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Dean Collins papers

 Collection
Identifier: Coll 461

Scope and Contents

The collection includes manuscripts, scrapbooks and memorabilia covering Collins' writing career as well as family correspondence and some financial records.

Manuscripts are primarily radio scripts for programs such as Dorothy Dix and Journal of the Air among others. There are also manuscripts of some books, stories, and poems by Collins.

Scrapbooks assembled by Dean Collins include clippings of works by Collins and others related to gardening, bird watching, and other topics.

There is also one box of photographs included in the collection consisting of photographs by C. C. Lewis of Monmouth, Oregon as well as some photographs of Dean, Julia, and Margaret Collins.

Other materials in the collection include newspapers, family correspondence, and some financial records of James Lawton Collins, Dean Collins' father.

Material is organized by accession.

Dates

  • 1860-1967

Creator

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. Collection includes sound recordings, moving images, and digital files to which access is restricted. Access to these materials is governed by repository policy and may require the production of listening or viewing copies. Researchers requiring access must notify Special Collections and University Archives in advance and pay fees for reproduction services as necessary.

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

Dean Collins (1887-1969) was a journalist, writer and poet. Collins was born in Dallas, Oregon to James and Mary Collins. He received a bachelor's degree from Dallas Oregon College in 1907, and went on to attend the University of Oregon, where he was awarded a master's degree in 1911. While studying at the University of Oregon, Collins served as editor of the Oregon Daily Emerald.

Following graduation, Collins found work as a columnist for the Portland Oregonian from 1911-1917 and the Portland Telegram from 1917-1918, and 1924 to 1925. He also worked on the publicity staff for the Universal Film Company from 1918 to 1921, both in Portland, Oregon and Hollywood. From 1931 to 1952, Collins served as a columnist, writer of radio scripts, and garden editor for the Portland Journal.

Throughout his career, Collins also wrote freelance plays, pageants, and radio scripts. He also served as an instructor for the Civic Theater School of Portland from 1932 to 1937, and a lecturer at the University of Oregon from 1938 to 1942.

After retiring, Collins moved to Sitka, Alaska to live with his daughter, where he lived until his death in 1969. He is buried in the Sitka Pioneer Cemetery.

Extent

65 linear feet (50 containers) : 30 record storage boxes, 5 manuscript boxes, 2 half manuscript boxes, 1 legal half manuscript box and 12 flat boxes

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Dean Collins (1887-1969) was an Oregon journalist, writer and poet. The collection includes manuscripts, scrapbooks and memorabilia covering Collins' writing career as well as family correspondence and some financial records.

Arrangement

Material within this collection has been organized by accession. This organization reflects the fact that the collection has been acquired in increments over time. This organization is also based on the decision not to merge the various accessions and organize them as a whole at this point in time, give the fact that future accruals are anticipated and/or that this organization is deemed sufficient for access.

Researchers should note that materials within a series or accession may overlap and/or relate to materials found in other accessions or initially processed materials. For example, correspondence may be found in all or only some groupings. In order to locate all relevant material within this collection, researchers may need to consult each accession.

Researchers should also note that similar materials can be arranged differently in each accession, depending on how the material is organized upon receipt or during initial processing. For instance, correspondence is one accession may be arranged alphabetically, while correspondence in another accession is arranged chronologically.

Material within each accession may have little to no intellectual or physical arrangement. Any arrangement may have derived from the records' creators or custodians. It may be necessary to look in multiple places for the same types of materials.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Donated by Arlie Holt.

Processing Information

Collection processed by processing staff.

This collection received a basic level of processing including minimal to no organization and rehousing. Multiple accession(s) for the collection have not been merged or organized as a whole. Each accession is described separately.

Description information is drawn in part from information supplied with the collection and initial surveys of the contents. Box lists are generalizations and should be used as a starting point to locate materials. For example, a box labeled “correspondence” may contain mostly correspondence, but other materials such as meeting minutes or speeches may be found in the same box.

This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.

Title
Guide to the Dean Collins Papers
Status
Revise Description
Author
Austin Munsell
Date
2015
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

Contact:
1299 University of Oregon
Eugene OR 97403-1299 USA