Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hensley-Looney family letters

Abstract

The Hensley-Looney family letters (dated 1960-1989, undated; 4.32 cubic feet; 11 boxes) comprises letters and photographs that document the relationship between Bobby Hensley and Carol Looney in high school and college in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in the mid-twentieth century.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hensley-Looney family letters
Date
1960-1989, undated (inclusive)
Creator
Hensley, Robert B.
Extent
4.32 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Letters.
Love-letters
Man-woman relationships -- United States -- 20th century
Long-distance relationships.
College students.
Education, Higher.
Families.
Marriage
Travel.
Parent and child.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged by subject and into two series: Robert B. Hensley letters and Carol Looney-Hensley letters. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Finding Aid Author
Sarah Coblentz
Preferred Citation
2009ms132.1023: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Hensley-Looney family letters, 1960-1989, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Robert B. Hensley (1942-2011) was born in Lexington, Kentucky to Robert B. Hensley Sr. (1911-2013) and Dorothy Frances Curry (1919-2002). The family moved to Louisville, Kentucky not long after Robert's birth. He earned a B.A. from the University of Notre Dame and an M.B.A. from the University of Kentucky. Over the course of his life, he worked for Life Insurance Company of Kentucky, the Kentucky Department of Labor, O'Gara Coachworks, and New Gold, LLC/Hensley Gold Mining, Inc. He married Carol Looney (b. 1944), of Louisville, Kentucky in the 1960s.
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 Hensley-Looney family letters (dated 1960-1989, undated; 4.32 cubic feet; 11 boxes) comprises letters and photographs that document the relationship between Bobby Hensley and Carol Looney in high school and college in Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio in the mid-twentieth century. The letters are primarily sent between Bobby and Carol, detailing their long-distance relationship while both are attending college. The letters discuss settling in to college life, attending classes, making friends, thoughts on the town surrounding their respective colleges, studying for exams, plans to visit each other, celebrating anniversaries and birthdays, spending time with family, difficulties with homesickness, drinking, jealousy, attending church, mental health, and plans for their conjoined future. They both receive and write letters to their parents as well, discussing relationship troubles, financial matters, siblings, trips taken, thank you letters for gifts received, sending care packages, daily life, employment, and excitement for Bobby and Carol's engagement. Other letters from friends discuss attending classes in college, plans to visit, going on dates, and congratulations on Bobby and Carol's engagement and marriage. There are a few letters to Bobby and Carol's daughter concerning her college housing at New York University and friendships she held while in college. The photographs depict the gatherings and growth of the Hensley and Looney families.
The Hensley-Looney family 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

Robert B. Hensley letters, 1960-1966, undated

Father Robert to Bobby Hensley, 1960-1965

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Friends to Bobby Hensley, 1961-1966, undated

  • Box 1, folder 2
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Dorothy Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1962

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Dorothy Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1963

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Dorothy Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1964

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Dorothy Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1965

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Dorothy Hensley to Bobby Hensley, undated

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Mary Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1962

  • Box 1, folder 8
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Mary Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1963

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Mary Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1964

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Mary Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1965, undated

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Robert Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1961-1963

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Robert Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1964

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Robert Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1965

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Robert Hensley to Bobby Hensley, 1966, undated

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1961 July - September

  • Box 2, folder 8
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1961 October

  • Box 2, folder 9
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1961 November - December

  • Box 3, folder 1
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 January

  • Box 3, folder 2
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 February

  • Box 3, folder 3
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 March

  • Box 3, folder 4
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 April

  • Box 3, folder 5
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 May

  • Box 3, folder 6-7
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 July - September

  • Box 3, folder 8
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 October

  • Box 4, folder 1
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1962 November - December

  • Box 4, folder 2
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 January - February

  • Box 4, folder 3
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 March - May

  • Box 4, folder 4
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 September

  • Box 4, folder 5
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 October

  • Box 4, folder 6
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 November

  • Box 4, folder 7
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1963 December

  • Box 4, folder 8
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 January

  • Box 5, folder 1
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 February

  • Box 5, folder 2
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 March

  • Box 5, folder 3
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 April

  • Box 5, folder 4
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 May

  • Box 5, folder 5-6
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 June - September

  • Box 5, folder 7
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 October

  • Box 5, folder 8
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 November

  • Box 5, folder 9
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1964 December

  • Box 6, folder 1
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1965 January - February

  • Box 6, folder 2
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1965 March - April

  • Box 6, folder 3
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, 1965 May - September

  • Box 6, folder 4
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Carol Looney to Bobby Hensley, undated

  • Box 6, folder 5-6
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Looney family to Bobby Hensley, 1962-1964, undated

  • Box 6, folder 7
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Siblings to Bobby Hensley, 1962-1965, undated

  • Box 6, folder 8
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Carol Looney-Hensley letters, 1961-1986, undated

Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1961 July - August

  • Box 7, folder 1
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1961 September - October

  • Box 7, folder 2
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1961 November

  • Box 7, folder 3
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1961 December

  • Box 7, folder 4
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 January - February

  • Box 7, folder 5
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 March - April

  • Box 7, folder 6
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 May - July

  • Box 7, folder 7
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 September

  • Box 7, folder 8
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 October

  • Box 8, folder 1
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1962 November - December

  • Box 8, folder 2
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1963 January - February

  • Box 8, folder 3
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1963 March - April

  • Box 8, folder 4
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1963 May

  • Box 8, folder 5
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1963 September - October

  • Box 8, folder 6
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1963 November - December

  • Box 8, folder 7
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1964 January - February

  • Box 8, folder 8
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1964 March - May

  • Box 9, folder 1
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1964 September - December

  • Box 9, folder 2
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, 1965 January - May

  • Box 9, folder 3
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Bobby Hensley to Carol Looney, undated

  • Box 9, folder 4-5
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Letters to Carol Looney-Hensley, 1962-1986, undated

  • Box 9, folder 6
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Bobby Hensley to Looney family, undated

  • Box 9, folder 7
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Carol Looney to Looney family, 1963-1964

  • Box 10, folder 1
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Carol Looney to Looney family, undated

  • Box 10, folder 2-3
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Neil Looney to Looney family, 1963-1965

  • Box 10, folder 4
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Hensley-Looney family letters, 1962-1964, 1984-1987, undated

  • Box 10, folder 5
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Hensley-Looney family papers, 1986, undated

  • Box 10, folder 6
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Photographs, 1987-1989, undated

  • Box 11, item 1-77
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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.

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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.