Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Clyde Morton Stallings letters

Abstract

The Clyde Morton Stallings letters (dated 1939-1996, undated; 0.68 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters that document the experiences of Clyde Stallings in college in North Carolina during World War II and the experiences of gay men across the United States in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Descriptive Summary

Title
Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Clyde Morton Stallings letters
Date
1939-1996, undated (inclusive)
Creator
Stallings, Clyde Morton, 1920-2007
Extent
0.68 Cubic Feet
Subjects
Letters.
Education, Higher.
Correspondence.
Gays -- Social life and customs
North Carolina
Universities and colleges.
Travel.
World War, 1939-1945.
Travel -- Personal narratives.
AIDS (Disease)
AIDS activists.
Death
Gay community
Gay rights.
Gay couples
Maryland
North Carolina
Arrangement
Collection is arranged chronologically for early letters and materials, the rest is alphabetical by sender last name. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Finding Aid Author
Ashley Sorrell, Sarah Coblentz
Preferred Citation
2009ms132.0071: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Clyde Morton Stallings letters, 1939-1996, undated, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
Repository
University of Kentucky

Collection Overview

Biography / History
Clyde Stallings (1920-2007) went to Louisburg College (Louisburg, North Carolina), a preparatory school, in 1940 before entering college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1941. He was drafted into the United States military during World War II in 1942. In his adult years, he worked as an interpreter in Colonial Williamsburg and for the Washington Evening Star. Many of the letters to Stallings were sent from his Louisburg College roommate, Matt Compton McDade (1922-2002). McDade also went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in journalism. He was drafted into the United States military in 1943 and wrote for the Stars and Stripes in Cairo, Egypt. After the war, McDade continued his journalism career, writing for the Richmond Times Dispatch and Washington Post. He also worked for the U.S. State Department in 1947 at its London bureau.
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 Clyde Morton Stallings letters (dated 1939-1996, undated; 0.68 cubic feet; 2 boxes) comprise letters that document the experiences of Clyde Stallings in college in North Carolina during World War II and the experiences of gay men across the United States in the late 1980s and 1990s. The incoming letters to Stallings are from university friends, especially from Louisburg College (Louisburg, North Carolina) roommate, Matt McDade; the letters detail the lives and friendships of young men coming of age in North Carolina during World War II, both on and off campus. Topics include dating and dancing in McDade's small North Carolina hometown of Cedar Grove; McDade's anxieties about being drafted; and his belief that the war marked the end of their "carefree" days as young adult boys. The collection also includes Stallings' sketches of his Louisburg College friends and dorm room; an issue of the student newspaper; and a letter Stallings wrote to collector Wade Hall in 1988 explaining the seemingly intimate nature of the letters.
Later in life, Stalling's friends write to him from places including Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Florida, North Carolina, Colorado, Texas, and England. The letters are arranged by sender's last name and where there are two names together it is a couple with the more frequent author listed first. The letters are sent to Clyde from a variety of friends, those he knows through school, ones he met while traveling, past landlords and coworkers, and others through professional and social organizations. Many of the letters cover similar topics, including the AIDS epidemic, intra- and international trips taken, reminiscing on college memories, and employment and retirement updates. Some letters discuss books being written and published, having accepting family members, and the gay scene in the 1970s. Many of the letter authors are acquainted with each other and discuss the same topics and people frequently, including the break-up of different couples, money issues with Clyde and other mutual friends, and the trouble many with an organization called TRIANGLES. Prominent letter authors include Wade Hall, Gregg Swem, Matt McDade, Normal Bowles, Frank Cannon, and Spencer Tucker.
The Clyde Morton Stallings 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
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 to Clyde Stallings, 1939

  • Box 2, folder 1
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Letters to Clyde Stallings, 1940

  • Box 2, folder 2
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Letters to Clyde Stallings, 1941

  • Box 2, folder 3
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Letters to Clyde Stallings, 1942

  • Box 2, folder 4
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Outgoing Letters to Wade Hall, 1988

  • Box 2, folder 5
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Sketches of Louisburg College dorm and roommates, 1940

  • Box 2, folder 6
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Whispering Oaks Louisburg College student newspaper, 1940 February 9

  • Box 2, folder 7
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Letter to Clyde Stallings from "all your friends in Virginia", 1984 January 13

  • Box 1, folder 1
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Letters from Andrews, Wes, 1995

  • Box 1, folder 2
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Letters from Barlow, William and David Powell, 1992

  • Box 1, folder 3
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Letters to Barlow, William and David Powell, 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 4
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Letters from Bescher, Art, 1995

  • Box 1, folder 5
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Letters from Blickwedel, Dana F., 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 6
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Letters from Bowles, Norman F. and Jim Hueholt, 1993-1995

  • Box 1, folder 7
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Letters from Cannon, Frank "Clara Bow", 1992-1996

  • Box 1, folder 8
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Letters from Capek, Richard, 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 9
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Letters from Carr, Virginia Spencer, 1985-1989

  • Box 1, folder 10
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Letters from Couch, Philip, 1992-1995

  • Box 1, folder 11
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Letters from D, Rudd, 1991

  • Box 1, folder 12
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Letter from Dillman, Archie, Jr., undated

  • Box 1, folder 13
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Letters from Duncan, Richard, 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 14
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Letters from Dyer, Iain and Glenn Hunter, 1993-1994

  • Box 1, folder 15
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Letters from Hall, Wade, 1993-1996

  • Box 1, folder 16
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Letters from Halstead, Raymond, 1985, 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 17
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Letters from Haney, Hal, 1990-1996

  • Box 1, folder 18
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Letters from Hill, John "Jack", 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 19
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Letter from Hockenbury, Ken, 1995 September 26

  • Box 1, folder 20
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Letter from Howard, William, 1994 February 27

  • Box 1, folder 21
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Letters from Jerritt, James, 1994

  • Box 1, folder 22
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Letter from Koffler, Jerry, 1991

  • Box 1, folder 23
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Letters from McDade, Jean, 1992-1993

  • Box 1, folder 24
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Letters from McDade, Matt, 1991-1996

  • Box 1, folder 25
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Letters from Mooney, John and Robert Bell, 1991-1993

  • Box 1, folder 26
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Letters from Morris, Harold, 1993-1995

  • Box 1, folder 27
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Letter from Pease, Gerry, 1990 December 10

  • Box 1, folder 28
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Letters from Platt, Jeanne, 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 29
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Letters from Porter, Bill, 1995-1996

  • Box 1, folder 30
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Letters from Rawnsley, George, 1992-1996

  • Box 1, folder 31
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Letter from Rollins, Chris, 1994 December 5

  • Box 1, folder 32
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Letters from Sanders, Roberta, 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 33
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Letters from Smith, Allen R., 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 34
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Letters from Springelt, Lee and Roberth Hathaway, 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 35
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Letter from Stuart, Michael, 1990 December 15

  • Box 1, folder 36
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Letters from Swem, Greg, III, 1993-1996

  • Box 1, folder 37
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Letters from Truax, David, 1994, undated

  • Box 1, folder 38
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Letters from Tucker, Spencer, 1989-1994

  • Box 1, folder 39
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Letters from Vranesh, Mark, 1993-1996

  • Box 1, folder 40
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Letters from Wann, Georgianna, 1993-1994

  • Box 1, folder 41
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Letters from Wirick, Roy, 1994-1995

  • Box 1, folder 42
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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.