Descriptive Summary
Biography
Scope and Content of Collection
Restrictions
Acquisition Information
Preferred Citation
Publication Rights
Descriptive Summary
Languages:
English
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla 92093-0175
Title: John Stewart Papers
Identifier/Call Number: MSS 0614
Physical Description:
5.6 Linear feet
(15 archives boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1916-1991
Abstract: The papers of John Stewart, author, musician and UCSD Muir College provost (1965-1987) contain the research materials for
his book about composer Ernst Krenek titled
Ernst Krenek: The Man and His Music (1991), including typescript drafts; notes describing correspondence, essays, and articles about Krenek; chronologies; and
a series of reel-to-reel audiorecordings of interviews with Krenek by Stewart. Also included are drafts of writings, teaching
materials, and correspondence with colleagues including Ernst Krenek.
Biography
John Lincoln Stewart was born January 24, 1917 in Alton, Illinois, and grew up in Granville and Dwight, Ontario. He graduated
from Dennison College with a double major in English and Music and received his doctorate in English literature at Ohio State
University. He served in World War II in the Army Signal Corps. He taught English at UCLA and Dartmouth before joining UCSD,
publishing
The Burden of Time: The Fugitives and Agrarians, a history of the Nashville literary groups of the 1920s and 1930s.
Stewart came to UCSD in 1964 to take the lead in establishing arts departments on campus. In 1965 he was appointed Provost
of Second College, named for the environmentalist, nature writer, and Sierra Club founder John Muir. He took a leading role
in planning Muir campus as an ensemble of buildings, courtyards, and open spaces. Because his position at UCSD allowed him
to focus on teaching and research, he concentrated on his interests in the achievements of Austrian-American composer Ernst
Krenek. Beginning in the 1970s, no comprehensive biography had been written about Krenek, so Stewart interviewed the composer,
studied the musicial scores, and traveled to Vienna to gather research materials. He published
Ernst Krenek: The Man and His Music in 1991.
For years Stewart taught "The Wilderness and Human Values," at Muir College which culminated in a week-long hike led by Stewart
in the Sierra Nevada mountains. During the 21 years he served as Provost, he also founded a faculty jazz group, "The Moldy
Figs," in which he played both slide trombone and flugle horn.
On the occasion of Muir college's 30th anniversary in 1998, Muir Commons, the center of student life on the campus, was re-dedicated
as Stewart Commons in his honor.
Stewart died August 31, 2007 in Oakland, California.
Scope and Content of Collection
The John Stewart papers reflect the research endeavors by Stewart, as an author and scholar of humanities. The bulk of the
collection documents extensive research on the career of composer Ernst Krenek for the biography
Ernst Krenek: The Man and His Music (1991). Materials include notes and translations on correspondence, works of Krenek, and typescript drafts. Other elements
of the collection include teaching materials and writings by Stewart.
The papers are arranged in five series: 1) CORRESPONDENCE, 2)
ERNST KRENEK: THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC, 3) WRITINGS BY STEWART, 4) TEACHING MATERIALS, and 5) MISCELLANEOUS.
SERIES 1: CORRESPONDENCE
The CORRESPONDENCE series contains letters from colleagues and friends regarding personal and scholarly activities from 1971-1996.
Notable correspondents include Ernst Krenek and author Friedrich Saathen. Also included are letters concerning the production
of Ernst Krenek's musical works.
SERIES 2:
ERNST KRENEK: THE MAN AND HIS MUSIC
The bulk of the second series contains the research materials collected for the publication of the Ernst Krenek biography.
The series is divided into four subseries: A) Research Materials, B) Miscellaneous, C) Audiorecording, and D) Typescript Drafts.
The files collect and document inclusive notes on Krenek's correspondence with family and colleagues, musical works, and writings
written by and about the composer. The series also contains miscellaneous research guides and lists, book publication related
materials, reel-to-reel audiorecordings of interviews conducted by Stewart with Krenek.
The book materials also include the typescript drafts and page proofs for chapters 1-12, written between 1986-1991.
SERIES 3: WRITINGS BY STEWART
The WRITINGS series contains typescript drafts for published and unpublished manuscripts authored by Stewart including his
book
The Burden of Time: The Fugitive and Agrarians (1965), a biography of two literary groups that originated in Nashville, TN who, in the early 1920s, had a strong influence
on American letters focusing on the writing of John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, and Robert Penn Warren. The series is arranged
alphabetically.
SERIES 4: TEACHING MATERIALS
The TEACHING MATERIALS span Stewart's career as a lecturer from Dartmouth College to UCSD, as the creator of the Muir College
course "The Wilderness and Human Values". Arranged alphabetically, the files include lecture notes, syllabi, and class materials.
SERIES 5: MISCELLANEOUS
Included in the MISCELLANEOUS series are various subject files including photographs of John Stewart, clippings, and an audiocassette
recording of a lecture for the UCSD Friends of Music.
Restrictions
Audiorecordings are restricted. Researchers must request user copies.
Acquisition Information
Acquired 2003, 2006.
Preferred Citation
John Stewart Papers, MSS 614. Special Collections & Archives, UC San Diego.
Publication Rights
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Stewart, John L. (John Lincoln) -- Archives
Krenek, Ernst, 1900-1991
John Muir College
University of California, San Diego -- Faculty