Don Worcester, a highly respected author and Spanish-Borderlands historian, was born on April 29, 1915, in Tempe, Arizona, but soon moved to his grandfather's homestead on the edge of the Mojave Desert with his mother and brother. It was on this homestead that Worcester became a true cowboy, rodeoing with the Indians who lived on the nearby reservation and learning their way of life.
Worcester received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Bard College in 1939 and his Masters Degree from the University of California at Berkley in 1940. After a stint in the Navy, he returned to the University of California at Berkley and received his Ph.D. in 1947. Worcester was at the University of Florida from 1947-1963, serving as the Chairman of the History Department from 1955-1959. He then took a professorship at Texas Christian University, serving as Chairman of the History Department from 1963-1972.
Worcester also played vital roles in many historical and literary organizations and reviews. Most notably, he served as the Phi Alpha Theta national president from 1960-1962. He was the president of the Western Writers of America from 1973-1974 and of the Western History Association from 1974-1975. Worcester also served as the Chairman of the Board of University Press Managers from 1961-1963 and was the managing editor of the Hispanic American Historical Review from 1960-1965.
The collection consists of correspondence and literary productions (proofs, manuscripts, and index drafts). These manuscripts pertain mostly to Worcester's publications on southwestern history.
The subject headings used by the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library are derived from the Library of Congress and/or locally developed.
Collection accession #(s):
Gifts, 1983-1993
Open for research
Abel Ramirez, 2000
Don Worcester Papers, 1986-1991 and undated, Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas