Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Dietrich family letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Dietrich family letters
- Date
- 1911-1977, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Dietrich, Jean, 1916-1984
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Correspondence.
- Illinois
- Journalists.
- Vietnam War, 1961-1975
- Women in journalism -- Kentucky
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged alphabetically by author and by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0552: [identification of item],Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Dietrich family letters, 1911-1977, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Jean Dietrich (1916-1984) was born in Ohio to Dale Dietrich (1892-1982) and Josephine Davis (1893-1978). She attended Kent State University in 1936, and went on to a career in journalism, working in Ohio, Chicago, Louisville. Dietrich was due to marry Barney Easton in 1946; however, due to unknown circumstances the relationship ended within two months of the planned wedding. Dale Dietrich worked as an automobile salesman. No biographical information available on Clay Dietrich.
- 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 Dietrich family letters (dated 1911-1977, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters, articles, and photographs that document the personal and professional life of Dietrich family in Ohio, Texas, New York, Illinois, and Kentucky in the twentieth century. The majority of the papers consist of letters sent to Jean Dietrich by friends, colleagues, and the general public, discussing a variety of topics. The letters from friends and colleagues discuss romantic relationships, the weather, attending college, seeing plays, performing on stage, meeting celebrities, visits from friends and family, trips taken, moving to new cities, marriages, baby announcements, finding employment, articles written, World War II, and participation in Korea. The letters from the public concern articles written by Dietrich, mostly the authors voice their problems with the opinions presented in the articles. The articles included in the collection are all written by Pan Sterling.
- Also included in the collection are letters and papers sent to Dale Dietrich, Jean's father. Dale received letters from various members of his family, mainly his mother and father. They wrote him updates on their health, the weather, if they need help with anything, their day-to-day life and how much they miss their son and his family. Jean's brother Clay wrote to his father while he was stationed in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Hawaii with the United States Armed Forces. He discussed different attacks from the Viet Cong and his new position stationed in Washington. There are four photographs in the collection, one of Dietrich and a colleague; the other two of actors Andrew Parks and Robert Forster; and a portrait of an unnamed little girl.
- The Jean Dietrich letters are 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.
Contents of the Collection
Ardis letters to Jean Dietrich, 1933-1936, undated
Bill Anderson letters to Jean Dietrich, 1933-1935
Sara Lee Harris letters to Jean Dietrich, 1943-1946
Ellie Keen letters to Jean Dietrich, 1964, undated
Pan Sterling letters to Jean Dietrich, 1941-1958, undated
Davi Bruce Thomas letters to Jean Dietrich, 1952-1953, undated
Letters to Jean Dietrich, 1944-1946
Letters to Jean Dietrich, 1952-1956
Letters to Jean Dietrich, 1963-1964
Letters to Jean Dietrich, 1972-1977, undated
Articles by Pan Sterling, 1943-1947, undated
Photographs, 1959, 1976, undated
Dietrich family papers, 1911-1969, undated
Josephine Dietrich letters to Dale Dietrich, 1912, 1948-1963
Dietrich family members letters to Dale Dietrich, 1924-1970, undated
Albert Dietrich letters to Dale Dietrich, 1928-1951, undated
Frank Dietrich letters to Dale Dietrich, 1947-1970, undated
Clay Dietrich letters to Dale and Josephine Dietrich, 1968
Photograph sent to Dale Dietrich, undated
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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.
