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Henry Bugbee Papers, 1936-2021

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Bugbee, Henry, 1915-1999
Title
Henry Bugbee Papers
Dates
1936-2021 (inclusive)
Quantity
4.6 linear feet
Collection Number
Mss 955
Summary
Henry Bugbee was an author and professor of philosophy at the University of Montana from 1957 to 1977 where he wrote and lectured on a wide range of topics. This collection contains his general biographical information, notes, written works, and class materials.
Repository
University of Montana, Mansfield Library, Archives and Special Collections
Archives and Special Collections
Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library
University of Montana
32 Campus Dr. #9936
59812-9936
Missoula, MT
Telephone: 406-243-2053
library.archives@umontana.edu
Access Restrictions

Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and The University of Montana-Missoula. Student grades in Series III are restricted. Contact the repository for details.

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Henry Greenwood Bugbee, Jr. was born in February of 1915 to Dr. Henry G. Bugbee and Mrs. Della S. Bugbee in New York City. He had two siblings: Dorothy and Eleanor. Bugbee received his B.A. in philosophy from Princeton University in 1936, submitting "In Demonstration of the Spirit" as an honors thesis before beginning graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley. Bugbee's time at Berkeley was interrupted by service in the US Navy where he earned the rank of Lieutenant and engaged in minesweeping, patrol and escort duty on ships in the Pacific. Following his service, Bugbee returned to his graduate studies at Berkeley, completing his PhD in 1946 under Dr. Jacob Loewenberg. After completing his education, Bugbee's teaching career took him to the University of Nevada at Reno, Stanford, Harvard, Chatham College, Penn State, and the University of Montana where he taught, with some interludes, from 1957 through his official retirement in 1977. At the University of Montana, Bugbee quickly became the chair of the philosophy department and was instrumental in building the program and creating and maintaining an intensive humanities program.

Best known for his book The Inward Morning: A Philosophical Exploration in Journal Form, Bugbee's work explores concepts of wilderness, art, human experience, and place. His other major publications include essays on the Book of Job, wilderness, Gabriel Marcel, the sublime, love, and education. Albert Borgmann, Bugbee's friend and colleague writes: "A major source of Bugbee's inspiration was the great literature of the West and the East. A humanist par excellence, he lived with and out of those texts, and through his example he made humanists out of many who were neither so trained nor inclined."

Bugbee had five children and two step-children. With his first wife, Jeanie Abbot, he had Ann, Joan and Bruce. With his second wife, Daphne Bugbee Jones, he had Barbara and Taj. Bugbee married Marlene Zentz in 1977. He married Sally Moore in 1982, and had step-children Jonathan and Megan. Henry Bugbee had a stroke and experienced dementia in the last years of his life. He passed away on December 18, 1999.

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Content Description

This collection contains materials relating to Henry Bugbee and his academic work. The bulk of the collection is made up of lecture typescripts and class material from his teaching career. The class material found in this collection begins with Bugbee's time as an assistant professor at Harvard University where he taught entry level courses on ethics and the philosophy of life. After leaving Harvard and publishing The Inward Morning, Bugbee made his way to the University of Montana where he taught courses on ethics, the philosophy of religion, eastern philosophy, and other upper-division courses. The collection also includes biographical information related to Bugbee and his family and a number of unpublished materials including essays and notes on various topics.

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Use of the Collection

Restrictions on Use

Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Non-exclusive intellectual property rights to some materials in the collection are held by the University of Montana.

Preferred Citation

Henry Bugbee Papers, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

This collection has been arranged in six series:

Series I: Personal Information, 1939-2015, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 1: Papers, 1939-2015, 0.3 linear feet

Subseries 2: Photographs, 1944-1985 and undated, 0.2 linear feet

Series II: Written Works, 1936-2017, 0.7 linear feet

Subseries 1: Essays and Notes, 1936-1998, 0.5 linear feet

Subseries 2: External Works Related to Bugbee, 1979-2017, 0.1 linear feet

Subseries 3: Essays by Various Authors, 1950-1991, 0.1 linear feet

Series III: Class Material, 1947-1979, 1.7 linear feet

Subseries 1: Class Transcripts and Notes, 1947-1979, 1.6 linear feet

Subseries 2: Student Grades, 1956-1979 - RESTRICTED, 0.1 linear feet

Series IV: Personal Artwork and Artifacts, 1998-1999 and undated, 1.2 linear feet

Series V: Contributions from Others, 2020-2021, 0.1 linear feet

Subseries 1: Gary Whited, 2020, 1 folder

Subseries 2: James G. Todd, 2021, 1 folder

Subseries 3: Richard Gotshalk, 1957-1958, 1 folder

Series VI: Home Movies, 1931-1939, 7 tapes

Series VII: Audio Recordings, circa 1990s-2000

Custodial History

The majority of professional materials in this collection were held by Henry Bugbee's wife, Sally Moore, before being loaned to David Rodick, who held them until their transfer to Archives and Special Collections in 2020 and 2021. Moore donated the majority of personal materials in this collection in 2020.

Acquisition Information

The majority of the Henry Bugbee collection was gifted to the Archives in 2020.

Processing Note

Many class transcripts, notes, and syllabi located outside Bugbee’s original bindings contained multiple copies, the copies of highest quality were kept, and duplicates were removed. Other photocopied material was removed when the original was intact and legible. The collection also contained numerous external essays written before and after Bugbee’s death. Essays written after Bugbee’s death, which did not directly relate to his work, were removed. Several newspaper clippings and notebooks emptied of their contents were removed.

In 2024, the VHS tapes from Series VI were digitized.

Related Materials

A brief series of letters between Henry Bugbee and Hannah Arendt may be found in the Hannah Arendt Papers at the Library of Congress.

Interviews from the Henry Bugbee Oral History Project are maintained by the University of Montana's Archives and Special Collections (OH 480).

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Detailed Description of the Collection

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Subject Terms

  • Education--Montana--Missoula
  • Philosophy, American--20th century
  • Philosophy--Study and teaching (Higher)--Montana--Missoula

Personal Names

  • Bugbee, Henry Greenwood, Jr.--Archives

Corporate Names

  • Montana State University (Missoula, Mont.)--Faculty
  • University of Montana (Missoula, Mont. : 1965-1994)--Faculty
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