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Tom Trusky Papers, 1944-2010

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Trusky, Tom
Title
Tom Trusky Papers
Dates
1944-2010 (inclusive)
Quantity
145.25 linear feet, (233 boxes, 3 map case folders and 1 oversize hanging file)
Collection Number
MSS 099
Summary
The Tom Trusky Papers contain research and personal papers documenting his life and 40 year career (1970-2009) as a Boise State English professor. The collection includes correspondence, photographs, manuscript drafts, working files, artifacts, artwork, press coverage, and audiovisual materials.
Repository
Boise State University Library, Special Collections and Archives
Special Collections and Archives
1910 University Drive
Boise ID
83725
Telephone: 2084263990
archives@boisestate.edu
Access Restrictions

Collection is available for research.

Languages
English
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Content Description

The Tom Trusky Papers contain research and personal papers documenting his life and 40 year career (1970-2009) as a Boise State English professor. The collection is organized in seven series: I. Nell Shipman, II. James Castle, III. Book and Paper Arts, IV: Zines, V. Book Projects, VI. Academic, and VII. Personal. Papers include correspondence, photographs, manuscript drafts, working files, artifacts, artwork, press coverage, and audiovisual materials.

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Historical Note

A poet, book artist, and English professor, Tom Trusky was a member of the Boise State English Department from 1970-2009. His research collection reflects a prolific career championing the work of artists and writers who inspired his own projects.

Trusky was born in Portland, Oregon in 1944. He graduated from Newport High School in Newport, OR in 1962, and received his BA in English from the University of Oregon in 1967. After completing a Master's Degree at Northwestern University in 1968, Trusky attended Trinity College in Ireland as a Rotary International Fellow in Anglo-Irish Literature.

At Boise State, Tom Trusky was the founder of acclaimed literary publications and initiatives including cold-drill Magazine and Poetry in Public Places, as well as the co-founder and editor of Ahsahta Press and the Western Writers Series. In 1991 he was named director of the Hemingway Western Studies Center, and was the founder and director of the Idaho Center for the Book and the Idaho Film Collection.

Tom Trusky was renowned for his eclectic research interests including the self-taught Idaho artist James Castle, silent film pioneer Nell Shipman, zines and small press publications, and Idaho filmmaking. He collected and researched anything that caught his attention, and then channeled his curiosity into his scholarship and creative projects. His endeavors resulted in articles, books, documentaries, film festivals, and national and international exhibitions and presentations. To support his work, Trusky applied for and received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Idaho Commission on the Arts, the Idaho Humanities Council, and Boise State.

In 1987 and 1989, Trusky was a recognized as one of the top 10 professors in the nation by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He was named the CASE Idaho Professor of the Year in 1990, 1991, and 1993.

Trusky passed away in Boise in 2009.

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Use of the Collection

Preferred Citation

[item description], Tom Trusky Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.

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Administrative Information

Acquisition Information

Donated by Tom Trusky and gift of the Tom Trusky Estate, 1990-2010.

Processing Note

Processed by Gwyn Hervochon, 2018. Series 1, Nell Shipman, initially processed by Alan Virta. Series 4, Zines, initially processed by Cheryl Oestreicher and archives staff. Series 7, Subgroup North End Neighborhood Association, processed by Lancy Mortensen Rudd.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Artists' books
  • Books History
  • Documentary films
  • Paper art
  • Poetry
  • Silent films
  • Western films

Personal Names

  • Castle, James, 1899-1977
  • Seyppel, C. M. (Carl Maria), 1847-1913
  • Shipman, Barry, 1912-1994
  • Shipman, Nell, 1892-1970

Geographical Names

  • Idaho
  • Priest Lake (Idaho)

Form or Genre Terms

  • Zines

Gwyn Hervochon, Alan Virta, and Cheryl Oestreicher
2002

CC Attribution
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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