Ruth Slonim Papers, circa 1900-2000

Overview of the Collection

Creator
Slonim, Ruth
Title
Ruth Slonim Papers
Dates
circa 1900-2000 (inclusive)
bulk 1930-1990 (bulk)
Quantity
27.5 Linear Feet of Shelf Space, (52 boxes)
Collection Number
Cage 733 (collection)
Summary
Ruth Slonim came to the State College of Washington in 1947 and taught modern poetry and English literature. Slonim published five volumes of poetry, including "Outer Traces, Inner Places" (1981) which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. The collection includes Slonim's personal papers as well as materials related to her career and writing.
Repository
Washington State University Libraries' Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections (MASC)
Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections
Terrell Library Suite 12
Pullman, WA
99164-5610
Telephone: 509-335-6691
mascref@wsu.edu
Access Restrictions

This collection is open and available for research use.

Languages
primarily English (some in shorthand); a few items related to Slonim's time in Puerto Rico are in Spanish.

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Ruth Slonim was born in Chicago, Illinois on July 30, 1918, and grew up in Duluth, Minnesota. She earned a Bachelor of Education degree from Duluth State Teachers' College in 1938 and a Master's degree from the University of Minnesota in 1944. By 1952, she had completed all necessary course work to receive a Ph.D., but because of family complications was unable to finish her dissertation. She taught in the English department at Central Washington College from 1944 to 1946, before taking a position as a visiting professor at the University of Puerto Rico where she developed the humanities division of the General Education Program.

Slonim came to Washington State College, then the State College of Washington, in 1947 and taught modern poetry and English literature. She took a leave of absence in 1970 when she was invited by the School of Irish Studies University College and Trinity College to teach a course on William Butler Yeats. She taught at WSU for thirty-six years, retiring in 1983. Slonim was dedicated to teaching and strove to inspire her students and to instill in them a commitment to academic integrity, critical thinking, and compassion to those around them. Because of her tireless service to her students and to the university she received many awards and much recognition, including being named the Woman of Achievement in 1952. In 1965, students voted for her to receive the Outstanding Faculty Woman award; in 1966, the Washington division of the American Association of University Women named her a Distinguished Woman of Achievement. In 1967, she became the first woman faculty member to deliver the WSU Distinguished Faculty Address. Her faculty colleagues selected her to deliver the annual Invited Address in 1969. She served on many important university committees, including the Faculty Executive Committee, the University Planning Committee and the International Education Committee. Slonim was also keenly interested in international affairs and was a member of the U.S. Delegation to the International Conference of UNESCO in Paris in 1951.

Slonim published five volumes of poetry: "Sketchings" (1938); "London: An American Appreciation" (1954); "San Francisco: 'The City' in Verse" (1965); "Outer Traces, Inner Places" (1981) which was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry; "Poems and Proems" (1992). Other poems and academic papers were published in various periodicals. In 1989, Washington State governor Booth Gardner gave her a Governor's Arts Award. In 1962, Slonim initiated the Poetry Reading Series at WSU, which continued through 1981. She was able to bring many notable poets to campus for this series, including William Stafford, Galway Kinnell, Richard Hugo, W.H. Auden, Carolyn Kizer and Gwendolyn Brooks.

Slonim died in Moscow, Idaho on February 16, 2005.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

The collection includes Slonim's personal papers as well as materials related to her career and writing. The personal papers include primarily correspondence, personal memorabilia and notes from her time as a student. Letters from individuals worthy of interest are noted in the folder descriptions below. The professional papers include primarily correspondence, her time in Puerto Rico and as a delegate to UNESCO, materials related to her position at WSU, and manuscripts of her writing, including both typed and hand-written poetry.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Restrictions on Use

Copyright restrictions apply.

Preferred Citation

[Item Description] Ruth Slonim Papers, circa 1900-2000

Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections, Washington State University Libraries, Pullman, WA.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Arrangement

The collection is arranged in four series:

Series 1: Personal papers, 1930-2000

Subseries 1.1: Family correspondence, 1944-1998. Arranged chronologically.

Subseries 1.2: General correspondence, incoming and outgoing, 1931-2000. Arranged chronologically.

Subseries 1.3: Correspondence with soldiers during World War II, circa 1940-1945. Arranged alphabetically by correspondent name.

Subseries 1.4: Correspondence with frequent correspondents, 1938-1982. Mostly incoming. Arranged by correspondent name, then chronologically.

Subseries 1.5: Subject files, 1930-1991.

Series 2: Professional papers, 1938-1998

Subseries 2.1: Correspondence, 1938-1983.

Subseries 2.2: Puerto Rico, 1946-1947.

Subseries 2.3: UNESCO, 1951-1955.

Subseries 2.4: Teaching (Washington State University), undated.

Subseries 2.5: Committees (Washington State University), 1949-1978. Arranged alphabetically by committee name.

Subseries 2.6: Professional associations and conferences, 1944-1976. Arranged alphabetically.

Subseries 2.7: English Department and Washington State University, 1946-1989.

Subseries 2.8: Subject Files, 1948-1998. Arranged alphabetically.

Subseries 2.9: Manuscripts, writing, and publishing, 1939-1989.

Series 3: Photographs, circa 1900-2000. Organized by subject.

Series 4: Oversize and miscellaneous, circa 1920-1997.

Acquisition Information

This collection of Ruth Slonim's papers was donated to the Washington State University Libraries by her estate after her death (MS 2007-10).

Processing Note

This collection was processed by Ph.D. candidate Katy Fry in 2008 and 2009. The Washington Women's History Consortium provided funding assistance for processing.

Separated Materials

Books received with this collection have been separated and cataloged individually. Small collections of papers of others, including Slonim's father, Sigmund Slonim, and her colleagues, Paul Philemon Kies and Frank and Irene Potter, were received with Slonim's papers and will be processed separately.

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Series 1: Personal papers, 1930-2000Return to Top

Container(s) Description
Subseries 1.1: Family correspondence, 1944-1998
Box Folder
1 1
1944-1949
1 2
1950-1954
1 3
1955
1 4
1956-1957
1 5
1958-1959
1 6
1960-1961
1 7-8
1962
2 1-2
1963
2 3
1964
2 4
1965
2 5
1966
2 6
1967-1968
2 7
1969
3 1
1970
3 2
1971
3 3
1972
3 4
1973-1974
3 5
1975
3 6
1976-1978
3 7
1985-1989
3 8
1993-1998
3 9
Undated
3 10
Outgoing letters to family members: drafts and copies
Subseries 1.2: General correspondence, 1931-2000
Incoming correspondence
Box Folder
4 1
1931-1939; includes a letter from Franklin D. Roosevelt's secretary and a letter from writer Vera Brittain
4 2
1940-1949; includes some photos, a letter from Congressman Hal Holmes, Senator Joseph H. Ball, and Washington State College faculty Frank F. Potter, Milton C. Peterson
4 3
1950-1952; includes letter from radio newsman Jack Thornton, correspondence regarding an accident Slonim sustained in England
4 4
1953; includes letters from Washington State College faculty Fred A. Dudley, Clement and Helen French
4 5
1954; includes letter from Washington State College faculty Clement and Helen French
4 6
1955-1956; includes letter from Congressman Hal Holmes
5 1
1957; includes cards from Washington State College faculty Wilson Compton and Clement French, letter from attorney Albert B. Clarfield
5 2
1958-1959; includes a letter from the State Library in Olympia asking for a copy of her book "London: An American Appreciation"
5 3
1960-1961; includes letters from folklorist Barre Toelken
5 4
1962; includes letter from Washington State College faculty Claudius O. Johnson, cards regarding surgery and hospitalization
5 5
1962-1963; includes letter from poet James B. Hall, letters in regards to an illness,
5 6
1964-1965; includes letter from poet Dick Bakken
5 7
1966; includes letter from poet Edward Field, letters regarding putting some of Slonim's poems to music
6 1
1967; includes photos, letter from the Chairman of the Washington State Poetry Foundation
6 2
1968-1969; includes letters from Sen. Warren G. Magnuson, Sen. Henry M. Jackson, Representative Catherine May, Sen. Eugene J. McCarthy, Elizabeth Kray, Morris B. Abram
6 3
1970-1971; letter from University of Washington Libraries, Irish editor David Marcus, Fred A. Dudley and Mary Avery, poet Doug Flaherty, poet Betty Fukuyama
6 4
1972-1975; includes letters from Glenn Terrell, scholar Ronan Fanning, Maurice Harmon, poet Faith Beamer Cooke, folklorist Barre Toelken
6 5
1976-1982; includes letter from Barre Toelken
7 1
1983-1987; includes letters from Rep. Thomas S. Foley, University of Minnesota about The Slonim Memorial Scholarship, Albert Thompson
7 2
1988-1989; letters from Catherine M. Friel, cards about William Stafford reading, writer LaVerne Harrell Clark, Jean Gardner
7 3
1990-2000; letters and clippings about dedication of WSU Centennial Grove, honorary membership to Phi Beta Kappa, letter from writer Elsa Kirstin Peters, card from Johnetta Cole, Barre Toelken, photos
7 4
Undated; includes card and negative from Maurice Harmon, letter from Claudius O. Johnson
Outgoing correspondence
Box Folder
7 5
Drafts and copies, 1939-1969; includes letters to writer Vera Brittain, Sen. Vance Hartke, poet William Stafford, Mrs. Wilson Compton, Sen. Warren Magnuson, and Glenn Terrell
7 6
Drafts and copies, 1970-1992; includes letters to Maurice Harmon, Faith Beamer Cooke, and poet Howard Nemerov
8 1
Drafts and copies, undated; includes letters to William Stafford, Wilson Compton, Sen. Henry
Subseries 1.3: Correspondence with soldiers during World War II, circa 1940-1945
Box Folder
8 2
A-B
9 3
C-D
10 4
E-G
11 5
H-J
9 1
K-L
9 2
M-R
9 3
S
9 4
T-Z
9 5
Miscellaneous
Subseries 1.4: Correspondence with frequent correspondents, 1938-1982
Ed Palcich
Box Folder
9 6
1938-1939
9 7
1940-1946
James (Jimmie) Lambert
Box Folder
10 1
1951-1965
10 2
1967
10 3
1968-1969
10 4
1970
10 5
1971
10 6
1972
10 7
1973
10 8
1974
10 9
1975
10 10
1976
10 11
1977
11 1
1978
11 2
1979-1982
11 3
Undated
11 4
Miscellaneous
Robert Carr
Box Folder
11 5
1955-1960
11 6
1961-1962
11 7
Undated
11 8
Miscellaneous
Box Folder
12 1
C.H. Brewer, 1951-1957
Irene Potter
Box Folder
12 2
1955-1963
12 3
1964-1970
Subseries 1.5: Subject files, 1930-1991
Class notes: Secondary school and college
Box Folder
12 4
1930
12 8
1936
13 1
1936 (continued)
13 2
1937
13 3
1937-1938
13 4
Miscellaneous, 1931-1938
13 5-7
1939
Box Folder
14 1
Duluth State Teachers College, 1939-1944: classes, programs, brochures, employment
Graduate school
Box Folder
14 2
Graduate school, 1941-1953
14 3
Correspondence, transcripts, diploma
Class notes, graduate school
Box Folder
14 4-7
1941
14 8
1941-1942
15 1-8
1942
16 1
1944
16 2
1945
16 3
1949
16 4-6
1949-1950
16 7
1950
17 1-2
1950 (continued)
17 3-4
1952
17 5-6
1954
Box Folder
17 7-9
Miscellaneous
18 1-9
Miscellanous (continued)
19 1-3a
Miscellanous (continued)
19 4
Childhood projects: book of games, Girl Scouts' song book, handmade book
19 5
Childhood projects: student writing collections
19 6
Personal memorabilia
19 7
Miscellaneous notes, postcards, letters, travel pamphlets
19 8
Miscellaneous programs
19 9
Miscellaneous pamphlets
19 10
Lectures at University of Minnesota
19 11
Ephemera
20 1
Washington State University (WSU) programs and events, 1948-1962
20 2
WSU programs and events, 1962-1991
20 3
WSU programs and events, undated
20 4
Lectures at WSU
20 5
Student movement at WSU
20 6
Berkeley programs and events, circa 1960s
20 6a
Miscellaneous publications including The Crisis (1934), fall out shelter pamphlet; The Outpost (1945), Students for a Democratic Society affiliate newsletter, "The Slander of a Nation"
20 7
Calendars (includes notes and clippings); 1955, 1963
20 8
Weekly planner (includes notes and clippings), 1992
20 9
Address book
21 1
Address book (includes inserts and clippings)
21 2
Finances (notebooks, ledgers)
21 3
Notebook from service as a UNESCO delegate, 1951
21 4
Notebook from the Pacific International Writers Conference at University of Washington, 1957
21 5-6
Notebooks from Poetry Conference, Berkeley, California, a
21 7
Notebook from visit to England, circa 1960s
21 8
Diary, 1974 (includes addresses)
22 1-6
Miscellaneous notebooks
22 7-8
Clippings
22 9
Clippings about Invited Address
22 10
Clippings about family members
22 43052
Notes
23 1
Notes (continued)
23 2
Annotated items
23 3
Ephemera and correspondence regarding a trip to Europe, 1951
23 11-13
Travel (miscellaneous)
23 6
Travel (WSU Museum of Art Chicago trip), 1990
24 1
David Ericson by William G. Boyce (printed item), 1963
24 2
Chapbook The Exile's Book of Hours: A Sequence by James J. McAuley (inscribed), 1982
24 3
Mill's Quarterly (printed item, with insertions), 1963 February
24 4
The Oceanic Educational Foundation
24 5
Finances
24 6
Medical directive, wills, estate
24 7
Miscellaneous

Series 2: Professional Papers, 1938-1998Return to Top

Container(s) Description
Subseries 2.1: Correspondence, 1938-1983
Box Folder
25 1
Job inquiries, 1938-1943
25 2
Job inquiries, 1946-1966
25 3
Central Washington University, 1944-1945; includes clippings, articles, and a letter from Sen. Warren Magnuson
25 4
Washington State College, salary, professional leave
Subseries 2.2: Puerto Rico, 1946-1947
Box Folder
25 5-6
Incoming correspondence
26 1-3
Incoming correspondence (continued)
26 4
Outgoing correspondence
26 5
About University of Puerto Rico
26 6
Class lists
26 7-10
Lecture material
27 1
Lecture material, notes, assignments
27 2
Student work
27 3
Slonim's writing
27 4
Notes, scholarly paper
27 5
Clippings
27 6
Photographs
27 7
University of Puerto Rico newspapers
Printed ephemera (magazines, other materials) (Location note: in oversize, box 51)
Box Folder
27 8
Ephemera
27 9-10
Miscellaneous
Subseries 2.3: UNESCO, 1951-1955
Box Folder
27 11
Correspondence
27 12-13
General Conference, 6th session, June 1951
28 1
General Conference, 6th session, June 1951 (continued)
28 2
1952
28 3
1953
28 4
Conference on Fundamental Education, 1956 June 18-29
28 5
Washington State Council
28 6
"Paris Potential" (article written by Slonim), 1952
28 7
Lectures and articles written by Slonim
28 8
Notes
28 9
Notes, bibliographies
29 1
Clippings
29 2
Miscellaneous
29 3
UN and UNESCO publications
"Courier" - UNESCO publication
Box Folder
29 4
1951-1952
29 5
1952-1953
29 6
1954-1955
Box Folder
29 7-8
Miscellaneous publications
Subseries 2.4 Teaching (Washington State University), undated
Box Folder
30 1-5
Teaching material
30 6
Teaching material (from folder labeled "English 108-Introduction to Lit." Includes a letter from William Stafford.)
30 7
Course descriptions and syllabi
30 8
Examinations
31 1
Examinations (continued)
31 2-4
Student evaluations
Subseries 2.5: Committees (Washington State University), 1949-1978
Box Folder
32 1
Faculty Executive Committee, 1954
32 2
Faculty Executive Committee, 1955-1956
32 3
General Education Committee, 1955-1956
32 4
General Education Study Council, 1967-1968
32 5
General Education Study Council, 1968
32 6
Humanities Building Committee, 1966
32 7
Humanities Divisional Committee, 1952
32 8
Humanities Study Council, 1968
32 9
International Students Advisory Committee, 1951-1955
33 1
International Students Advisory Committee, 1956-1959
33 2
International Students Advisory Committee, 1960-1961
33 3
misc. committee work
33 4
Nunemaker Scholarship Committee, 1957-1959
33 5
Selection and Reviewing Committee, 1949-1950
33 6
Selection and Reviewing Committee (Humanities Division), 1949
33 7
Student Personnel Work Committee, 1949-1950
33 8
Study Council
33 9
Study Council
33 10
University Planning Committee, 1972
34 1
University Planning Committee, 1973-1974
34 2
University Planning Committee, 1973-1974
34 3
University Planning Committee, 1974
34 4
University Planning Committee, 1974-1975
Subseries 2.6: Professional associations and conferences, 1944-1976
American Association of University Women
Box Folder
34 5
1944-1953
35 1
1959-1968
35 2
Conference, Spokane, WA, 1965 April
Box Folder
35 3
Berkeley Poetry Conference, 1965
35 4
Conference on British Studies, 1976
35 5
International Association for the Study of Anglo-Irish Literature
35 6
Irish Studies
35 7
Manuscript Conference, Eugene, OR, 1962
35 8
misc. association memberships
35 9
misc. conferences
35 10
National Council of Teachers of English, 1945-1953
36 1
National Council of Teachers of English, 1953-1956
36 2
National Council of Teachers of English, 1956-1961
36 3
Northwest Regional Conference on Higher Education, Spokane, WA, 1949
36 4
Phi Kappa Phi, 1955-1970
36 5
Phi Kappa Phi Convention, Madison, WI, 1962
36 6
Phi Kappa Phi journals, 1969
36 7
Radio
36 8
War--Education
36 9
Writers' War Board
Subseries 2.7: English Department and Washington State University, 1946-1989
Box Folder
37 1
English Department, 1951-1960 (about composition classes)
37 2
English Department, 1965-1989 (memoranda, meeting minutes, newsletters)
37 3
English Department, student writing
37 4
English Department, Graduate Studies, 1965-1972
37 5
English Department, Graduate Studies, 1972
37 6
Washington State University, 1965-1978 (memoranda, letters to faculty)
37 7
Washington State University News Bulletin, 1948-1968
37 8
Washington State University, "A Letter to Glenn Terrell" 1968-1971
37 9
Washington State University, News Bulletin of the Division of Humanities, 1952-1962
37 10
Washington State University, Faculty Publications, 1954-1961
38 1
Washington State University, advising, 1949-1952
38 2
Washington State University, surveys and evaluations, 1946-1973
38 3
Washington State University, miscellaneous (Faculty Forum, Invited Address)
Subseries 2.8: Subject files, 1948-1998
Box Folder
38 4
Announcements of Slonim's work
38 5
Applications for awards, fellowships
38 6
Awards and achievements
38 7
Bibliographic entries, 1958-1974
38 8
Curriculum vitae
38 9
Faculty Activity Reports, 1972-1979
38 10
Interview, undated
38 11
Invitations
38 12
Miscellaneous
39 1
Ruth Slonim Poetry Corner at WSU Library, 1997
39 2
Ruth Slonim Poetry Corner (location note: related materials are in oversize, box 52)
39 3
Speaking engagements, 1959-1962
39 4
Speaking engagements, 1965-1982
Poetry Reading Series
Box Folder
39 5
1962-1963
39 6
1964
39 7
1965
39 8
1966
39 9
1967
40 1
1968
40 2
1969
40 3
1970-1971
40 4
1972
40 5
1973
40 6
1974
40 7
1975
41 1
1976-1981
41 2
Miscellaneous
Subseries 2.9 Manuscripts, writing, and publishing, 1939-1989
Box Folder
41 3-7
"London: An American Appreciation" (location note: related material in oversize, box 51)
42 1
"An Irish Gamut"
42 2
"An Irish Garland"
42 3
"An Irish Garland"
42 4
"Prospectus" and "An Irish Gamut-Garland"
42 5
Publishing attempts for "An Irish Gamut" (correpondence)
42 6
Drafts, "An Irish Garland," "Dublin in Verse"; correspondence with publishers; loose poems, notes
42 7
"Refractions" (unpublished, bound book of poems)
43 1
"Refractions"
43 2
"Bitter Sweet"
43 3
"Cosmic Grammar"
43 4
"Cosmic Grammar"; includes correspondence
43 5
"Tropical Topic"; includes notes, clippings
43 6
Printed copy of "Sketchings"
43 7
"San Francisco: The City in Ditty"
43 8
"San Francisco: The City in Verse"
43 9
"Outer Traces, Inner Places"
44 1
"Outer Traces, Inner Places"
44 2
"Outer Traces, Inner Places"
44 3
"Gropings for Destiny," "Take a Deep Breath," "Portent"
44 4
Miscellaneous (includes "Alpha to Omega," poem for Paul Kies, poem for Humphrey W. Leynse, poem for Dedication of WSU Centennial Grove)
44 5-7
Miscellaneous
45 1-9
Miscellaneous (continued)
46 1-3
Miscellaneous (continued)
46 3a
"Saul" (audio recording on paper disc), 1942 February 22
Prose
Box Folder
46 4
"Utilization of Radio as an Interpreting Medium in a College Public Relations Program"
46 5
"Utilization of Radio in the Teaching of High School English"
46 6
"Techniques and Procedures for Administering a Public Relations Program in Colleges and Universities"
46 8
"CWIs Overseas Radio Operations," "News Reporting and News Writing," "Bomb Sight," "Commencement Daze," "The College and You," "The Fourth 'R'", "Radio as a Public Relation Medium," "Farther, Farther Sail," "Walt Whitman's 'Open Road'"
Box Folder
47 1
Miscellaneous
47 1a
Newspaper article by Slonim
Publishing attempts (correspondence with publishers)
Box Folder
47 2
1939-1953
47 3
1954-1962
47 4
1962-1975
Box Folder
47 5
Correspondence with Bruce Humphries, Inc. about "London: An American Appreciation"
47 6
Publications
Writings by others
Box Folder
48 1
William Stafford, James B. Hall, John Tagliabue, Louis Golding, Robert Knox)
48 2
Erich S. Klossner
48 3-7
Miscellaneous
48 8
Chapbooks and articles signed by authors
Box Folder
48 9
Creative writers of Sacramento AAUW, "Sampler II" (1966); Students of Colusa County, "Poems of the Buttes" (1965)

Series 3: Photographs, circa 1900-2000Return to Top

Container(s) Description
Box Folder
49 1-5
Family photographs, circa 1900-2000
49 6-7
Ruth Slonim, 1918-2000
50 1-3
Ruth Slonim, 1918-2000 (continued)
50 4
Ruth Slonim home, circa 1960s-1980s
50 5
Puerto Rico, 1946-1947
50 6
Poets, actors, Distinguished Faculty Address (WSU), circa 1964-1974
50 7
[Jimmie Lambert?], circa 1920s-1970s

Series 4: Miscellaneous and oversized, circa 1920-1997Return to Top

Container(s) Description
Box Folder
51 1
Puerto Rico materials (Spanish language magazines and other printed materials), 1946
51 2
Sheet music for "London" by Caroline Bosanquet, 1966
51 3-6
Scrapbook (primarily photographs), circa 1920s-1960s
52 1
Handmade book of Slonim's poems (includes inserted items), 1938-1942
52 2
Program for Scholarship Dinner (WSU), 1957
Ruth Slonim Poetry Corner Dedication, 1997
Box Folder
52 3
Video recording (VHS)
52 4
Photograph album
52 5
Guest book
Box Folder
52 6
"Sounds of Pacific Northwest Poetry" (audio recording, 33 1/3 disc), undated. Includes a reading by Slonim.

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • Poets, American -- 20th century -- Archives.
  • Women poets, American -- 20th century -- Archives.

Personal Names

  • Slonim, Ruth -- Archives

Corporate Names

  • Washington State University -- Faculty -- Archives.

Finding aid prepared by Katy Fry
2016

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