Reid, Loren D. (1905- ), Papers, c. 1900-1992 (C3946)

6.8 linear feet

INTRODUCTION

The personal and professional papers of Loren D. Reid, a professor of speech at the University of Missouri-Columbia, include correspondence; manuscripts of two of his books, Hurry Home Wednesday and Finally It's Friday; other writings and speeches; correspondence, contracts and royalty statements from the various publishing houses he worked with; and travel memorabilia.

DONOR INFORMATION

The Loren D. Reid Papers were donated to the University of Missouri by Loren D. Reid on 1 November 1992 (Accession No. 5232). On 1 April 1989 Reid had donated his correspondence, notes, research material, photographs, and manuscript of Hurry Home Wednesday to the State Historical Society of Missouri (SHS Accession No. 2738). This was transferred to the University of Missouri when these papers were processed.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Loren D. Reid was born in Gilman City, Missouri, in 1905 to Dudley and Josephine Tarwater Reid. His father was the editor of the Gilman City Guide. The family moved to Osceola, Iowa, in 1921.

After graduating from high school, Reid received his B.A. in 1927 from Grinnell College, majoring in English and history. He earned his M.S. in 1930 from the State University of Iowa and while an instructor there received his Ph.D. in 1932. In 1933 he became head of the department of speech at Westport High School in Kansas City, where he remained until 1935 when he was appointed to the speech staff in the English department at the University of Missouri.

In 1939 Reid went to Syracuse University as an assistant professor of speech. He returned to the University of Missouri as a full professor in 1944. He was chairman of the department from 1946 to 1951 and from 1965 to 1966.

Reid was a visiting professor at many schools: Summer 1947 at the University of California; 1952/1953 at the University of Maryland, Overseas Division; 1954 at Louisiana State University and San Diego State College; 1957 at the University of Hawaii; and 1958 at the University of Iowa. The professorships enabled Reid, and sometimes his family, the chance to visit different regions of the country and the world.

Reid was the author of several speech textbooks: Speaking Well, Teaching Speech, and Fundamentals of Public Speaking, the last co-authored with Bower Aly and Wilbur Gilman. He also wrote two books that started out as autobiographical works but expanded into studies of small town life and work: Hurry Home Wednesday, 1978, and Finally It's Friday, 1981.

From 1945 to 1951 Reid was the executive secretary of the National Association of Teachers of Speech and was president of the Speech Communications Association. After he retired in 1975, Reid continued to write, occasionally teach, and travel.

Loren Reid married Augusta (Gus) Towner in 1930. They had four children: Ellen Jane, John Christopher (Kit), Stephen, and Don Anthony (Tony).

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The Reid Papers reflect the life of a university professor at a Midwestern university and document his professional, publishing, and teaching efforts as well as his personal life. The Reid Papers consist of correspondence; manuscripts; other writings and speeches; correspondence, contracts, and royalty statements from the various publishing houses that he worked with; and travel memorabilia arranged into seven series:

Loren Reid went through his papers before he donated them and wrote notes about them. These notes were left where he put them and give a good synopsis of his papers.

The Correspondence series, dating from c. 1900 to 1990, is the largest series of the papers and is arranged chronologically. The bulk of the correspondence is personal although there is some professional correspondence, especially during the later years. The earliest correspondence is from Reid's years at Grinnell and the University of Iowa and includes letters to and from his parents. The early years of his marriage, the birth of his first child, teaching in Kansas City, and the move to the University of Missouri are covered in the 1930s correspondence.

The move to Syracuse University increased Reid's correspondence with his family back in Iowa, keeping them abreast of what was happening to the Syracuse branch of the family. There is considerable correspondence dealing with financial affairs among Loren Reid's parents, his brother Don, and himself. There is also correspondence with Bower Aly and Wilbur Gilman at the University of Missouri about Fundamentals of Public Speaking, the textbook the three of them were writing.

Reid continued his correspondence with his family after he returned to the University of Missouri. He describes the activities of his children and deals with his parents's failing health.

Reid was very much aware that his year teaching in Europe in 1952/53 was a special opportunity to observe different cultures, see the effects of World War II, travel, and do research. He tried to describe everything he saw, and traveled beyond the tourist areas. His letters also reflect his loneliness from the prolonged separation from his family.

Later correspondence is with his children as they grow up and move away. There is also correspondence with former students and colleagues whom Reid met as a visiting professor in Hawaii, California, Louisiana, and other places.

The Hurry Home Wednesday series includes research notes, drafts, correspondence seeking permission to publish material in the book and with readers of the book, and photographs and illustrations used in the book. Much the same type of material is in the Finally It's Friday series. Both series are arranged by type of material.

The Writings and Speeches series, arranged chronologically, includes speeches given at various speech conventions; lectures; the manuscript of Mortgage Lane, a book about the building of the Reids' house in Columbia and used by the Japanese to teach English; and Professor on the Loose, a book about Reid's world travels.

The Teaching series comprises notes, plans, and bibliographies from some of Reid's courses at the University of Missouri and other schools where he taught. It is not a complete collection of the courses he taught during his career. There are also notes on courses taught by J.P. Ryan, thought by Reid to be one of the finest speech teachers in the United States. The series is arranged chronologically.

The Publishing series is arranged alphabetically by publishing house name and consists of correspondence, royalty reports, contracts, marketing and publicity information, and critiques of works in progress. This series deals with the textbooks Reid wrote and does not include material on Hurry Home Wednesday or Finally It's Friday. The series describes the procedures of publishing a book, from critiques of the manuscript to the marketing campaigns used to sell the books.

The Miscellaneous series is arranged alphabetically by type of material or subject and includes schedules, membership lists, and histories of the Dance Group, a social dancing group in Columbia; legal records pertaining to the houses the Reids owned; teaching contracts; small amounts of material from two professional organizations in which Reid was an officer; and souvenirs from various trips.

FOLDER LIST

Correspondence Series

f. 11906-1916
f. 21920-1921
f. 31923
f. 4-61924
f. 71925
f. 8-101926
f. 111927
f. 121928-1929
f. 131930
f. 141931-1932
f. 151933
f. 161934
f. 171935
f. 181936
f. 19-211937
f. 22-231938
f. 24-271939
f. 28-331940
f. 34-391941
f. 40-451942
f. 46-521943
f. 53-571944
f. 58-611945
f. 62-641946
f. 651947
f. 661948
f. 671949
f. 681950
f. 691951
f. 70-781952
f. 79-871953
f. 881954
f. 89-921955
f. 93-971956
f. 98-1051957
f. 106-1101958
f. 111-1121959
f. 113-1151960
f. 116-1201961
f. 121-1221962
f. 1231963
f. 124-1271964
f. 128-1321965
f. 133-1381966
f. 139-1421967
f. 143-1451968
f. 1461969
f. 146a1970
f. 1471971
f. 148-1491972
f. 150-1521973
f. 153-1541974
f. 1551975
f. 1561976
f. 1571977
f. 158-1591978
f. 1601979
f. 1611980
f. 1621981
f. 163-1641982
f. 1651983
f. 1661984
f. 1671985
f. 168-1691986
f. 1701987
f. 1711989
f. 1721989-1990, electronic mail
f. 173-174John Allen, 1941 October-1943
f. 175-180James Fox, 1961-1985
f. 180aPhotographs, c. 1900-1968, n.d.

Hurry Home Wednesday Series

f. 181-184Research notes
f. 185Research notes--families and census
f. 186-187aResearch notes--not used
f. 188-209Research notes and draft, chapters 1-10, 12-15, 17-19
f. 210Early drafts of some chapters
f. 211-224Correspondence, 1964, 1974-1982
f. 225-230Draft sent to critics
f. 231-236Photocopy of final draft
f. 237-242Photographs and illustrations

Finally It's Friday Series

f. 243-250Research notes
f. 251Research notes and drafts
f. 252Correspondence--Research and permissions, 1979-1983
f. 253-257Correspondence, 1978-1984
f. 258Reception for publishing of book, 1981
f. 259-260Photographs

Writings and Speeches Series

f. 2611943-1956
f. 2621956-1957
f. 2631958
f. 2641959
f. 265-2681960, First Principles of Public Speaking
f. 2691962
f. 2701972, "British Public Address: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow"
f. 2711972-1979
f. 2721980-1982
f. 2731983-1987
f. 274-2761988, Mortgage Lane, manuscript
f. 2771992, Professor on the Loose
f. 278Columbia People, 1974-1984
f. 279Humor
f. 280-282Mark Twain
f. 283-289"Shop Talk", column of Quarterly Journal of Speech, c. 1950s
f. 290fragments, n.d.

Teaching Series

f. 291Speech 110, Great Speakers, 1948/49
f. 292Louisiana State University Summer Lecture Series, 1954
f. 293Air Force OTJ (on the job) Training course, 1960
f. 294-299Speech 485, Rhetorical Criticism, 1973
f. 300-301Louisiana State University, Spring 1985
f. 302Speech 213, Theories of Public Speaking, n.d.
f. 303-304Speech 276, Persuasive Speaking, n.d.
f. 305Speech 376, Principles of Rhetoric, n.d.
f. 306-308Speech 381, Principles of Rhetoric, n.d.
f. 309Teaching Speech, n.d.
f. 310Awards, 1962-1976
f. 311-316J.P. Ryan

Publishing Series

f. 317Artcraft Press, 1961
f. 318-319Artcraft Press, 1962
f. 320Artcraft Press, 1963 January-April
f. 321Artcraft Press, 1963 May- August
f. 322Artcraft Press, 1963 September-1964 January
f. 323Artcraft Press, Miscellaneous, 1952-1967
f. 324Longman's Green & Co., Ltd., 1966-1967
f. 325Longman's Green & Co., Ltd., 1968-1969 March
f. 326Longman's Green & Co., Ltd., 1969 April-June
f. 327Longman's Green & Co., Ltd., 1969 August-1975
f. 328Longman's Green & Co., Ltd., 1975
f. 329McGraw Hill, 1966-1970
f. 330McGraw Hill, 1971
f. 331McGraw Hill, 1972-1973, 1975
f. 332McGraw Hill, 1976 January-April
f. 333-334McGraw Hill--Marketing Information Report, Speaking Well, 1976 April
f. 335McGraw Hill--Critiques, Speaking Well, 1976 April
f. 336McGraw Hill, 1976 May-November
f. 337McGraw Hill, 1977-1979
f. 338McGraw Hill, 1980
f. 339McGraw Hill, 1981
f. 340McGraw Hill--Royalty reports, 1971-1984
f. 341McGraw Hill--Critiques, Speaking Well, 4th ed., 1982
f. 342McGraw Hill--Marketing Information Report, Speaking Well, 4th ed., 1982
f. 343McGraw Hill--Publicity, Speaking Well, 4th ed., 1982
f. 344MacMillan Co., 1939-1966
f. 345University of Missouri Press--Charles James Fox, 1969
f. 346University of Missouri Press, 1970-1984

Miscellaneous Series

f. 347Booklets--Hogback Road, a History of the Quincy, Omaha and Kansas City Railroad Co., Ralph Cooper and Michael Johns; On the Occasion of the Presentation of a Bust of Ottmar Mergenthaler, inventor of the Linotype, 1854-1899
f. 348-349Dance Group, 1936-1991
f. 350Houses, 1936-1944
f. 351National Association of Teachers of Speech, 1944
f. 352Oil stock certificates, 1918
f. 353Speech Association of America, 1956-1957
f. 354-356Teaching contracts, 1929-1974
f. 357-369Travel
f. 357Europe, 1953
f. 358Europe--Photographs, 1953
f. 359Ocean travel, 1955
f. 360Europe, 1963
f. 361-363World trip, 1967
f. 364-365Africa, 1973
f. 366-367Western United States, 1975
f. 368Europe, 1977
f. 369Alaska, 1979

INDEX TERMS

These index terms are the subjects, people, places, etc. under which this collection is listed in all available indexes at the Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia. If you are interested in a specific index term, please contact the reference staff.

  • Africa--Description and travel, 1970s
  • Authorship
  • Birth control--Moral and religious aspects
  • Blacks--Integration
  • Child rearing
  • Childbirth
  • Contracts--Teacher
  • Dancing
  • Dating (Social customs), 1950s
  • Elections, Presidential, 1960
  • Elections, Presidential, 1968
  • England, 1950s
  • England, Social life and customs, 1950s
  • England--Description and travel, 1950s
  • Europe, 1950s
  • Europe--Description and travel, 1960s
  • Europe--Description and travel, 1970s
  • Family life
  • Feminism
  • France, Paris, 1950s
  • Germany, 1950s
  • Houses--Buying & selling, 1766-1812
  • Italy--Description & travel, 1950s
  • Military service, Compulsory
  • Mormons
  • Pregnancy
  • Publishers & publishing
  • Reid family
  • Reid, Augusta Towner
  • Reid, Loren D. (1905- )
  • Reid, Loren D., Finally It's Friday
  • Reid, Loren D., Hurry Home Wednesday
  • Retirement
  • Speech--Study and teaching
  • Travelers, American
  • U.S.--Description and travel, 1970s
  • University of Missouri. Press
  • Veterans--Education
  • World War, 1939-1945--Public opinion
  • World War, 1939-1945--Rationing
  • World War, 1939-1945--War work