Amy Freeman Lee:

An Inventory of Her Papers, 1909-1997 and undated, at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library

Biographical Sketch

Amy Freeman Lee was a noted artist, art critic, author, lecturer, and leader in the humane movement. She was born in Seguin, Texas, in 1914 but moved to San Antonio to be raised by her grandmother and became a permanent resident. She graduated from St. Mary's Hall boarding school in 1931 and attended the University of Texas and Incarnate Word College from which she graduated. She married after college and kept her married name after the union ended a few years later. She was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Letters from Incarnate Word in 1965 and served as the Chairman of the college's Board of Directors for many years.

A self taught watercolor painter, Lee helped found the Texas Watercolor Society in 1949 and served as one of its first presidents. In the late 40s and 50s, she served as an art critic for cultural events for the San Antonio Express News and KONO, a radio station in San Antonio. Other activities included serving as a trustee and secretary for the Humane Society of the United States and founded Man and Beast, Inc. in San Antonio. Lee served for over 50 years as a judge and sponsor of the Young Pegasus Poetry Contest and was active in the San Antonio Area Girl Scouts. She is listed in several Who's Who directories and was the focus of a 1984 CBS documentary titled Reality is Becoming. In 1984, she was elected to the Texas Women's Hall of Fame.

Scope and Contents

This collection consists of biographical material, correspondence, directories, literary productions, periodicals, printed material, scrapbook material and memorabilia pertaining to Amy Freeman Lee's activities, contributions, and speaking engagements. The bulk of the collection is printed material, which is divided into several categories, including activities, annual reports, booklets, conferences, exhibit catalogs, news clippings, newsletters, programs, and speaking engagements.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions

Open for research

Related Material

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Amy Freeman Lee Papers, 1909-1997 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas

Collection accession #(s):
83-0004-B; 84-0012-B; 87-0024-B; 89-0057-B; 89-0241-B; 89-0-0001-B; 91-0018-X; 92-0060-B; 93-0210-B; 94-0088-B; 94-0371-B; 95-0183-B; 96-0258-B; 97-0195-B; 98-0009-B

Gifts, 1983-1998

Processed by

Abel Ramirez, June 1998

Collection Inventory