O. B. Emerson Papers

Collection

Identifier: MSS-0485

Scope and Contents

This collection chiefly consists of correspondence between O. B. Emerson, an award-winning University of Alabama English professor from 1946 to 1986, and various individuals including authors, former students, and other faculty and staff from The University of Alabama. The collection also includes materials about different authors and subjects on which Dr. Emerson either taught or published, as well as a significant amount of materials related to professional organizations in which he was involved.

Dates

1945 - 1990

Creator

Emerson, O. B. (Person)

Biographical / Historical

O. B. Emerson (1921-1990) was a professor of English at The University of Alabama from 1946 to 1986. Dr. Emerson completed his BA at Lambuth College in 1943, and graduated from Vanderbilt University with his MA in 1946 and PhD in 1962. Before his time as a professor at The University of Alabama, he taught at The Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee. Dr. Emerson taught a number of literature courses that reflected his research interests, including Southern literature and African American literature. He produced a number of publications on William Faulkner, including Faulkner's Early Reputation in America in 1984. He received the Outstanding Professor Award, chosen by the student body, in 1965, and the National Alumni Association’s Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award in 1980. O. B. Emerson retired from The University of Alabama in 1986 at which time the O. B. Emerson Endowed Scholarship Fund was established in his honor.

Extent

21.8 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Overview

The collection chiefly consists of correspondence between O. B. Emerson and various individuals including authors, former students, and other faculty and staff from The University of Alabama. The collection also includes materials about different authors and subjects on which Dr. Emerson either taught or published, as well as a significant amount of materials related to professional organizations in which he was involved.

Physical Location

These materials are stored at our off-site Archival Facility (AF) and may require up to two business days for retrieval and delivery for use in our Hoole Library reading room. Please email archives@ua.edu or call 205-348-0500 for more information.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of O. B. Emerson, 1987; additions 1988, 1989, and 1990

Processed by

Revised and updated by Lauren Gilbert and Martha Bace, November 2009; updated by Martha Bace, 2013; photographs processed by Marina Klarić; collection processed by Jessica Rayman, 2018.