Professor Pratt was born on August 20, 1908, in Los Angeles, California. He received three degrees from Cornell University, a bachelor's in 1930, a master's in 1931, and a PhD in 1935.
Dr. Pratt joined the faculty of The University of Texas at Austin in 1935. He specialized in the English Romantics and was known for his scholarship on Byron, Shelley, and Blake. Professor Pratt helped establish Plan II, the University's undergraduate honors program, by serving as chairman of the committee on Plan II from 1949 to 1955. He was director of Plan II from 1950 to 1962 and again from 1970 to 1973. He also served as associate dean of the College of Liberal Arts from 1962 to 1968.
Willis W. Pratt, professor emeritus of English, died on October 16, 1991.
Source: Index of Memorial and Biographical Sketches web site, University of Texas Faculty Council, 2008.
The bulk of the collection contains programs for productions and concerts performed by the University of Texas Departments of Drama and Music. There is also an assortment of programs from the Austin Symphony and other productions. A small amount of clippings and correspondence regarding UT faculty is also contained in the collection.
Unrestricted access.
Willis Pratt Collection, circa 1940s-1970s, Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, The University of Texas at Austin.