Dee Woods Papers

Collection

Identifier: Coll-8

Staff Only

This collection contains correspondence from many influential members in the literary and art world from the first half of the 20th century, along with a considerable amount of Dee Woods’ writing in manuscript form. There are 18 chapters of Woods’ unpublished book, “From Hell to High Water”, which chronicles early South Texas history, along with items related to Wood’s associations, writings, and writing advocacy.

Dates

Majority of material found within 1940 to 1970

Creator

Woods, Dee (1900-1989) (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

No restrictions

Conditions Governing Use

This material is made available for use in research, teaching, and private study, pursuant to U.S. Copyright law. The user assumes full responsibility for any use of the materials, including but not limited to taking precautions against infringement of copyright and respecting the publication rights of reproduced materials. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards. Any materials used should be fully credited with their source according to the example given in the Preferred Citation note. Requests for assistance with citations and images of publication quality should be directed to specialcollections@tamucc.edu

Extent

5 Linear Feet

Abstract

Dee Woods was a Corpus Christi writer, writing advocate, and was actively involved in civic work. Her work appears in over one hundred publications, and she founded the Southwest Writer’s Conference, which brought writers, publishers, agents, and editors from around the nation to Corpus Christi. This collection shows her dedication to bringing people together and reflects her many contributions to the region.

Biographical / Historical

Dee Woods was born Lora Lou Roberts in Springtown, Texas in 1900. After attending The University of Texas, Woods worked as a teacher in Amarillo from 1914 to 1923. She married Dever Edward Woods in 1923, and the couple moved to San Antonio, Texas before relocating to Corpus Christi in 1933. As a successful freelance writer, Woods began submitting historical material to the Caller-Times. In 1941, after publishing in regional and national publications, her book Blaze of Gold earned her the title “unofficial historian of Padre Island”. Her feature writings appeared in over 100 publications, including The Saturday Evening Post, Magazine Digest, Frontier Times, and Southwest Review.

Woods worked to help other writers achieve success. In 1939 she founded the Byliners, a writer’s group that started in Corpus and spread throughout the region. She also founded the Southwest Writers Conference in 1944 and served as its director for 18 years.

When she was not writing, she was involved with other civic activities. She was a member of The Texas Institute of Letters, the Texas Centennial Commission, Texas Authors Day, Federation of Women’s Clubs, South Texas Historical Society, and others. She was an Executive Board Member of The Campfire Girls and National Federation of Press Women, Director of the Bluntzer Study Club, and President of both the Byliners and the Texas Women’s Press Association.

In 1983, the city of Corpus Christi celebrated Dee Woods Day to honor her successful literary career and civic activity. The Byliners gave her a lifetime membership, and she was honored at a large dinner attended by her friends and colleagues, many of whom she had helped achieve success.

Arrangement

This collection consists of thirteen series, five subseries, and ninety folders. The series are Biographical, Correspondence, Dee’s Writings, Other Writers, Southwest Writers Conference, Byliners, Dee’s Other Associations, Photos, Maps, Corpus Christi Promotional Material, Plaque, Other Assorted Items, and Oversize Items: Full Sheet Newspapers and Scrapbook.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The collection was acquired in the Spring of 1984 from Miki Ann Pichon and Raemar E. Shown. Richard O’Keeffe assisted with the acquisition.

Related Materials

Helen Hance Papers , Mary Packwood , Asa M. French Surveying Field Books

Processing Information

This collection was processed in 1984/85 by University Librarian Richard L. O’Keeffe, and arranged by Eric Christensen, Librarian of Archive Processing for Texas A&M University– Corpus Christi’s Special Collections & Archives Department.