Conditions Governing Use

Copyright restrictions may apply. Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.

Preferred Citation

[Box Number, Folder Number], MS-14, Gresham Correspondence Collection, Book Arts, Archives, & Rare Books, Boatwright Memorial Library, University of Richmond, Richmond, Virginia.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

William Dew Gresham's family donated the collection after his passing.

Processing Information

Due to deterioration of the newspaper clipping in Series I, File 2, the original clipping was discarded and has been replaced by a photocopied version.

Processed by Kelly Bryan.

Biographical / Historical

William Dew Gresham (1925-1986) was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He received his Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts from University of Richmond in 1948 and went on to receive a degree in Divinity from Harvard in 1952 and a degree in Library Science from Columbia in 1955. In 1956, Gresham was an assistant librarian in the Boatwright Memorial Library. During his time at the library, Gresham founded a literature society entitled Great Books of Richmond. Gresham moved to Wilmington, Delaware, working in the field of public education from 1959-1985. Public education suited Gresham, as he loved to share what he learned from his wide variety of books, plays, travels, and lectures that he attended. Gresham was a voracious reader who felt that books were the best way to record history, culture, and traditions. His taste in books included literature, poetry, non-fiction, travel, and history. He also enjoyed books written by authors around the world, most notably Greek, Russian, French, and Spanish. Boatwright Memorial Library has a significant collection of his books that were donated by Gresham's family upon his passing. Among these books are first editions and signed copies, many of which are both. Included in these books are several written by the poets represented in the Gresham Correspondence Collection: Enid Starkie's Arthur Rimbaud , Andre Gide , and Baudelaire ; John Gassner's The Theater in Our Times and Masters of the Drama ; W.H. Auden's The Collected Poetry of W.H. Auden , The Shield of Achilles , Nones , and The Age of Anxiety ; Marianne Moore's The Complete Poems of Marianne Moore ; Muriel Rukeyser's Selected Poems ; and W.H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood's Journey to a War . In addition to the many books donated, the family also donated Gresham's collection of incunabula leaves (see MS-11 Gresham Incunabula Leaves Collection ).

Enid Starkie (1897-1970) was born in Ireland and studied in both Ireland and England. She was an author of biographies and taught modern languages at the University of Oxford, University of Exeter, and Hollins College (now Hollins University).

John Gassner (1903-1967) was born in Hungary and lived in New York. He attended Columbia University, receiving his Masters. He taught at Labor Temple School (1925-1927), Columbia University, Hunter College (1928-1945), and Bryn Mawr College (1941-1943). Gassner was a playwright and wrote for several magazines, including the New York Times Book Review .

Wystan Hugh Auden – better known as W.H. Auden – (1907-1973) was from England and emigrated to the United States during WWII (1939). He was a playwright and an author of poetry. Most of his poems were of a political and moral nature. During the Spanish Civil War, Auden spent time in Spain writing. Auden graduated from Oxford in 1928 and married Erika Mann in 1935 to protect her from the Nazi's. Mann stayed behind when Auden emigrated to the United States; the pair never divorced and remained friends. Auden wrote a few plays with Chester Kallman – his lifelong companion. Auden taught poetry at Oxford University from 1956-1961. In 1948, Auden won a Pulitzer Prize for The Age of Anxiety ; the Gresham family donated a signed copy.

May Sarton (1912-1995) was a poet and author of novels. She is known for her interest in feminism and sexuality, which transfers to her writing. Sarton was born in Belgium, but in 1914, the family fled to England due to WWI. In 1918, the family emigrated to the United States where Sarton remained. The theater was Sarton's first love; after acting for a small New York theater, she ran her own theater company, but had to take on extra work to keep the theater's finances in the black. She began writing literary reviews specifically about theater, but dabbled in poetry as well. She briefly wrote documentary scripts for the United States Office of War Information. During the 1930s, she taught at Stuart School in Boston and from 1950-1953 she taught composition at Harvard University.

Barbara Guest (1920-2006) was an American poet and playwright. In addition, Guest also wrote art reviews for magazines, such as Art News and Art in America . Guest graduated from the University of California, at Berkeley and lived in New York. Among the awards Guest won during her lifetime, include the Lawrence Lipton Award for Literature (1990) and the Robert Frost Medal for Distinguished Lifetime Achievement from Poetry Society of America (1999).

Marianne Moore (1887-1972) was an American poet known for her diverse writings. Moore grew up in the Midwest and graduated from Bryn Mawr in 1909. She lived in New York with her mother throughout her life. The literary community viewed her as an "auntie figure" and a mentor. During her lifetime, Moore won many awards: Levinson Prize from Poetry Magazine (1932), Pulitzer Prize for Collected Poems (1951), and gold medals from Poetry Society of America (1960 & 1967).

Muriel Rukeyser (1913-1980) was an American poet and political activist. She attended school at Vassar College from 1930-1932, but did not graduate. Upon her departure from Vassar, Rukeyser started the journal Student Review with three other women. In 1933, Rukeyser travelled to Alabama to cover the Scottsboro, Alabama, trial of nine African-American boys who were accused of raping two white females, but Rukeyser was detained during the trial. In 1936, she went to Spain to cover an athletic competition; however, by the time she arrived, the Spanish Civil War had begun and Rukeyser began working for the medical bureau in Spain. Rukeyser was frequently involved with political activism and was an advocate against inhumanity. She taught at Sarah Lawrence College in 1946 and 1956-1967. She spoke several languages, including French, Spanish, Swedish, and Italian and enjoyed translating poems in these languages. Among her many awards are the Oscar Blumethal Prize in poetry (1940), Harriet Monroe Poetry Award (1941), and the Levinson Prize in poetry (1947). Paul Duke (1926-2005) graduated from University of Richmond in 1947. He was a classmate of William Dew Gresham's. Duke wrote a sports column during his time at the university. Duke is best known for his time on the television program Washington Week in Review where he worked for twenty years. During his time on the show, Duke was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (1992).

Paul Duke (1926-2005) graduated from University of Richmond in 1947. He was a classmate of William Dew Gresham's. Duke wrote a sports column during his time at the university. Duke is best known for his time on the television program Washington Week in Review where he worked for twenty years. During his time on the show, Duke was inducted into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame (1992).

George Dillon (1906-1968) was an American poet, editor, and translator. He graduated from University of Chicago. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his book of poems entitled Flowering Stone (1930s).

Gilbert Murray (1866-1957) was an English classicist and translator of Greek literature. He graduated from St. John's College, Oxford and later taught at New College, Oxford where he was the Regius Professor of Greek (1908-1936). Upon his death, his ashes were placed at Westminster Abbey.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains correspondence between William Gresham and several poets. The majority of the correspondences are replies to Gresham's invitations to speak for the Poetry Society of Virginia. Some of the correspondence Gresham saved was not written by him or to him. The collection also houses several programs, pamphlets, and newspaper articles that support Gresham's dedication and love of literature and culture.

Series I, Gresham Correspondence, includes correspondence between William Gresham and several poets. The letters are regarding Gresham's invitations for various poets to speak for the Poetry Society of Virginia in Williamsburg, Virginia. May Sarton spoke for the organization on May 14, 1960. Most of her letters are regarding her travel arrangements.

Series II, Pamphlets, Writings, and Newspaper Clippings, contains several personal keepsakes, most notably, a poem written by Gresham, two booklets – one autographed by Pearl S. Buck and the other by Art Buchwald – and a Christmas poem written by May Sarton.

Series III, Other Correspondence, comprises correspondence that did not include Gresham. One letter in particular was a thank you note from the poet George Dillon to Gresham's wife Nancy. The last item in the series is a payment note for a cab in Richmond; however, there does not appear to be any connection to Gresham himself and was written over twenty years before Gresham's birth.

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into 3 series:

Series I: Gresham Correspondence Series II: Pamphlets, Writings, and Newspaper Clippings Series III: Other Correspondence

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Auden, W. H. (Wystan Hugh), 1907-1973
• Buchwald, Art
• Buck, Pearl S. (Pearl Sydenstricker), 1892-1973
• Clippings (Books, newspapers, etc.)
• Gassner, John, 1903-1967
• Guest, Barbara
• Harvard University. Dramatic Club
• Moore, Marianne, 1887-1972
• Murray, Gilbert, 1866-1957
• Nonbook Materials
• Poetry
• Poetry Society of Virginia
• Pound, Ezra, 1885-1972
• Richmond (Va.)
• Richmond Times-Dispatch
• Rukeyser, Muriel, 1913-1980
• Sarton, May, 1912-1995
• Starkie, Enid