Richard Gaither Walser Papers Inventory (#4168)

Richard Gaither Walser was born in Lexington, North Carolina, in 1908, the son of state Attorney General Zeb Vance Walser and Estelle Adderton Walser. He attended Davidson College for one year, and then transferred to the University of North Carolina, from which he was graduated in 1929. He received an MA from the University in 1933.

Walser taught English in Linwood, Lexington, Durham, and Greenville, North Carolina, high schools until 1942, when he enlisted in the United States Navy. Returning from service with the United States Naval Reserve, he taught briefly at the University of North Carolina before joining the English faculty at North Carolina State University in 1946. He retired from teaching in 1970. He died in 1988.

During his teaching career and continuing after retirement, Walser was a strong advocate for North Carolina culture, with particular emphasis on the state's literary heritage. Tom Wicker called Walser "the evangelist of North Carolina writing "(Winston- Salem Journal, 5 August 1956) and W.C. Burton dubbed him North Carolina's "anthologist laureate" (Greensboro Daily News, 12 March 1978. Walser wrote or edited more than 30 books during his career, most of them collections of works relating to various aspects of North Carolina life and literature. He also explored the work of several North Carolina writers more intensely, however, producing major works on Thomas Wolfe, George Moses Horton, and William Hill Brown.

Walser was interested in folklore studies and was an active member of the North Carolina Folklore Society. He also held active membership in many organizations dedicated to teaching, writing, and history, among them the North Carolina English Teachers Society, North Carolina Writers Conference, the North Carolina Literary and Historical Association, the Watauga Club of Raleigh, and the Historical Society of North Carolina. Walser received numerous fellowships and awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1957 and the North Carolina Award for Literature in 1976.

Collection Overview

This collection consists chiefly of Walser's working files on individual authors (Series 1) and subjects (Series 2). Materials (correspondence, clippings, and other items) generated in the course of producing some of his major works, chiefly anthologies, is filed in Series 3, with the texts of a few published and unpublished shorter works that do not relate to a particular writer or subject. Texts of writings that do relate to a specific individual or subject are filed in Series 1 or 2 as appropriate. There are some slightly more personal items in Series 4, but information about Walser's private life, outside of slight information about his student days, is rare. Materials relating to his naval career consist, for the most part, of records documenting troop movements and other impersonal military matters.

The files in Series 1 and 2 are the result of years of compiling information about North Carolina culture, with special concentration on its literary heritage. Individual files are sometimes composed entirely of printed matter relating to the author in question, chiefly clippings from newspapers and journals. There are many instances, however, where original correspondence with these authors or others knowledgeable about them appears. Files with correspondence that may be of interest have been starred in the folder list for this series. Subject file titles (most of which were created by Walser) should be read as through the words "North Carolina" were appended to them; with few exceptions, all material in this series treats subjects in the context of North Carolina culture. These files also include items relating to organizations in which Walser was active. Much of the material in Series 1 and 2 was used by Walser to produce the writings documented in Series 3 and other works that are not represented in that series.

Organization of Collection

Series Descriptions

Chiefly correspondence, clippings, and writings of Walser and others about the writers, chiefly North Carolinians, listed below. Clippings from newspapers and other printed sources predominate. Asterisks indicate folders containing substantive correspondence either with or about the author in question. Folder titles are those used by Walser.

*Wolfe, Thomas: Photographs: many of these photographs were used to illustrate Walser's publications about Wolfe (most are not original prints)

Early years and family: About 50 photographs of Wolfe, members of his family, and scenes of his childhood. Many of the items are copies of photographs held by the North Carolina Collection at the University of North Carolina.

Wolfe at the University of North Carolina: About 25 photographs taken at the University of North Carolina while Wolfe was a student there, some of which picture Wolfe, including 13 photographs, 1919-1920, sent to Walser in 1973 by Wolfe's classmate, Corydon Spruill

Miscellaneous: About 30 photographs, 1921-1938, of Wolfe, his relatives, and friends. Also includes later photographs of paintings, drawings, and pieces of sculpture depicting Wolfe

Chiefly correspondence, clippings, and writings of Walser and others on the subjects listed below. Clippings from newspapers and other printed sources predominate. Folder titles are, except where clarification was necessary, those used by Walser.

Chiefly correspondence, clippings, and other items relating to the publication of several of Walser's major compilations of North Carolina poetry, prose, and anecdotes. Publication dates are given in parentheses. The texts of these works are not included, except for a bound volume of outtakes from the 1941 edition of North Carolina Poetry and the text, in galley form, of Tar Heel Laughter (1974). Folders 926-927 contain the texts of shorter works--published and unpublished articles, poems, and reviews--that do not relate to particular individuals or subjects. Writings that do related to specific individuals or subjects are filed in Series 1 (individuals) or 2 (subjects) as appropriate.

Correspondence between Walser and professional colleagues that Walser maintained in separate correspondence files. Occasionally, specific projects in which Walser was engaged are discussed, but few letters contain substantive information. Letters from the 1920s through the 1940s document his early career as a student and as a public school teacher. Beginning in the 1950s, letters relate to Walser's position at North Carolina State University and to honors and awards he received. Letters documenting his personal life are rare.

Scrapbook, 1925-1936; diary, 23 December 1932-2 January 1934; and journal of a European trip, 12 June-2 September 1936. The scrapbook contains papers written for classes at the University of North Carolina, original and collected poems, notes, and other materials relating to Walser's undergraduate and graduate student studies. The diary contains sporadic entries about Walser's graduate studies, a failed romance, and other aspects of student life. The travel journal, profusely illustrated with small photographs, documents Walser's trip to England and France in the summer of 1936.

Letters, clippings, and other items documenting Walser's many speaking engagements. Walser's speeches before professional organizations chiefly dealt with aspects of the North Carolina literary scene or with the work of specific North Carolina writers. He spoke also to more general audiences (at high school commencements, book club meetings, etc.) on more general topics. A list of speeches given, 1947-1988, is filed in folder 964. Where they exist, the texts of speeches dealing with specific topics were filed with other materials on those topics. The texts of a small number of non-specific speeches are filed in Series 3.

Official letters, printed materials, and other items relating to Walser's World War II service in the United States Naval Reserve. See also Series 4.5 for clippings and Series 5, particularly the photograph albums, for photographs from this period.

Walser's school records and certificates, citations, fellowship applications, and other items relating to Walser's education and professional career.

Loose photographs and photograph albums. Most photographs are of Walser alone, although some show him lecturing to groups of people or receiving awards. See also Series 1, Wolfe, Thomas.

There are about 60 photographs of Walser from 1908 (age 6 months) to 1986. Photographs are professional shots for promotional purposes (book jackets, etc.) and informal snapshots, chiefly taken at various meetings and awards ceremonies. They are separated by date.

PA-4168/1-2: Photograph albums containing annotated photographs, 1891-1982, of Walser, his family, and his friends. Included are photographs of Zeb Vance Walser. Coverage of Walser's years at the University of North Carolina (1/PA-4168) and his World War II career (both albums) is particularly heavy.