ARC-0044
Papers of Dr. James Diedrick
Summary
|
Title |
Papers of Dr. James Diedrick |
|
Collection Number |
ARC-0044 |
|
Inclusive Dates |
1905-1985 |
|
Creator(s) |
Dr. James Diedrick, English Department |
|
Extent |
1.0 linear ft |
|
Processed By |
Ben Evans, '08 |
|
Finding Aid Prepared By |
Ben Evans, '08 |
|
Last Updated |
Spring 2005 |
|
Abstract |
The focus of this collection is on Albion
College's Ring Lardner Symposium, held in 1985 over the course
of four days, celebrating the life and work of one of America's
finest writers. It includes materials relating to its inception,
planning and execution. |
Table of Contents
|
Summary,
Access & Use,
Biographical Notes,
Scope & Content,
Series Description,
Inventory |
Access & Use
|
Acquisition Information |
Donated by Dr. James
Diedrick in December of 2004. |
|
Access Restrictions |
None |
|
Copyright |
The literary rights to this collection are assumed to rest with the
person(s) responsible for the production of the particular items within
the collection, or with their heirs or assigns. Researchers bear full
legal responsibility for acquisition to publish from any part of said
collection per Title 17, United States Code. The Albion College Special
Collections Unit may reserve the right to intervene as intermediary at its
own discretion. |
|
Preferred Citation |
Item, Folder Title, Box No.,
Papers of Dr. James Diedrick, College Archives, Special Collections, Albion
College. |
Biographical Notes
Dr. James
Diedrick
Dr.
James Diedrick received his B.A. in English in 1973 from Western
Washington University, his M.A. in 1975 from Western Washington, and his
Ph.D. in 1978 from the University of Washington. He began his work as
professor of English at Albion College in 1980. In 2001, Dr. Diedrick
was honored with the position of the Howard L. McGregor, Jr., Professor
of Humanities. In the later years of his time at Albion, Dr. Diedrick
served on the President’s cabinet as Associate Dean of the Faculty. He
accepted a position as Associate Dean of the College at Agnes Scott
College in Decatur, Georgia in 2005.
Dr.
Diedrick was instrumental in the planning and execution of the Ring
Lardner Centennial Symposium in March of 1985. In addition to acquiring
rare materials for exhibition, including many of Lardner’s personal and
copies of Lardner’s famous “In the Wake of the News” article, Dr.
Diedrick authored and sent letters of invitation to key candidates for
speakers at the Symposium, as well as members of the Lardner family.
Together with Dr. Charles Crupi, Dr. Diedrick worked to coordinate all
of the available resources into a program that, over the course of four
days, celebrated the life of one of America’s finest writers.
Ring Lardner
Ring
Lardner, celebrated American reporter and author, was born in Niles,
Michigan on March 6, 1885. His first job as a journalist came shortly
after completing school in Niles when he moved to South Bend to work as
a sports reporter. Throughout his growing career, Lardner held
positions at newspapers in Boston, St. Louis, and Chicago, who’s
Chicago Tribune first published Lardner’s nationally syndicated and
highly popular “In the Wake of the News” column. “In the Wake of the
News” set a new standard for humor writing in the press and signaled
Lardner’s movement away from the sports angle.
Lardner
published his first book in 1916. You Know Me Al: A Busher’s Letters
was a fictional collection of letters by a highly egotistical and
illiterate ballplayer, and redefined Lardner as a master of the common
American dialect and stereotype. You Know Me Al was
extraordinarily successful, and Lardner followed it with several other
prominent works, including the short story collection Gullible’s
Travels (1917) and How to Write Short Stories (1924).
By
the late 1920’s, Ring Lardner ranked among America’s highest paid
writers. Throughout his stories and articles, Lardner continued to
perfect the art of portraying true American dialect, as well as his
uncanny ability to infuse his characters with a true American spirit,
regardless of satire, tragedy, or humor. Ring Lardner passed away in
the year 1933, and his influence has been among the most vital of early
20th century
writers.
Scope & Content
The
Papers of Dr. James Diedrick contain materials ranging
primarily from the early 1900’s (1905-1920’s; materials directly
produced by Ring Lardner), up until the year 1985, the year of the Ring
Lardner Centennial Symposium. A selection of items dated from 1883-1983
comprise a separate set of Albion College Pleiad – related
material. Materials dated before or after the aforementioned years most
likely do not have a direct correlation to any of the specific series,
and are included due to Dr. Diedrick’s interests or connection to them.
The
collection consists of four series with a total of eight subseries:
Series
I: Ring Lardner
Series II: The Ring Lardner Centennial Symposium
Series III: The Pleiad
Series
IV: Miscellany
Series Description
Ring Lardner, 1906 – 1985, n.d.
This
series deals with Ring Lardner the man, and is comprised both of
material obtained for exhibition at the Lardner Centennial Symposium and
various works of significance by or about Lardner. The first subseries
includes Photographs relating to Lardner’s life;
the second subseries consists of a portion of Lardner’s personal Correspondence;
“In the Wake of the
News” includes selections from the thirteen-year span of
Lardner’s article for the Chicago Tribune, of the same title; and
Miscellany contains, among other
items, a collection of slides.
The Ring Lardner Centennial Symposium, 1978 – 1986, n.d.
Held
at Albion College during the month of March in 1985, the Ring Lardner
Centennial Symposium was a four-day long celebration commemorating what
would have been the hundredth birthday of Ring Lardner.
Included in
this series is the correspondence of Dr. James Diedrick, a key figure in
the execution of the Lardner Symposium. Requests for grants or
materials for the Symposium, as well as invitations to various speaker
candidates, are included in Correspondence.
Planning Materials, consists
of drafts of speeches and remarks, early versions of the Symposium
program, and a selection of Dr. Diedrick’s notes. The finalized
invitations and programs are included in the third subseries, Promotional Materials; and
Press
Coverage, the final subseries, contains news clippings and photocopies of
the press
leading up to and following the Symposium – significant is an
article on Ring Lardner written by Dr. Diedrick prior to the Symposium
published in Michigan History.
The
Pleiad, 1883 – 1983
Included in this series are Dr. Diedrick’s research notes on the history
of different Pleiad mastheads and copies of the campus
newspaper’s centennial issue.
Miscellany, 1980 – 1986, n.d.
This
series contains items from the collection that do not have a visible
correlation with any of the above series.
Inventory
|
Box |
Folder |
Series |
Item |
|
1 |
1 |
I:I |
Family |
|
1 |
2 |
I:I |
Locations |
|
1 |
3 |
I:I |
Portraits |
|
1 |
4 |
I:I |
Work |
|
1 |
5 |
I:II |
Mr. and Mrs. Lardner (Newberry) |
|
1 |
6 |
I:II |
Other Letters (Yale) |
|
1 |
7 |
I:III |
Undated, 1906- 1915 |
|
1 |
8 |
I:III |
1916- 1917 |
|
1 |
9 |
I:III |
1918- 1919 |
|
1 |
10 |
I:IV |
Various Works/Articles By |
|
1 |
11 |
I:IV |
Various Articles About |
|
1 |
12 |
I:IV |
Slides |
|
1 |
13 |
II:I |
Requests |
|
1 |
14 |
II:I |
Invitations |
|
1 |
15 |
II:II |
General (drafts, scripts, reports) |
|
1 |
16 |
II:II |
Notes (Dr. Diedrick's personal notes) |
|
1 |
17 |
II:II |
"Ring Lardner's America" (script draft) |
|
1 |
18 |
II:II |
Symposium Program Drafts |
|
1 |
19 |
II:III |
Invitations/Programs |
|
1 |
20 |
II:III |
"June Moon" (programs, photos) |
|
1 |
21 |
II:IV |
News Clippings/Photographs |
|
1 |
22 |
II:IV |
Michigan History
articles |
|
1 |
23 |
III |
Mastheads: 1883-1940 |
|
1 |
24 |
III |
Centennial Issue: 1983 |
|
1 |
25 |
IV |
Miscellaneous Items |
|
1 |
26 |
IV |
Enoch Pratt Free Library materials |
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