Inventory of the John Hall Wheelock Collection, 1935-1979

The John Hall Wheelock Collections are the only substantial group of American literary authors' letters included in Duke University's Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography. Duke Professor of American Literature Jay B. Hubbell was a longtime friend and admirer of John Hall Wheelock; the two corresponded for many years. When Hubbell donated his Wheelock materials to the Center, he suggested that the Center collect other Wheelock materials, a suggestion that initiated a decade-long effort to collect and preserve Wheelock's correspondence. The Duke University John Hall Wheelock Collection (1935-1979) consist of the following nine sub-collections: the Helen S. Belknap Papers, the Diana Chang Papers, the Vince Clemente Papers, the Michel Farano Papers, the Elwood Holstein Papers, the Marion E. Kenworthy Papers, the Leighton Rollins Papers, the Hope Stoddard Papers, and the Carolyn Tyson Papers.

Collectively the John Hall Wheelock Collection documents, chiefly through correspondence, the developments in the life and career of John Hall Wheelock (1886-1978) during the last twenty-five years of his life. The Helen S. Belknap Papers reflect Wheelock's view of one of his cousins. The Vince Clemente Papers include a videotape of Wheelock reading his poetry. The Diana Chang Papers, the Michel Farano Papers, the Elwood Holstein Papers, the Leighton Rollins Papers, and the Carolyn Tyson Papers suggest Wheelock's gratitude towards his admirers and his support of younger poets; the Elwood Holstein Papers also include Holstein's autobiographical sketch and his account of his correspondence with Wheelock. The Marion E. Kenworthy Papers reflect not only Kenworthy's admiration of Wheelock and Wheelock's response to her but also Wheelock's increasing concerns over his health. The Hope Stoddard Papers reflect the close friendship and mutual encouragement of Stoddard and Wheelock in his final years. Most of the John Hall Wheelock Collections include copies and versions of Wheelock's poems handwritten by Wheelock himself.

Jay B. Hubbell's admiration for John Hall Wheelock is suggested in letters from Hubbell about Wheelock which are included in the Vince Clemente Papers and the Elwood Holstein Papers. Collections in the Duke University. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library related to the John Hall Wheelock Collections include the Jay Broadus Hubbell Papers; additional information may be found in the correspondence files of the Jay B. Hubbell Center for American Literary Historiography.

Chronology of John Hall Wheelock

Chronology of Vincent Clemente

Chronology of Marion E. Kenworthy

Chronology of Hope Stoddard

• Belknap, Helen S.
• Chang, Diana.
• Clemente, Vince.
• Farano, Michel.
• Holstein, Elwood.
• Hubbell, Jay B.(Jay Broadus), 1885-1979.
• Kenworthy, Marion E.(Marion Edwena), 1891-1980.
• Rollins, Leighton, 1900-
• Stoddard, Hope, 1900-1987.
• Tyson, Carolyn.
• Wheelock, John Hall, 1886-1978
• Poets, American.
• American literature--20th century--History and criticism.

Besides Duke University's holdings, other manuscript collections of John Hall Wheelock materials may be found at the Library of Congress, the Academy of American Poets, and the Princeton University Library.

[Identification of item], John Hall Wheelock Collections, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

The John Hall Wheelock Collections were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as both gifts and purchases between 1978 and 1986.

Processed by Stanley Blair, July 1992, and Jane Metters, May 2011

Encoded by Jane Metters and Meghan Lyon, May 2011

Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.

This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.