Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gordon Kent letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gordon Kent letters
- Date
- 1940-1945 (inclusive)
- Creator
- Kent, Gordon, 1920-2009
- Extent
- 0.05 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Communism -- United States.
- Soldiers -- Correspondence
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0057: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Gordon Kent letters, 1940-1945, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Gordon Kent was born October 1, 1920 in Massachusetts to Rockwell Kent (1882-1971) and Kathleen Whiting Kent (1890-1990). Gordon's father was a well known modernist American artist, as well as printmaker, illustrator, and writer. Gordon enlisted in the Army Air Corps (predecessor to the modern US Air Force) on September 5, 1941 and was stationed in Greenland for much of the war. Over the course of his service he rose to the rank of Technical Sergeant and was released from duty on April 7, 1945. He was involved in a long-distance courtship while enlisted with Jean Dietrich (1916-1984), who later became a theater critic for the Louisville Courier-Journal; ultimately they did not marry. Gordon passed away on August 19, 2009.
- 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 Gordon Kent letters (dated 1940-1945; 0.05 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise letters that document the life of an enlisted soldier with Marxist leanings stationed in Greenland during World War II. A majority of the letters discuss contemporary literature that promote rational, scientific thought and not faith as the only true values. The letters also provide descriptions of Greenland, the Danes and natives who lived there, the status of women, sexual mores, and the class system there.
- The Gordon Kent 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
- The 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
Letters, 1940-1945
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.
