Source Material Relating to Tewkesbury’s trips to the Darien in 1939 and 1940 – prefatory and prologue

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Dr. Earle D. Ross
2119 - H - N.W. (Apt. 704)
Washington, D.C.
July 3. 1942
Department of History & Government
. Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa
Dear Dr. Ross:
This afternoon there went forward, via Western Union Express, the
box containing the Source Material regarding Richard A. Tewkesbury's
two trips into the Darien, which I have been collecting during the past
year. Following your instruction, the key accompanies the box, tied to
its handle; and all has been carefully packed inside to keep the docu­ments
from shifting and getting misplaced in the box. Perhaps it will
be wise to pass on my discovery - that when the lock is open, it never­less
retains sufficient "catch" to keep the lid from coming loose from
the front latch while carrying it by the handle; so you may think, as
I did, that the box is still locked even after the key is turned to open
it. But keep pressing down on the slide and you will finally learn the
- slight twitch which releases the "catch. II
In your reading of my "Letter of Transmittal" in the "Prefatory"
group. you will find Mr. Tewkesbury's caution about not allowing any­thing
of his, either published or unpublished. to be used for commercial
or publicity purposes without his consent. I assume that this applies
also to any unpublished letters or documents from other persons that may
be found in the collection. But I do not assume that this limitation
applies to quotations from .. any of the collection which you or Mr.
Barron may wish to use in XK correspondence with the alumni in other
cities, provided they are told that none of such quotations is"to be pub­lished
without Mr. Tewkesbury's consent. He is tied up with his pub­lishers
until they get all they need. As to my Letter of Transmittal,
I have placed no ban on its use as you or Mr. Barron may find advisable
or useful, but mt a copy of that "Letter" has been sent to Mr. Tewkesbury
with the suggestion that he inform me if there is anything in it which he
would prefer not made public. If so, I will let you know.
Now as to the "Collection" itself:
1. I have omitted from the exterior of the box any deSignation.
leaving that for you to word and attach as best fits in with your plans
and forms for such "Archives."
2. I assume that Mr. Barron will want to mention the Collection in
the forthcoming issue of "The Alumnus" -- not as publicity for myself but
as representing a line of work which the Dept. of History and Government
is trying to get started. and is calling on the older alumni to help by
their contributions while still living and the only source of personal
knowledge regarding alumni who~ thay knew as students or as instructors
in the College.
3~ In glancing through the Collection. I shall greatly appreciate
your criticisms on any points which. for College uses. might better have
been handled otherwise. Thus you can help other alumni to know in advance
how to present their records.
2
4. You will find a wide variety in formS, marginations, etc •• due to
the fact that as the work grew in scope. its form of presentation also grew
and changed. but I could not go back and do over what had been done. Also,
in transcribing individual letters the original peculiarities of form and
appearance have been preserved in most cases wherever these could be even
partially simulated by a typewriter.
5. In the ta~le of "Gontentsll the extent of a given item is stated in
number of "sheets" rather than "pages. II This has been a deliberate choice
so as to convey the fact that the material is assembled in manuscript form
and should not be mistaken for the numbered "pagesU in any original printed
article that may have been either copied on the typewriter or clipped and
pasted on sheets for preservation in the Collection.
6. In two cases, loose sheets have been inserted, bearing the title
and filing symbols of an srticle that is yet to be placed in the Collection.
The first such case is the typed copy of Mr. Tewkesbury's articles pub­lished
in the Washington Evening Star for Sept. 1,2,3, 1940, of which you
have the corrected manuscript sent to you last year. That should be stapled
on the left margin as other manuscripts have been, marked on the upper fight
corner of the first sheet-- itA - II - ;5tf (in pencil) and filed in the folder
headed uTewkesbury's Wri tings -- Publi shed".
The second case is an article by Haskins on "Life of Indians of the
Darien Region" as published in the Panama American March 23, 1942, but which
I have not yet been able to get. although ordering it on May 28 and again
on June 18. However. mail to and from the Canal Zone normally tmres from 5
to 8 days for transit each way and is further delayed now by the U.S. Office
of Censorship which "examines" all mail going outside the geographic borders
of the U. S. But if and when the article does arrive, I'll send it on ready
for you to insert as 110---3" in the folder headed uIndians of the Darien. 1I
7. In spite of great care in transcribing and proofreading. checking
and re-checking for consistency between,Classification symbols occurring in
"Contentsll and on the documents themselves, I am aware that some typographic
blunders may yet be f01L~d by the consulters -- which only proves that, at
three-score and 17 I am still very human in the matter of errors.
Finally, the enclosed copy of the article in Monticello Express of
April 23. regaTding W. G. McConnon's passing, was given to me by his sister,
Mrs. liellie (McConnon) 13e'Vlington. I sent a copy to Mr. Barron as a basis
for the announcement in liThe Alumnus. \I Later it occurred to me thatMr.
McConnon was worthy of extended notice in the College "Archives" and that
perhaps the person best qualified to tell about McConnon is his classmate.
Mr. James D. Shearer. I know the W stinghouse Company thought most highly
of McConnon's work and probably woutd be glad to furnish details regarding
his work with them. The Company's appreciation and fine remembrance after
all these years since McConnon's retirement was evid.enced in the magnifi­cent
floral tribute which it sent to the surviving brother and sister here
in Washington.
And now in closing let me express my very real gratitude that you are
making such worthwhile efforts to preserve for the youth to come these
memories of the human sources of inspiration that bespeak the very spirit
of the College and its mission in this "Garden Spot of 1he World" -- Iowa.
Most sincerely t
August 18, 1942
Professor Earle D. Ross
Dept . of History and Government
Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa
Dear Professor Ross:
Since expressing the package on July 3, containing the
collection of SOurce material regarding Richard Tewkesbury,
for your Department Apchives. there has come to hand a num­ber
of worthwhile articles which seem advisable to add to
the existing College collection.
This material I am today forwarding by first-class mail
or by express, according to which method is least expensive -
a fact I have not yet ascertained before writing this letter ,
but will do so when ready to send it.
The material has been arranged in two categories - A and
B - the meaning of which is explained on the enclosed sheet
containing the list of these categories and their classifications
wherever needed. They are included only as an aid to whichever
one of your student aides the work m~ be assigned for carrying
out, thus saizling your own overfull hours .
However. I shall appreciate very deeply your personal reac­tions
to the collection as a whole when the time m~ arrive for
you to give it a careful go-over. I distinctly do not want
your "compliments" save where they. are sincerely deserved in your
opinion. What I do want is your c1tical suggestion of improve­ments
that might have been made for the purposes of your Archives
whether in choice of material, its inclusion or exclusion, and its
general arrangement . Especially dol want your constructive crit­icism
on the tlLetter of Transmi ttal ll in the light of its possible
use for publicity - not for mys~~i - but for the furthering of
your own work in getting started the biographic data regarding the
work of the Col~~~e ~umni before the older ones shall have
passed on and tIDt~R/Mt~~r personal knowledge (often times more
revealing than the merely academic work or records) of the subject
concerned. If Mr. Barron should prove interested. let his see
the collection for such news items as he m~ think worth while
for liThe Alumnus. "
You may be interested in knowing that Mr. Tewkesbury is spendi~
the summer in Washington, assisting in the publicity work for the
Inter-American Highway. He has severed his connection with the
Charlotte High School, but I am not at liberty to speak more defi­nitely
as yet regarding his next move.
With all good wishes for a happy ana successful year ahead,
Most sincerely.
2119 - H- N. W. (Apt . 704) ~ Cc ~ ~ "JJ.. _~~.. j
Washington, D.C. ~~ ~~~
TEWKESBURY COLLECTION
Additions as of August 1942
CATEGOl'tY CLASSIFICATION
A -- Inserts of full-page sheets under designated classification,
in their appropriste folders:
1. "Prefatory - Contents", sheet 101 , as a continuation
of sheet 10. Probably involving re-stapling.
2.'tPrefatory - List of Maps", shee,t 3. Probably involving
r~tapling.
3. "Tewkesbury's Writings - Publi shed" •...................• A - II - 10
4. "Pan American Highway - Continental" .................... D - I - 9
D - I -10
5. II II If - Latin America" .................. D - II - 4
- 5
_ 6l~2
- 7
- 8
- 9
-10
-11
-12
6. " II II - u. S. & Canada - Alaska" •......•. D-IU:;.( a)- 4
- '5
- 6
! -- Pasted Entries on existing sheets, as directed on the slip pinned
to each entry, lII.XXhtimutt Wrinkling will be kept
at the minimum if a piece of stiff caraboard is laid
over the pasted entry before placing it ~nder press.
1. "Contents":
Sheet 3, item
" 9, II
" 9, "
II 10, II
" 10, items
II II, item
II 11, II
"11. II
2. "List of Maps":
10 .. ... .... .. ................................ A - I I - 10
9 .................................... D- 1- 9
10 ... *' • • .. • • .. • • • • • • • • .. • • • • .. • • • • • .. • • • • • - 10
4 ....................................... D - II - 4
5,6,7,8,9 ..•......................•• D - II - 5--9
4 ••.....•.•.........•.............•• D-III-(a)' - 4
5 ........................................... - 5
6 ............................................. - 6
Sheet 2, item 8 ...........................•....••. D-III-(a) -5
II 2, II 9. . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . • • -6
. ex:\.stiu.e: .
3. "Annotations" on/article classlfied as •••.• . .. ... .••
These are to be only ti'pped in with paste at the
stapled edge (left) of sheets specified, and the
annotation to coincide with the locating quotation.
A-II-5