Thomas Wolfe 75th Anniversary Collection
M2015.07
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- UNC Asheville Special Collections and University Archives
- Title
- Thomas Wolfe 75th Anniversary Collection
- ID
- M2015.07
- Date [bulk]
- Bulk, 1974-1975
- Date [inclusive]
- 1974-2014
- Extent
- 3.0 Linear feet
- Physical Description
- Contains correspondence, event invitations, mailing lists, grant applications and supporting documentation, budget materials, project proposals, director and cast scripts of “37 Octobers,” pamphlets, clippings, newspapers, publicity materials, press releases, and audio recordings of some of the events. Note that the audio recordings are on audio cassette. Some have been transferred to digital format, while some tapes are in need of repair.
- Location
- Located in Row 4, Section 4, Ramsey Library Special Collections. Oversize newspapers located in flat file cabinets in the back of Special Collections.
- Language
- English
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Thomas Wolfe 75th Anniversary Collection, D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville 28804
Historical Note
The Thomas Wolfe 75th Anniversary Celebration was a four day celebration in honor of the 75th anniversary of the birth of Thomas Wolfe, and was held on October 2-5, 1975 in Asheville, NC. A coalition of civic institutions, including the Civic Arts Council of Asheville (Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Community Theatre, Asheville Symphony, Pack Memorial Library, Theatre UNC Asheville) and the University of North Carolina at Asheville, in cooperation with North Carolina Arts Council and Division of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, produced the event.
A number of events were held during the Celebration. An exhibit at Pack Memorial Library showcased original Wolfe manuscripts on loan from Harvard University. The Asheville Art Museum, the D. Hiden Ramsey Library, UNC-Asheville, and the Thomas Wolfe Memorial site were exhibition venues, and members of the Asheville Symphony played musical selections “of Wolfe’s America” on opening night. A collaboration between the Asheville Community Theatre and Theatre UNC Asheville staged “37 Octobers”, a play based on Wolfe’s life by C. Hugh Holman. UNC Asheville hosted panels and lectures with scholars Louis D. Rubin Jr., Professor of English, UNC Chapel Hill (“Thomas Wolfe and the South”), Richard Walser, Professor Emeritus at NC State University (“Thomas Wolfe Remembered”), Floyd C. Watkins, Professor of English, Emory University (“Thomas Wolfe and Asheville, Again”), and C. Hugh Holman, Kenan Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (“Thomas Wolfe and America”).
Scope and Contents
The Thomas Wolfe 75th Anniversary Collection provides a window into the nearly two years of planning, development ,and eventual fruition of this celebration via the papers of Arnold Wengrow, Vice-President of the Civic Arts Council of Asheville and Drama Professor at UNC-Asheville. Materials include correspondence, memos, press releases, publicity materials, letters of appreciation, invitations, brochure drafts, grant proposals, schedules, bank statements, budget information, mailing and registrant lists, media coverage and clippings, and audio recordings of the panels and lectures.
The collection also includes stage manger and individual cast member scripts from the production of “37 Octobers.”
Administrative Information
Publication Information
UNC Asheville Special Collections and University Archives
Ramsey Library, CPO # 1500One University Heights
Asheville, North Carolina, 28804-8504
828.251.6645
speccoll@unca.edu
Access Information
The collection is open for research. Any display, publication, or public use must credit the D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Custodial History
The collection was donated by Arnold Wengrow.
Accruals
No additional materials are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by Diane Lanctot with additional finding aid information by Gene Hyde, November 2015
Collection Inventory
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Box 1 |
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Folder 1: Arnold Wengrow File, "Wolfe" - Correspondence, memos, press releases and publicity materials, including letters of appreciation; invitations and replies; correspondence with C. Hugh Holman regarding script changes to "37 Octobers" and the progress of the production; and brochure drafts. |
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Folder 2: Thomas Wolfe Project - Correspondence; grant proposals, guides, applications, announcements and awards related to Civic Arts Council, Inc. of Asheville; schedules; clippings; letters of appreciation; bank statements; invitations; budget breakdowns; National Endowment for the Arts Program Announcement, 1973-1974. |
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Folder 3: 37 Octobers - Correspondence, rehearsal schedule, sample tickets, cast list, photocopy of "Thirty-Seven Octobers, A Play in Two Acts Based on the Works of Thomas Wolfe" by C. Hugh Holman. |
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Folder 4: "Look Homeward Angel" - Copy of play. |
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Folder 5: Thomas Wolfe Mailing List - Mailing and registrant lists; correspondence. |
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Folder 6: Correspondence - Announcements, invitations, appreciation letters; grant stipulations; acknowledgements to Houghton Library, Harvard University for loan of Wolfe materials. |
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Folder 7: Thomas Wolfe Advertising - Press releases; mailing addresses; media advertising rates; correspondence; photo, Thomas Wolfe at the Whitson Mountain cabin, 1937. |
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Box 2 |
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Folder 1: Alan Butler, North Carolina Arts Council - Correspondence related to grants; grant stipulations; grant proposals to the North Carolina Arts Council, State of North Carolina, Department of Cultural Resources, Raleigh, NC. |
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Folder 2: W. H. Bond, Director, The Houghton Library, Harvard University - Correspondence related to insurance, billing, security and transfer of original Wolfe manuscripts and documents from the Houghton Library. |
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Folder 3: John Bridges, Pack Memorial Library - Memos and correspondence related to a change of proposed exhibition venue from Pack Memorial Library to Asheville Art Museum. |
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Folder 4: David J. Conroy, Akzona, Inc. - Correspondence related to grant support to the Civic Arts Council of Asheville from the Akzona Foundation of Asheville, NC. |
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Folder 5: John Ehle - Correspondence with writer John Ehle on proposed development and consequent unsecured funding of a "dramatic-symphonic work based on Wolfe's life". |
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Folder 6: Paul Gitlin, Administrator for the Estate of Thomas Wolfe - Correspondence to Gitlin concerning permissions to use Wolfe materials. Correspondence from the Asheville Stamp Club's efforts to memorialize Wolfe via a cancellation stamp. |
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Folder 7: Paul Green - Correspondence about potential service on advisory committee. |
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Folder 8: Professor C. Hugh Holman, Kenan Professor of English, UNC Chapel Hill - Correspondence about potential service on advisory committee and production rights to Professor's Homan's play, "37 Octobers", written for the 50th Anniversary celebration of the Carolina Playmakers. |
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Folder 9: Dr. H.G. Jones, Curator, NC Collection, UNC Chapel Hill - Correspondence about procuring primary and secondary Wolfe materials from Louis Round Wilson Library. |
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Folder 10: Roy L. Kisiah, Asheville Parks & Recreation - Correspondence regarding exhibition plans and possible assistance in assembling and transporting materials. |
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Folder 11: Bob Lindsey, Asheville Chamber of Commerce - Correspondence about possible assistance from the Chamber in "printing, advertising, and promotion services". |
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Folder 12: James P. Parker, President, Civic Arts Council of Asheville - Correspondence to James Parker on January 28, 1974 with early proposals for "Wolfe 75th birthday celebration". Parker's correspondence to Buncombe County Board of Commissioners and Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee for project funding. Correspondence from Wengrow to Parker on July 26, 1974 on contingency funding plans. |
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Folder 13: Professor Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Department of English, UNC Chapel Hill - Correspondence about potential service on advisory committee; tentative scaled back plans, including the consideration, and subsequent withdrawal, of William Styron as featured speaker; updated funding details; possibility of using Hugh Holman's "37 Octobers" for an evening event. |
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Folder 14: Helen Sorton, Manager, Asheville Symphony - Correspondence about National Endowment Guidelines for Assistance to Symphony Orchestras and potential involvement of the Symphony to the Wolfe celebration. |
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Folder 15: Charles Springman, National Endowment for the Arts. Correspondence of April 23, 1974, enclosing plan and budget proposal sent to the North Carolina Arts Council, asking for assistance and guidance in funding. Correspondence of June 21, 1974 discussing a missed NEA deadline and Wengrow's desire to let Washington "know we are alive here in Asheville, and that we would like to do some things if we only had the money." |
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Folder 16: Roy A. Taylor, House of Representatives, 11th District, NC - Correspondence concerning possible 75th anniversary Wolfe commemorative stamp; Taylor's letter to the Postmaster General on behalf of the Civic Arts Council of Asheville; discussion of referral to the Citizens' Stamp Advisory Committee. |
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Folder 17: Professor Richard Walser, NC State University - Correspondence about potential service on advisory committee; musical settings of Wolf'e's work for the possible inclusion of commissioned music; scaled back plans; and the inclination to proceed with C. Hugh Holman's work "37 Octobers". Glossy photo, Richard Walser. |
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Folder 18: Chancellor Robert Ward, North Carolina School of the Arts - Correspondence of March 23, 1974 and April 23, 1974 discussing consideration of and potential commission for original musical work in collaboration with John Ehle. Subsequent correspondence outlining further details for the proposal, and a letter of July 2, 1974 to Ward about the unsuccessful NEA funding efforts and local budget cuts which derail the proposal. |
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Folder 19: Civic Arts Council, Inc. of Asheville - Project proposal and budget for Wolfe celebration. Information on proposed display at Pack Memorial Library of original Wolfe manuscript. |
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Folder 20: "37 Octobers" Cast List, Notes & Miscellany - Cast list handout from stage manager Robert Fudge; inserts to the play; map of stage; unattributed, handwritten costume notes. |
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Folder 21: Programs and Posters - Program outlining schedule of events for 75th Anniversary Wolfe celebration, October 2-5, 1975, presented by the Civic Arts Council of Asheville (Asheville Art Museum, Asheville Community Theatre, Asheville Symphony, Pack Memorial Library, Theatre UNC Asheville) and UNCA Asheville in cooperation with North Carolina Arts Council and Division of Archives and History of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Speakers include Professors C. Hugh Holman, Louis D. Rubin, Jr., Richard Walser, and Floyd C. Watkins. Poster for Asheville Community Theatre and Theatre UNC Asheville production of C. Hugh Holman's "37 Octobers" with performances from October 3-5, 1975. |
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Folder 22: Pamphlets - Assorted pamphlets, including The Proceedings and Membership List of the Thomas Wolfe Society annual meetings for 2006, 2007, and 2013; "Louis D. Rubin Jr. On Thomas Wolfe", compiled by Jan G. Hensley, 2006; "From Bootblack to Wolfe Scholar, The Literary Journey of Aldo P. Magi", by Jan G. Hensley, 2014. |
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Folder 23: Clippings - Assorted clippings include an editorial in the Raleigh Times to commemorate Wolfe on a stamp; press notices and articles; and profiles of Wolfe. |
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Folder 24: Robert Fudge - stage manager Robert Fudge's script, "37 Octobers"; cast list; casting notices; rehearsal schedule. |
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Folder 25: Sheri Groce - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 26: Eliza Brasington - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 27: Catherine Durner - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Box 3 |
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Folder 1: S. Dianne Payne - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 2: Christopher Mangum - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 3: Mark Fromuth - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 4: Frank Bradley - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 5: Script #9 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 6: Lowell Beard - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 7: Sarah J. Phillips - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Box 4 |
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Folder 1: Kimberly Ann Storrs - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 2: Script #13 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 3: William Jobe - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 4: Mary Carole Harris - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 5: Allen O'Briant - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 6: Script #18 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Box 5 |
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Folder 1: Script #19 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 2: Fred Topping - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 3: Max Reagan - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 4: Script #24 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 5: Script #25 - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 6: Script - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Folder 7: Script - Script, "37 Octobers". |
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Box 6 |
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Folder 1: Clippings - Media clippings on Thomas Wolfe and coverage of the 75th Anniversary Wolfe celebration. Sources include the Asheville-Citizen Times, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Charlotte Observer, and The National Observer. |
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Folder 2: Clippings - Media clippings on Thomas Wolfe and coverage of the 75th Anniversary Wolfe celebration. Sources include The Arts Journal, The Asheville Citizen, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution Magazine, and The News and Observer. |
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Folder 3: Clippings - Photocopies of media clippings. |
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Newspaper, Asheville Citizen-Times (Sunday, September 28, 1975) Note: Oversized, located in lateral file. |
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