Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: William Eric Richardson letters
Abstract
Descriptive Summary
- Title
- Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: William Eric Richardson letters
- Date
- 1993-1994, undated (inclusive)
- Creator
- Richardson, William Eric
- Extent
- 0.45 Cubic Feet
- Subjects
- Letters.
- Correspondence.
- Love-letters
- Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
- Prisoners.
- Alcoholism.
- Substance abuse -- United States
- Carpenters.
- Prisoners -- Correspondence.
- Arrangement
- Collection is arranged chronologically. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
- Preferred Citation
- 2009ms132.0888: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: William Eric Richardson letters, 1993-1994, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
- Repository
- University of Kentucky
Collection Overview
- Biography / History
- No biographical information available on William Eric Richardson.
- 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 William Eric Richardson letters (dated 1993-1994, undated; 0.45 cubic feet; 1 box, 1 photograph) comprises letters sent from William Eric Richardson to his girlfriend that document his experience in prison and attempts with sobriety in Kentucky in the mid-1990s. Between 1993 and 1994, Richardson is an inmate at Roederer Correctional Complex, Northpoint Training Center, and Lee Adjustment Center Correctional Facility. In the letters, he details his struggles with sobriety, efforts to get transferred to different facilities, advice to his girlfriend on her sobriety, learning carpentry, how much he misses her, his desire to hear from her and see her, thoughts on how to make their relationship successful, his anger at learning she is seeing another man, and the subsequent end of their relationship. In many of the letters, he provides his opinions on the facilities he stays in, on the effectiveness of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, how the judicial system controls their lives, and how to stay sober while not in prison. There are two additional letters to Richardson's girlfriend from a friend, discussing how life is for him in prison and his hopes to hear from her soon.
- The William Eric Richardson letters collection 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.
Contents of the Collection
William Eric Richardson to Linda Widmer, 1993
William Eric Richardson to Linda Widmer, 1994
William Eric Richardson to Linda Widmer, undated
Larry Corman to Linda Widmer, 1993-1994
Photograph, 1994
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.
