Garland Ethel papers, 1913-1980

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Ethel, Garland, 1902-1980
Title
Garland Ethel papers
Dates
1913-1980 (inclusive)
Quantity
13 cubic feet (13 boxes) and 1 sound cassette
Collection Number
2406
Summary
Professor of English, University of Washington, labor union official
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Consult the restrictions on access for each accession listed below.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Garland Ethel was born in Okanogan, County, Washington 1899, and educated at University of Washington where he taught in the English Department for 42 years before retiring in 1969. His principle research interest was Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He was the assistant editor of the "Moscow News," 1932; and secretary of the American Federation of Teachers, Local 401 (U.W.); and active with the State's Joint Legislative Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities. He died in 1980. He made headlines in 1948 when he was caught up in the so-called "Canwell investigation," a Joe McCarthy-style hunt for Communists. Ethel was cited for contempt by a state legislative committee for refusing to name other UW faculty members who reportedly attended Communist meetings with him. As result of the hearings, the UW Board of Regents put him and two other faculty members on probation.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Consult the scope and content for each of the accessions listed below.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Alternative Forms Available

View selections from this collection in digital format

Restrictions on Use

Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Organized into 2 accessions.

  • Accession No. 2406-001, Garland O. Ethel papers, 1913-1980
  • Accession No. 2406-005, Garland Ethel memorial service recording, 1980

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

 

Accession No. 2406-001: Garland O. Ethel papers, 1913-1980Return to Top

13.00 cubic feet (13 boxes)

Scope and Content: Biographical features, tape-recorded interview and transcript, correspondence, military records, speeches and writings, notes, research notes and writings, reprints, clippings, subject series (including letters from Frank Plumb) on Spanish Civil War, tape and wire recordings, computer diskettes; 1913-1980. Included in the papers is an unpublished autobiography of his youth in Okanogan County. Letters and other items have been annotated by donor to indicate significance of writers. Jane Sanders, as a Ph.D. candidate in Higher Education, interviewed Prof. Ethel to obtain his views on the general progress of the University of Washington in the 1920s and'30s, and on the presidents of the U.W. from Suzzallo onward. Professor Ethel also speaks candidly about his role in the Canwell Hearings.

Restrictions on Access: No restrictions on access. The original analog tape cannot be played due to preservation concerns. The interview has been digitized and a transcript is available on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. The tape and wire recordings and computer diskettes are closed until processed.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Digital Content/Other Formats: View selections from this accession in digital format . Listen to the interview and view the transcript of the interview on the Libraries' Digital Collections website.

Acquisition Info: Bibliographic Source: Gifts of Garland Ethel, 1975-80, and materials removed from his basement study after his death, September 1980, null

Description
Garland O. Ethel papers

Accession No. 2406-005: Garland Ethel memorial service recording, 1980Return to Top

1 cassette

Scope and Content: Cassette tape recording of memorial service for Professor Ethel, 22 October 1980 (held in Kane Hall).

The order of speakers on the tape of the Ethel Memorial is as follows: 1. Richard J. Carbray; 2. E. Harold Eby, Professor Emeritus of English; 3. John Caughlan, attorney; 4. Richard J. Carbray; 5. William Grummel, Professor of Classics; 6. William Reed, Professor Emeritus of Classics; 7. Sophus K. Winther, Professor Emeritus of English; 8. William Hanson, attorney; 9. Reggie "The Plumber" Anderson; 10. Howard Nostrand, Professor of Romance Languages and Literature; 11. Unidentified woman. 12. E. Harold Eby; 13. Mary Jane Richards, friend of Mrs. Ethel; 14. Richard J. Carbray.

Restrictions on Access: No user access copy is currently available for the audio tape. Users may obtain a reproduction of the tape for a fee by contacting Special Collections.

Restrictions on Use: Creator's literary rights not transferred to the University of Washington Libraries.

Acquisition Info: Richard Carbray, 1980-10-01

Description
Garland Ethel memorial service recording

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Communism--Washington (State)
  • Congresses and conventions
  • English literature--Study and teaching--Washington (State)
  • Governmental investigations--Washington (State)
  • Labor unions--Washington (State)
  • Subversive activities--Washington (State)
  • Teachers' unions--Washington (State)
  • University Archives/Faculty Papers (University of Washington)

Personal Names

  • Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834--Criticism and interpretation
  • Ethel, Garland, 1902-1980--Archives
  • Ethel, Garland, 1902-1980--Interviews

Corporate Names

  • American Federation of Teachers. Local 401 (Seattle, Wash.)
  • Washington (State). Legislature. Joint Legislative Fact-Finding Committee on Un-American Activities

Geographical Names

  • Washington (State)--Politics and government

Occupations

  • College teachers--Washington (State)

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Anderson, Reggie (speaker)
    • Carbray, Richard J (speaker)
    • Caughlan, John, 1909- (speaker)
    • Eby, Edwin Harold, 1900-1994 (speaker)
    • Grummel, William (speaker)
    • Hansen, William (speaker)
    • Nostrand, Howard Lee, 1910-2004 (speaker)
    • Read, William (speaker)
    • Richards, Mary Jane (speaker)
    • Winther, Sophus K (speaker)
    Corporate Names
    • University of Washington. University Archives