Scope and Contents
Series I: Personal, 1972-2004, arranged alphabetically. Includes three manuscripts written by Horace Robinson, handmade scrapbooks, and play programs.
Series II: Theatre production material that includes programs, scripts and scores, and publicity material arranged alphabetically, and a record book from the 1900s.
Series III: United Service Organization (U.S.O.) Tours material that contains correspondence, financial records, scripts, pamphlets, tour dates and locations, 1959-1976.
Series IV: Subject files, 1970-2004, arranged alphabetically. Includes conferences, committees, essays, Oregon Trail pageant, theatre history, and student work.
Series V. Photographs, 1934-1966, arranged by media type and dates. Contains photographs of plays, actor portraits, and events, as well as some personal pictures and illustrations. Types of photographs included mounted color, black and white, and sepia-toned, along with a few loose black and white, and color photographs. Sizes range from 3x5 to 11x14.
Dates
- 1926-2004
- Majority of material found within 1930-1979
Creator
- Robinson, Horace W., 1909- (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Horace Robinson (1910-2009) University of Oregon professor emeritus was born October 26, 1909 in Apache, Oklahoma, to William and Ora Moran Robinson. He married Gwendolyn P. West on Dec. 29, 1932, in Oklahoma City; his wife died July 6, 2003. He attended Oklahoma City public schools, Oklahoma City University and the University of Iowa.
He was a professor at the University of Montana and UCLA prior to joining the University of Oregon faculty as technical director and scene designer in 1933. Between 1946 and 1970 he was director of the University of Oregon’s Theatre.
In 1949,Robinson designed a new, innovative theatre building for the campus that was named after him when he retired in 1975 after 42 years of teaching and directing over 100 productions. During four decades on campus, he always taught a full class load, took students on USO tours to entertain troops, directed most major university productions, ran the speech department, served in many civic organizations and on numerous theatre boards and associations, and published a book on theatre architecture.
Among his many awards, in 2008 he was recognized by the United States Institute for Theatre Technology (USITT) for his contributions to the theatre field.
Horace Robinson died on October 13, 2009. At that time he was survived by two sons, Douglas Robinson of Portland and Thomas Robinson of Springfield; a daughter, Pamela Fritchman of Portland; and three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Extent
11.25 linear feet (10 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Horace Robinson (1909-2009), Professor Emeritus of the University of Oregon, served on the faculty as technical director, scene designer, and director of the University of Oregon Theatre. Papers include manuscripts, scripts, scores and other creative works from productions at the University Theatre, photographs, and records of Robinson's involvement in local, national, and international professional and community service organizations.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into the following series:
Series I: Personal
Series II: Theatre Productions and Publicity
Series III: United Service Organization (USO) Tours
Series IV: Subject Files
Series V: Photographs
Physical Description
7 record storage boxes, 3 flat boxes
Processing Information
Collection processed by Tanya Parlet and Lotte Duey, 2011.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- College theater -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Colleges and Universities Subject Source: Archiveswest
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Education, Higher -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Photographs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Robinson, Horace W., 1909-
- Theater -- Oregon -- Photographs Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Theater programs Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Theatrical producers and directors -- United States Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- University of Oregon. University Theatre
- Title
- Guide to the Horace Robinson Papers
- Status
- Complete Description
- Author
- Lottie Duey, Tanya Parlet
- Date
- 2011
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
