Warren Taylor Papers, 1924-1990

Collection Overview

Title: Warren Taylor Papers, 1924-1990

Predominant Dates:1925-73

ID: RG 30/015

Creator: Taylor, Warren (1903-1991)

Extent: 7.2 Linear Feet

Arrangement:

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series I. Correspondence Files (Incoming and Outgoing), 1925-90, n.d. 1.6 l.f.

Correspondence of Warren Taylor, arranged into four subseries: 1. Correspondence (chronologically arranged); 2. Correspondence (alphabetically arranged); 3. Miscellaneous Correspondence (alphabetically arranged by subject); and 4. Letters From Students (chronologically arranged). The arrangement of Subseries 1 and Subseries 2 was established by the Archivist in 1968, while the arrangement of Subseries 3 and Subseries 4 was established by the Project Archivist in 1992.

Series II. Talks and Writings, 1928-87, n.d. .8 1.f.

Published and unpublished writings of Warren Taylor, including articles, book reviews, letters to the editor, poetry, and talks. For Taylor's drama criticism, consult Series III, Subseries 2, Oberlin Dramatic Association.

Series III. Files Relating to Special Academic Programs, 1930-74, n.d., 1.6 l.f.

Correspondence, memoranda, news releases, reports, playbills, drama reviews (photocopies of newspaper articles), one scrapbook, lectures (copies), and syllabi. Arranged into three subseries by name of program: Subseries 1. The Humanities Program at Oberlin; 2. The Oberlin Dramatic Association; and 3. The Twentieth Century Program at Hiram College. Within subseries, materials are arranged alphabetically by type of material.

Series IV. Professional Files, 1931-87, n.d. 2.2 l.f.

Annual reports, correspondence (originals, file copies, and photocopies), memoranda, minutes, and various proposals and reports. Arranged into three subseries: 1. Files Relating to the Trustee-Faculty Governance Controversy; 2. Files Relating to Faculty Business; and 3. Files Relating to Professional Activities and Affiliations. Within subseries, materials are arranged alphabetically by type of material.

Series V. Miscellaneous Files, 1924-83 .6 l.f.

Correspondence, signed petitions, clippings (originals and photocopies), commencement programs, and other printed materials. Arranged alphabetically by type of material.

Series VI. Notes and Course Materials, 1934, 1955, 1964, 1970, 1971, 1985, n.d. .2 l.f.

Consists of hand-written notes on various subjects, including three volumes of Taylor’s student notes from an English class.

Series VII. Photographs, 1955, 1964-67, n.d., .2 l.f.

Color and black and white photographs, depicting various faculty and student activities. Arranged alphabetically by subject.

Date Acquired: 06/28/1968

Languages: English [eng]

Abstract

The papers of Warren Taylor relate primarily to the professional life of an Oberlin College professor. Their contents reflect Taylor's interest in collecting evidence of his achievements. His friendships with students were important to him and are recorded in correspondence spanning forty years. Lecture notes used in his popular English and American literature courses are not present in the collection, although there is material relating to the academic programs Taylor initiated. There is virtually no information in these papers about Taylor's personal life.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The collection is arranged into the following records series: I. Correspondence; II. Talks and Writings; III. Files Relating to Special Academic Programs; IV. Professional Files; V. Miscellaneous Files; VI. Notes and Course Materials; and, VII. Photographs. Within series, files are arranged into subseries, and thereunder they are arranged chronologically or alphabetically by topic or type of material. Notes in Taylor's hand, explaining the contents of various files, are maintained as they were found.

The correspondence of Warren Taylor is both personal and professional in nature and consists mainly of incoming letters from colleagues and friends. Correspondents include Oberlin professors Frederick B. Artz (1894-1983), Andrew Bongiorno (b. 1900), Roger A. Jelliffe (1883-1970), Chester L. Shaver (1907-80), R. H. Stetson (1872-1950), Charles Henry Wager (1869-1939), and Vanderbilt University classmates Samuel Weingarten and Richard West. The correspondence housed in Subseries 3, Miscellaneous Correspondence, includes letters (1970) from students written during the Vietnam War requesting support for their status as Conscientious Objectors; letters from publishers of literary magazines, including one letter (1927) from the modernist French periodical, Transition; and incoming correspondence (1969-70) commenting on Taylor's review of John Barnard's book, From Evangelicalism to Progressivism at Oberlin College, 1866-1917 (Columbus: The Ohio State University Press, 1969). The incoming correspondence (1942-79) from Taylor's students, housed in Subseries 4, is among the richest of its kind. Letters dating from the nineteen-sixties, seventies and eighties are steeped in the idealism of those years and reveal the degree to which Taylor fostered that idealism in the classroom. Taylor's student correspondents include political philosophers Cecilia Kenyon (1922-90) and Sheldon Wolin. Correspondence from neuroscientist Roger W. Sperry (b. 1913) is filed with signed offprints of his writings in Series V.

Taylor's teaching career is documented by files pertaining to the Humanities Program at Oberlin, the Oberlin Dramatic Association, and the Twentieth Century Program at Hiram College. Records of the Humanities Program include articles and press releases (1947-49) announcing the establishment of the program, a nearly complete run of the lectures (1943-70) that formed the program's intellectual core (1943-70), and correspondence (1951-74) with guest speakers. The twentieth century component of the program was offered to Hiram College students from 1970 to 1974; course materials for this program are present here. Taylor's involvement in the Oberlin Dramatic Association is recorded in his drama reviews (1932-51) for the Oberlin Review, playbills, and a scrapbook (1932-47). Also preserved are several small watercolor drawings (1934) of costumes and stage designs for a production of Electra. For programs presented by Taylor and members of the Poetry Trio, consult the records of Series IV, Subseries 3. For Taylor's summations of his professional activities during the years 1931 to 1944, consult his annual reports to President Wilkins, housed in Series IV, Subseries 2.

Records relating to Taylor's faculty service include a valuable series of files, carefully assembled by Taylor, documenting the evolution of the modern faculty-trustee governance controversy from 1940 to 1985. Documentation includes correspondence, memoranda, historical chronologies, notes, and statements by Taylor setting forth his interpretation of the so-called "Finney Compact" and its legal establishment by the 1903 college by-laws. Files contain Taylor's 1945 statement on behalf of the General Faculty Council, issued in response to President Ernest Hatch Wilkins (1880-1966), who, with the support of trustee Erwin N. Griswold, had proposed delegating to administrative bodies what had been faculty council responsibilities: budget preparation, appointment of deans, and review of faculty salaries. Taylor addresses these and other issues relating to the power of the president and the role of faculty councils in a series of letters to Oberlin's presidents and trustees between 1945 and 1985. Also present are letters (1973) from Oberlin College trustee, Erwin N. Griswold, rebutting Taylor's views.

Taylor's fervent belief in academic freedom and the preservation of civil liberties is further reflected in papers (1944-70) documenting his work for the American Association of University Professors at the local and national levels. Files include correspondence (incoming and file copies), telegrams, and miscellaneous printed materials pertaining to A.A.U.P. business. Several files document the case of Fisk University professor Lee Lorch. Lorch was terminated by the University in 1955 and then sued the institution. Taylor was chairman of the special committee which investigated the case. Also present is correspondence relating to Taylor's service on the Committee on Academic Freedom and Tenure and the Committee on Organization. Additional records pertain to various literary conferences held on the Oberlin Campus and coordinated by Taylor. Correspondence (1955) on the Ohio Conference on Intellectual Freedom includes an autograph letter from author Pearl Buck (1892-1973) and one from civil liberties scholar Walter Gellhorn (b. 1906).

This collection does not include a comprehensive run of Taylor's numerous articles; it does, however, include a bibliography listing his articles and reviews through 1971. Housed in Series II, Talks and Writings, are several published and unpublished articles, book reviews which appeared in The Nashville Tennessean during the late twenties, seven volumes of avant-garde poetry periodicals (1928-30, 1934-35) containing poems by Taylor, reprints and tear sheets, published and unpublished lectures and college assembly talks, and a manuscript designated as "Work in Progress."

The remainder of the collection includes miscellaneous newspaper clippings relating to Taylor, a series of files (1963) on the Barrows House controversy, commencement programs (1924, 1937) and photographs of various faculty and student activities, including Oberlin Dramatic Association productions, Poetry Trio members, and the Shakespeare Quadricentennial dinner.

Administrative Information

Accruals: Accessions: 51, 1988/74, 2004/104.

Access Restrictions: Some restrictions may apply.

Acquisition Method: The papers of Warren Taylor were transferred under deed of gift to the Oberlin College Archives in 1968 and 1988. An additional installment was received in 2004.

Related Materials: For records of the English Department, consult Record Group 9/9. For Taylor's numerous contributions to the Oberlin Alumni Magazine, consult the index to the magazine in the Special Collections Department of the Oberlin College Library. Erwin N. Griswold's papers (30/101) contain additional documentation of the faculty-trustee governance controversy.

Finding Aid Revision History: Arranged by William E. Bigglestone. Revised November 10, 1992; rearranged and described by Valerie Komor, November 17, 1992; by Cara McKibbin, May 9, 2005

Box and Folder Listing

Series I: Correspondence, Incoming and Outgoing, 1925-1990, undated

Subseries 1: Correspondence, Chronlogically Arranged, 1925-1990, undated

Box 1

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 2: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 3: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 4: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 5: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 6: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 7: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 8: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 9: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 10: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 11: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 12: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 13: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated
Folder 14: Correspondence, 1925-1990, undated

Subseries 2: Correspondence, Alphabetically Arranged, 1926-1986, undated

Box 2

Folder 1: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 2: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 3: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 4: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 5: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 6: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 7: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 8: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 9: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 10: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 11: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 12: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 13: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 14: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 15: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 16: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 17: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 18: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 19: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 20: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 21: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 22: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 23: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 24: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 25: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson
Folder 26: Correspondence, Artz–Stetson

Box 3

Folder 1: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston
Folder 2: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston
Folder 3: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston
Folder 4: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston
Folder 5: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston
Folder 6: Correspondence, Taylor–Wriston

Subseries 3: Miscellaneous Correspondnece, 1927-1989, undated

Folder 1: Conscientious Objectors, Letters of Support, 1970, undated
Folder 2: Ford Foundation Faculty Fellowship, 1951-1952
Folder 3: Publishers' Correspondence, 1927-1989, undated
Folder 4: Responses to "The Achievement of Oberlin College", 1969-1970

Subseries 4: Letters from Students, 1942-1986, undated

Box 4

Folder 1: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 2: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 3: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 4: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 5: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 6: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 7: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 8: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 9: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 10: Letters from Oberlin College Students, 1942-1986, undated
Folder 11: Letters from Hiram College Students, 1972-1983, undated

Series II: Talks and Writings, 1928-1987, undated

Subseries 1: Talks, 1928-1970, undated

Box 5

Folder 1: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 2: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 3: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 4: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 5: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 6: Talks, 1928-1970, undated
Folder 7: Talks, 1928-1970, undated

Subseries 2: Writings, 1928-1987, undated

Box 5

Folder 1: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 2: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 3: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 4: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 5: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 6: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 7: Articles, 1930-1969
Folder 8: Articles, 1930-1969

Box 6

Folder 1: Articles, 1970-1987, undated
Folder 2: Articles, 1970-1987, undated
Folder 3: Articles, 1970-1987, undated
Folder 4: Bibliographies of Articles Written, 1971, undated
Folder 5: Book Reviews, 1949-1971, undated
Folder 6: Book Reviews, undated: The Nashville Tennessean
Folder 7: Book Review Essay, "The Achievement of Oberlin College 1833-1933", undated
Folder 8: Letters to the Editor, 1944-1984
Folder 9: Letters to the Editor Concerning the Wagner Article, 1977
Folder 10: Poetry (Published), 1928-1930
Item 1: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 2: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 3: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 4: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 5: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 6: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Item 7: Poetry (Published), 1928-1935
Folder 18: "The Striken Twins," A Navajo Folk Tale (Retold by W. Taylor), undated
Folder 19: Work in Progress, Untitled, 1987 December

Series III: Files Relating to Special Academic Programs, 1930-1974, undated

Subseries 1: The Humanities Program at Oberlin, 1947-1981, undated

Box 7

Folder 1: Background Material, 1947-1949
Folder 2: "The Humanities at Oberlin," Report, 1957
Folder 3: Program Review, 1968-1970
Folder 4: Correspondence with Lecturers, General, 1951-1969, undated
Folder 5: Correspondence with Lecturers, General, 1951-1969, undated
Folder 6: Correspondence, Amiya Chakravarty, 1964-1981, undated
Folder 7: Correspondence, Amiya Chakravarty, 1964-1981, undated
Folder 8: Correspondence, Amiya Chakravarty, 1964-1981, undated
Folder 9: Correspondence, Amiya Chakravarty, 1964-1981, undated
Folder 10: Correspondence, Francis L.K. Hsu, 1971-1974
Folder 11: Correspondence, Stephen Toulmin, 1967

Box 8

Folder 1: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 2: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 3: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 4: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 5: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 6: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 7: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 8: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 9: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated
Folder 10: Humanities Lectures, 1943-1970, undated

Subseries 2: The Oberlin Dramatic Association, 1930-1964, undated

Box 9

Folder 1: Background Material, 1946-1956
Folder 2: Dramatic Production, "The Tempest", 1933
Folder 3: Dramatic Production, "Electra", 1934
Folder 4: Dramatic Production, "Electra", 1934
Folder 5: Reviews by W. Taylor, 1948, undated: Manuscripts.
Folder 6: Reviews, Photocopies, undated: Photocopies of Oberlin Review articles, 1941, 1947-1951
Folder 7: Scrapbook, 1932-1947
Folder 8: Playbills, 1930-1964

Subseries 3: The Twentieth Century Program at Hiram College (Ohio), 1970-1974

Box 10

Folder 1: Correspondence, 1971-1974
Folder 2: Course Booklet, "The Growth and Freedom of Human Beings", 1972-1973
Folder 3: Course Booklet, "The Future of Man", 1973
Folder 4: Lectures, Syllabi, Bibliographies, ca. 1970-1974
Folder 5: Student Evaluations, ca. 1972-1973

Series IV: Professional Files, 1931-1987, undated

Subseries 1: Files Relating to the Trustee-Faculty Governance Controversy, 1940-1985, undated

Box 11

Folder 1: Chronological Files, 1940-1949, undated
Folder 2: Chronological Files, 1940-1949, undated
Folder 3: Chronological Files, 1940-1949, undated
Folder 4: Chronological Files, 1940-1949, undated
Folder 5: Chronological Files, 1940-1949, undated
Folder 6: Correspondence with Trustees, 1946-1985
Folder 7: Correspondence with Trustees, 1946-1985
Folder 8: Correspondence with Trustees, 1946-1985
Folder 9: Letters to Oberlin College Presidents: Stevenson, Carr, Danenberg, and Starr, 1949-1985

Subseries 2: Files Relating to Faculty Business, 1931-1969, undated

Box 12

Folder 1: Annual Reports of W. Taylor to President, 1931-1944
Folder 2: Files, Committee on Social and Political Concerns, 1969
Folder 3: Files, Faculty Advisory Committee, Oberlin Nonpartisan Convention, 1944
Folder 4: Files, Library Committee, 1956-1958
Folder 5: Planning Committee Report, 1962
Folder 6: English Department Curriculum Proposals, 1960-1967
Folder 7: Papers Relating to Faculty Censorship of Student Publications, 1942
Folder 8: Controversies Regarding Faculty Members, Orville C. Jones Case, 1944
Folder 9: Controversies Regarding Faculty Members, Philip D. Sherman Case, 1942

Box 13

Folder 1: Grading Reports, College of Arts and Sciences, 1940-1957
Folder 2: Memoranda, 1966-1969
Folder 3: Miscellaneous Faculty Matters, 1932-1954, undated

Subseries 3: Files Relating to Professional Activities and Affiliations, 1943-1987, undated

Box 14

Folder 1: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 2: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 3: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 4: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 5: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 6: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 7: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 8: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 9: American Association of University Professors, National, 1944-1969
Folder 10: American Association of University Professors, Oberlin College Chapter, 1943-1947
Folder 11: American Association of University Professors, Ohio Conference of Chapters, 1954-1955

Box 15

Folder 1: American Association of University Professors, Fisk University Case, 1954-1959
Folder 2: American Association of University Professors, Fisk University Case, 1954-1959
Folder 3: American Association of University Professors, Fisk University Case, 1954-1959
Folder 4: American Association of University Professors, William McNaughton Case, 1969-1970
Folder 5: American Council of Education, undated
Folder 6: Center for Environmental Education, 1974-1987
Folder 7: Committee on the Right to Read of the National Council of Teachers of English, 1962
Folder 8: Conferences and Programs, Lilly Faculty Summer Seminar in the Humanities, 1957-1958
Folder 10: Conferences and Programs, Melville Society of America Conference, 1964
Folder 11: Conferences and Programs, Ohio Conference on Intellectual Freedom, 1954-1955

Box 16

Folder 1: Conferences and Programs, Poetry Trio, 1952-1969
Folder 2: Conferences and Programs, Poetry Trio, 1952-1969
Folder 3: Conferences and Programs, Poetry Trio, 1952-1969
Folder 4: Conferences and Programs, Poetry Trio, 1952-1969
Folder 5: Conferences and Programs, Renaissance Society of America Conference, 1967
Folder 6: Conferences and Programs, Shakespeare Quadricentennial Celebration, 1963-1964
Folder 7: Conferences and Programs, Symposium on East and West, 1964

Series V: Miscellaneous Files, 1924-1987, undated

Box 17

Folder 1: Barrows House Controversy, 1963: Correspondence, petitions, clippings.
Folder 2: Barrows House Controversy, 1963: Correspondence, petitions, clippings.
Folder 3: Barrows House Controversy, 1963: Correspondence, petitions, clippings.
Folder 4: Barrows House Controversy, 1963: Correspondence, petitions, clippings.

Box 18

Folder 1: Julia Forsythe RE: Erin Griswold, Comments RE: Robert Fuller, 1971, undated
Folder 2: Lorain County Community College, Academic Freedom Case, 1967
Folder 3: John Jacob, Song Recital, 1942-1946
Folder 4: Louis E. Kerr, 1944
Folder 5: Roger W. Sperry, Writings and Correspondence, 1969-1983
Folder 6: Newspaper Clippings, American Mercury, 1952-1953: Editorial on Taylor and Walter Marshall Horton.
Folder 7: Newspaper Clippings, Oberlin Review, 1931-1966: Issues removed, see folder for listing.
Folder 8: Miscellaneous Newspaper Clippings, 1941-1970
Folder 9: Personal Miscellany, 1924-1946, undated
Folder 10: Unitarian, 1984-1987

Series VI: Notes and Course Materials, 1934-1985, undated

Box 19

Folder 1: Education, undated
Folder 2: Emotions, 1971-1985, undated
Folder 3: English Literature, undated
Folder 4: King Lear, 1934-1964, undated
Folder 5: Moby Dick, 1970
Item 6: Taylor's Student Notes, English, undated
Item 7: Taylor's Student Notes, English, undated
Item 8: Taylor's Student Notes, English, undated

Series VII: Photographs, 1955-1967, undated

Box 20

Folder 1: Humanities Listening Room, Carnegie Library, 1965
Folder 2: Lilly Humanities Seminar Participants, 1955
Folder 3: Oberlin Dramatic Association Productions, undated
Folder 4: Poetry Trio Members, 1967
Folder 5: Shakespeare Quadricentennial Dinner, 1964