Preliminary Guide to the Herbert and Mary Neil Papers

Preliminary Guide to the Herbert and Mary Neil Papers, circa 1938-2009

Overview of the Collection

Creator: Neil, Herbert W., 1912-2009
Title: Preliminary Guide to the Herbert and Mary Neil Papers
Dates: circa 1938-2009 (inclusive)
19382009
Quantity: 10.5 Linear feet of shelf space, (11 Boxes + 1 manuscript case)
Collection Number: MS.2009.35 (collection)
Summary: Herbert and Mary Neil papers, including correspondence, diaries, notes for an unpublished fiction project, miscellaneous papers, and diplomas.
Repository: Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions: This collection is open and available for research use.
Languages: English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Herbert Neil (1912-2009) was a graduate of Kennewick (WA) High School, and received a bachelor's degree in general studies from Washington State College in 1936, after attending Spokane University for two years on a baseball scholarship. He became acting editor of the Washington State College agricultural extension newspaper in the early 1940s. While visiting Portland, he met Mary Wensky at a swimming pool. The couple married in 1946 and settled in Pullman.

Mary Wensky Neil (1918-1992) graduated from high school in Wyoming, and worked for a time in Washington, D.C. for the Internal Revenue Service. After moving to Pullman, she worked at Washington State College as secretary for the Sociology Department, and during that time she earned degrees in general studied (1962) and education (1963). She was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Kappa Delta. She taught at Edison Elementary School in Pullman, and went on to earn her M.A. in teaching from Purdue University, retiring from teaching in 1981.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Herbert and Mary Neil papers, including correspondence, diaries, notes for an unpublished fiction project, miscellaneous papers, and diplomas. Most of the diaries have a large quantity of insertions (primarily correspondence), and some of the Herbert Neil diaries have indexes in the front of the volume.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Preferred Citation

[Item description]

Preliminary Guide to the Herbert and Mary Neil Papers, circa 1938-2009 (MS.2009.35)

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

This is an unprocessed collection. Any arrangement reflects either a pre-existing order from the records' creators or previous custodians, or preliminary sorting performed by staff.

Location of Collection

(MASC staff use) 2-16-24-3

Acquisition Information

This collection was donated to the Washington State University Libraries by the estate of Herbert Neil (via Sharon Yount, co-executor) in 2009 (MS-2009-35). Additional materials were received in 2010 (Herb Neil diary, 1935-1943) and 2015 (Herb Neil diary, 2007).

Archives West Finding Aid

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