointment as Director of Folk Festivals in the Bureau of Public Schools Extracurricular Activities for the University of Texas Division of Extension. Includes letters from Dobie, John Lomax, and Congressman Beckworth. July - September 1940. |
| box-folder |
| 1-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning lectures and speaking engagements by Owens, his work with folksongs and on his Ph.D. including letters from Dobie, Roy Bedichek, Keedick, and Lawrence Tenney Stevens (refers to Grant Wood.) Also included is a copy of Owens' Ph.D. examination. October - December 1940. |
| box-folder |
| 1-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals, requesting folksong and festival information and asking Owens to speak at meetings. Includes letters from Roy Bedichek and letter referring to Grant Wood. January 1 - January 12, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 1-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals, concerning folk festivals and speaking engagements. Includes letter to
Roy Bedichek. January 13 - January 20, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 1-18 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals, concerning
folk festivals and
programs. Includes letter from Lawrence Tenney Stevens and
letter referring to Grant Wood. January 21 - January 26, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 1-19 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals.
Includes letter from Lawrence Tenney Stevens. January 27 - January 31, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-1 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals, concerning his
work with folksongs and programs to promote folk festivals. Also includes letter referring to Grant Wood. February 1 - February 3, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs and programs for folksongs and dances written while Owens was Director of Folk Festivals. February 4 - February 7, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens, Director of Folk Festivals, concerning folksongs and folk festivals. Includes two letters referred to Owens by J. Frank Dobie and Roy Bedichek. February 8 - February 11, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning folksongs and speaking engagements by Owens as Director of Folk Festivals. Includes open house program to present Owens as Director of Folk Material Research, letters from J. Frank Dobie and Grant Wood. February 12 - February 17, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs and folk festivals, appearances by Owens, and a story for Time and Life about Owens. Also includes letter referring to Grant Wood. February 18 - February 24, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with appearances by Owens. Includes an eight page article on Negro spirituals by S. E. Asbury and letters from Lindley Beckworth and Mrs. William P. Hobby. February 25 - February 27, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with Owens' work on folksongs and participation in meetings and folksong programs. Letters mentioning Grant Wood. March 1 - March 10, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning speaking appearances by Owens discussing folksongs and dances. Letter from singer Lawrence Tibbett and letters referring to Grant Wood. March 11 - March 31, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing appearances and programs on folksongs in which Owens was involved. April 1 - April 8, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence about Owens' work on folksongs and folk festivals and his participation in programs dealing with this subject. April 9 - April 15, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folk music and folk festivals planned by various Texas cities. April 16 - April 20, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence from various cities and schools dealing with folk festivals and requests for Owens' assistance and participation. Also includes notes from Texas A & M concerning salary. April 21 - April 30, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' work with folksongs including a letter from Walter Prescott Webb inviting Owens to join the Texas State Historical Association. May 1 - May 5, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs and folk festivals. Several letters discussing Owens' plans for his Ph.D. orals - also mentioning Grant Wood. May 6 - May 16, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-15 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters discussing folksongs, folk festivals, and Owens' work on his Ph.D. Letter from Dobie included. May 17 - May 29, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-16 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters concerning Owens' folksong research. Also includes correspondence from friends congratulating Owens upon receiving his Ph.D. June 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters to Owens requesting information and assistance with folksong programs, festivals, and recordings. Includes Dobie correspondence referred to Owens July 2 - July 11, 1941.
(two letters). |
| box-folder |
| 2-18 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs - also includes Owens' letter of resignation as Director of Folk Festivals at the University of Texas. July 12 - July 23, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs and letter mentioning Grant Wood. July 24 - July 31, 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing folksongs and Owens' participation in programs. Also includes letter referring to Grant Wood. August 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence requesting Owens' participation and assistance in folksong and folk festival programs. September 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning folksongs and Owens' employment at Texas A & M. Also includes letters from Grant Wood and Roy Bedichek. October 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-23 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence with Owens' lecture agent, Lee Keedick,
concerning prospective lecture dates. Letters from Alistair Cooke
of the British Broadcasting Company requesting Owens' assistance
with a program on American Music and the war. November - December 1941. |
| box-folder |
| 2-24 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence with Alistair Cooke and the
British Braodcasting Company concerning Owens' assistance with the
American music program, letters sent to Owens from Roy Bedichek,
letter referring to Grant Wood's terminal illness, and a letter
from the War Department concerning Owens' offer to join the service. January 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-25 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence with Lee Keedick concerning upcoming lectures,
letters referring to Grant Wood's illness and a telegram notifying
Owens of Wood's death, letter from the American Folklore Society,
Inc. nominating Owens for membership. Also includes various other correspondence about
folk music. February 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-26 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence referring to Grant Wood. Includes letter from
Lee Keedick concerning the USO. March 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-27 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence including letters and an itinerary sheet from Keedick
and a leave request from Owens to Texas A & M
concerning Owens' April lecture tour. April 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-28 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence from the Southwest Review magazine
mentioning a book review that Owens wrote for them. May 1 - May 20, 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-29 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence referring to Owens' draft notification. May 21 - May 31, 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-30 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters mentioning folksongs and Owens' work on a short story titled John Redway. June 1 - June 12, 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-31 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence written during Owens' term of service in the Army. June 12 - June 31, 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-32 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence written to Owens during his term of service in the Army. Letter discussing his promotion. October - November 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-33 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens during his time in the Army. Includes letters referring to a friend of Owens who was missing in action. December 1942. |
| box-folder |
| 2-34 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens while in the Army - includes letters concerning Owens' work on folksongrecordings. January - December 1943. |
| box-folder |
| 2-35 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes family correspondence and correspondence with the
Saturday Evening Post concerning Owens' story
"Sister Ottonia, Escapes." January - October 1944.
|
| box-folder |
| 2-36 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes undated correspondence - Includes correspondence to Owens while he was stationed in the Phillipines, family correspondence, and a certificate from the Army allowing Owens to keep a Japanese songbook and book he acquired in the Phillipines. November - December 1944. 1944. |
| box-folder |
| 3-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning articles Owens wrote for Asia and the America's magazine. January 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes family correspondence, correspondence referring to Woody Guthrie and folk music. Contains program of the Samuel Huston College Artist Series-1945 in which J. Frank Dobie was a lecturer. February - March 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Family correspondence notifying Owens of his mother's death. April - May 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-4 | | | Personal correspondence, June - August 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' plans after returning to civilian life - includes letters from Thomas Mayo, Head of Texas A & M's English Department, and Lindley Beckworth. September - November 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with various magazines regarding publication of short stories by Owens. December 1945. |
| box-folder |
| 3-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes Monthly Report of The Poetry Society of Texas, correspondence with magazines and publishing companies regarding short stories and a novel by Owens, letter from Lee Keedick concerning a lecture in January, and letters from Columbia University and the University of Texas regarding employment for Owens in the spring of 1946. January 1946. (January 1946) |
| box-folder |
| 3-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with magazines concerning short stories by Owens and with Columbia University regarding future employment. February 4 - February 17, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with magazines concerning short stories by Owens. February 20 - February 29, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with magazines and publishers concerning Owens' short stories. March 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing short stories by Owens - from magazines and Maxim Lieber, an author's representative. April 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' articles written for magazines. May 1 - May 24, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-13 | | | Personal correspondence,
Contains family correspondence and letters concerning articles, short stories, and the
novel by Owens. Also includes a story by one of Owens' former students. May 27 - May 31, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-14 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence discussing Owens' novel and short stories. June 1 - June 9, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-15 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence concerning Owens' novel and a letter from Thomas Mayo
discussing employment at Texas A & M for the Fall 1946. June 10 - June 24, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with Mayo discussing employment at
Texas A & M. Also includes letters discussing Walking on Borrowed Land and articles by Owens. July 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes family correspondence, letters from colleges concerning a teaching position for Owens, correspondence concerning
folksongs and short stories. August 1 - August 12, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-18 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters discussing short stories and novels by Owens. August 14 - August 29, 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with magazines concerning Owens' short stories and articles. September 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing folksongs and articles with magazines and publishing companies. Contains letter from Lee Keedick concerning lectures by Owens. Also includes a letter from Congressman Beckworth. October 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence deals with Owens' short stories. Correspondence from
Columbia University discussing employment for Owens for 1947-1948. November 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' employment at Columbia University. December/circa 1946. |
| box-folder |
| 3-23 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' employment at Columbia University. January - February 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-24 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning lectures, short stories, and books by Owens - also letters from Columbia University about Owens' employment. Includes family correspondence. March - April 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-25 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' short stories. Also includes letters and an itinerary concerning lectures and guest appearances by Owens. May - June 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-26 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning short stories and Owens' plans for a novel, King Cotton's My Cross. July - August 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-27 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning short stories and books by Owens. September - October 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-28 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' books. November 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-29 | | | Personal correspondence, December - undated 1947. |
| box-folder |
| 3-30 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes letter from Columbia University concerning Owens' employment. January/circa 1948. |
| box-folder |
| 3-31 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books - Walking on Borrowed Land, A Texas Ballad Book, and Slave Mutiny, the Amistad book. April - June 1948. |
| box-folder |
| 3-32 | | | Personal correspondence, July - September 1948. |
| box-folder |
| 3-33 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence concerning
Walking on Borrowed Land, A Texas Ballad Book, and short stories by Owens.
October - December/circa 1948. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
Series 2. Personal correspondence, 1949-1959.
|
| Contains correspondence relating to books and articles by Owens as well as
his appointment to Director of Summer Sessions at Columbia University. |
| box-folder |
| 4-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with Owens' short stories and Walking on Borrowed Land, A Texas Ballad Book, and the Amistad novel. January - September 1949. |
| box-folder |
| 4-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing plans for the folksong book, short stories by Owens, and plans for a book of Owens' childhood reminiscences. October - December 1949. |
| box-folder |
| 4-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books and short stories. January - October 1950. |
| box-folder |
| 4-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning short stories and books by Owens. Includes plans for a book about Japanese war experiences written by Owens. November - December/circa 1950. |
| box-folder |
| 4-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters from magazines and publishers discussing Owens' short stories, books, and Owens' Japanese research. Also includes a letter from Roy Bedichek. January 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' novels and short stories as well as Owens' employment for the summer term at Columbia University. Includes letter concerning Owens' work on Japanese war information. February 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning books and short stories Owens - mention of plans for a book about Texas oil pioneers. Also contains a letter about Owens' proposed book on the Japanese in World War II. March 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning short stories written by Owens, Texas Folk Songs, and Walking on Borrowed Land. April 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-9 | | | Personal correspondence, May - June 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' book on the Japanese and World War II and Texas Folk Songs. Also includes information on The Author's Guild and a certificate of membership for Owens. July - August 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' short stories and his book about the Japanese in World War II. September 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' short stories. October - November 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning short stories by Owens. December/circa 1951. |
| box-folder |
| 4-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence about short stories by Owens and the work on his books - Texas Oil Pioneers and the Japanese war book. January - February 1952. |
| box-folder |
| 4-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing publication of short stories by Owens with various magazines. Also includes correspondence with Thomas Mayo of Texas A & M University. March 1952. |
| box-folder |
| 4-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes correspondence dealing with short stories and books by Owens. April - August 1952. |
| box-folder |
| 4-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' short stories and books. Includes a letter from Walter Prescott Webb. September - November, 1952. |
| box-folder |
| 4-18 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters containing short stories and Slave Mutiny. December 1952/circa 1952. |
| box-folder |
| 4-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with books and stories by Owens. January - February 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' writings and a speaking engagement for the Columbia Scholastic Press Association. March - April 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing short stories and books by Owens as well as lectures and programs in which Owens was invited to appear. May - June 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' writings and lecture programs. July - August 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-23 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' books and requesting his participation as a guest speaker in lecture programs. Letter informing Owens of his election to the Texas Institute of Letters - also includes letters from Dobie and Webb. September - October 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-24 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books and speaking engagements. Also includes a letter notifying Owens of his promotion to Associate Professor. November - December/circa 1953. |
| box-folder |
| 4-25 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with Lee Keedick concerning lecture tours by Owens. Includes an itinerary. Additional correspondence dealing with Owens' writings. January - February 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-26 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning lectures and writings by Owens. March - April 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-27 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with Columbia University concerning Owens' work and promotion to Associate Professor. Also includes letters discussing folksongs. May - June 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-28 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains correspondence with Lee Keedick discussing a manuscript Owens was to work on for Keedick. Also includes letters about Japanese Soldiers in World War II and the Robert T. Hill papers which Owens was organizing. July - August 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-29 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence with Keedick concerning a lecture tour for Owens and Walking on Borrowed Land. Contains letters discussing folksongs and the Japanese soldier book. September - October 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-30 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' books and reviews. November - December 1954/circa 1954. |
| box-folder |
| 4-31 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books. January 1955. |
| box-folder |
| 4-32 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains letters discussing Owens' books, lectures, and his work on the Roy Bedichek papers. Also several letters mentioning the Texas Institute of Letters Award for Walking on Borrowed Land. February - March 1955. |
| box-folder |
| 4-33 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes letter of Owens' opinions on a book of folklore - also contains letters concerning lectures by Owens. April - June 1955. |
| box-folder |
| 4-34 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' books and lecture plans. July - September 1955. |
| box-folder |
| 4-35 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters concerning short stories and books by Owens as well as his work on
folksongs and Walter Sharp's biography. October - December 1955. |
| box-folder |
| 4-36 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence deals with
folksongs, Owens' work on the Walter Sharp biography and oil field novel, and his employment at Columbia University. January - February 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 4-37 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters
discussing folksongs
including a letter written by Roy Bedichek, and Owens' short stories, including a story about Spindletop and oil pioneers of Texas. Contains correspondence dealing with Owens' work on his novel, later called Fever in the Earth, and letters concerning his employment for the summer session at Columbia. March - April 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing short stories and books by Owens as well as his work concerning
folksongs. May - July 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-2 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters concerning short stories and books by Owens including
Slave Mutiny, Texas Folk Songs, and the oil field history.
Also contains correspondence requesting Owens to judge for the Texas Institute of
Letters Book Award Contest. August - September 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the Texas Institute of Letters contest and Owens' work with folksongs. October 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the Texas Institute of Letters contest. November 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing the Texas Institute of Letters contest and writings by Owens. December 1956/circa 1956. |
| box-folder |
| 5-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the Texas Institute of Letters contest. Also contains letters discussing short stories by Owens, Texas Folk Songs, and Owens' employment for the summer session at Columbia. January - February 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains correspondence concerning short stories by Owens and Texas Folk Songs. Also includes a postcard with an 1839 Bill of Sale for a Negro woman. March - April 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the plagerism of Owens' novel Slave Mutiny by True magazine. May - June 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains correspondence regarding Fever in the Earth, letters concerning the literary theft of material in Slave Mutiny by American Heritage and True magazine, and the possible production of a movie based on Slave Mutiny. July 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Slave Mutiny and Owens' settlement with American Heritage. Also includes information - notes and travel voucher - for oil company interviews by Owens. August 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence providing information about the Texas State Program for Historical Preservation. September - October 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing folksongs, including letters from Mody Boatright. Also includes correspondence regarding Owens' lawsuit concerning Slave Mutiny. November - December 1957/circa 1957. |
| box-folder |
| 5-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books - Swing and Turn, Fever in the Earth, and Slave Mutiny. Includes a letter from J. Frank Dobie and letters concerning Owens' teaching at Columbia for the summer session. January - February 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Fever in the Earth, legal action concerning Slave Mutiny, and affairs at Columbia University. Also includes letters from Dobie and Bedichek. March - April 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing Fever in the Earth, including letters from Dobie, Bedichek, and Mrs. Walter Sharp. Contains correspondence about other writings concerning the oil industry by Owens. May 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Fever in the Earth and Owens' writings about the oil industry for Dupont Magazine and the American Petroleum Institute Quarterly. June 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes correspondence referring to Fever in the Earth. July 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-18 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Fever in the Earth and other oil history stories and articles. August 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Fever in the Earth, Owens' oil history articles for Dupont Magazine, and plans for a book on "The American Short Story." Includes a letter from Dobie. September 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence deals with Fever in the Earth, articles for Dupont Magazine, and other work in oil history by Owens. Also includes a letter requesting Owens to chair the Publicity Committee for a December meeting of the Modern Language Association. October - November 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning Owens' appointment as Director of the Summer Sessions at Columbia. Also correspondence discussing Fever in the Earth and the oil history series for Dupont Magazine. December 1958/circa 1958. |
| box-folder |
| 5-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Fever in the Earth and Owens' oil history series for Dupont Magazine. Also contains letters regarding Owens' appointment as Associate Professor and Director of Summer Sessions at Columbia. January - February 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-23 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing the plagerism of Slave Mutiny by True magazine. Also includes letters regarding Fever in the Earth and other oil related work by Owens including the Dupont articles and the research on Walter Sharp. March - April 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-24 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' oil history series for Dupont Magazine, a TV appearance by Owens, and Owens' case against True magazine. May 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-25 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Owens' writings - oil articles for Dupont and the American Petroleum Institute Quarterly, and Walking on Borrowed Land. Contains letters concerning Roy Bedichek's death and the editing of his letters by Owens - includes letters from Dobie and Bedichek's family. June - July 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-26 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' research and writings on oil history, Slave Mutiny, and Owens' appointment as Director of Summer Sessions. Contains an outline of a talk given by Owens August 1959. (August 31, 1959). |
| box-folder |
| 5-27 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters referring to the lawsuit against True magazine (Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc.), writings by Owens including Texas Folk Songs and oil history articles, and Owens' appointment as Director of Summer Sessions. September 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-28 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc., A Texan's Ballad Book, and oil history articles. October 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-29 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Texas Folk Songs, Swing and Turn, and a short story by Owens. Also includes letters from Adlai Stevenson and Henry Cabot Lodge concerning invitations to appear at Columbia. November - December 1959. |
| box-folder |
| 5-30 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' appointment as Director of Summer Sessions and his books. Includes a short note by Bedichek about Slave Mutiny. circa 1959. |
Return to the Table of Contents
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |
Series 3. Personal correspondence, 1960-1970.
|
| Correspondence during Owens' term as Director of Summer Sessions at
Columbia University.
Additional correspondence deals with short stories and books by Owens, including
The Caves of Arayat.
Includes correspondence concerning books by
Owens and his work on Roy Bedichek's papers
as well as letters pertaining to programs, speaking engagements, and affairs at
Columbia University in which Owens participated.
Correspondence concerning lectures and books by Owens, affairs at Columbia, and programs
in which Owens was involved.
Primarily refers to This Stubborn Soil,
Tales From the Derrick Floor, and Owens'
work on Roy Bedichek's letters. Correspondence concerning Owens' books and other writings by Owens including his
work on the history of oil and space research with NASA. Also contains letters
discussing programs and lectures in which Owens participated and matters
concerning Columbia University including Owens' appointment to Dean of
Summer Sessions. |
| box-folder |
| 6-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Owens' oil history series for Dupont and Pocantico Hills. January - February 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Pocantico Hills, including a letter from Governor Nelson Rockefeller. Also includes a letter from Harry Truman. March 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding books by Owens, primarily Pocantico Hills. Contains a letter from Owens to Governor Rockefeller requesting his presence at an International Book Exhibition at Columbia. April 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions discussing courses, plans for conferences, and programs at Columbia. Includes letters concerning books and stories by Owens. Also contains a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt accepting Owens' invitation to speak at an International Book Exhibition at Columbia. May 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions including letters regarding plans for the International Book Exhibition at Columbia. Additional correspondence concerns letters discussing writings by Owens. June 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions which includes a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt. Also includes correspondence concerning short stories and articles by Owens and Swing and Turn. July 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions. Correspondence concerning stories by Owens as well as his books. August 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of the Summer Session. Also includes letters concerning the Owens vs. Fawcett lawsuit, Owens' research on the "Oral History of the Oil Industry," and other short stories by Owens. September - October 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters to Owens, Director of Summer Sessions. Contains correspondence regarding the "Oral History of the Oil Industry" and Owens vs. Fawcett Publications, Inc. November 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions. Letters discussing the "Oral History of the Oil Industry" and Owens vs. Fawcett. December 1960. |
| box-folder |
| 6-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions concerning the Owens vs. Fawcett case. January 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence relates to Texas Folk Songs, the Owens vs. Fawcett case, and a church history book with which Owens was involved. February - March 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens vs. Fawcett, books and short stories by Owens including Texas Folk Songs and the church history, A Century of Grace. April - May 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions. Includes a letter regarding a novel by Owens on the Phillipines. June - July 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters to Owens as Director of Summer Sessions including correspondence concerning books and short stories by Owens. August - September 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Slave Mutiny and Fever in the Earth. October - December 1961. |
| box-folder |
| 6-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing projects in which Owens was involved, including the oil industry history and the history of Grace Church. Also includes a letter concerning Owens vs. Fawcett. January - February 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-18 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding Owens' work on the history of the oil industry and Owens vs. Fawcett. March - April 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Dean of Summer Sessions. May - June 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens as Dean of Summer Sessions. July - August 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains letter referring to Owens' editing of the Roy Bedichek papers. September - October 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning various writings, programs, and speaking engagements by Owens. Also includes a letter from Mrs. Roy Bedichek concerning Bedichek's letters. November - December 1962/circa 1962. |
| box-folder |
| 6-23 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' new book Look to the River, a letter advising Owens of his consideration for Vice President for Academic Affairs at Boston University, and a letter concerning Owens' participation on a Sunday School panel. January 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 6-24 | | | Personal correspondence relating to Look to the River, the Bedichek letters, and speaking engagements by Owens. |
| box-folder |
| 7-1 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence concerning Look to the River
and a radio review of Owens by literary critic Evelyn Oppenheimer.
Also includes a letter from Mrs. David Rockefeller concerning the
Texas Research Foundation. March 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence to Owens regarding Summer Sessions and affairs at Columbia, letters discussing Look to the River and Owens' appearance on Evelyn Oppenheimer's radio program. Includes a letter concerning Roy Bedichek's letters. April 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes letters discussing Look to the River and the By Laws of the Department of English and Comparative Literature of Columbia University. May 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning affairs at Columbia as well as books by Owens. June - July 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters referring to Look to the River, Owens' work on the oil industry, Texas Folk Songs, speaking engagements by Owens, and the Owens vs. Fawcett case. August - October 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with Slave Mutiny, Look to the Earth, Owens' work on his autobiography, and speaking engagements by Owens. Also contains a letter from the Houston Chronicle concerning a series on Texas authors. November - December 1963. |
| box-folder |
| 7-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Look to the River, Owens vs. Fawcett, and history of the oil industry. January - February 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters regarding Owens' Phillipines novel - The Caves of Arayat, correspondence concerning speaking engagements by Owens. March 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-9 | | | Personal correspondence,
Correspondence regarding speaking engagements by Owens, the
"Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers,"
and Owens' books including
Look to the River, The Caves of Arayat, and
Books and a Boy. April - June 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters and information dealing with Owens' participation in the National Association of Summer Session Directors with NASA. Also contains correspondence with Texas A & M University concerning graduate lectures by Owens. July - August 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Contains newspaper clippings about Dobie's death, correspondence discussing "Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers," and letters concerning summer sessions at Columbia. Spetember 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Texas Folk Songs and other books by Owens. Also includes letters concerning graduate lectures by Owens at Texas A & M University. October - November 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' graduate lecture at Texas A & M University and his participation in the "Carnival of Books" radio program regarding Look to the River. January 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing speaking engagements in Texas by Owens, newspaper clippings concerning J. Frank Dobie, and correspondence regarding Owens' work on the Bedichek papers. February 1 - February 9, 1964. |
| box-folder |
| 7-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the "Carnival of Books" program and Look to the River, the Bedichek papers, speaking engagements by Owens. February 10 - February 26, 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning speaking engagements by Owens - includes letters discussing a lecture about Bedichek and his works at the University of Texas, letters from Mrs. Roy Bedichek and Mody Boatright. Other letters referring to an article by Owens on the Big Thicket for the Texas Folklore Society. March 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' talk on Roy Bedichek and his work on Bedichek's letters - includes letter from Mrs. Bedichek. Additional correspondence deals with the "Carnival of Books" program, Owens' lecture at Texas A & M University, and The Caves of Arayat. April 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-18 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters discussing Roy Bedichek's papers and Swing and Turn. Also includes a letter from Mody Boatright discussing his new book. May 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the Texas Folklore Society and the "Carnival of Books" program on Look to the River. June - July 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-20 | | | Personal correspondence, Includes a letter from Mody Boatright mentioning his new book and the oil history book that he and Owens co-authored. August - October 1965. |
| box-folder |
| 7-21 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning articles that Owens contributed to Three Men - a book about Dobie, Bedichek, and Webb, and the Big Thicket. Also includes letters discussing the Bedichek letters and Oral History of Texas Oil Pioneers. November 1965. |
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| 7-22 | | | Personal correspondence, Letter concerning Slave Mutiny. December - circa 1965. |
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| 7-23 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books including This Stubborn Soil, Fever in the Earth, and Tales From the Derrick Floor by Owens and Boatright. January 1966. |
| box-folder |
| 7-24 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' support of the Spindletop Museum in Beaumont, Texas, a proposed revision of Swing and Turn, Three Men and the Bedichek letters, Tales from the Big Thicket, This Stubborn Soil, and the "Carnival of Books" program concerning Look to the River. Includes a short letter from Boatright and a letter discussing affairs at Columbia concerning a committee of which Owens was a member. February 1966. |
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| 7-25 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding affairs at Columbia University, Owens' autobiography (This Stubborn Soil), and the Spindletop Museum. March 1966. |
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| 7-26 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Roy Bedichek's letters, This Stubborn Soil, Tales From the Derrick Floor, Owens' plans for the revision of Swing and Turn, and The Starting Point, a fiction anthology, which Owens criticized. Also contains letters dealing with affairs at Columbia University. April - May 1966. |
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| 7-27 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning This Stubborn Soil and affairs at Columbia University. June - August 1966. |
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| 8-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning This Stubborn Soil and Texas Folk Songs and the Spindletop Museum in Beaumont, Texas. September 1966. |
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| 8-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning This Stubborn Soil and the Texas Institute of Letters Book Contest, a short story about Grant Wood by Owens titled Haying, A Lesson in Form, the Spindletop Museum, Roy Bedichek's papers, and Tales from the Big Thicket to which Owens contributed. October 1966. |
| box-folder |
| 8-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding This Stubborn Soil, Texas Folk Songs, Slave Mutiny, and Roy Bedichek's letters. November 1966. |
| box-folder |
| 8-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning Roy Bedichek's letters including a letter from Mrs. Bedichek, Look to the River, Texas Folk Songs, This Stubborn Soil, a speaking engagement by Owens, and a proposed book about Dobie by a friend of Owens, Francis Abernathy. December/circa 1966. |
| box-folder |
| 8-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with This Stubborn Soil, Bedichek's letters, Look to the River, and a story for Petroleum Today by Owens and Boatright. Also includes newspaper articles concerning Owens and his hometown of Pin Hook. January 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning This Stubborn Soil including Owens' winning the Carr P. Collins book award for non-fiction. Also includes letters about lectures by Owens, letters and a draft of Owens' and Boatright's oil history story for Petroleum Today, and letters dealing with Owens' work on Bedichek's letters. February 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding This Stubborn Soil and Owens' winning of the Carr P. Collins Award, letters and programs concerning appearances by Owens, a letter informing Owens of his election to Phi Beta Kappa, and a letter about Three Men in Texas to which Owens contributed writings. March 1967. |
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| 8-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning This Stubborn Soil and the Carr P. Collins Award, other writings by Owens, lectures and guest appearances by Owens including a transcription of a speech on folklore by Owens. April 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Owens' writings including This Stubborn Soil, the oil history article, and a story about Bedichek. Also includes letters discussing speaking engagements by Owens. May 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' writings on Bedichek and the oil history and appearances by Owens. June 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence discussing Slave Mutiny, This Stubborn Soil, and Bedichek's letters. July 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning books and articles by Owens. Also includes letters regarding lectures and a pamphlet on Owens for the Southwest Writers Series. August 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning This Stubborn Soil, lectures by Owens, and affairs at Columbia University. September 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books, lectures by Owens, Owens' participation in the Texas Institute of Letters Book Contest, and the Southwest Writer's Series pamphlet on Owens. October 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding books by Owens, Bedichek's letters, the Texas Institute of Letters Contest, the Southwest Writers Series, and affairs at Columbia. November 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books, affairs at Columbia, and the Texas Institute of Letters contest. December 1967. |
| box-folder |
| 8-17 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence referring to Bedichek's letters and This Stubborn Soil. circa 1967. |
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| 8-18 | | | Personal correspondence,
Letters discussing the Texas Institute of Letters contest, Owens' books, affairs at
Columbia, and lectures by Owens including a copy of his speech,
"The Writer and His Region." January 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 8-19 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning lectures by Owens, the Texas Institute of Letters contest, books by Owens, and the Southwest Writers Series. February 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-1 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding the Texas Institute of Letters contest, programs in which Owens participated, and books by Owens. March 1 - March 7, 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-2 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters concerning Owens' books, appearances by Owens, and the Southwest Writers Series. March 8 - March 31, 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-3 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence dealing with speaking engagements by Owens and This Stubborn Soil. April 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-4 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Look to the River, participation by Owens on programs and committees, affairs at Columbia - student disorders, and information on Bedichek and Webb. May 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-5 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters dealing with affairs at Columbia, Bedichek's letters, speaking engagements by Owens, and books by Owens. June 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-6 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning books by Owens, affairs at Columbia, lectures by Owens, and folksongs. July 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-7 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding affairs at Columbia, appearances by Owens, writings by Owens including plans for a childrens' book, and Southwest Writers Series. August 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-8 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence referring to the Southwest Writers Series on Owens and speaking engagements by Owens. September 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-9 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning the Southwest Writers Series, the Texas Institute of Letters contest, books by Owens, and affairs at Columbia. October 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-10 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Owens' books and speaking engagements by Owens. November 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-11 | | | Personal correspondence, Letters from NASA inviting Owens to view the launching of Apollo 8 and correspondence dealing with affairs at Columbia and Owens' books. December 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-12 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence and information concerning folklore and literature series, a letter from Boatright concerning a center for studies in folklore and oral history. circa 1968. |
| box-folder |
| 9-13 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence regarding the Apollo 8 space launch and affairs at Columbia. January 1969. |
| box-folder |
| 9-14 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning books by Owens, affairs at Columbia, and a speaking engagement by Owens concerning Look to the River. February 1969. |
| box-folder |
| 9-15 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning matters at Columbia and Owens' appointment to Dean of Summer Sessions. March 1969. |
| box-folder |
| 9-16 | | | Personal correspondence, Correspondence concerning Columbia University and Owens' appointment to Dean of Summer Sessions, lectures by Owens, and the Apollo 8 space launch. April 1 - April 15, 1969. |
| box-folder |
| 9-17 | | | |
