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Edna Ruddick Hart Correspondence with Walter Marcus, 1970-1972

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Hart, Edna Ruddick
Title
Edna Ruddick Hart Correspondence with Walter Marcus
Dates
1970-1972 (inclusive)
Quantity
.3 cubic feet, (1 box)
Collection Number
OLPb015HAR
Summary
A collection of letters to Walter Marcus from Edna Ruddick Hart, the wife of doctor and author Alan L. Hart.
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
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Biographical Note

Edna Ruddick Hart, the writer of this collection of letters married Alan Hart in New York City in 1925. Alan Hart was a medical doctor who had attended Albany College, Stanford, and the University of Oregon medical school as a woman (Alberta Lucille Hart). In 1918, after consulting with a psychiatrist, Hart had a hysterectomy and lived the rest of her life as a man. During the course of his life Alan distinguished himself as a radiologist and author of four books of medical fiction and one non-fiction manual of radiology. One of Hart's books, Doctor Mallory, has been named to the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission's "Oregon 100" book list. The work is set on the Oregon Coast near Reedsport, and details the struggles and predjudices faced by a community doctor, a tale that parallels Hart's own experiences in Southern Oregon.

Edna and Alan lived in a number of communities where Alan continued his education and worked as a radiologist. Although documentation is thin, it appears that Alan was often forced to leave jobs when his sexuality was discovered. After stints living in Rockford, Illinois; Spokane, Washington; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, the couple settled in West Hartford, Connecticut in 1950 where they lived the rest of their lives. Alan Hart died in 1962 and Edna Ruddick Hart died in 1982. From 1969 to 1972 Walter Marcus, the recipient of this collection of letters, boarded at Edna Ruddick Hart's house while he attended law school. During that time Edna formed a close bond with Walter, which can be seen her letters to Marcus after he graduated from law school.

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Content Description

This collection of letters and cards from Edna Ruddick Hart to Walter Marcus include discussions of a range of topics including Marcus's career and politics, with occasional references to Alan Hart.

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Use of the Collection

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 Edna Ruddick Hart Correspondence with Walter Marcus OLPb015HAR, Lewis & Clark College Aubrey Watzek Library Archives & Special Collections, Portland, Oregon.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

Arranged in a single chronological series.

Location of Collection

Special Collections

Acquisition Information

Donated to Lewis & Clark College by Walter Marcus in March 2007.

Processing Note

Processed in 2007. Documents arranged in chronological order and housed in acid free containers.

Bibliography

For more information about the Alan Hart see: The Life and Career of Alberta Lucille/Dr. Alan L. Hart with Collected Early Writings. Portland, Ore.: Lewis & Clark College Special Collections, 2003.

Related Materials

Lewis & Clark College Special Collections also owns a collections Alan Harts college and adult publications, as well as other ephemeral materials related to Hart's life.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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

Jeremy Skinner
2007

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

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