Archives West Finding Aid
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Thomas D. Howells papers, 1934-1991
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Howells, Thomas D.
- Title
- Thomas D. Howells papers
- Dates
- 1934-1991 (inclusive)19341991
- Quantity
- 3.8 linear feet, (5 boxes)
- Collection Number
- WCMss.052
- Summary
- Thomas D. Howells was a Whitman College professor from 1938 to 1987. This collection includes his literary manuscripts, published materials, lectures, tributes from his former students and colleagues, and administrative records.
- Repository
-
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Whitman College and Northwest Archives
Penrose Library, Room 130
345 Boyer Avenue
Walla Walla, WA
99362
Telephone: 5095275922
Fax: 5095264785
archives@whitman.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Collection is open for research.
- Languages
- English
Biographical NoteReturn to Top
Thomas D. Howells was born July 21, 1912 in DuQuoin, Illinois. He received Bachelor's and Master's of Arts degrees from the University of Chicago. He also attended the University of Southern Illinois and the University of Michigan.
He joined the Whitman College faculty in 1938, and was promoted to the rank of full professor in 1957. He retired in 1978 but resumed teaching as an adjunct professor from 1981 to 1987. He served as Director of Curriculum from 1954-1965, Chairman of the English department from 1966-1974 and Chairman of the Faculty from 1974-1976.
In 1984, Professor Howells was presented an honorary Doctor of Letters degree at commencement. He was honored then as a "distinguished teacher, caring colleague, institutional as well as literary critic and writer."
Professor Howells was one of five founders of the Walla Walla Little Theatre and was Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Walla Walla Public Library.
His poetry, articles and book reviews were regularly published in literary magazines. He also co-authored a history of the Walla Walla Symphony, Bringing the World's Best Music. A collection of lectures, Gods and Heroes, was published by Northern Kentucky University following his appearance there in 1981. Howells died in January 1991.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The papers of Thomas D. Howells include Howells' unpublished literary manuscripts, typed manuscripts of lectures, a video of his lectures at Northern Kentucky University, audio tapes of lectures, theater reviews, his files from his tenure as Chairman of the Faculty, newspaper clippings, and students' recollections of him gathered as a tribute to him upon his retirement.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
1: Chairman of the Faculty records, 1971-1977Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
1 | 13 | Applications for department of art |
1971-1972 |
1 | 20 | College budget |
1974 |
1 | 9 | Faculty requests for financial assistance |
1974-1975 |
1 | 10 | Academic Council |
1974-1975 |
1 | 19 | Faculty minutes |
1974-1975 |
1 | 2 | President's Council |
1975-1976 |
1 | 4 | Committee of divisional chairman |
1975-1976 |
1 | 5 | General material while chairman of the faculty |
1975-1976 |
1 | 6 | General material while chairman of the faculty |
1975-1976 |
1 | 8 | General material while chairman of the faculty |
1975-1976 |
1 | 7 | Faculty meetings |
1975-1976 |
1 | 27 | Letters regarding scholastic scholarship |
Undated |
1 | 12 | Letters regarding scholastic probation |
1976 |
1 | 3 | Budgets |
1976-1977 |
1 | 29 | Committee on aid to faculty scholarship |
1974 |
1 | 1 | Material concerning Martin Kopf |
Undated |
1 | 11 | Letters regarding proposed change of grading system |
Undated |
1 | 14 | Material regarding tenure of Geoffrey Brown |
Undated |
1 | 15 | Letters regarding evaluations of faculty |
Undated |
1 | 16 | Material from Whitman Indian Hills Conference |
Undated |
1 | 17 | Letters regarding Ronald D. Cohen |
Undated |
1 | 18 | Academic council material |
Undated |
1 | 21 | Letters regarding scholastic probation |
Undated |
1 | 22 | General material while chairman of the faculty |
Undated |
1 | 23 | Letters regarding scholastic probation |
Undated |
1 | 24 | Letters regarding scholastic probation |
Undated |
1 | 25 | Review committee |
Undated |
1 | 26 | General material while Chairman of the Faculty |
Undated |
1 | 28 | Academic council |
1975-76 |
1 | 30 | Budget requests |
1976-77 |
2: Director of Curriculum records, 1954-1976Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
2 | 7 | Reports while Director or Curriculum |
1954-1965 |
2 | 14 | Danforth proposals |
1960-1961 |
2 | 1 | Material concerning Dean of Faculty |
1966 |
2 | 4 | Committee inquiry |
1966 |
2 | 6 | Report of the committee to study innovation |
January 1973 |
2 | 8 | Material while Chairman of the Faculty |
1974-1976 |
2 | 2 | Memorials and tributes by Howells |
Undated |
2 | 3 | Material regarding the Whitman College Pioneer |
Undated |
2 | 5 | Material regarding Donald L. Lehmann |
Undated |
2 | 9 | Material while director of curriculum view |
Undated |
2 | 10 | Material while director of curriculum view |
Undated |
2 | 11 | Material while director of curriculum view |
Undated |
2 | 12 | Material while director of curriculum view |
Undated |
2 | 13 | Material while director of curriculum view |
Undated |
2 | 15 | Statements made on various occasions |
Undated |
2 | 16 | Statements made on various occasions |
Undated |
2 | 17 | Notes for statements made on various occasions |
Undated |
2 | 18 | Notes for statements made on various occasions |
Undated |
3: Lectures, Publications, Reviews, 1934-1985Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
3 | 22 | "Contested Vigil" in Story
|
1934 |
3 | 20 | "Sonnets": The John Billings Fiske Prize Poem |
1936 |
3 | 23 | "Status", "The Equal Passion", and "Vigil" in Poetry
|
August 1939 |
3 | 24 | "Poetry and the Ecclesiastical Criticism" in Poetry
|
November 1939 |
3 | 25 | "Plan" in Poetry
|
March 1940 |
3 | 26 | Review of "Campion, Musical Poet" in Poetry
|
April 1940 |
3 | 27 | Review "Where To, Where Now?" in Poetry
|
September 1940 |
3 | 28 | Review "A Wide Range" in Poetry
|
May 1941 |
3 | 29 | "Yvor Winters, Anatomist of Nonsense" in Poetry
|
November 1943 |
3 | 30 | "Value in Poetry" in Interim, vol. 1, no.1 |
Summer 1944 |
3 | 33 | "Darkness with Rain" in The University of Kansas City Review
|
Autumn 1944 |
3 | 21 | "Excursion" and "A Way of Dying" in Crescendo, vol.3 |
Autumn 1944 |
3 | 34 | "Denial of Sunsets" in The University of Kansas City Review
|
Spring 1945 |
3 | 31 | "Walking at Night", "Entreaty at a Point in Time", and "Question of Some Hour""Walking at Night", "Entreaty at a Point in Time", and "Question of Some Hour" in Interim, vol.1, no.4 |
1945 |
3 | 35 | "Seasonal" in Experiment
|
Winter 1945-1946 |
3 | 36 | "Experiment, Revolution, and Tradition" in The New Mexico Quarterly Review
|
Winter 1946 |
3 | 32 | "Toward Pluralism" in Interim, vol. 3, no.4 |
1949-1950 |
3 | 13 | Letters, memos, AAUP Bulletin, and Revised Constitution and By-laws of Whitman College, regarding the battle over tenure |
1950-1953 |
3 | 14 | Material regarding AAUP |
1950-1977 |
4 | 11 | "Kaloics" in Dark Horse, number 13 |
Fall 1977 |
3 | 5 | Lectures on G.B. Shaw |
1979 |
3 | 19 |
Bringing the World's Best Music: A Short History of the Walla Walla Symphony Society and the Walla Walla Symphony Orchestra From 1907 to 1982
|
1981 |
3 | 6 | Lectures delivered at Northern Kentucky University (including video disc) |
October 1981 |
3 | 7 | Lecture, "Greek Realities in the Age of Pericles" |
1982 |
3 | 9 | Lecture, "Notes on Finnegans Wake" |
1982 |
3 | 10 | Lectures, "King Lear" and "Illusion and Reality in Macbeth" |
1982 |
3 | 8 | Aeschylus's "The Persians", translated by Howells |
1983 |
3 | 4 | Senior alumni college lectures |
1985 |
3 | 3 | Senior alumni college lectures |
Undated |
3 | 1 | Lectures |
Undated |
3 | 2 | Lectures |
Undated |
3 | 11 | Material regarding the Little Theater |
Undated |
3 | 12 | Material regarding AAUP |
Undated |
3 | 15 | Comments on various individuals, including literary figures |
Undated |
3 | 16 | Reviews of Harper Joy Theater and various publications |
Undated |
3 | 17 | Reviews of Harper Joy Theater |
Undated |
3 | 18 | Verses |
Undated |
4: Unpublished literary manuscripts, 1965-1987Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
2 | 21 |
" The Return"
|
1965 |
2 | 24 | Verses |
1975-1977 |
2 | 20 |
" The Last Judgement"
|
1968 |
2 | 22 | Verses |
1975 |
2 | 23 | Verses |
1976-1977 |
2 | 25 | Verses |
1978-1979 |
2 | 26 | Verses |
1980-1982 |
2 | 27 | Verses |
1982 |
2 | 28 | Verses |
1984 |
2 | 29 | Poems |
1984-1985 |
2 | 30 | Poems |
1986-1987 |
2 | 31 | Poems and verses, undated |
|
2 | 19 |
" The King and the Wonderful Melody"
|
Undated |
2 | 32 | Notebook |
Undated |
4 | 1 |
" Search for a Sister"
|
Undated |
4 | 2 |
" Another Thing To Do" , part 1 and 2 |
Undated |
4 | 3 |
" Another Thing To Do" , part 3 and 4 |
Undated |
5: Speech manuscripts, newspaper clippings, correspondence, 1976-1984Return to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
---|---|---|---|
Box | Folder | ||
4 | 6 | "An Imitation of Time": Convocation of Whitman College |
September 5, 1976 |
4 | 7 | "The Third Generation: A Study in Vital Metaphor and Vital Thought" |
October 7, 1976 |
4 | 8 | "The Quality of Wonder": Commencement Breakfast, Phi Beta Kappa, Whitman College |
May 20, 1978 |
4 | 9 | "Memory as Experience Revisited", Mortar Board Reunion, Whitman College |
October 20, 1979 |
4 | 14 | Letter from Howells to Marilyn Sparks |
June 1, 1984 |
4 | 10 | Alumni College Lectures – "Journey to Meaning; Out of the Labyrinth with Myth and Symbol" |
June 19-20, 1980 |
4 | 15 | Letter from Howells to Gordon A. Philpot |
September 1, 1984 |
4 | 13 | Letter from Howells to Prof. James C. Story |
July 31, 1966 |
4 | 4 | Memorial service transcripts and obituary |
February 4, 1991 |
4 | 5 | Correspondence on retirement tribute to Howells |
Undated |
4 | 16 | Newspaper clippings and pamphlets |
Undated |
4 | 12 | "Song of the Greatly Daring" Music by William H. Bailey; Text by Thomas D. Howells |
Undated |
4 | 17 | Northwest literary magazine proposal |
6: Audio recordings of lectures on Shakespeare and Whitman Alumni College Symposium on the origins of life, 1979, 1983, undatedReturn to Top
Container(s) | Description | Dates |
---|---|---|
Box | ||
5 | "As You Like It", Lecture #2 |
February 27, 1979 |
5 | "Romeo and Juliet", Lecture #3 |
March 13, 1979 |
5 | "Richard II", Lecture #4 |
March 27, 1979 |
5 | "Henry VI" Lecture #5 |
March 24, 1979 |
5 | Duplicate of Tape #4 |
March 24, 1979 |
5 | "Henry VIII" Lecture #7 |
April 17, 1979 |
5 | "Measure for Measure" Lecture #8 |
April 9, 1979 |
5 | "Merry Wives of Windsor" |
January 27, 1983 |
5 | 3 audiotapes (George Ball and Howells speaking at Symposium) |
Undated |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Corporate Names
- Whitman College