Ronald H. Bayes Papers Inventory (#4949)

Manuscripts Department, Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contact Information:

Manuscripts Department

CB#3926, Wilson Library

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC 27514-8890

Phone: 919/962-1345

Fax: 919/962-3594

Email: mss@email.unc.edu

URL: http://www.lib.unc.edu/mss/

Processed by

James M. Roth

Date Completed

December 1999

Encoded by

James M. Roth

Descriptive Summary Including Abstract

Title

Ronald H. Bayes Papers (#4949), 1909-1999(bulk 1969-1998)

Creator

Bayes, Ronald H., 1932- .

Extent

About 6000 items (9.5 linear feet)

Repository

Southern Historical Collection

Abstract

Poet Ronald H. Bayes (1932- ), resident of Laurinburg, N.C., began teaching creative writing at St. Andrews Presbyterian College in 1968. Bayes founded the St. Andrews Review and the St. Andrews Press, a magazine and small press dedicated to publishing both established and emerging writers, primarily poets, and created the St. Andrews Writers Forum. He published more than 16 poetry books and wrote reviews, poems, short stories, and a few plays. The collection contains correspondence, writings, and other materials, chiefly documenting Bayes's career as writer, editor, and college teacher. Cochran family correspondence includes letters exchanged by Cochran and Nessly family members, some in Oregon, chiefly about family news. There are also letters, mostly 1969-1972, from poets, Bayes's former students, editors, publishers, professors, friends, and politicians. Several of the letters have poems attached or included in the text. Correspondents include Carolyn Kizer, Dick Bakken, James Laughlin, Sam Ragan, Jo Slatton, Bill Butler, and Fred Parrott. Writings by Bayes, 1948-1999, are poetry chapbook manuscripts, single poems, book reviews, and a few plays and short stories. There are also writings edited by Bayes and writings by others, including poems submitted to Bayes for publication, a play by Romulus Linney, and short stories by Bill Butler. Collected publications include published anthologies and journals, most with contributions from Bayes; a few books, including several relating to Erza Pound; and a few newsletters. Also included are materials relating to the St. Andrews Review, the St. Andrews Press, the St. Andrews Writers Forum, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, and other topics; printed promotional materials, most relating to Bayes's career; clippings, some containing Bayes's writings; photographs; and a few audiotapes of Bayes at various speaking engagements.

Administrative Information

Access

No restrictions.

Usage Restrictions

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Provenance

Received from Ron Bayes of Laurinburg, N.C., in September 1998 and May 1999 (Acc. 98202 and 98367).

Online Catalog Terms

American literature--Periodicals.

American poetry--North Carolina--20th century.

Authors, American--North Carolina--20th century.

Bakken, Dick, 1941- .

Bayes, Ronald H., 1932- .

Butler, Bill, 1934- .

Cochran family.

College teachers--North Carolina--History--20th century.

Family--Oregon--Social life and customs.

Kizer, Carolyn.

Laughlin, James, 1914- .

Laurinburg (N.C.)--Social life and customs.

Linney, Romulus, 1930- .

Nessly family.

North Carolina--Intellectual life.

Parrott, Fred.

Poets, American--North Carolina--20th century.

Pound, Ezra, 1885-1972--Criticism and interpretation.

Ragan, Sam, 1915- .

Slatton, Jo.

St. Andrews Presbyterian College (Laurinburg, N.C.)--Faculty.

St. Andrews Press.

St. Andrews Review.

St. Andrews Writers Forum.

Biographical Note

Poet Ronald Bayes was born in Freewater, Ore., on 19 July 1932 to Floyd Edgar Bayes and Mildred Florence Bayes, but was raised by his maternal grandparents, Homer and Florence Cochran. He attended Eastern Oregon State College (E.O.S.C.) where he received his B.S. in English and Education in 1955. During the next year, Bayes taught at E.O.S.C. as an assistant professor of English while completing his master's degree. From 1956 to 1958, Bayes served in the United States Army Infantry and was stationed in Iceland. After being discharged, Bayes returned to teaching as a lecturer for the University of Maryland's overseas program in Japan. From 1959 to 1960, Bayes was enrolled in the Ph.D. program at the University of Pennsylvania as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow. Leaving the American literature program with all but his dissertation completed, Bayes returned to E.O.S.C. as an associate professor of English and taught there until 1968. During the 1966-1967 academic year, Bayes again taught in Japan for the University of Maryland. In 1968, Bayes accepted the position of writer-in-residence at St. Andrews Presbyterian College and moved to Laurinburg, N.C.

While at St. Andrews, Bayes founded and became executive editor of the St. Andrews Review and the St. Andrews Press, the former a literary magazine and the latter a small press dedicated to publishing both established and emerging writers, primarily poets. Bayes also established the St. Andrews Writers Forum, a weekly event that brought outside writers and poets to the college for readings and symposia. Bayes published more than 16 books of poetry, as well as writing reviews, plays, and short stories.

Throughout his career, Bayes was active both politically and socially. From 1967 to 1968, he was the chair of the GOP Central Committee for Union County, Ore., and again chair in Scotland County, N.C., from 1980 to 1981.

In 1982, the Universita Delle Arti in Termi, Italy, awarded Bayes the honorary degree of Litt.D.M. Other honors include a term as consultant in literature for the National Council for the Arts, 1969-1971; a nomination for a Pulitzer Prize, 1986; recognition as a master poet from the Atlantic Center for the Arts, 1988; the North Carolina Award for Literature, 1989; induction as a life member in the North Carolina Poetry Society, 1990; membership in the Oregon Poetry Society, 1990; and a certificate of honor from the North Carolina Poetry Council, 1994.

Collection Overview

Correspondence, writings, and other materials, chiefly documenting Laurinburg, N.C., poet Ronald H. Bayes's career as writer, editor, and college teacher. Cochran family correspondence includes letters exchanged by Cochran and Nessly family members, some in Oregon, chiefly about family news. There are also letters, mostly 1969-1972, from poets, Bayes's former students, editors, publishers, professors, friends, and politicians. Several of the letters have poems attached or included in the text. Correspondents include Carolyn Kizer, Dick Bakken, James Laughlin, Sam Ragan, Jo Slatton, Bill Butler, and Fred Parrott. Writings by Bayes, 1948-1999, are poetry chapbook manuscripts, single poems, book reviews, and a few plays and short stories. There are also writings edited by Bayes and writings by others, including poems submitted to Bayes for publication, a play by Romulus Linney, and short stories by Bill Butler. Collected publications include published anthologies and journals, most with contributions from Bayes; a few books, including several relating to Erza Pound; and a few newsletters. Also included are materials relating to the St. Andrews Review, the St. Andrews Press, the St. Andrews Writers Forum, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, and other topics; printed promotional materials, most relating to Bayes's career; clippings, some containing Bayes's writings; photographs; and a few audiotapes of Bayes at various speaking engagements.

Organization of Collection

1. Correspondence
1.1. Cochran Family
1.2. General Correspondence
2. Writings
2.1. Writings by Bayes
2.2. Writings Edited by Bayes
2.3. Writings by Others
3. Collected Publications
3.1. Anthologies and Journals
3.2. Books
3.3. Newsletters
4. Subject Files
5. Printed Material
6. Newspaper Clippings
7. Photographs
8. Audio Tapes

Series Descriptions

Items Separated

Items separated include oversize papers (OP-4949), audio tapes (T-4949/1-3), and pictures (P-4949/1-2).

Related Collections

Ron Bayes Collection (MsA7), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada