University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Archives Department.

Burke, Virginia M.

Papers, 1938-1977.

UWM Manuscript Collection 37

2.8 cubic ft. (7 archives boxes)


ABSTRACT: Papers of a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee English professor which include professional and personal correspondence, newspaper clippings, drafts of published works, copies of works that had been submitted for publication, reviews, and notes. The professional correspondence includes thank you letters, letters of inquiry, rejection and acceptance letters from publishers, and routine correspondence with colleagues. The personal correspondence deals primarily with Burke's battle against heart disease. A large portion of the collection concerns Burke's involvement with professional organizations, particularly the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) and the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English (WCTE). The collection also reflects her interest in Black literature. She taught courses in Black literature, and she served on the advisory board for the Negro-American Literature Forum, which later became the Black American Literature Forum.

ACCESS RESTRICTIONS: There are no access restrictions on the materials, and the collection is open to all members of the public in accordance with state law. However, the researcher assumes full responsibility for conforming with the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright which may be involved in the use of this collection (Wisconsin Statutes 19.21-19.39).

SCOPE AND CONTENT: Papers of a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee English professor. The majority of the collection focuses on Burke's involvement in professional organizations, and her writing.

The collection consists of routine professional correspondence, personal correspondence, copies of published works, copies of papers which were submitted for publication, copies of published works, newspaper clippings, and notes.

Most of the correspondence documents Burke's activities with a number of professional organizations. The personal correspondence primarily deals with vacations, holidays, or Burke's personal fight against heart disease.

The collection also documents the activities and goals of the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, for the years 1958-1964. Included are copies (1958-1963) of the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English (WCTE) Newsletter titled English Language Arts in Wisconsin.

Materials from Burke's research project on Fred Newton Scott, a University of Michigan English professor who specialized in Rhetoric, are included in the collection. The project was started in 1964, and appears to have been discontinued in 1965. The type of materials present are grant proposals, financial statements, and routine correspondence.

Burke was interested in the civil rights movement, and that interest is reflected in the collection. Many of her writings address problems of inequality between blacks and whites, and she was particularly concerned with the lack of black professors at UWM in the 1960s and 1970s. Her views on these subjects are scattered throughout the collection.

Burke published a number of papers, and when possible, a printed copy of the published work has been included in the collection. When a printed copy was not located, the most recent draft of the work was retained. Drafts of published books were not retained, as the books are available at the Golda Meir Library.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE: Virginia Marie Burke was born in Hopedale, Massachusetts on May 19, 1916. She graduated from Hopedale High School in 1934. She received her B.S. from Worcester State College in 1938, her M.A. from Boston University in 1942, and her Ed.D from Columbia University in 1956. She taught English and Foreign languages in high schools in Massachusetts from 1938-1946. She started as an instructor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1956, and remained with the University until her death in 1978.

She was an active member of the Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, serving as the organization's President in 1964. She was also active in the National Council of Teachers of English, serving as the Chairman of the Committee on Convention Newsletters from 1959-1962. She was a nationally known authority on Black literature, and she served on the advisory board of the Negro-American Literature Forum, which later became the Black American Literature Forum. She was listed in Contemporary Authors (1974).


COLLECTION CITATION: This collection should be cited as:

Burke, Virginia M. Papers, 1938-1977. UWM Manuscript Collection 37. University Manuscript Collection. Golda Meir Library. University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee.


RELATED COLLECTIONS:

University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. Dept. of English. Records, 1945-1989. (UWM Archival Collection 127)


ACQUISITION: An unknown person donated the collection sometime before 1989.

PROCESSING: Vincent Totka processed the collection in August through November 1992 at the Milwaukee Urban Archives.

MARC RECORD SEARCH TERMS: The following terms were used in the online bibliographic MARC record to this collection:

UWM MANUSCRIPT COLLECTION 37 BOX FOLDER
Academic Activities, 1976-1978 1 1
Cardiac Kids, 1976 1 2
Censorship, 1957-1963 1 3
College Selection Nominating Committee, 1976-1977 1 4
Commencement Address, 1958 1 5
Conference on College Composition and Communication, 1972 1 6
Conference on English Education, 1963-1971 1 7
Correspondence, 1944-1965 1 8
Correspondence, 1966-1968 1 9
Correspondence, 1969 1 10
Correspondence, 1970-1973 1 11
Correspondence, 1974-1977 1 12
Correspondence, undated 2 2
Correspondence, Business and Personal, 1972 2 1
Course Survey, 1968 2 3
Dissertation, 1956 2 4
Examination for Ph.D, 1976 2 5
Fillers, 1976 2 6
Fort Valley State College, 1970 2 7
Gay Literature, 1976-1977 2 8
Lay Reader Program, 1959-1961 2 9
Library Journal Book Reviews, 1976-1978 3 1
Milwaukee Area Technical College, Communication Skills 151, 1975 3 2
National Council of Teachers of English, Annual Programs, 1963-1967 3 3
National Council of Teachers of English, Committee on Publications, 1952-1963 3 4
National Council of Teachers of English, Constitution, 1958 3 5
National Council of Teachers of English, Correspondence, 1973-1974 3 6
National Council of Teachers of English, Handbooks, 1963 3 7
National Council of Teachers of English, History Committee, 1965 3 8
National Council of Teachers of English, Newsletter, 1963-1966 3 9
National Council of Teachers of English, Newsletter Project, 1959-1962 3 10
National Council of Teachers of English, Pre-Convention Study Groups, 1964 4 1
National Council of Teachers of English, Teacher Load, 1959-1960 4 2
Negro American Literature Forum, 1971-1976 4 3
Negro Stereotypes, 1971-1975 4 6
New Century Project, 1970-1971 4 5
Newspaper Clippings, 1956-1977 4 6
Papers, Advanced Composition for Future Teachers of English, 1962 4 7
Papers, Black Literature for Whom?, 1972 4 8
Papers, Crisis in Composition, 1961 4 9
Papers, Freak Heart 4 10
Papers, How Not to Find that Irish Ancestor, 1976 4 11
Papers, Images of the Alcoholic in Literature, 1976-1977 4 12
Papers, Immortal Womanhood, 1942 4 13
Papers, Lost Dimension in Canto V of Dante's "Inferno," 1962 4 14
Papers, Mummy Didn't Mean No Harm, 1974 4 15
Papers, New Era in the Teaching of English, 1959 4 16
Papers, Newsletters in Affiliate Work, 1966 4 17
Papers, Once Upon a Shamrock Time, 1973 4 18
Papers, Open Heart: A Hole in Her Heart, 1956 4 19
Papers, Paragraph: Dancer in Chains, 1965 5 2
Papers, Paragraph in Context, 1969 5 1
Papers, Personal, 1939-1978 513
Papers, Problems in Oral English, 1967 5 3
Papers, Purpose in Writing, 1962 5 4
Papers, Rhetoric and Composition: A Brief Historical Review, 1963 5 5
Papers, Shape of the Breakthrough in English, 1960 5 6
Papers, Student Papers by Burke, 1949 5 11
Papers, Teaching of Language in High School, 1963 5 7
Papers, Turn of the Tide in Composition?, 1965 5 8
Papers, Untitled Drafts, 1973 5 12
Papers, Veil and the Vision, 1977 5 9
Papers, Zora Neale Hurston and Fannie Hurst as They Saw Each Other, 1977 5 10
Photographs, 1962 5 14
Poetry, 1966-1976 5 15
Reviews, 1963-1976 5 16
Royalty Reports, 1968-1976 5 17
Scott Project, Correspondence, 1964 6 1
Scott Project, Funding, 1964-1965 6 2
Scott Project, Itinerary, 1964 6 3
Sicily, 1972 6 4
Television Course in the Humanities, 1958 6 5
Twayne Publishers, 1973 6 5
Untitled Novel, 1974 6 7-8
United States English Educators People-to-People Delegation, 1977 6 9
Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, Annual Financial Reports, 1960-1963 7 1
Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, Bulletins for Administration, 1961-1963 7 2
Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, College and University Conference, 1964 7 3
Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, Constitution, 1958 7 4
Wisconsin Council of Teachers of English, Convention Programs, 1959-1963 7 5

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Last edited on Wednesday, June 21, 2006.
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