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.
[item description], Tom Trusky Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.
Donated by Tom Trusky and gift of the Tom Trusky Estate, 1990-2010.
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.
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.
Collection is available for research.
The Canadian-born silent film writer, director, and star was one of Tom Trusky's primary research interests beginning in the 1980s. The series contains Trusky's research into her life and work, with an emphasis on the years she spent at Lionhead Lodge—her studio camp in Priest Lake, Idaho—from 1922 until 1924. Trusky's research led to a rediscovery of several of Shipman's "lost films." He revived interest in her work by showing her films at festivals throughout North American and Europe.
The series is arranged into 19 subseries: Suberies 1, Correspondence with Barry Shipman; Suberies 2, Research Correspondence; Suberies 3, Documentaries, motion pictures, and plays about Nell Shipman; Suberies 4, Writings by Tom Trusky about Nell Shipman; Suberies 5, Publication of Shipman's autobiography; Suberies 6, Acquisition of Shipman's films; Suberies 7, Other Shipman-related projects; Suberies 8, Grants; Suberies 9, Nell Shipman Silent Film Festival; Suberies 10, Other film festivals and showings; Suberies 11, Press clippings; Suberies 12, Articles about Nell Shipman; Suberies 13, Subject files; Suberies 14, Papers from the Public Archives of Canada; Suberies 15, Magazines and newspapers; Suberies 16, Tape recordings; Suberies 17, Photos and photo research; Suberies 18, Nell Shipman Film Festival exhibit photos; Suberies 19, Letters from God's Country research.
Trusky first saw James Castle's artwork in person in 1993 and the self-taught Idaho artist soon became a focus of his research. As he did with Nell Shipman, Tom instigated interest in Castle's work on local, national, and international stages. Trusky's Castle scholarship produced a book, a documentary, and numerous articles, exhibits, and presentations. His Castle research files includes correspondence, photographs, video interviews with Castle's family and acquaintances, and artwork.
The series is organized into nine sub-series: Subject Files, Artwork, Artwork Research Binders, Exhibits and Presentations, Family Research and Correspondence, Writings, Photographs, Research and Reference Books, and Audiovisual and Electronic.
Digital and hardcopy facsimiles of all works available for research
The "Object" number of audiovisual materials refers to a digital file number. Please contact archives staff for access.
Original versions of these materials are located in boxes 68-70.
This series includes correspondence with and information about many prominent book artists and related organizations, as well as photographs, artwork, and manuscript drafts. As a book artist and teacher, Trusky drew inspiration from a wide variety of materials and artifacts that are included in this series.
The series is organized into four subseries: 1. Book Sellers, Small Presses, and Exhibits 2. Artists and Writers 3. Subject Files 4. Slides and Photographs
Trusky's library of hundreds of artists' books have been individually cataloged and are available for use in Special Collections and Archives.
Trusky was introduced to and became fascinated by zines in the early 1990s and immediately began amassing a large collection from Idaho, the United States, and internationally. The series includes his collection of zines as well as correspondence with zine creators, research files about zines, and photographs. Additionally it contains planning files and exhibit materials from Trusky's seminal zine exhibitions at Boise State: "Some Zines" in 1992 and "Some Zines 2" in 1996.
The series is arranged in three subseries: 1. National Zines 2. Idaho Zines 3. Research and Projects
This series includes Trusky's research files for several projects that resulted in creative works and publications. It contains the files of Painted Smiles Press—the independent imprint Trusky founded to publish his own work. Materials include correspondence, photographs, manuscript drafts, publication files, galley proofs, and mock-ups, and are arranged in five subseries: 1. Carl Maria Seyppel 2. Lapwaii Mission Press 3. Mormon Names and Clothing 4. Painted Smiles Press 5. Evelyn Amos.
Full Inventory Coming Soon
The academic series contains files related to a variety of Trusky's professional activities including English Department coursework, Director of the Hemingway Western Studies Center, Poetry in Public Places, cold-drill, Idaho Center for the Book, Ahsahta Press, and more. It includes photographs, correspondence, press coverage, drafts of poetry, articles, and the only novel Trusky wrote, which he chose not to publish.
There are two typed letters signed by Fisher, both addressed to "Beth" (Elizabeth Laubaugh). The letters were given to Tom Trusky in 1999 by Lucile Westby.
This series contains files pre-dating Tom's tenure at Boise State as well as personal correspondence, memorablilia, and photographs. It includes personal documents such as Tom's birth certificate, grade school report cards, and course work from his undergraduate and graduate school education. Additionally, it contains files documenting Trusky's participation as a member of the North End Neighborhood Assocition during the controversial development of the Albertsons Marketplace Shopping Center on State Street in Boise.
Full Inventory Coming Soon
Trusky was an active member of the North End Neighborhood Association (NENA) and chaired the Rezone committee. The documents in this subgroup relate to NENA's activities, particularly the controversy regarding the building of the Albertsons Marketplace Shopping Center on State Street.