Carolyn Hope Swayne was born May 1, 1918 at George School, a Quaker boarding school, in Newton, Pennsylvania to Norman W. and Amelia Swayne. In about 1939 Carolyn Swayne moved to New York City where she taught ballroom dancing and wrote verses for greeting cards. It was there that she met future Episcopal Bishop Normal L. Foote. They were married on June 1, 1940.
Norman L. and Carolyn Hope (Swayne) Foote traveled the country and eventually located in Virginia City, Montana where Rev. Foote was appointed Archdeacon of the Episcopal Diocese of Montana. The family would later live in Helena, Montana; Parkville, Missouri; and Boise, Idaho where Rev. Foote would hold several different positions, eventually becoming Episcopal Bishop of Idaho.
Carolyn Foote graduated from the College of Idaho in Caldwell in 1963 and taught various courses in biology and comparative anatomy at the college. Carolyn Foote also supervised field trips to Baja, California and the San Juan Islands of Mexico, sometimes bringing back tarantulas, snakes, and other exotic pets as she was an avid collector and lover of animals. After Rev. Foote's death in 1974, Carolyn Foote moved to Cameron, Montana where she remained active and wrote poetry. She died in a fire in 1980. The only salvageable remains from her home after the fire were found in a metal tin filled with poems and letters, which were later donated to Boise State University and are preserved in this manuscript collection.
The Carolyn Foote Papers contain correspondence, poems, biographical material, and photos. Includes letters and humorous verse from Willard R. Espy (ca. 25 items, 1977-1979) and a short piece of correspondence with John Updike.
In March of 1980, Carolyn Foote died in a fire. Although the residence was completely destroyed, a metal tin remained that was full of letters and poetry. Although some items were charred beyond recognition, many could be saved. Preservation copies exist by way of photocopies and microfilm.
Collection is available for research.
Gift of Carolyn Foote's daughter, Judith Wright, Boise, Idaho, 1984.
Much of the collection consists of items that survived a 1980 fire that took the life of Carolyn Foote and destroyed her residence. The charred papers were photocopied and microfilmed. The charred pages were placed in mylar. Preservation copies exist in the collection.
See also:
[item description], Carolyn Foote Papers, Box [number] Folder [number], Boise State University Special Collections and Archives.