Description
The collection contains research files relating to Lawrence Willson's scholarly interests, including Henry D. Thoreau and
American literature, as well as copies of his articles and reviews, correspondence, photographs, and files relating to the
Thoreau Society, Phi Beta Kappa, early teaching assignments, and the University of California, Santa Barbara, where he taught
in the English Department for many years.
Background
Lawrence Willson was born in Lancaster, New Hampshire, on May 6, 1911. He received a bachelor's degree in English from Wesleyan
University in Connecticut in 1934 and earned a doctorate in English from Yale University in 1944. He taught at Delaware, Tennessee,
Wesleyan, and Berkeley before coming to UCSB in 1947, where he was a professor of English, a Henry D. Thoreau scholar, and
a longtime active member in the UCSB Phi Beta Kappa chapter. He retired in 1978 and died in Santa Barbara on January 28, 1996.
A Lawrence Willson Memorial Lectureship was established later in 1996 and has been awarded to some of the most distinguished
faculty at UCSB.
Extent
10 linear feet
(9 records cartons, 1 document boxes, 2 map cabinet folders, 1 VHS videocassette, and 1 audiocassette).
Restrictions
Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or
quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given
on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.
Availability
The majority of this collection is stored offsite. Advance notice is required for retrieval.