Drewey Wayne Gunn
1 linear foot
A2005-019; A2010-005; A2012-013; A2015-100
1890-1945 (unknown)
Professor Emeritus Drewey Wayne Gunn is a native of North Carolina; he received his B.A. from Wake Forest University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In high school he set a goal of one day entering the Library of Congress catalog -- a goal every librarian applauds. This is one of many goals he accomplished throughout his lifetime. He is a literary historian, editor, translator, and co-author of one novel on the relationship between French poets Verlaine and Rimbaud (currently being translated for a French edition). An early book, American and British Writers in Mexico, was translated into Spanish: the Mexican ministry of education placed copies in all schools and public libraries. Nobel laureate Octavio Paz singled it out for comment in one of his essays. Dr. Gunn received both the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Alumni Research Award (1982) and the Alumni Teaching Award (1996). Two of his books were finalists for a Lambda Literary Award. His book Gay Novels of Britain, Ireland, and the Commonwealth 1881-1981 was named a Library Journal best reference book. His life partner was Air France translator Jacques Murat. As a professor of Language and Literature he collected a large personal library of gay literature which he began donating in 2014 and 2015 to the James C. Jernigan Library. This collection is the “Drewey Wayne Gunn Collection of Gay Literature” and is available to the public. This collection was used by Dr. Gunn when he worked on papers and his own publications. They contain notes on photographs, articles, and images. Royalties from Dr. Gunn’s publication Gay American Novels, 1870-1970, have been gifted to the Jernigan Library for the support and enhancement of a second collection, “ Drewey Wayne Gunn Donation of Lesbian Literature. “
The Drewey Wayne Gunn Collection consists of correspondence, journal publications reviewing Tennessee Williams plays, fifteen publications of Williams’ plays, maps and a paper written by Dr. Gunn, "From the Closet to the Open Stacks: Reflections on the Past Fifty Years at the University." The Tennessee Williams Literary Journals include Spring 1989, vol. I no.1; Winter 1989-90, vol. 1 no. 2; Winter 1990-91, vol. II no. 1; Winter 1991-92, vol. II no. 2; Winter 1993-94, vol. III no. 1; Fall 1995, vol. III no. 2; Fall 1997, vol. IV no. 1; 1999, vol. IV, no. 2; and Spring, vol. 5 no. 1. The Tennessee Williams Newsletters include Spring 1979, vol. 1 no. 1; Fall 1979, vol. 1 no. 2; Spring 1980, vol. 2 no. 1; Fall 1980, vol. II no. 2; Spring 1981, vol. III no. 1; Spring/Fall 1982, vol. III no. 2; and Spring 1983, vol. IV no. 1. The later donation of 367 LGBT volumes of literature are housed in the Drewey Wayne Gunn Collection in Rare Books, they are available in the Jernigan Library Catalog and the South Texas Archives Online Database.
The Collection has seven series:
Drewey Wayne Gunn Emails and Papers
Drewey Wayne Gunn Photos
Tennessee Williams Literary Journal
Tennessee Williams Plays
Newspaper and Journal Articles, Maps, and
Collection of LGBT Literature
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Drewey Wayne Gunn Collection, A2005-019.XXXX, South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A2005-019 – Gift of Drewey Wayne Gunn, A2010-005 -- Gift of Drewey Wayne Gunn, A2012-013 -- Gift of Drewey Wayne Gunn, A2015-100 -- Gift of Drewey Wayne Gunn
A2005-019 processing unknown; A2010-005 processed by Carol Tipton; A2012-013 and A2015-100 processed by Lori Atkins. Finding aid created by Lori Atkins and EAD document created by Matt Tallant, both in 2016.