Collection is open to researchers by appointment.
Gift, 2000.
Collection is arranged by format. The Wade Hall Collection of American Letters has been processed into discrete collections based on provenance.
Raymond P. Korfhage (1906-1988) and Mary L. Ising (1908-1994) lived in Louisville, Kentucky and were in a committed relationship in 1929. The couple were married between 1930 and 1940, and together they had one son, Roger L. (1942-1998).
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
2009ms132.0314: [identification of item], Wade Hall Collection of American Letters: Raymond and Mary Korfhage letters, 1929, University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.
The Raymond and Mary Korfhage letters (dated 1929; 0.04 cubic feet; 1 folder) comprise love letters sent between R. P. Korfhage and Mary Lucille that document their committed love for one another, family illness, longing for another, potential marriage, everyday life, and siteseeing. The collection consists of six letters: two from R. P. Korfhage and four from Mary Lucille. Mary travels to Kansas City, Missouri to visit her sick uncle Theodore and cousin Glenna. During her time there, she writes to Raymond about sightseeing places such as the War Memorial Shaft, the Plaza Theatre, several golf courses, and Ray Town, Missouri where she discusses a murder within that town. Raymond tells of a cyclone that tore through Louisville and seeing his friend, Buzz. Mary wonders why Raymond's letters are dated the same date; however, they share sentiments of longing and wanting her to come back home so they can both smile again. Raymond hints at a marriage proposal in his letters, in hopes that this will make Mary happy during the time she is visiting her sick uncle Theo.
The Raymond and Mary Korfhage 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.
The physical rights to the materials in this collection are held by the University of Kentucky Special Collections Research Center.