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Charles Boeckman (1920- ) is an author and musician. He was born in San Antonio, Texas, where he aspired to be a writer from an early age. While establishing himself as a writer, Boeckman supplemented his family's income by playing jazz clarinet in dance bands and working in an advertising firm. In the 1970s, Boeckman formed his own New Orleans style Dixieland jazz band. He was awarded a star on the South Texas Music Walk of Fame in 2009.
Boeckman's writing encompasses several fields including mystery, romance, and western. He is the author of The Last Jazz Band, among other works.
The collection consists of manuscripts, correspondence, and an autobiographical scrapbook compiled by Boeckman.
The initial accession consists of manuscripts and correspondence.
Book length manuscripts include Unsolved Riddles of the Ages, Our Regional Industries, Cool, Hot and Blue-A History of Jazz for Young People, and a fragment of the novel Maverick Brand. There are also over 50 manuscripts for short stories and articles.
Correspondence consists of incoming and outgoing letters from 1949-1974. Major correspondents include the Lenniger Literary Agency, 1954-1974, Scott Meredith, 1949-1957, and MacFadden Publications (Nina S. Dorrance), 1955-1960.
Accession 85 113x M Up 269 consists of correspondence and manuscripts. Included is a full manuscript for a mystery novel, The Empty Grave.
Accession 85 114x M consists of an autobiographical scrapbook compiled by Boeckman for his daughter, Sharla.