Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Luella Gail Pratt papers
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Luella Gail Pratt papers
- Date
- 1932-1945, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Pratt, Luella Gail, 1918-2008
- Extent
- 1.19 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- College sorority members.
- Education, Higher.
- Family.
- Female friendship -- United States.
- Friendship.
- Letters.
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Marriage
- Women college students -- Ohio
- Women in education.
- Women in higher education
- World War, 1939-1945.
- Young women -- United States -- Social life and customs -- 20th century
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0326: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Luella Gail Pratt papers, 1932-1945, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- Luella Gail Pratt (1918-2008) was born in Middletown, Ohio to Harry E. Pratt (1898-1985) and Louwella C. Leib (1900-1978). She graduated from Miami University, in Oxford, Ohio, in 1940, the first of her family to do so. She met her husband, Robert Ebel Ireland (1917-2002), while attending Miami and the couple married September 1940; together they had three children: Kathleen, Sally, and Thomas. In 1963, she began teaching English and Speech at Garfield high school, retiring in 1980. She was active in many community organizations, serving on the boards of the YWCA, Family Service, Girl Scouts, and the Polio Foundation. Active in her local Presbyterian Church, she served as an Elder, trustee, Sunday school teacher, and Communion server. Pratt and her husband were founding members of the Starlighters' Dance Club, Cutthroaters Bridge Club, Current Events Club, and members of the Jaycees and Jayceettes, which eventually became the "Exhausted Roosters Club".
- 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 Luella Gail Pratt papers (dated 1932-1945, undated; 1.19 cubic feet; 2 boxes, 1 flat box) comprise letters, diaries, and a scrapbook that document the life of Pratt while in college, the early years of her marriage, and the experiences of her husband Bob Ireland serving in the military in Ohio in the 1930s and 1940s. The majority of the letters are between Luella and her husband, prior to them getting married. In their letters, the couple discuss their feelings for each other, social events attended, plans for dates, planning their wedding, and updates on friends and family. Luella also receives letters from her parents and younger brother, these discuss their daily life in Middletown, Ohio; her brother's schooling and athletics participation, social visits, their excitement on hearing about Luella's activities at school, plans to visit, and updates on their personal health. Luella also received and sent letters to boyfriends and family friends, these discuss their relationships, breakups, daily life, and school. Also included in the collection are three diaries that document Luella's life while attending Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. In the diaries, Pratt writes about seeing friends, visiting family, classes attended, assignments and their respective grades, and studying in the library. She also writes about her participation in a sorority, becoming a sweetheart for a fraternity, accepting her boyfriend's pin, being asked on dates, and parties attended. Over the breaks from school, she writes about being home with her family, helping her parents in their homes, how her siblings are doing, and visiting relatives. The scrapbook consists of programs, autograph cards, notes, pictures, and memorabilia detailing Pratt's high school career and graduation.
- The Luella Gail Pratt papers 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
Dad to Luella Pratt, 1932-1940
Grandmother to Luella Pratt, 1935-1937
Luella Pratt to Joseph Copp, 1935
Luella Pratt to Joseph Copp, 1936
Luella Pratt to family, 1936-1937, undated
Mother to Luella Pratt, 1936-1937, undated
Adrian to Luella Pratt, 1936-1938
Harry Lewis to Luella Pratt, 1936-1939
Letters to Luella Pratt from friends, 1936-1939
Letters from Luella Pratt, 1937-1939
Letters to Bob Ireland from friends, 1938-1941
Letters to Luella and Bob Ireland, 1940, undated
Luella Pratt to Bob Ireland, 1937
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1937
Luella Pratt to Bob Ireland, 1938
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1938
Luella Pratt to Bob Ireland, 1939
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1939
Luella Pratt to Bob Ireland, 1940
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1940
Luella Pratt to Bob Ireland, 1941
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1941
Bob Ireland to Luella Pratt, 1945
Wade Pratt to Luella Pratt, 1945, undated
General letters, 1937-1938
Luella Pratt report cards, 1936-1938, undated
Personal papers, 1936, 1950, undated
Diaries, 1936-1937
Diary, 1938
Scrapbook, 1935-1936, undated
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.
