The William E. Stafford Archives, Series 4, Sub-Series 3: Stafford Family Photographs, 1880-1993

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Stafford, William, 1914-1993
Title
The William E. Stafford Archives, Series 4, Sub-Series 3: Stafford Family Photographs
Dates
1880-1993 (inclusive)
Quantity
3 boxes, (1.5 cubic feet)
Collection Number
OLPb100STA
Summary
William Stafford (1914-1993) was one of the most prolific and important American poets of the last half of the twentieth century. This subseries of the collection includes Stafford's collection of family photographs, including tintypes of his ancestors, images of his immediate family, and images taken while traveling. The Index to the entire Stafford Archives can be found at: http://nwda-db.wsulibs.wsu.edu/findaid/ark:/80444/xv83782
Repository
Lewis & Clark College, Special Collections and Archives

Aubrey R. Watzek Library
615 S. Palatine Hill Rd.
Portland, OR
97219
Telephone: 5037687758
Fax: 5037687282
archives@lclark.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection has no restrictions and is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

William Stafford (1914-1993) was one of the most prolific and important American poets of the last half of the twentieth century. Among his many credentials, Stafford served as consultant in poetry at the Library of Congress, and received the National Book Award for his poetry collection Traveling through the Dark (1963). During his lifetime, Stafford wrote over sixty books of poetry that still resonate with both scholars and general readers. Stafford’s perspectives on peace, the environment, and education serve as some of the most articulate and engaging dialogues by a modern American writer about three of the most important issues of the second half of the twentieth century with lasting impacts on future generations. Howard Zinn, one America’s most iconic modern historians, was keenly aware of Stafford’s insight into modern American culture. Zinn claimed, “William Stafford’s prose and poetry, wise and eloquent, speak directly to the violence of our time, and to our hope for a different world” (from cover of Every War Has Two Losers).

The William Stafford Archives, donated to Lewis & Clark College by the Stafford family in 2008, contain the private papers, publications, photographs, recordings, and teaching materials of the poet William Stafford. The Lewis & Clark College Special Collections actively add to this collection by acquiring unique Stafford related materials.

Stafford wrote every day of his life from 1950 to 1993. These 20,000 pages of daily writings form a complete record of the poet’s mostly early morning meditations, including poem drafts, dream records, aphorisms, and other visits to the unconscious, recorded on separate sheets of yellow or white paper or when traveling, often in spiral-bound reporters’ steno pads. The archive also includes typescripts of poems submitted for publication and for use in readings. Stafford listed where he submitted each poem, and whether it was accepted for publication on the typescript. Each of his published collections, large and small, is represented by its gathering of documentary copies (typescripts), called by Stafford a “put-together.” Unpublished poems, poems published in journals, and reading copies of published poems were also gathered, in a virtually complete record from 1937 to 1993, totaling about 7,000 items. The collection also includes copies of all known Stafford books and translations. Stafford saved correspondence received, with an indication of the date of reply, and sometimes a copy of the reply, from the early 1960s to August 1993. Estimated at 100,000 sheets, the collected correspondence contains some full exchanges of correspondence initiated by WS. One such exchange is the correspondence with Marvin Bell on their sequence Segues. In addition to many photographs of and relating to William Stafford, the archive includes an estimated 20,000 photographs and negatives taken and developed by Stafford of fellow poets, family, friends, and Lewis & Clark College faculty. The archive provides documentation of Stafford's teaching career, including more than one thousand index cards, some dating from research at Iowa, others from later. These were much used in preparing for classes, workshops, and lectures. The files also contain scattered notes for workshops and lectures. The archive also includes course syllabi, and faculty documents relating to Stafford's teaching years at Lewis & Clark College.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

Includes tintypes of Stafford's ancestors, paper prints of his immediate family, and images taken while traveling.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Permission to publish, exhibit, broadcast, or quote from materials in the Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections requires written permission of the Head of Archives & Special Collections.

Preferred Citation

The William Stafford Archives, Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

Arranged in mixed chronological order and by subject order.

Location of Collection

Special Collections

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.

Container(s) Description Dates
Box/Folder
1.1 Early Stafford Family Photo Album
Leather bound 31cm album containing various photographs and notes. Included are many photographs from Los Prietos, Manchester College, and Santa Barbara.
1940
1.2 Tintypes and Early Family Photos
Early photographs of the Stafford family.
1880-1899
1.3 Early Family Photo Album
Unbound 18cm album of various Stafford family photographs.
1900
1.4 Early Family Photos
Miscellaneous early Stafford family photographs.
1920-1929
1.5 Early Stafford Family Photos
1: c1940 - Bob and William Stafford family at El Dorado; 2: c1940 - Nancy Stafford at El Dorado; 3: c1940 - Bob, Rob, Nancy and Kris Stafford; 4: c1950 - W.S., Dorothy, Bret, and Kim; 5: c1951 - W.S., Kim, and Bret in Iowa City; 6: c1954 - William, Dorothy, Bret, Kim, and Kit at Junction City KS.; 7: c1952 - Kim and Bret with Harrison and Lottie Frantz; 8: c1960 - Bret, Kim, and Kit; 9: 1956 - Stafford Family around the fireplace at San Jose.
1940-1970
1.6 Ruby Mayer Stafford
1913
1.7 Aunt Madge
1920
1.8 Earl Ingersoll Stafford
1930
1.9 Bob Stafford
1930
1.10 Dorothy and Betty Haskings
1944
1.11 Helen Frantz
1950
1.12 Bret Stafford
Miscellaneous photographs of Bret Stafford
Undated
1.13 Barbara Stafford
Miscellaneous photographs of Barbara Stafford
Undated
1.14 Kit Stafford
Miscellaneous photographs of Kit Stafford
Undated
1.15 Kim Stafford
Miscellaneous photographs of Kim Stafford
Undated
1.16 Kim Stafford Family
1: c1960 - Beverly, Rosemary, and Kim; 2: c1960 - Kim, and Beverly Stafford "Wedding Photo"; 3: Rosemary Stafford; 4: Beverly Stafford.
1970-1979
1.17 Kim and Barbara Stafford
1970-1979
1.18 Beverly and Rosemary
1970-1979
1.19 Kim and Rosemary
1970-1979
1.20 Kim, Bret, and Kit
July 1969
1.21 Barbara, Kit, and Dorothy
1970-1979
1.22 Family and Friends
Connie Pauly, Bill, D., Kim, Barbara, Becky Pauly, Bret, Deborah Pauly, and Michele.
1957
1.23 Bret, Deborah Pauly, Kim, and Becky Pauly
1950-1959
1.24 Kim, Beverly, Bret, and Dorothy
1970-1979
1.25 Family and Friends
Bill, Kenny J., Bob D., Kim, Kit, Steve J., Poret, and Van Dubrey.
1960-1969
1.26 Dorothy Stafford
Miscellaneous photographs of Dorothy Stafford.
Undated
1.27 Lief
Miscellaneous photographs of Lief, the Stafford family dog.
Undated
1.28 W.S., Kit, and Friends
W.S. Kit, Katherine McNamara, Jo Going, and others at cabin.
1970-1979
1.29 Stafford Family and Friends
Miscellaneous photographs of the Stafford family and friends.
Undated
2.1 W.S. and Family in Scotland
W.S., Kit, Dorothy, Barbara, Kim, and Bret.
1980-1989
2.2 W.S. Crusader Cruise
A series of photographs taken from the Stafford family Crusader cruise f the San Juan Islands.
June 1989
2.3 W.S. Misc Group Family Photos
1960-1990
2.4 W.S. Misc Family Negatives
Miscellaneous photo negatives from Family events.
Undated
2.5 Mike Markee W.S. Study
Miscellaneous photos of William Stafford study
August 1998
2.6 W.S. with Lewis and Clark Faculty
W.S. with Ted Braun, and Jack Hart.
1960
2.7 W.S. Misc Group Photos
Miscellaneous photos of W.S. with various personal and academic groups.
1960-1969
2.8 W.S. Misc Group Photos
Miscellaneous photos of W.S. with various personal and academic groups.
1970-1979
2.9 W.S. Misc Group Photos
Miscellaneous photos of W.S. with various personal and academic groups.
1980-1993
2.10 W.S. Misc Nature Photographs
Undated
2.11 W.S. Misc Still Life Photographs
Undated
2.12 W.S. Misc Buildings and Places Photography
Undated
2.13 W.S. Misc Photos with Text
Miscellaneous photographs with superimposed texts or poems.
Undated
3.1 W.S. with Group at Yaddo
June 1956
3.1.1 Arizona-Utah-Minnesota Circuit
Includes notes, labeled photos, list of names
October 1968
3.1.2 Ohio Circuit
Includes photo of indivs. Robert Christmas, Kenneth Childs, Bruce W. Jorgensen
February 1969
3.1.3 California Circuit
Includes two photos from OCTE Spring '69
March 1969
3.1.4 Trip to Europe (negatives)
1. May 23-June 2—Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany; 2. June '69—Germany, Austria, Switzerland; 3. June '69—Switzerland, France; 4. June '69—Louvre to "Wuthering Heights;" 5. July '69—Scotland, Keswick
May 1969
3.1.5 Wisconsin-Minnesota Poetry Circuit
Includes labeled photos + contact sheet, W.S. itinerary, correspondence w/ circuit organizers
March 1970
3.2 W.S. at Misc Events
1: c1960 - W.S. at the Library of Congress; 2: c1970 - At Jackson, Wyoming; 3: June 1971 - Southwestern University, Georgetown, TX; 4: Oct 1971 - LSU Union; 5: c1980 - W.S. reading outside [possibly in Ottawa, Ill.; 6: June 12th 1982 - Disarmament rally, New York City; 7: Jan 1987 - South Puget Sound Community College, Olympia, WA.; 8: c1988 - Fort Wordan, Port Townsend, WA.; 9: c1988 - Founding Fishtrap; 10: 1988 - Hiroshima Day; 11: 1988 - Monmouth; 12: Aug 1990 - Advanced Poetry Symposium, Menucha, OR.; 13: May 1992 - American Booksellers Association, Anaheim, CA.
1960-1990
3.3 Haystack
Miscellaneous photographs from Haystack summer conferences at Cannon Beach, OR.
1970-1989
3.4 Centrum
Miscellaneous photographs from the July 1987 Centrum Port Townsend WA. writers’ conference.
July 1987
3.5 Centrum
Miscellaneous photographs from the Centrum Port Townsend WA. writers’ conference.
1970-1993
3.6 Group at Lewis and Clark College
Photos by Ray Young Bear
1980-1989
3.7 Atlantic Center for the Arts
W.S. and group at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, FL.
November 1985
3.8 Library of Congress
Miscellaneous photographs of W.S. and others at the Library of Congress.
March 1987
3.9 W.S. at Asilomar
1991
3.10 Oregon Institute of Literary Arts
Miscellaneous photographs of W.S. and others at the Oregon Institute of Literary Arts [OILA]
July 1991
3.11 Students
Miscellaneous photographs of William Stafford's students.
Undated

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Pacifism--Poetry.
  • Pacifism--United States.
  • Poetry -- Authorship.
  • Poetry -- Study and teaching.
  • Poetry--20th century.
  • Poets, American--20th century.
  • World War, 1939-1945 -- Conscientious objectors -- United States.

Personal Names

  • Stafford, Dorothy
  • Stafford, William, 1914-1993--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Lewis & Clark College (Portland, Or.)

Geographical Names

  • Kansas.
  • Oregon.

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Stafford, Kim (creator)