Collection context
Summary
- Title:
- Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan papers
- Dates:
- 1939-2002
- Creators:
- Donovan, Earl H. "Duncan", 1920-2013
- Abstract:
- Writings, correspondence, ACLU committee administrative records, Dignity administrative records, programs, clippings, legal documents, and other material, 1939-2002, from Los Angeles gay activist and journalist, Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan. Donovan was a longtime board member of the Southern California chapter of the ACLU.
- Extent:
- 1.8 Linear Feet 2 boxes.
- Language:
- English
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan Papers, Coll2019-010, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
Background
- Scope and content:
-
This collection comprises writings, correspondence, ACLU committee administrative records, Dignity administrative records, programs, clippings, legal documents, and other material, 1939-2002, from Los Angeles gay activist and journalist, Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan. Donovan was a longtime board member of the Southern California chapter of the ACLU, and the collection includes correspondence, publications and policy documents related to gay and lesbian rights and religious discrimination. The collection also includes Donovan's writings, such short stories as well as his writings as a journalist.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan was born August 7, 1920 in Chicago Illinois. In 1941, he moved to Los Angeles with the intent to become a writer. Within a month, he began working as a copyboy for the LA Examiner, with a focus on theatre, dance, and film. Soon after, Duncan began taking writing classes at UCLA in 1942. From 1952-1956, he began writing his first novel, Sarah Althea, which was never published.
In 1949, Duncan moved in with his lover, an attorney named Thomas P. Finnerty. In 1976, Tom committed suicide. This spurred a lawsuit in which Duncan sought to receive compensation as a member of the decedent's household. His plea was denied on July 18, 1978, under the pretense that they were not, and could not, be married. In 1981, Duncan resubmitted his case, and was granted compensation for his partner's death in 1983.
By the 1970s, Duncan began participating in gay rights organizations such as Dignity LA, Parents and Friends of Gays (PFLAG), and the Southern California chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), in which he became Vice President. Over the next few decades, Duncan spent much of his life working with the ACLU as a board member and journalist, writing and speaking on issues of police brutality, religious discrimination, and AIDS/HIV issues.
Duncan Donovan died on January 17, 2013, and his body was donated to the UCLA institute for medical research.
- Acquisition information:
- Gift of Nat Segaloff on behalf of the Earl H. Donovan estate, April 1, 2014.
- Processing information:
-
Collection processed by Lexi Guida, 2019.
- Arrangement:
-
Collection is arranged alphabetically.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Indexed terms
About this collection guide
- Date Encoded:
- This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2025-05-16 16:54:01 -0700 .
Access and use
- Restrictions:
-
The collection is open to researchers. There are no access restrictions.
- Terms of access:
-
All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the ONE Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at USC Libraries as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Box/folder #, or item name] Earl H. "Duncan" Donovan Papers, Coll2019-010, ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives, USC Libraries, University of Southern California.
- Location of this collection:
-
909 West Adams BoulevardLos Angeles, CA 90007, US
- Contact:
- (213) 821-2771