Chase, Mary, 1907-1981

Mary Coyle Chase (1907-1981) was born in Denver, Colorado. While working at newspaper and public relations jobs, Chase began to write plays. Her most famous play is Harvey, the story of Elwood P. Dowd and his imaginary, six-foot tall rabbit. Chase incorporated elements of fantasy drawn from Irish folktales into her work, such as banshees and Celtic pookas (spirits in animal form). The collection includes literary manuscripts and correspondence.