Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hiawatha Gray scrapbook
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hiawatha Gray scrapbook
- Date
- 1930-1970 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Gray, Hiawatha, 1903-1974
- Extent
- 0.34 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- African American athletes
- African American Boxers
- African Americans -- Sports
- Boxing.
- Boxing -- Coaching.
- Boxing matches.
- Sports -- United States
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0328: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hiawatha Gray scrapbook, 1930-1970, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Hiawatha Gray (1903-1974) was born in Princeton, Kentucky to William Henry and Mary Gray. At a young age, his family moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. When he was 14, a school police officer and Navy boxing champion introduced him to boxing. Hiawatha had a 12 year boxing career and went on to become a trainer for over 30 years, training among others Archie Moore and Joe Louis. Archie Moore (1913-1998) grew up in St. Louis Missouri, boxing from 1935-1963. Archie was the longest reigning World Light Heavyweight Champion of all time. After his boxing career, he went on to train other such as Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.
- American Letters collector Wade Hall (1934-2015) was a native of Union Springs, Alabama. Starting in 1962, he lived in Louisville, where he taught English and chaired the English and Humanities/Arts programs at Kentucky Southern College and Bellarmine University. He also taught at the University of Illinois and the University of Florida. He held degrees from Troy State University (B.S.), the University of Alabama (M.A.), and the University of Illinois (Ph.D.). He served for two years in the U.S. Army in the mid-fifties. Dr. Hall was the author of books, monographs, articles, plays, and reviews relating to Kentucky, Alabama, and Southern history and literature. His most recent books include A Visit with Harlan Hubbard; High Upon a Hill: A History of Bellarmine College; A Song in Native Pastures: Randy Atcher's Life in Country Music; and Waters of Life from Conecuh Ridge.
- Scope and Content
- The Hiawatha Gray scrapbook (dated 1930-1970; 0.34 cubic feet; 1 box and 1 folder) comprises a scrapbook of newspaper clippings, photographs, and ephemera that documents Hiawatha Gray's career as a boxing coach throughout the 20th century in Indianapolis. The scrapbook consists of 72 pages, with 37 photographs, newspaper clippings, and notes relating to the career and interests of Hiawatha Gray. The photographs and clippings are glued on top of the high school scrapbook of Maurine Johnson of Vevay high school in Indiana. Also included is a letter about one of Moore's boxing match addressed to Gray.
- The Hiawatha Gray scrapbook is part of the Wade Hall Collection of American Letters, which includes correspondence and diaries from all over North America covering the time period of the Civil to Korean Wars. The materials were collected by Wade Hall and document everyday men and women.
Restrictions on Access and Use
- Conditions Governing Access
- Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
- Use Restrictions
- The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Table of Contents
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center is open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Appointments are encouraged but not required. Schedule an appointment here.
Researchers must have an SCRC Researcher Account to request materials. View account set-up and use instructions here.
Questions? Contact SCRC via our Contact Form.
Requests
No items have been requested.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
